Greenway

The Greenway by Jane Adams jumped out at me due to author Minette Walters comments on the book. While The Greenway is far from the fabulous writings of Ms. Walters, it does have it's own blend of suspense and some interesting twists and turns.The plot kept me reading past my stop on the bus but I never really fully felt the characters, they were not fully formed nor very sympathetic. They seemed very wooden to me but I really wanted to know what happened to Suzie! The novel opens with Cassie Malthams perpetual nightmare of the day her cousin Suzie disappeared. They were young children playing on the greenway - one moment Suzie was there and the next she had vanished.Cassie and her husband decide to return to the sleepy village many years later so that Cassie can face her fears and move on with her life - only as Cassie returns another young girl vanishes from the greenway. The police see the connection as does the press and Cassie must face her worst nightmares to help save a child's life as well as save her sanity.While I felt the ending lacked a bit - I did enjoy the read. The writing was light and moved quickly and the plot stayed very intriguing from start to finish. I only wish Jane Adams had drawn stronger characters.

I picked this book up randomly and I am glad I did! The tight plot, believable characters, and suspenseful pacing are reminiscent of Ruth Rendell and Minette Walters. The only drawback is that after you whip through this book, you'll want to read more by her and her other works are very hard to find in the U.S. If you can find it, check out Adams' Cast the First Stone.