The One Who Was Taken by Kerry Wilkinson
Published: April 17, 2023
Bookouture
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 317
KKECReads Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.
Kerry Wilkinson is originally from the county of Somerset; Kerry spent way too long living in the north of England, picking up words like ‘barm’ and ‘ginnel.’ When he’s short of ideas, he rides his bike, hikes up something, or bakes cakes. When he’s not, he writes it all down.
Seventeen-year-old best friends Nicola and Millie were supposed to have a summer night of fun and freedom in the local park. But when dawn comes Millie realises Nicola is missing. Distraught, she searches for her alone: and finds Nicola tied to a tree, her purple Converse shoes missing, her long hair cut and scattered on the ground. With no memory of what happened, terrified Nicola begs Millie never to speak of this again…
Fifteen years later. With countless secrets and hurt between them, Millie and Nicola have not spoken in over a decade. But now Nicola has found her old purple Converse strung up in her garden. Is her attacker sending a message? Why now, after all this time?
In the small town of Whitecliff, people have long memories – but Millie is the only one who can help get answers. And, as she asks questions of their school friends, she realises one of them knows more than they should about her own family secrets…
Not knowing who to trust, and knowing Nicola’s kidnapper is still out there, Millie must ask: how far will they go to keep the truth buried forever?
“Sometimes you have to be ruthless in letting go of things… or in trying to keep hold of what you have.”
Millie gets a phone call from someone she hasn’t spoken to in 15 years, leading her to take a trip down memory lane. Now, she has to try and sort out why the past is suddenly crashing into the present while trying to maintain a civil temper with her ex for the sake of her son.
I like how easy this book was to read. The pacing and timeline move swiftly. There is just enough happening to keep you engaged, but nothing so chaotic that you feel like you need a break.
I like Millie. I hope she turns out to be a good person because she has had a lot of rotten luck. We get to know Guy more in this book, and I like him. He is one of this wise older people, who has seen and heard a lot of things, so his perspective is solid.
We met some old friends from the past, and it was interesting how they were woven into the story. We got a bit more Jack, who was lovely.
The ending of this book will make you scream.