Daily Press (Sunday)

A child vanishes, a marriage suffers in ‘Little Secrets’

- By Oline H. Cogdill Sun-Sentinel

The family thriller continues to be a formidable trend in mystery fiction. After all, everyone has a family in some way — good, bad or indifferen­t.

Jennifer Hillier puts a unique spin on the family thriller with a tense plot that includes complicate­d characters in the highly entertaini­ng “Little Secrets,” her sixth standalone. “Little Secrets” also works well as a privatedet­ectivenove­l,akidnappin­g heist and a look at debilitati­ng grief — as well as a solid tale about obsession and betrayal as a family falls apart in the wake of a crime.

Hillierbri­ngsthesame­vigorous storytelli­ng to “Little Secrets” as she did to her 2018 “Jar of Hearts,” which won the Internatio­nal Thriller

Writers’ best novel award.

Here, celebrity hairstylis­t Marin Machado is juggling packages, a call from her husband Derek and the crowds at Seattle’s popular Pike Place Market while tightly holding the hand of her 4-year- old son, Sebastian. But in a flash, Sebastian slips out of her hand and is gone, vanished among the Christmas shopping crowd. The security cameras only show the child with a man wearing a Santa Claus suit, but then no further trace. No calls for ransom, no random sightings.

Nearly 16 months later, Marin remains shellshock­ed about her son, counting how many hours and minutes it’s been since she saw him. She has little interest in managing her successful a chain of upscale hair salons. Derek seems more comfortabl­e runningthe­companytha­the built from the ground up as well as taking frequent businesstr­ips.Sheblamesh­erself for Sebastian’s disappeara­nce and, in a way, so does Derek. The couple, once close, now rarely speak.

The police consider it a cold case, so Marin hires a private investigat­or who uncovers Derek’s months-long affair with grad student KenzieLi,whothrives­onbeingan Instagram celebrity. Kenzie considers herself a “profession­al girlfriend,” specializi­ng in wealthy men who give her money and expensive gifts. Derek’s affair shocks Marin out of her depression, her anger and rage catapultin­g her into a dark emotional place seeking revenge.

Hillier skillfully shows how little lies that run through the story expand and overwhelm the characters, each of whom reaches a believable arc. Aside from Sebastian, no character is completely sympatheti­c, nor is any of them a villain. All the characters struggle with human flaws and frailties that, if allowed, could destroy them.

 ??  ?? Minotaur. 352 pp. $26.99.
Minotaur. 352 pp. $26.99.

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