LITTLE GIRL LOST

In Williams’ thriller, a man suspected of abducting a missing girl fears police may uncover a similar incident in his past.

Thirty-one-year-old Paul Schneider fancies himself as a writer, but the self-proclaimed “computer savant” supports himself by working nights doing remote tech support for a large retailer. Some time ago, he met Gretchen Luchak and her 3-year-old daughter, Cyndi, when they moved into his condo complex. Gretchen left her abusive, alcoholic husband and started waiting tables, often at night. She and Paul became friends, so now, when Cyndi’s regular babysitter is unavailable, the child stays with Paul; they play board games, or she watches television when he has a work call. The night she goes missing, Cyndi is being watched by her regular sitter, an elderly woman. The woman falls asleep, and neither she nor Gretchen check on Cyndi until morning, when they discover she is missing. Due to various factors, Paul is the primary suspect. He knows it looks bad for him—when the police show up at his door, he’s even wearing a shirt sporting the text, “I’M A WRITER, NOT A SERIAL KILLER, DESPITE MY SEARCH HISTORY.” A divorced loner, Paul was let go from his previous job teaching first and second graders in another town after an “incident” involving one of his students. Even though he was never charged in that case, it would be a major red flag to the police. The narrative is initially conveyed in the first person by Paul, but a third of the way through the book, a third-person narrator weaves in and the reader is introduced to the horrendous backstory of a child molester and killer—the already dark tone turns pitch-black. The author succeeds in lacing the current investigation and the killer’s past together. Descriptions are strong: Gretchen “struggled at a local diner scratching out a living waiting on men whose leering eyes ran deeper than their shallow pockets.” The twists and turns will delight many readers, but some will be turned off by the violence and other disturbing content.

Riveting and unsettling.