Marin Machado’s life collapses during a crowded Christmas market when her four-year-old son, Sebastian, vanishes while she is distracted by a phone call. Sixteen months later, the police investigation has stalled, and Marin lives in a state of medicated grief. When she hires a private investigator to find her son, she instead discovers proof that her husband, Derek, is having an affair with a younger woman named McKenzie Li. Marin shifts her obsession from her missing child to a calculated plot to eliminate the woman threatening her broken family.
This novel is for readers of psychological suspense who prefer internal character logic over investigative procedures. It attracts those interested in the intersections of maternal loss and vigilante justice. Instead of a standard whodunit, the narrative focuses on the moral degradation of a mother pushed to extremes. Readers finish the book with a perspective on how desperate grief fuels impulsivity and how secrets within a marriage create more danger than the threats found in the outside world.
Practical and escapist; an easy read.
Best for readers like The Escapist Adventurer. Which reader are you?
Insights from Little Secrets
Derek seems like the perfect husband until he isn't. It makes you wonder what your own partner is doing when you aren't looking.
“One minute he was there, and the next he wasn't.”
Marin losing Sebastian at the Christmas market is a waking nightmare. It shows how one second of distraction can rewrite your whole life.
“She was becoming a person she didn't recognize.”
The way Marin stalks Kenzie is chilling but feels honest. Grief makes you do things that would have horrified your old self.
“I’ve got you, Marin. I’ve always got you.”
Sal is a reminder that some people stay loyal even when things get ugly. Having one person who really sees you is a lifeline.
- Published
- 2020
- Publisher
- Minotaur Books
- Language
- EN
