Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for approving me for this book.

I felt the writing was done well in this book but there was just something missing for me and I couldn't get into it and enjoy it as much as I hoped I would.

Captivating. A raw and brave exploration of the ways in which trauma permeates through families. The author's sensitivity to the subject is clear, and her resolve at digging through harrowing information as she pieces information here together is admirable. Satisfying, literary, compelling.

I love true crime and this was wonderfully written. Very informative and engaging. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A quick and easy read that I found myself picking up after a long day to unwind. The characters are beautifully written and I came to love them within the first few pages and was rooting for them all the way to the end. At times I wanted to stop reading because I just wanted the experience to go on for longer. If you like great detective novels add this book to your list.

An intriguing and compelling true crime narrative about one womans research into the murder of her step sister- someone she never knew in life.

It is highly readable, from the moment interest is sparked until decades later when resolution comes. The personal perspective is emotional- the author piecing together a picture of the victim from both the stories of those who knew her plus her own imagination.

The investigation that was stalled by problems within the police department tasked with it ends up being a complex journey from start to finish and the depth of the loss is felt by many from family outwards.

Fuelled by a peculiar grief for that which you never knew, Catch the Sparrow is emotionally resonant and really gripping. Recommended.

I really enjoyed this book which feels strange as it is effectively a detective story about a true life crime and features some very graphic content, but I did. It was such a riveting and gripping read. I would highly recommend it for people that like true crime documentaries as I truly felt like I was living through one.

Catch the Sparrow is the story of Rachel Rear's search to find the truth behind the murder of her step-sister Stephanie. Rachel had never actually met Stephanie, she'd heard of her disappearance but her Mother didn't marry Stephanie's Father until years afterwards. Despite this Stephanie felt she knew Stephanie from the constant stories her Stepfather told and grieved her as a lost sister when her remains were found. The police investigation got nowhere and decades later with her parents gone Rachel determines to find about about the stepsister she'd heard so much about but never knew and what happened to her.

What follows is a fascinating detective story in more ways than one as Rachel tracks Stephanie's life and those involved in it as well as speaking to policemen involved in her case. She finds that Stephanie left her mark on all those who knew her even over 20 years after her disappearance. From her friends,those on the periphery of her life, down to the lads who discovered her body , the owner of the property it was found on and the police who investigated, many people's lives had been affected by hers.

This is a shocking book in many ways,aside from the graphic descriptions of some pretty awful crimes there's also the mind-blowing failures of the justice system and the chronic police corruption that cost Stephanie and other women so much,often their lives.
This is not an easy book to read,Rachel Rear doesn't pull any punches and much of what she finds on her journey is hard to read about. It is however a gripping and engrossing story that is as uplifting as it is upsetting in places.