The nowhere child by Christian White

Affirm Press, 2018. ISBN 9781925584523
(Age: Mature 16+) Recommended. Themes: Mystery and suspense. Cults. When Kim Leamy is approached by a stranger during a break in her work, he tells her that he believes that she is Sammy Went, a child who went missing 28 years ago. Kim can't believe it - she has had a happy home life with people who love her, but once she starts investigating her past, she finds anomalies that take her off to Manson, Kentucky. While trying to solve the mystery of the disappearance of Sammy Went, she faces danger as the secrets of the town begin to unravel.
This was a compulsive read that grabbed me from the beginning as Kim begins to try and find out what happened to the little girl Sammy and why the stranger believes that she is that girl. The atmosphere of the Southern town of Manson is vividly described and the reader is taken into the home of the Went family, its problems and the deep religious beliefs of the Went mother. The religious cult of snake handling is explored in detail that is quite disturbing. It makes the story darker and more fascinating than many other mystery thrillers that are available.
Not for the faint hearted, The nowhere child will have readers on the edge of their seats as Kim traces step by step the journey that Sammy Went undertook. There are plenty of red herrings to lead the reader astray and the final denouement is chilling and unexpected.
Pat Pledger