Penhale Wood by Julia Thomas

If it's the last thing she ever does, Iris will find Sophie's killer and make her pay.

On a cold December night in Cornwall, nanny Karen Peterson disappeared with three-year-old Sophie Flynn. The next day, the child's body was found on a riverbank in Penhale Wood.

A year later, Sophie's mother, Iris Flynn, appears on the doorstep of investigating officer Rob McIntyre, determined to make him reopen her daughter's case. McIntyre has his own personal demons, but Iris hijacks his life in order to find the woman she thinks is responsible for Sophie's death. Following the slimmest of leads, they are soon confronting ghosts from the past and a chameleon-like killer who will do anything to stay hidden.

Publisher: Audible | Narrator: Ana Clements | Length: 8 Hours, 17 Minutes  | Genre: Contemporary Thriller/Mystery | Source: Publisher | Rating: 4 Cups

Challenges Read For:  - 2019 Try Something New: New-to-me Author

 

I wasn’t sure what to expect with one as I had hadn’t heard about the book or the author. I took a chance and found this one to be a gripping mystery.

 

Here’s what’s going on. A year after her daughter’s murder, Iris Flynn is back in the U.K. and determined to find her child’s killer. Unrelenting in her pursuit, she’ll do everything in her power to force Rob McIntyre to reopen the case. Rob has his own problems; a relationship that crumbled, a life nowhere near what he imagined, and a case he hasn’t been able to solve. He knows he doesn’t need Iris in his life but when they stumble upon a new lead, there’s no way he can let Iris down or let Sophie’s killer go free.

 

This one was a bit different from the normal mysteries that I’ve been reading. Yes, it was mystery, a solid one at that, but there was a different layer to this one. It was also about the characters discovering who they were and what they wanted.

 

My heart hurt for Iris. She’s lost a child, she has a husband who never really cared about anything but himself, she’s estranged from her mother and siblings, and she’s been living a Gypsy life for so many years she not sure what it’s like to establish roots. She had to leave her two remaining children behind in Australia to return to the U.K. in order to press the police into reopening her daughter’s case. She failed Sophie before and she’s determined not to fail her again.

 

Rob, while he has his work life under control, his personal life is in a bit of a tailspin. He’s attempting to get over his breakup but there’s a part of him that’s holding on to his ex, and that was a bit trying at times given his ex could care less. He’s also seeing the life his brother has and wanting that sense of family. While he’s reluctant to let Iris in, there’s something about her that makes him want to protect her. He’s also ready to tear everything apart in order to find her daughter’s killer.

 

While I liked both Rob and Iris, they both had their flaws. I couldn’t understand why Iris was so willing to stay with a worthless husband or why she made her kids live a vagabond life. Rob was an arse at the start. He was constantly going on about the woman who left him and how inconvenienced he was at having to tote Iris around. Thankfully, his character did a 180 and I ended up liking him. They both needed each other to heal and to become whole. While there was no cheating, there was definitely a bond that was formed between them and it changed both of their lives for the better.

 

The mystery in this one isn’t going to be for everybody. It was a heavier mystery yet not gruesome. There were things that I questioned such as why a mother would agree to bring a woman into their home that she didn’t know and why would she let her young children go with this woman. I also questioned some of the policing in this one. Like why wasn’t CCTV consulted as soon as the nanny vanished? Why did it take a year for visas to be checked out?

 

Even though the murderer was known from the start of the book, this was one twisty mystery. There were a few things that I had figured out early on yet some of the others caught me off guard. There were also a few questions I had that were either partially answered or unanswered.

 

This was my first time listening to Ana Clements and I found her to be enjoyable. She was brilliant with the narrations and bringing the characters to life. While I did enjoy her narration, I think this one should have had a male narrator as well. I think I’ve just grown accustomed to dual narration and miss it when it’s not there.

 

Overall, I do wish that some of the aspects would have been expanded on a bit and the ending could have been little lengthier but it was still a brilliant mystery. If you’re a fan of British crime dramas/mysteries you’ll want to pick this one up.