The girl in the shadows by Katherine Debona.
A young woman, searching for her mother.
A female PI on a mission.
When police drop the case on missing Mathilde Benazet, renegade PI Veronique Cotillard steps in to prove that she can succeed where police inspector Guillaume Leveque failed…
This was a good read. Good story and characters. Veronique was my favourite character. I didn't trust Christelle. Mathilde and Alice were goid too. 4*.

A well done thriller about two women - Alice and Veronique. You won't see this one coming. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC.

Thanks Netgalley. This book is set in France and about 3 women. I got drawn in from the onset. Recommended.

Girl in the shadows is set in France and is about 3 women.
One is missing, one is on the path to finding her birth mother, the other is the detective who is hired to find the missing girl.

From the very first chapter the exciting introduction, it teased without giving anything away.
 I knew straight away that Girl in the shadows was going to be exciting and Katherine didn't disappoint.

Mathilde goes missing, she's 18 and as we get further into the story she seems to have a far from perfect image. She is into drugs and her ex boyfriend isn't such a nice character.
But why did she run away?
The police have all but given up the search to find Mathilde as they are finding no more leads.

Mathilde's mother hires  Veronique a private detective to find her.
She feels that maybe Veronique can do the job the police couldnt.

Veronique is very smart but she isn't without her own personal scars.
Her story for me was sad, her childhood, the need for a family it makes sense why she acts the way she does.
She is determined to help find Mathilde. Although she does seem to find Mathilde' s Mother strange. Does she think the Mother isn't entirely innocent in her disappearance?

Alice is also on a personal journey of discovery and family secrets.
She always believed her mother passed away during childbirth.... that is until she uncovers a photograph of her deceased father and a women holding Alice!
However this women appears to be Alice's mother!.... Why did her father feel the need to lie all these years?
What was he hiding?

Alice sets off to discover the truth about her parents and maybe reconnect with her mother. But is she about to uncover secrets that should remain covered.

The story is very well written and is told by the characters.
So the reader is really able to fully immerse into the story getting to know each characters story and their journeys.
As you delve deeper into the book you realise that their paths actually cross over.

I really enjoyed this book there was a great twist that i didnt see coming till the pieces started to fall into place.
I can't wait to read more.
It was fast paced and kept me on my toes.
I couldn't wait to read what was going to happen next.
I really hope Katherine continues to write about Veronique as she's a strong female detective which is really refreshing.

A solid 3.5 star read.

This is the kind of book that you desperately hope will have a sequel; all of these characters (especially Veronique, Christophe and Guillaume) have such depth that it would be a shame not to meet them again in the future.

The Girl in the Shadows is a story that is told through alternating points of view - predominately Veronique's or Alice's, we are transported to Paris - the city of love, lights and also a gritty underground that can suck someone in and then spit them out. When 18 year old Mathilde goes missing, Veronique is hired by her mother to try and find her, something the police have failed to do.

The beauty of this book is in the writing, the character development and the plot. Without giving too much away, when you read the synopses you know that there has to be a link somehow between the three main characters; Katherine Debona does a brilliant job of keeping you guessing - wondering what the connection is and how it will unfold.

On a side note: Veronique reminded me of Lisbeth Salander - on the side of truth and protecting the weak/victim, haunted by her past.

Recommended read.

(Katherine Debona's style reminds me of Hélène Grémillon.)

4 stars

This story takes place in Paris, France.

Mathilde a girl whose mother is very wealthy but more than a little unconnected, has gone missing. The police have more or less given up on finding her. They believe she left on her own and since she is of age, there is nothing else they can do.

Veronique is a Private Investigator who is hired to find Mathilde. She has scars from when she was younger, both physically and emotionally.

Guillaume is the police detective who is Veronique’s sometimes lover. Their relationship is deteriorating due to some secrets she has to keep and other things. One of these concerns her friend, George, who is a delightfully gay man who drops in on Veronique at all hours and hands her towels as she gets out of the shower.

Alice is a woman whose father had always told her that her mother died at her birth. But she recently came to believe that she is alive. How to go about finding her? So she travels to Paris is search of clues.

As Veronique interviews the people who know Mathilde: friends, acquaintances and relatives, she forms a picture of the girl that is different than the one the girl’s mother holds.

As the story moves along, the plots and Alice’s subplots all tie in together nicely.

It is very hard to believe that this is a debut novel. Katherine Debona is a fine writer. This book is both well written and plotted. It moves along steadily. The characters are interesting and likeable.

I want to thank Netgalley and HarperCollins UK/HQ Digital for forwarding to me a copy of this great debut book to read.

A girl is missing in this complex family drama that is both heartwrenching and infuriating.. Subplot after subplot is revealed before it all ties together. Veronique is a very strong character and is the heroine. All the characters are suffering their own individual pain. Keep the tissues handy. The writer's style is very readable and I loved the book. It's hard to believe this is a first novel. Looking forward to more in the future by Ms. Debona. A solid 4 stars for this book.

Many thanks to Harper Collins, UK through Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The lives of a PI looking for a missing teen in Paris and a girl searching for the mother she was told was dead collide in this thriller. Mathilde has disappeared in the City of Lights and after the police have exhausted all their leads, they put the case on the back burner. PI Veronique Cotillard refuses to accept the girl cannot be found and launches her own investigation. Meanwhile Alice Weston has proof that her father lied to her about her mother’s death and is now searching for the woman who gave birth to her in Paris. A complex and intricately woven mystery