Rachel and Clara meet in high school and instantly become best friends. Clara was the friend that everyone wanted to have and Rachel was simply the shy and awkward new girl. Yet, something clicked between them and no one could separate them. They remained friends for several years. Now they are in their twenties and have somehow drifted apart. Only recently back in regular contact, news reporter Rachel is stunned to find that the subject of a massive manhunt is Clara. She is missing but no one is quite sure what happened to her.

Yes, Clara is missing, alright. But there is much more to the story than anyone could ever imagine.

PRECIOUS THING is Colette McBeth's first novel and, let me tell you, reading it is a mind-blowing experience. There are those books that grab you by the throat almost from the first sentence and never let go of you until you have reached the final page. PRECIOUS THING is one of those books! Be prepared to let the laundry and cleaning go for another day when you pick up this one. You will also probably want to order takeout for dinner. There is simply no way that you will be able to stop reading PRECIOUS THING until you know precisely everything that has been happening.

Ms. McBeth offers her readers a morsel here and there before leaving them panting for more while delving into another part of the puzzle. In fact, if PRECIOUS THING were an actual puzzle in a box, it would be one of those 5,000 piece ones because there is seriously so much going on here that you must figure out before having the completed picture. It is difficult to describe Ms. McBeth's writing style other than to say she knows exactly what she is doing as she constructs her tale of friendship, betrayal, revenge and, ultimately, murder. However, it is not murder in the true sense that most of us think.

PRECIOUS THING offers plenty of heart stopping as well as heart breaking moments. No one will be able to come away from it without a lingering memory for a long time to come. I avidly look forward to Colette McBeth's next novel.