Enjoyed this book and found it gripping. Good twists to keep you guessing about the perpetrator and good characters.

I absolutely loved this novel - in fact I’ve read it twice! Truly breathtaking in parts and left me completely wrong-footed on the first read, this is highly recommended.

A really well written and gripping psychological thriller, I was hooked from the start. Exciting and intense.

his is the story of the reappearance of an abducted girl Belle 10 years after she was feared dead and her sister Eve who has lived with the guilt and life of self destruction since.
This novel mostly had me guessing but then the ending became apparent. This however did not spoil the experience and I would recommend this novel

Niki Mackay has written a psychological thriller that will have you up all night, biting your fingernails and pulling your hair out as you try and work out who could have taken Belle and why!

I trusted no one and suspected everyone and a couple of times I was blindsided by the direction the story was taking. The author’s intelligent plot and the sensitivity shown in the characterisation of both Eve and Belle makes this novel stand out from the rest.

The unexpected ending will leave you gasping for breath!

This is the first time I've read anything by NJ Mackay but it won't be the last! Had me totally gripped from the first page and kept me guessing right up until the end.

What a heartbreaking tale. Sister disappeared. Everything and everybody in her life is a lie. Through the lies the truth emerges. Could not put it down. Highly recommend this book. Thank you for allowing me to read this book.

I’ve been a huge fan of this authors Madison Attallee series written as Niki Mackay so this standalone psychological thriller was high on my “must reads of 2020” list. And I have to say that I loved it even more than her previous books! Found Her is an addictive page turner that I just physically couldn’t put down and instead of enjoying my half term lie in, I was awake at 5am this morning desperate to finish it before my household awoke. And what a brilliant ending! Any book that makes me want to immediately know what the characters are up to when the “final credits” have been and gone is a sure fire winner in my eyes. I’m desperate to know how Eve and Belle are coping after their traumatic experiences and loved also that not every little thread was tied into a perfect bow as often happens-this felt like real life which also explains why I’m still curious as to what these characters are doing now and how much they have changed or adapted following on from Found Her. Don’t you just love/hate it when that happens?!

So ofcourse I have to say that it was the characters who kept me engaged throughout Found Her. I think many people will dislike Eve but I totally got her from the start and understood exactly why she reacted the way she did towards everything in her life. Her relationships were complex and dysfunctional (and she obviously needed some serious therapy to cope with what had happened to her) but I really liked her! The sexual tension between her and the police officer in charge of her case was off the scale and wildly inappropriate but was also completely and understandably viable. The cast of supporting characters played their parts perfectly, throwing in the expected red herrings and then standing back to let the reader make up their own minds about which clues were the ones to follow.

So did I guess what was going on? Well, some of it! But other twists were certainly unexpected, challenging me to rethink the ending I was convinced of. And anyway, since when does me guessing a culprit make any difference to my enjoyment or rating of a book?! Found Her was my perfect psychological thriller and I loved reading every single page. It was gripping from that very first page, keeping me thoroughly entertained and on the edge of my seat throughout.

A highly recommended 5 ⭐️ read!

TW: animal death, emotional/physical abuse.

Eve's sister Belle disappeared on her way home from school ten years ago. Eve, the older sister, should have been looking out for Belle but was too busy flirting with classmate, Bobby. Since then Eve has felt nothing but guilt and self-loathing, things which have rippled out into the lives of others. Now Belle has been found alive but both of their lives now seem to be in danger. Is Belle's captor still out there?

This was difficult read for me to decide whether I enjoyed it or not. The book itself is well written and has a fast pace with lots of twists and turns. The problem is that I found the main character to be very difficult to like or even remotely care about. Yes Eve has been through some terrible experiences, but that cannot excuse her selfishness and the fact that she is emotionally abusive at times. There's no excuse for that and I found it difficult to fathom that Detective Locke would find Eve attractive or want her toxic behaviour anywhere near his young daughter. Overall, it was a good read but I didn't really like it and wouldn't read it again.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Orion Publishing Group, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

This is my first novel by NJ Mackay and after reading Found Her it won’t be my last!

Goodness me where do I start? Found Her had me utterly gripped from the very first chapter. I have to say it’s one of the best psychological thrillers I’ve read for a while, perfectly paced and tension packed.

Eve is a complicated character, not all that likeable but very compelling to read. She’s been punishing herself for ten years after the disappearance of her little sister Belle, unable to sustain relationships apart from those stubborn enough to ignore her prickly exterior. She’s been on an even keel but that all goes out the window when her little sister is found alive but in critical condition. That’s when the story really comes into its own, as Eve’s paranoia gets worse until she’s almost at breaking point and all of her old unhealthy behaviours surface again.

I would have liked the ending to have been a little stronger but of course that’s just a minor thing.

Found Her is a genuine page turner and a must for anyone who loves a good thriller.

Found Her is NJ Mackay’s third novel and her first standalone psychological thriller. Ten years ago Belle Moriarty was cruelly snatched from under the nose of her older sister Eve. Walking the usual route home from school Eve turned her back for mere seconds and Belle had completely vanished; Eve has been wracked with guilt and has spent years blaming herself for being distracted as she had been flirting with her classmate Bobby. Now she's been found alive a decade later but is in a coma having been subject to a devastating hit and run, and Eve rushes to her beloved sister's side. But who took her and why did they keep her alive? What hellish things has she been through during her time in captivity and how did she manage to escape from the kidnapper's clutches? And the most important question: is she still in danger from this person even now? Eve is determined to do anything it takes to keep Belle safe. She feels she owes her at least that much.

This is a thoroughly addictive, clever and absorbing thriller that'll take you on a riveting journey with more twists and turns than you can shake a stick at. It's well written and thought out and it surprised me by becoming a real page-turner. I guessed quite early on who the culprit was but oddly this didn't cause me to lose interest, which is unusual for me, and luckily there were still some reveals in store that I didn't predict so it was worth continuing to read until the end. It's dark and easy to follow and I loved that Eve was a flawed protagonist as it makes the whole story more realistic and believable. The narrative is a pacey one and is packed with suspense and exciting developments and Ms Mackay depicted how grief can consume a person beautifully. It becomes quite creepy and sinister in places and the rest of the cast of characters are interesting with each one adding something a little different to the shenanigans. Many thanks to Orion for an ARC.

Found Her By NJ Mackay
This book was a good read, with some good twists and turns as the story progressed.
The main character isnt very likeable, but does have a vulnerability that you cant help but root for her.
Good storyline, held my interest right the way through.

Eve is staggering through life following the loss of her sister to kidnap one day on the way home from school. Blaming herself (and to be honest I kind of blamed her too!) she wreaks havoc on herself and those around her as she rails against her guilt.
Then Belle returns- hit by a car whilst effecting her escape from captivity and initially unconscious and unable to fill in the blanks.
As the plot twists and turns you end up suspecting everyone and trusting no-one and the ending still manages to come out of left field and make you want to revisit earlier clues to find out how you could have got it so wrong so many times!
fantastic plot and very cleverly written.

A new author to me but certainly she will not stay that way .. a fast paced page turner with red herrings everywhere . I managed to work our near the end who was the cause of all the pain and misery . 4.5 stars from me

Exciting read. Kept me on the edge of my chair not wanting to put the book down. Anticipating what will happen next. The plot was great. Interesting, exciting and great to read

I absolutely LOVED Niki Mackay’s Madison Attallee series (I, Witness and The Lies We Tell) so when I saw she has written a new standalone psychological thriller under NJ Mackay I knew I was in for a treat.

Our main protagonist in Found Her is Eve Moriarty, now aged 26 she is stumbling through life, living with her boyfriend and on course to self-destruct. She is racked with guilt because 10 years ago, her adoring little sister, Belle, disappeared” walking home from school and Eve has blamed herself ever since.

When Belle is found ten years later, she is now in a coma having been hit by a car whilst escaping her captors. Eve now needs to find out what happened and why Belle was taken with the assistance of Detective Locke who is in charge of the case.

This book had more red herrings than Billingsgate Fish Market. Honestly, I think I got whiplash reading this book as I was so sure I knew who had taken Belle about sixteen times. The author keeps dropping subtle clues along the way, but either I am totally clueless or she’s very talented as I couldn’t work out how/why/how until the actual reveal!!

Found Her is a stunning and clever psychological thriller which is guaranteed to keep the reader on the edge of their seats, frantically turning the pages (or tapping your kindle) eager to find out what, why, when and how. 5 stars from me.

Thanks to Orion Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Found Her is one of the most compelling psychological thrillers I have read in recent memory. One word will suffice to sum up this novel: wow. N J Mackay’s tautly-plotted thriller is like a siren-song to purists of the psychological thriller. Though not a long book, you will devour this in one sitting, as I did. A literal page-turner this book is about two sisters - Belle and Eve. Belle was abducted as a child but reappears ten years later, much changed. The ‘why’s’ just keep coming: why did Belle disappear, who took her, where has she been, and why has she reappeared? Whilst there are no spoilers here, I will say that Mackay has written one of the most compelling psychodramas about the relativity of ‘truth’ and human subjectivity that I have ever read. You will wonder what is real and what is fiction in this twisty tale about the complexities of the human condition with its tangled interplay of human relations. All is astutely observed by the eminently talented, N j Mackay.

Without a doubt this is a 5 star read of compelling brilliance.

Wow! Wow! Wow! I’m stunned! It has been a while since I’ve been so gripped by a psychological thriller. I consumed the pages desperate to read more!
The story starts with Belle, the missing sister for 10 years,being found. The plot develops as you learn what has happened during those 10 years, who Eve has become because of the kidnapping.
I don’t do plot spoilers, however I will say that the characters are really well-developed, as are the settings (gruesome though they sometimes are). The plot backfills gradually whilst also building unbelievable suspense. Alternative narrators are introduced later in the story and I ended up doubting nearly everyone in the story! To say I was gripped is a huge understatement! Definitely high on my recommendation list! My first book by this author but won’t be my last!

Absolutely fab book. Couldn't put it down. It was gripping right from the beginning, I stayed up far too late to finish it. Great characters and storyline. Highly recommended.

I raced through Found Her, reading late into the night desperate to see how this compelling story would play out. Belle, Eve’s younger sister, disappeared ten years ago while walking home from school and Eve has blamed herself ever since. But now Belle has reappeared, badly hurt, and remains hospitalised in an induced coma.
The whole premise totally hooked me. Why did Belle disappear? Will she survive to explain what happened? Why does Eve live in fear? And why is she so self-destructive? I simply had to know the answers to these and a million other questions.
I really related to the array of wonderful characters in the book, including the delightful Mandy, Eve’s warm, empathetic friend, and Graham, with his camp, over-the-top behavior and humour. And then there’s Locke, the attractive policeman investigating Belle’s reappearance, who’s quietly strong, dogged – and amazingly forgiving of Eve’s errant behaviour. I even warmed to Eve herself, who could be totally obnoxious and often made horrendous choices. I wanted to shake some sense into her on numerous occasions. She’s complex, treating friends and acquaintances quite despicably at times.
The author teased me by dripping clear hints about the culprit, but also threw in a few red herrings, and, cleverly, ensured I didn’t guess the whole truth…
This is a great read. Well-written, highly engaging, creepy, terrifying in parts and suspenseful.