Big questions
When two 18-year-old girls go missing on their gap year in Thailand, their families are thrust into the media spotlight — they are a big story. And in the silly season, when reporters are scratching around for news, it’s the scoop they’re all after. But how far will they go to get the story
. . . and will the truth be a casualty?
Fiona Barton’s latest crime thriller delves into the seedier side of Thailand’s tourism industry, of dodgy hostels and places where the creeps come out at night. In a country where several hundred tourists are reported missing each year — with most turning up quickly — what happens to those who don’t?
Reporter Kate Waters knows that bad things happen to ordinary people. But when her own son becomes entangled in the mystery (suspect or hero?), the reporter suddenly becomes the story.
Detective Inspector Bob Sparkes is assigned the missing persons case but with his wife dying of cancer how much of his mind is really on the job? And dealing with police in a foreign country will make solving the mystery even harder.
Lesley O’Connor knows her daughter Alex is a good girl. But is that just what Alex wants her mum to believe? And in reality how well does any parent really know their child?
Told from the viewpoint of several main characters, the story and timeline are easy to follow. It’s a good summer read — and you may just start to examine the secrets you keep.