Synopsis (as taken from the back of the book) is as follows:

THEN

One night, my little sister went missing. There were searches, appeals. Everyone thought the worst.

And then, miraculously, she came back. She couldn’t, or wouldn’t, say what happened. But she wasn’t the same afterwards. She wasn’t my Annie.

Sometimes my own little sister scared me to death.

NOW

The email arrives in my inbox:

I know what happened to your sister.

It’s happening again…

Ability to Read – I found it very easy to read this book. I sat down in Central Park when the sun was shinning and read this in one sitting.

Characterisation – Joe Thorne was a compelling character whose life was a patchwork of difficult memories and experiences. He was a very clever character whose observations helped him to get where he needed to be. His guilt and his vengeance fueled him and his fear kept him sharp.

All the characters seemed well formed and meeting the characters as adults, matched them well to their childhood personas. The growth from childhood to adulthood seemed real and acceptable instead of awkward and forced.

Visualisation – It was quite easy to visualise this, I have some knowledge of the miners of the 1980’s and though I have never been to Nottingham, I was able to create a clear picture of what was happening through description and detail.

Enjoyment – I thought this book was good and I certainly read it rather quickly. However, I did think that the title and the blurb were misleading as they prompted me to expect something that never came. It was an interesting read but I was confused at the end to have not gotten a definite answer for the events that took place. The story was less about ‘The Taking of Annie Thorne’, and more about Joe’s journey through guilt, fear and a yearning for the truth.

Star Rating – ★★★★