Review: Finding Claire Fletcher by Lisa Regan

Book: Finding Claire Fletcher

Author: Lisa Regan

Pages: 430

I Read: The Kindle Edition

I Read it in: 4 hours (in one sitting)

Plot Summary: Newly divorced and with his career in jeopardy, Detective Connor Parks takes solace in the arms of a beautiful woman he meets at a bar. The next morning, Claire Fletcher is gone, leaving nothing behind but an address and a decade-old mystery.
 The address leads to the Fletcher family home where Claire's siblings inform Connor that their fifteen-year-old sister was abducted from a city street ten years ago and is presumed dead. 
During those ten years, Claire endured the cruel torture and depravity of the man who abducted her. Paralyzed by fear and too ashamed to return to her family, Claire is resigned to her life as Lynn, the identity her abductor forced upon her. 
Every time she attempts escape or betrays him in the smallest way, someone dies. Even now, her clandestine run-in with Connor Parks may have put his life at risk, as well as the lives of her family. 
Connor is convinced that not only is Claire Fletcher alive, but that she is also the woman he met at the bar. Driven to see her again, he begins his own investigation, off the clock and without the police department's consent. He is determined to find her and unravel the mystery of her abduction and odd reemergence. But finding Claire Fletcher proves more dangerous than he anticipates. In fact, it may be deadly.

What I Liked: In bullets: 

• I loved the premise of the book. There are so many tragic cases where young girls were abducted and kept imprisoned for years- Jaycee Duggard and Elizabeth Smart come to mind. {Read our review of their memoirs HERE.} It is unimaginable what they go through- the sadistic torture, rape, the cold fear that if they call attention to themselves or make a run for it, something awful will be done to their loved ones... and of course, the crippling shame. Somehow these girls blame themselves- for either getting in their abductor's path or for not trying hard enough to escape. It is just awful all around. So, when I read the summary of this book, I was tempted to read it.
• The book provides a very sensitive account of what it is like to be held against your will and how even the most strong-willed person is slowly and systematically 'broken' by their abductors. 
• I liked Claire's character- her strength, determination, will to survive and making multiple attempts to break free inspite of what her abductor does to dissuade her. 
• Other characters that were well written are that of Connor- his methods of re-investigating an old case, finding clues and re-interpreting the existing ones were all very well done. 
• I also liked Claire's family-hired PI (I forget his name now) and her mom. Their relentless belief in her being alive and well is what kept them going for years. 
• *SPOILER* 
• I also liked Claire's recovery process once she finds her way back home. How it was difficult for her to open up, the questions her sister had for her, the challenges she faced in "reintegrating" into her old-new life. 
• The investigative process that led us to the true identity of the abductor was also interesting. It didn't feel too convenient or forced. 

What I Didn't Like: Nothing much, really. The ending was slightly dramatic, but one can forgive that. 

Rating: 4.5/5- this is a good, fast-paced thriller; highly recommend it.