99 Red Balloons

By: Elisabeth Carpenter

Narrated by: Sarah Ovens, Victoria Riley, Maggie Ollerenshaw, Dean Williamson, Paul Tyreman

Two girls go missing, decades apart. What would you do if one was your daughter?

When eight-year-old Grace goes missing from a sweetshop on the way home from school, her mother Emma is plunged into a nightmare. Her family rallies around, but as the police hunt begins, cracks begin to emerge.

What are the secret emails sent between Emma’s husband and her sister? Why does her mother take so long to join the search? And is Emma really as innocent as she seems?

Meanwhile, ageing widow Maggie Taylor sees Grace’s picture in the newspaper. It’s a photograph that jolts her from the pain of her existence into a spiralling obsession with another girl – the first girl who disappeared…

This is a gripping psychological thriller with a killer twist that will take your breath away.

‘An intense domestic thriller, twists and turns galore, and a host of family secrets. An absorbing read.’ Paul Finch, bestselling author of Strangers

‘An intelligent, taut and compelling thriller’ Sam Carrington, bestselling author of Saving Sophie

‘Carpenter emerges as an addictive new talent’ Helen Fields, author of Perfect Remains

‘The plot is seamless’ Amanda Robson, author of Obsession

©2017 Elisabeth Carpenter (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"Libby Carpenter's beautiful writing draws you in immediately. Her characterisation is superb, and she skillfully delivers a pacey, suspenseful plot. 99 Red Balloons is an intelligent, taut and compelling thriller that manages to pack a punch - and still throws you right at the end. It's perfect - I loved every word." (Sam Carrington, best-selling author of Saving Sophie)

"This sharp, poignant domestic noir is like watching a snake slither towards its prey. You want to look away but somehow you can't stop looking. Carpenter emerges as an addictive new talent, climbing inside the characters and opening them up for the reader to devour. What a wonderful debut!" (Helen Fields, author or Perfect Remains)

I LOVED THIS BOOK

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i love books that are unpredictable...... enough said.

Pretty Good!

I wish the story of the characters were in depth like Maggie, but overall it was pretty good. Missing the main reason of why the girls were taken. But really not a bad book!

Enjoyable

Don't want to spoil any part of it. I will only say please read it. Good story line, character development, well written book.

Wow. What a beautifully written book....

Great title too. Yes it was a thriller but it was realistic, plausible and honestly I was so invested in the characters I was sad it was over.
This book has not gotten nearly the attention it deserves. I will be watching and waiting for more good reads from this author.

Quick read. Good plot.

This book started off slow. It goes back and forth between characters. The narrator's did a very good job. But I found myself going back to remember which character was talking. Eventually I caught on and then I couldn't put it down. Good plot with twist and turns and an ending I did expect. Childhood abduction is difficult to wittness, which makes this book hard to read at times. But I needed to know what happened to these two little girls. I don't regret it. ENJOY!!