As a big thriller fan, the blurb for EMMA IN THE NIGHT by
Wendy Walker
intrigued me. Two sisters, Cass and Emma, both go missing
and are gone for three years until Cass, the younger
sister comes back, and all she says to her family and the
FBI is find Emma!
What happened to Emma and Cass? Did they leave
willingly? Or where they kidnapped? What happened
during the three years they were gone? Forensic
psychiatrist Abby Winter feels that something is wrong
with Cass's story and as the story progresses more and more
is revealed about Cass's dysfunctional family. And, what a
family! Cass and Emma's family situation was not the best
with a narcissistic mother that manipulated everyone
around her.
My first impression of this book was that there was very
little action and much talk. Basically, it's Cass
retelling what happened three years ago and what happened
next. We also get Abby Winter's side of the story since she
got involved with the case when Emma and Cass
disappeared. This is not a book that instantly hooked me,
instead, it was a pleasant read that got
more and more intense as the story progressed. I was not
able to put EMMA IN THE NIGHT down and I had to
finish it very late that evening. The second half of the
book is just so engrossing that I could not stop reading.
I had to know the truth. I wanted to know what happened
to Emma and Cass and I really wanted to know if Cass is
telling the truth, etc. It such a fabulous thriller that
I closed the book feeling that it was worth the lack of
sleep and being
tired at work the next day. I just felt so much sympathy
for Cass, for growing up with such a horrible mother. I was
intrigued by her story, both her life before she
and her sister went missing and what happened during the
years they were gone, not to mention the present story
with her begging everyone to find Emma.
EMMA IN THE NIGHT is just the kind of book that I love to
read. I had never read a book by Wendy Walker before, but
I definitely want to read more books by her. I just love
how the story went from quite good to read to suddenly
thrilling in the way I want a thriller to be. I liked
that the story showed both Winter and Cass's point of
view. The ending is so satisfying!
One night three years ago, the Tanner sisters
disappeared: fifteen-year-old Cass and seventeen-year-old
Emma. Three years later, Cass returns, without her sister
Emma. Her story is one of kidnapping and betrayal, of a
mysterious island where the two were held. But to
forensic psychiatrist Dr. Abby Winter, something doesn't
add up. Looking deep within this dysfunctional family Dr.
Winter uncovers a life where boundaries were violated and
a narcissistic parent held sway. And where one sister's
return might just be the beginning of the crime.