Title: Lost You by Haylen Beck
Publisher: Crown
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 320 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
A provocative novel of psychological suspense about two women locked in a desperate fight over a child each believes is rightfully hers
Libby needs a break. Three years ago her husband split, leaving her to raise their infant son Ethan alone as she struggled to launch her writing career. Now for the first time in years, things are looking up. She’s just sold her first novel, and she and Ethan are going on a much-needed vacation. Everything seems to be going their way, so why can’t she stop looking over her shoulder or panicking every time Ethan wanders out of view? Is it because of what happened when Ethan was born? Except Libby’s never told anyone the full story of what happened, and there’s no way anyone could find her and Ethan at a faraway resort . . . right?
But three days into their vacation, Libby’s fears prove justified. In a moment of inattention, Ethan wanders into an elevator before Libby can reach him. When the elevator stops and the doors open, Ethan is gone. Hotel security scours the building and finds no trace of him, but when CCTV footage is found of an adult finding the child wandering alone and leading him away by the hand, the police are called in. The search intensifies, a lost child case turning into a possible abduction. Hours later, a child is seen with a woman stepping through an emergency exit. Libby and the police track the woman down and corner her, but she refuses to release Ethan. Asked who she is, the woman replies:
“I’m his mother.”
What follows is one of the most shocking, twist-y, and provocative works of psychological suspense ever written. A story of stolen identity, of surrogacy gone horribly wrong, and of two women whose insistence that each is the “real” mother puts them at deadly cross-purposes, Lost You is sure to be one of 2019’s most buzzed-about novels.
Review:
Lost You by Haylen Beck is an enthralling domestic mystery that is impossible to put down.
Life has not always been easy for Libby Reese, but she is finally in a good place. Her three year old son Ethan is the light of her life and she is about to become a published author. Despite a few misgivings, Libby decides to book a vacation for herself and Ethan. But their vacation in paradise goes terribly wrong when Ethan disappears inside their hotel. Who would want to take Ethan? And more importantly, will Libby locate her son before it is too late?
Libby and her now ex-husband Mason struggled for years to have a baby and she now is a devoted yet over-protective mom. She leads a solitary life which is just fine because she enjoys her own company. Libby and Ethan’s vacation is off to a wonderful beginning when they are befriended by a couple of guests at the resort. Finally kicking back and relaxing, she is not quite as vigilant as she normally is. When Ethan vanishes after a moment of distraction, Libby is frantic to locate him. But why is she so reticent to answer Lieutenant Michal Cole’s questions?
With a breathless cliffhanger in the present, the story goes back in time and presents a heartrending portrait of a couple desperately trying for a baby. Libby will do anything to fulfill her dream of motherhood even when Mason has doubts about their next step. But how does their decision in the past result in Ethan’s possible kidnapping in the present?
Lost You is a brilliantly executed twist-filled mystery. The characters are surprisingly sympathetic in spite of their troubled lives and deep flaws. The storyline is completely engrossing and Haylen Beck builds the suspense with each jaw-dropping revelation. I absolutely loved and highly recommend this clever, multi-layered mystery to readers of the genre.
