Gone Without a Trace

February 6, 2017
Hannah Monroe, the narrator of Torjussen’s strong debut, is flush with the promise of a much-earned promotion at her accounting firm and eager to share the news with her live-in boyfriend of four years, Matt Stone. But when she returns to her house near Liverpool from a training course in Oxford, Matt isn’t there, and all his belongings have disappeared with him. Bewildered and devastated, Hannah discovers that Matt’s phone number has been deleted from her phone and that he’s even left his job. She turns for comfort to her best friend, Katie, who tries to persuade her to move on, but all Hannah wants to do is find Matt and confront him. Soon she begins receiving strange texts and suspects that someone is entering her house. As Hannah falls apart and her work suffers, readers realize that not all is at it seems. The deliciously dark conclusion is perfect for this tale of all-consuming obsession, jealousy, and the secrets that lie beneath the most perfect of exteriors. Agent: Kate Burke, Diane Banks Associates (U.K.).

Narrator Emily Pennant-Rea gives an emotional performance of this satisfying mystery. Hannah returns home from a business trip to find that everything belonging to her live-in boyfriend, Matt, is gone and she has no way to contact him. She's shocked and can't get the question of "why?" out of her mind--especially since there seem to be things in her home that are being tampered with while she's at work. Pennant-Rea superbly depicts Hannah's mixed feelings of confusion, frustration, and anger. Her portrayals of secondary characters are equally vivid. Her performance is at its strongest during the story's climax, which at last reveals why Matt has disappeared. A compelling psychological thriller. D.Z. � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine