The Birthday Party

By: Wendy Dranfield

Narrated by: Sarah Borges

Charlotte waves at her mother across the crowded lawn. Little red boots on, cowboy hat crooked over her blonde pigtails, she’s been looking forward to this party for weeks. Moments later, she disappears without a trace....

Kathy Hamilton drives away from her sister-in-law’s pristine-white suburban house in Maple Falls certain she’s left her daughter in safe hands. On the hottest day of the year, a birthday is the perfect excuse to gather friends, family, and neighbors around the pool for a barbecue. But when she returns hours later to find her little girl has vanished, her world shatters.

Nobody laughing and drinking in the garden that day saw anything unusual.

Kathy’s eldest daughter is anxious and hardly eating. Is she sick with worry for her sister, or hiding a terrible secret?

The phone rings and rings, but why can’t Kathy get hold of the babysitter?

And is she imagining it, or when her husband rushed from work to join the search, was he wearing a different shirt from the one she saw him leave the house in that morning?

As the temperature rises, and long-buried secrets begin to surface, it’s clear that even the most perfect families keep devastating secrets. But in a town as small as this, is there anyone you can trust?

Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Gone Girl, and Teresa Driscoll, it will keep you up listening all night long!

©2022 Wendy Dranfield (P)2021 Bookouture, an imprint of Storyfire Ltd.

Good story poor narration

I struggled though this book. I don't like to be harshly critcal but eventually realized it wasn't the story that I found irritating , however, the narrator wasn't ideally suited to this book. Essentially, some people "just read" and don't support the character development.

it was pretty good.

Lots of twists in the story. Narrator was good also. All and all I gave it 5 stars.

The twist

Alot of ppl complained about the narrator.. but I thought she did a good job! The story was darker than I thought it would be! It was also a slow burn, which I’m usually not into, but the end was worth it!

Awesome!

Loved it!!! Never saw what was coming! Kept me on the edge of my seat!!

Too many coincidences

This book would have been good had it not been for all the “how did I know that was going to happen” moments. I also couldn’t stand the readers “crying” voice.