THE GIRL WHO DISAPPEARED TWICE BY ANDREA KANE – A MOTHER’S WORST NIGHTMARE
The Girl Who Disappeared Twice by Andrea Kane
Pros: Fairly interesting story.
Cons: But lackluster characters and an unrealistic ending.
Andrea Kane’s The Girl Who Disappeared Twice is a mystery/thriller revolving around every mother’s worst nightmare.
Judge Hope Willis has already lived through one terrible ordeal. Three decades ago, her twin sister Felicity was kidnapped, and never heard from again. Now her world is about to collapse again – when Hope’s 5-year-old daughter Krissy is taken from her school.
With few leads, and knowing how critical the first few hours are, Hope brings in a “controversial” team called Forensic Instincts. With absolutely no legal authority whatsoever, this team of specialists has a phenomenal success rate. The team is headed by Casey, a woman who can read the smallest nuance of a person’s gestures and expressions. She is aided by an ex-Navy Seal and a techno wizard. Rounding out the team are the newest members – an “intuitive” named Claire and a trained scent hound named Hero. In other words, Forensic Instincts has all of the skills necessary to solve cases, without getting bogged down in red tape that hinders all of the legal authorities. Sure, they get results, but their means aren’t always strictly by the book.
Of course, Hope doesn’t care about any of that – she just wants her daughter found.
All of the people working this case have their hands full. With lots of suspects, secrets, and clandestine behaviors, the story twists around quite a bit before finally coming together. Along the way, I was interested enough to keep reading, although I never felt fully engaged in the book.
First of all, Casey is not a very likable person, nor is she easy to get to know. Without a lot of background we are simply given a woman who doesn’t take no for an answer, and who only follows rules if they are convenient for her. We’re supposed to assume that her ends justify her means, but I don’t believe this is always the case.
Secondly, I got tired of all the back and forth between Casey’s team members and the FBI. Sure, they’re both working the same case, and they have very different means and resources available to them. But does this mean that I have to read – time and time again – about their differences and how each believes their way is the only right way? I understand the situation. I understand the different teams. I don’t need to have the relationship explained to me over and over again. It would have been very nice if they could have pooled their various resources and worked together instead of fighting each other the whole way.
Finally, when all is revealed, I just didn’t “buy it”. The whole story makes little sense and I found myself questioning it. I simply don’t believe that events would ever work out the way Ms. Kane described. Not that a mystery/thriller has to be based on true events – but they should at least come off as plausible – something that could happen. In this case, I am just not a believer.
Still, I read this book with interest, and definitely wanted to know what happened to Krissy, and to Felicity all those years ago. So, while I questioned a lot about this book, The Girl Who Disappeared Twice is readable. Give it a try if you come across it in the library, but don’t rush out to buy it.
