Safe and Sound - Laura McHugh

Laura McHugh has just released her new book - Safe and Sound. I  really enjoyed her debut novel, The Weight of Water. (my review) And I really enjoyed Safe and Sound as well.

McHugh again does a brilliant job of building the setting. Beaumont Missouri is a small town that the younger residents can't wait to leave. There's a heaviness to the town, dusty, dirty and worn with nothing to redeem it. Some folks get out - with a sigh of relief. Some stay. And some go missing...

Sisters Amelia and Kylee's older cousin Grace, is one of the missing. The girls are determined once again to try and find out what happened to her. Someone has to know something. And yes,   omeone does indeed know something...

McHugh's prose are dark and gritty. There are moments where the sun shines through, letting hope in. And times where the 'wrong' comes to visit.  

The plotting was excellent - with a finale that I couldn't predict. The ending was apt and right - I wish I knew what happened after the last page. An excellent read for me. See for yourself - read an excerpt of Safe and Sound.

 (Gentle readers, there are some triggers.)