This book took a long time to get going and I nearly gave up on it but I am very glad that I didn't. Once it going it was an amazing adventure encompassing many different facets. From a crime family trying to go straight and not always succeeding to an aid worker kidnapping a child and going on the run. The last few chapters will take you on a roller-coaster of emotions as you try to decide who is telling the truth. ( )

This started slowly and the two parallel story lines, in Dorset and Montreal had no obvious connection at first, but then it became clearer what the link was and picked up pace to the final showdown. Lots of detailed real place descriptions and I recognized many in the Montreal area, which always adds interest for me. As with a recent book, I'd guessed how one of the perpetrators had managed to get to their victim early on in the plot and it was a bit surprising none of the main characters hadn't either. The version I had was in quite small print but still had 470 pages, so it was sometimes a struggle in the early stages to keep going but it did improve. ( )

In this novel, Matthews combines international thriller, psychological mystery with a dash of murder. The main theme is the family: a criminal family wants to turn to legality, an abused child needs to be rescued, a mother who abandoned her baby wants to find her lost child as she tries to redeem herself by working for an adoption center. This thread helps to link a vast cast of characters which tends to be unwieldy by the sheer number of them.
Matthews hops from England, to France and finally to Canada - a country he is obviously interested in but does not know well as is evident in all the little cultural slips - giving his book an international flair. Finally, the plot, intense and complex as it is, can be wildly outlandish but is intricately crafted.
Despite its faults, this novel is fast paced, creative and vastly entertaining. A perfect way to spend leisure time. ( )