Why a Booktrail?
2012, 2013: A child goes missing in the woods…
Burnt Paper Sky
What you need to know before your trail
Rachel Jenner is the newly divorced mother of 8 year old Ben. One day while walking their dog in the woods, Ben goes missing. She blames herself as he disappeared whilst she was looking after him.
The police investigation escalates and the case of missing Ben becomes national news.
Rachel Jenner turned her back for a moment. Now her eight-year-old son Ben is missing. For DI James Clemo, this is his first big case and he’s given the responsibility to lead and choose his team.This is a very difficult case and the investigation is fraught with difficulty.
What really happened that fateful afternoon? Why are people turning against Rachel? And where, where is little Ben?
Travel Guide
Bristol
Set in Bristol, the real setting is the fear and absolute isolation any parent must feel on losing sight of their child for even a second. The moment he goes missing in the woods must be so familiar for many – walking the dog in the woods, Ben runs ahead, mum is distracted by phone call and when she reaches the swings where he loves to play, he’s not there. Panic sets in.
The setting of social media
Everyone is an armchair detective on Twitter and Facebook. Wherever you are in the world, you can go online and give your verdict. Rachel is swarmed from all sides, Rachel and ex husband John’s lives are combed over in minute detail, Rachel is suspected and viewed with suspicion. From the first press disaster that is the press conference, Rachel is put in the spotlight and hounded. Blogs, emails, tweets and comments soon follow.
Flashbacks build a picture of what Rachel’s life was like beforehand. At the same time the police investigation slowly takes shape – the path towards a conclusion is one paved with twists, turns, detailed work, frustration and dead ends.
Booktrailer Review
Susan:
Claustrophobic and chilling.
A difficult subject for a novel but once I started to read it, it was more than a missing child. It was more about the reactions to such a case and the explosion of social media detectives who muddy the already dark waters. There are snippets of information about missing children throughout which really helps show the nature of these cases, the obstacles the police are up against and how the media can turn the tide of events.
It felt very modern if that’s the right word and maybe due to recent cases in the news, very timely. It shows just how judgmental we are and how we delve into victims lives. I think every parent who has ever heard the words ‘ Can I just run ahead mum’ will be chilled to the core.
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