[Review] The Child Finder - Rene Denfeld

Summary: Three years ago, Madison Culver disappeared when her family was choosing a Christmas tree in Oregon’s Skookum National Forest. She would be eight-years-old by now—if she has survived. Desperate to find their beloved daughter, certain someone took her, the Culvers turn to Naomi, a private investigator with an uncanny talent for locating the lost and missing. Known to the police and a select group of parents as “the Child Finder,” Naomi is their last hope.

Naomi’s methodical search takes her deep into the icy, mysterious forest in the Pacific Northwest, and into her own fragmented past. She understands children like Madison because once upon a time, she was a lost girl, too.

As Naomi relentlessly pursues and slowly uncovers the truth behind Madison’s disappearance, shards of a dark dream pierce the defenses that have protected her, reminding her of a terrible loss she feels but cannot remember. If she finds Madison, will Naomi ultimately unlock the secrets of her own life? (Pub Date: Sep 5, 2017)


Review based on an ARC provided by Edelweiss. I also want to thank the publisher for giving me this opportunity.

While I had big expectations for this novel that weren't really matched, this was much better composed than I had foreseen. Could I say we're even then? But my true rating would be around 3.5.

Naomi is a child finder who usually finds the missing but she can't guarantee they will come back alive. There doesn't seem to be much hope for 5-year-old Madison, lost in the snow three years before, when her parents hire her. A Naomi still needs to deal with her own unknown past as a missing child herself, she goes back to the forest where Madison was last seen and looks for clues.

I think this story had problems focusing, not that it was confusing—although it was a little in the beginning—but in a way that made me anxious. For example, Naomi usually focuses on a single case at a time, and she suddenly accepts a second one. But why? What did it bring to the story? I have no idea, even after finishing the whole book. So there she was, finally with a good clue of Madison's whereabouts and we readers are hearing sounds of things clicking in place... What does Naomi do? Skips town to see the other case. WHY??? This irritated me.

Aside from that, this is a book with a less typical way to narrate. I guess it did its job, the scenes with the snow girl, saved and held captive by Mr. B were well written, giving a new tone to what could have been your everyday thriller book. Still, it took me sometime to get used to this. When I did, though, I appreciated the effort of her doing something more.

Also, we have multiple points of view but the main ones are Naomi's, B's and snow girl's. I had problems with Naomi as a character... Because she also went missing when a child and has no clue of her past, she obviously still has issues, such as nightmares and connecting with others. I think that made her so hard to like. But she does have friends and there's an attempt of romance with three male characters. However, I felt more chemistry between her and her best (girl) friend than with any of the men so forced it all was—but even this friend doesn't show enough. In the end, it was hard to humanize Naomi. And the fact that the book is more about her internal conflicts than finding Madison, this was a problem. Whenever the case wasn't Madison's or the other missing baby's, I'd feel a little bored, incapable of caring about Naomi's predicament.

The conclusion was nice—and we do see the ending of Madison's story—but I think this could be the first in a series. I can't say whether the second one would focus more on Naomi as the final pages led me to think or if she'll keep taking cases. I didn't like Naomi but I liked the author and want to believe she'll be even better, so I would probably get a second one.

By the way, a little warning for snow girl's scenes. They aren't exactly explicit but they are a little bit dubious. I never knew what exactly was going one because the narration was in fairy-tale style but I guess something was going on. If you're sensitive about children's sexuality, I'd advise you against reading this book.

In sum, this book could use more focus but it was still well written and surely different from usual. I also think it was a very quick read, despite the literary resources employed. I don't think there were important plot twists but it still kept me interested until the very ending. It's good and memorable. I'm looking forward to reading more by Denfelt.

Rating: 4 out of 5.