Nowhere Girl

Cate Austin #4

by Ruth Dugdall

FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER THE WOMAN BEFORE ME

Longlisted for the Guardian Not the Booker prize 2016

From the top of the Ferris wheel, Ellie can see everything. Her life, laid out beneath her. Ellie looks up. She wants freedom.

Down below, her little sister and mother wait, watching as people bundle off the wheel and disappear into the crowd. No Ellie. Must be the next box.

But the Ferris wheel continues to turn.

When Ellie goes missing on the first day of Schueberfouer, the police are dismissive, keen not to attract negative attention on one of Luxembourg's most important events.

Probation officer, Cate Austin, has moved for a fresh start, along with her daughter Amelia, to live with her police detective boyfriend, Olivier Massard. But when she realises just how casually he is taking the disappearance of Ellie, Cate decides to investigate matters for herself.

She discovers Luxembourg has a dark heart. With its geographical position, could it be the centre of a child trafficking ring? As Cate comes closer to discovering Ellie's whereabouts she uncovers a hidden world, placing herself in danger, not just from traffickers, but from a source much closer to home.

A clever, sophisticated, psychological thriller, perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn, S.J. Watson, B A Paris and Sophie Hannah



What Reviewers and Readers

'A gripping read of every parent's nightmare.' --Lisa Cutts

'Doesn't so much prod the seedy underbelly of Europe as rip it wide open.' --Mike Craven

'Timely and beautifully written... Highly recommended.' --Mark Edwards

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Crime, Thriller, Psychological Thriller

274 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 31, 2015

About the author

Ruth Dugdall was born in 1971. She holds a BA honours degree in English Literature (Warwick University) and an MA in Social Work (University of East Anglia). She qualified as a probation officer in 1996 and has worked in prison with offenders guilty of serious crimes, including stalking, rape and murder. This has informed her crime writing. Since she started writing, Ruth has won awards in several writing competitions, and has had short stories published in the Winchester Writers' Conference and the Eva Wiggins Award anthologies.

Ruth is also the news presenter on Felixstowe tv: "probably the smallest tv station in the world".

Reviews

[Deanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

****Possibly some minor spoilers*****

If you haven't read Humber boy B and are planning to read it, you may want to hold off on reading this review. I don't feel I've given any important parts of the plot away. Mostly just some of my observations about the book and Cate and Olivier's relationship.

I seem to have landed somewhere in the middle on this one. At first I just couldn't get into it. It took me quite a while but something about the story kept me reading.

I first met Cate Austin in Humber boy B. Cate was a strong independent woman who worked as a probation officer. In Nowhere Girl, Cate has moved with her daughter Amelia, and police detective boyfriend, Olivier Massard to Luxembourg.

It is the first day of Scheuberfouer, a carnival in Luxembourg. Cate comes across Bridget, the distraught mother of a teenage girl named Ellie who's gone missing from the fair. Cate's daughter happens to be a schoolmate of Bridget's younger daughter. Cate attempts to help Bridget search the fairgrounds for Ellie.

We are also introduced to two other characters, Jodie and Amina. These two young women have left their home and families in search of a better life. However, things seem to be working out much differently from what they thought would happen once they arrived in Luxembourg.

So there is a lot going on in this book....

I have read other books with many characters and viewpoints and although I was interested in these characters individual stories and how they all intertwined I had a hard time connecting with many of them. I felt that I didn't know enough about some of the characters, that they weren't fully developed. At times I felt it was a bit rushed...

Yet I still kept reading. I still wanted to know what was going to happen, especially after the first twist left me in shock....

In the meantime we see how the relationship between Cate and Olivier is developing (or in my opinion not developing). Olivier is working on the missing girl case and Cate doesn't feel he is taking the case very seriously and so she decides to investigate things herself. This infuriates Olivier.... It seems like he feels that Cate should be happy looking after her daughter and keeping house. After having a very busy and important job as a probation officer this would be unlikely for many people.

Honestly there were times it felt like Cate wasn't the same Cate anymore. She didn't seem to be as strong and confident as she once was. I was so irritated by some of the interactions between her and Olivier. There is one point where she is telling herself that compromise and silence are a big part of what's needed for a good relationship. Wha???? Compromise yes but silence? I know sometimes we need to be quiet and not say everything we want but it bothered me. Cate seemed to be more worried about his feelings then he did about hers. Some of his comments made me question what type of person he really was and if their relationship was in any way healthy.

I don't normally skip a lot of pages or parts of a book but there was just so much that I couldn't stay focused on. Honestly with what I did skip I didn't feel that I missed out on very much and could still figure out what was going on.

However, these are just my thoughts and opinions. I really enjoyed the authors previous book and would definitely consider reading any future books she writes.

I can understand why some people really liked the book but can also understand those who didn't. I normally don't fall right in the middle but on this one it seems I have...

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun day at the amusement park turned out to be a nightmare for seventeen year old Ellie and her family.

“Nowhere Girl” by British author Ruth Dugdall, with extensive experience as a probation officer in the security prisons, is a psychological thriller that will grip you right from the beginning. After I read “Humber Boy B”, I was so impressed with this novel that I went and downloaded most of her other novels to read. Then I saw her latest novel “Nowhere Girl” was available on NetGalley, and I was jumping at the bit. I then received an email from her Publicity Manager at Legend Press , supplying me with a free digital copy.

This was a very emotional and powerful read. I was totally involved in this novel from page one…I couldn’t put it down! I couldn’t wait to start it, and teamed up with my buddy that was reading it at the same time.

In this novel, we touch base again with Cate Austin a probation officer, who has just moved from England to Luxembourg along with her daughter, Amelia, to live with her police detective boyfriend, Oliver Massard.

The book opens at the fairground, in Schueberfouer, Germany…home of the ferris wheel/gondola and traditional rides.

A seventeen year old girl, Ellie disappears on the grounds, while she is with her mother Bridget and younger sister, Gaynor. Ellie had wanted to go to the fair with her boyfriend, Joe, but her mom wouldn’t let her. Her mom was really mad at her, because she had wandered off before, and the last time overnight at her boyfriend! Bridget had recently confiscated Ellie’s cell phone, so she couldn’t contact Joe. There is an initial angry display between mother and daughter, where Bridget slaps Ellie’s face. And then Ellie was seen talking to some kids at the fair, and then she was gone!

“But Where is Ellie?”

Ellie had been kidnapped and Bridget’s husband Achim, a senior partner with his bank, thinks like the police, that Ellie has run away, but it soon becomes clear that this isn't the case.

“Ellie’s head hurt, even opening her eyes made her wince. She must have drunk a lot, because her limbs felt heavy and she didn’t know where she was.”

A bad choice…and the consequences. “She was locked in.”

Then the reader meets Amina and Jodie, who play a role in the book, but I am not going to disclose for risk of spoilers.

The point-of-view switches based on the strong female characters named at the beginning of each chapter-Bridget, Cate, Amina and Ellie which worked well, as the strands started to weave together.

You can start to see where the book is heading…and then at approximately the 54% mark…THE BIG REVEAL. What a shock…how disgusting…I didn’t see it coming!!!

The plot was brilliant, the characters unforgettable and the tension grew like an elastic band that is pulled to its maximum and then released, causing all hell to break loose!

And easy 5 star rating, would like to give even a higher rating!

My thanks to the author, NetGalley and Legend Press who furnished a digital copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Autumn is here and it's time to delve into those dark and creepy reads and theres no where better to kick start the seasonal reads than with a bit of human trafficking.

I have really enjoyed the previous three books in this series, book three was exceptional and while this book was good, I feel a bit deflated after the high of the previous plot.

However maybe I'm deflated because it resembles real life all too well. Woman falls in love with man, woman gives up job, woman becomes a snooze fest. I've loved Cate in the previous books but put a man into the equation and shes a wet weekend.

As with the authors other books this is well written and well researched. I loved the middle eastern story line, the Arabic, I felt the author made these particular characters jump off the page and were far more dimensional than the British lot which is interesting.

Three stars, read through in just a few days, kept me page turning.

The awesome thing about this series is that they can all be read as stand alone if you didnt want to tackle the whole lot.

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would like to thank Net Galley, Legend Press and Ruth Dugdall for granting me the privilege of reading an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I had so looked forward to reading Nowhere Girl after seeing all the 5-star ratings flowing in from early readers. But alas, it wasn’t meant to be for me. I am afraid the highest rating I can give Nowhere Girl book is 2 stars.

Unfortunately, I had a mountain of issues with this book. I think the biggest thing for me was the sheer unbelievability of so many character statements and situations. I would not want to compromise anyone’s enjoyment of the story, so I will not give specific examples or give away any plot points. You just have to take my criticisms (hopefully constructive) at face value. Something else that bothered me about the novel was that there was no depth at all to the several themes that ran through the story. I came out of the read with no more awareness or knowledge of these themes than before reading the book.

Another huge problem for me was the fact that there was so much telling of rather than showing the story. It was like I had slept through some major parts only to wake up and have to ask a buddy what happened. It’s just not the same as seeing the scenes play out. This issue likely contributed to what I felt was lack of character development. Character development is very important to me, and it was quite weak in this story. I admit I did not read the first book, Humber Boy B, prior to reading Nowhere Girl (I hadn’t realized this was a series), but even so, I felt I knew very little about most of the main players even by the end of the story. I must also add that Cate, the protagonist, floored me on multiple occasions by her thoughts and actions that I just couldn’t buy. This point really adversely influenced my enjoyment of the book. Furthermore, there was zero chemistry between Cate and her lover Olivier. I could not see why these two were together.

I missed not having any access to what the police were up to in Nowhere Girl.

In terms of pace and atmosphere, sadly for me there was no suspense, no mandatory “one more chapter” feelings. The ending was abrupt. And much of the good parts were “told” to us. Dang, I wanted to SEE those parts play out!!! Even so, I was amazed at the neatness, and again, unbelievability of how some of the criminal acts were tidied up.

Why not 1 star? Well, I wasn’t really bored with the book, just irritated by all of the above. I never considered not finishing it. Also there was a big reveal in the middle of the story that I didn’t see coming, and I appreciated the cleverness of that.

So, in summary, Nowhere Girl was a real disappointment to me. I am not going to tell people not to read it, as clearly the majority of readers positively loved it. I will, however, be interested to see if anyone else falls on my side of the fence with this one.

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had previously read a book by this author titled 'Humber Boy B' which was recommended to me on Goodreads which I loved so it was an easy decision to read this novel.
A psychological crime novel that gets better the more you read and by the end it becomes impossible to put it down. You know sometimes you start a book and straight away you know you are going to enjoy it, well that's how I felt about this one. A well thought out plot that is perfectly paced and strong well formed characters that come to life with the excellent descriptive text.
A teenage girl disappears in Luxembourg while she is with her mother and younger sister at a fair ground. The Police are slow to get involved so Cate a character from 'Humber Boy' decides to get involved in an effort to solve this mystery. The story is told by the points of view of several characters which just adds to the tension.
This is the second time I have given this author a five star rating and can't wait to read more from her.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Legend Press for supplying me with a copy of this fabulous book in exchange for a honest review.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you loved this author's past work like Humber Boy B, and Nowhere Girl is on your TBR list, you might want to stop reading here!!!

2.5 stars

I am definitely in the minority about my feelings for this book, but I started reading it with very high expectations. I had fallen in love with this author along with the main protagonist Cate, after having read Rugdall's first in this series 'Humber Boy B'. The book starts out where HBB left off, Cate and her daughter Amelia moving to Luxembourg to live with her new boyfriend, detective Olivier Brussard. In the first chapter, an unhappy teen is kidnapped at a local carnival and Olivier is assigned the case. What follows is a story full of characters that range from shady to sweet, and a plot that stretches beyond the imagination....way beyond...

I have to be honest-at times I felt like this was written by a completely different author. The strong, independent Cate I had come to love was replaced with a woman who had lost her voice and almost seemed subservient in her new relationship with Olivier. And speaking of this relationship-where was the banter and playfulness these two shared in HBB? Where I had initially rooted for their relationship, I now found myself bored to tears.

Another issue I had was trying to believe a lot of what I was reading. Not just the plot lines, but even the characters were making decisions that I just couldn't see as being plausible. Example: Cate and the mentally unstable Mother of the kidnapped girl go off together to try and get her back. The Mother doesn't tell the Father, and Cate doesn't tell her detective fiancé. Really?? Add to that what they actually have to do to get her back (take a sick child and pay for treatments for him) it's just so unbelievable to me.

I was really hoping for a solid ending that would help make everything not seem so silly, but again I was disappointed. In fact it actually left me with questions that were never resolved, for example what happened to Reza and his sister? Olivier's ulcer-is that all it is or is it more serious? Ellie-does she make peace with her Mother for what she's done?

So can you tell this was a big disappointment for me?? I'm not sure how I missed the mark on this where others really enjoyed it. But if there's a silver lining, it's that I shared my disappointment along with my 2 favorite buddy readers, and as hard as we tried, we just couldn't get behind this book at all.

ARC invitation from the publisher, provided through NetGalley.

[ReadAlongWithSue recovering from a stroke★⋆. ࿐࿔ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw that one of my book buddies was reading this the same time as myself, so we agreed to read it together.

Ruth Dugdall only came to my attention after reading Humber boy B which just blew me away. So when her PA asked me if I would like a proof copy of her coming new book Nowhere Girl, I jumped at the chance. I saw it was on Net Galley too and was sent a widget. So I decided to read it on my trusty Kindle.

This starts with a trip to the fairground. Not just any fairground, its the Schueberfouer Luxembourg’s annual event. Its something everyone looks forward to.

Ellie's mother is a close friend to alcohol. And she had been drinking on this occasion too when at the fair with her two daughters.

Ellie goes missing, but we don't panic at first as we hear that she has gone missing before when staying over at her boyfriends without her parents knowledge.
Ellie was told to 'dump' her boyfriend and her Iphone was taken from her.
To a teenager, this would be like taking their life blood away from them, they are connected to their Iphone.

But Ellie has gone missing .....again. At the fair.
We are seeing different characters around the fair so we are not sure who is connected and who is not to whom.

We just aren't sure who is tangled up in the plot.

We meet Cate too, she has moved here with her boyfriend. Cate used to be a Probation Officer. Good at her job, but for reasons and personal reasons she has moved with her boyfriend. Her boyfriend Olivier is a Detective and we see how he becomes enmeshed in all of this as the story unfolds.

We meet Amina and Jodie also connected.
Just how they are connected, you will see.

There are some dodgy things going on here seemingly to be hidden behind a beauty salon to get your nails done or get a tan. Very mysterious.


This author really does a fantastic job as pulling the reader right into the web.

Ellie's father is of high standing so.......has she been kidnapped for a ransom?
Her Mother is distraught with worry.
Her little sister just wanted Ellie to take her on a fairground ride.

Cate gets involved with the case in more ways than one.


I loved how each chapter was allotted to a character and told what was happening for each of them.
Well laid out. I could follow it with ease.

I just don't know where this author gets her stories from but after Humber boy B I bought other of her books, now that I have read this one too, I am just so awaiting each book she write. I don't think this author could write fast enough for me and without ***Legend Press *** I may not have come upon her. Or at least it may have taken me some time

So my thanks go to the author [who I am in contact with] and her PA, plus Legend Press and Net Galley for my advanced copy which I will treasure for a life time.


This is truly a top rate read.

Did you read Humber boy B?
Well, this is awesome too.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the follow up to Humber Boy B and we meet Cate Austin again a few months further down the line. Cate and daughter Amelia have moved to Luxembourg with new man Olivier, and Cate is on something of a career break. When local girl Ellie goes missing at a local fair, Cate cannot help getting involved – Ellie’s sister is a friend of Amelia and they were amongst the last people to have seen Ellie before she went missing.

The story is told from several viewpoints and we soon realise that there is a lot more to the story than a rebellious teenager trying to teach her mother a lesson. The different strands to the book do eventually converge in what is an extremely readable story that really kept my interest. That having been said, I did have one or two reservations about the read, the main one being the fact that I couldn’t see why there was so much emphasis on school runs etcetera. The children are all at school during August, when surely they would be on summer holiday? That having been said, the final page in this book really sent shivers down my spine and I was able to forgive the author for most of my doubts! Many thanks to the publishers via Netgalley for the review copy.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final book in the Cate Austin series and, I have to admit, it was not as good as the other three. Despite moving to Europe, Dugdall tries something different but I found it was not as exciting as before.

I was intrigued when I learnt that Cate was following her romantic interest to Luxembourg. However, this is not really central to the story and instead explores how Cate becomes mixed up in a kidnapping case. Cate desperately tries to restrain herself from being involved, but her probation background tickles her investigative nose. Befriending the mother involved, Cate soon discovers a conflict between resisting helping and not interfering with her boyfriend’s police investigations.

The narrative is divided into several perspectives but the chapters themselves are rather lengthy. I found this slightly off-putting because I enjoy reading a complete chapter in sittings. However, the writer does include frequent narrative breaks and there are different sections within each chapter. Readers find out about developments from not just Cate’s perspective, but also Ellie (the victim), Bridget (the mother), and Amina (a young girl who has left home in shady circumstances). Whilst these added fresh ideas to the novel, I found myself least interested in Amina’s story, even once links were made to other narrative threads. She came across as too “convenient” for the plot development and I had hoped that she would have represented something more deeper, a bit like her friend, Jodie.

I do have a soft spot for this Cate Austin series but feel like something dynamic was missing from the narrative. The other books were so strong that maybe it was tough to follow such thrilling stories. Cate did not seem the strong character that she was in previous novels and I found her relationship with Olivier totally unconvincing. For such a strong female, Olivier demeaned her and made Cate a bit too insipid for my liking.

Maybe having Cate leave the probation services was what caused this to be my least favourite of the series? Or was it the distant location that I failed to connect with? Perhaps the strong predecessors meant I had insurmountable expectations? I am not sure. Whatever has happened, this was not really how I anticipated ending the series. I was hoping to end on a high, a big bang! The ending seemed ambiguous so maybe the writer is considering continuing the series. If this is the case, I hope Cate returns to more familiar territory.

For those of you that follow my reviews, you would have seen me gradually read this series over the last few months. Whilst this was not my favourite book, it is definitely a strong set of stories to read. This fourth story makes more sense having read the other books, so consider this a warning to prospective readers! It was still a good crime book to read overall, but generally, I missed the ‘Dugdall magic’ that had sparked from the pages of the other Cate Austin books.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Sandysbookaday (taking a step back for a while) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars

I have to admit that after reading and absolutely loving Humber Boy B, I was expecting more from Nowhere Girl than what I got.

Ruth Dugdall's imagery remains excellent...I felt the atmosphere of the fair, smelt the smells....but I felt none of the tension and anticipation while reading Nowhere Girl that I should have. Don't get me wrong, it is not a bad book, it is still a good read. It is just that I felt somewhat let down after Humber Boy B, which remains one of my top reads this year.

Former Probation Officer Cate Austin and daughter Amelia have moved to Luxemburg to live with Cate's boyfriend, police detective Olivier Massard.

Cate is enjoying the relief from the pressure of her job, and is happily playing hausfrau. But when the teenage sister of a friend of Amelia's goes missing she feels bound to offer her support to the missing girl's mother.

Soon she is actively involved in trying to find Ellie, in direct opposition to Olivier's edict to stay out of his case.

Has Ellie merely run away, as her history suggests, and the police seem to believe? Or has she really been abducted? And why is it that Ellie's mother seems to know more than she is revealing?

Thank you to NetGalley, Legend Press and author Ruth Dugdall for the gift of a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Fictionophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

My latest reading experience took me to a country I knew little about – Luxembourg. It is true that armchair travel is very rewarding! In this novel the reader gets to see the darker side of a beautiful European city.

“Nowhere Girl” is the story of a missing teenage girl. The reader gets to experience the story from all points of view: the girl’s, her parent’s, the police…

Ellie Scheen - like most other teenage girls - is having difficulty getting along with her mother. Friction ensues over Ellie’s choices. In a pique of rebellion Ellie disobeys her mother. The last time she is seen is near a Ferris wheel at the Schueberfouer.

Bridget, her mother, thinks that Ellie should be more responsible and be more aware of life’s dangers. She wants to teach her a lesson…

Bridget was once a nurse with Doctors without Borders. She has seen many horrors and misses the high adrenaline feeling of being needed. Her husband, Achim has been transferred to Luxembourg and sadly she cannot work as a nurse there because she lacks the necessary language skills. Now she is a stay-at-home Mom which makes her restless and bored.

This is also the story of Amina. Amina’s mother has saved and saved and finally has purchased Amina’s escape from Tizi Ouzou, Algeria, where there has been Islamic unrest. Amina’s brother Samir, now the head of the family, is displaying radical tendencies. A man named “Uncle Jak” has arranged for many to leave the city and Amina’s mother trusts him to get her daughter out – and away from Samir. He returns to Algeria twice a year and takes the eldest child of some families away, for a better life. Amina and another girl from Algeria have been brought to Luxembourg by “Uncle Jak”. They are living above a beauty salon. Life in Luxembourg is not what they expected – to say the least. They are virtual prisoners…

Finally, there is our protagonist, Cate. A former British probation officer, she has recently moved to Luxembourg with her daughter to live with her boyfriend who is a Luxembourg police detective. Cate (most recently in the author’s “Humber Boy B“) has also escaped her dysfunctional family by moving to Luxembourg. Her father is on trial in England for abusing her sister.

Cate’s boyfriend, Olivier, is in charge of the missing persons investigation into the disappearance of Ellie Scheen. Cate is torn between her loyalty to Olivier and her friendship with Bridget. Bridget is desperate for her daughter’s return. She begins writing a letter to her daughter not knowing if Ellie will ever get to read it. In the letter she reveals her own personal thoughts and secrets – communication with her daughter that may be ‘too little, too late”.

When the fates of Ellie and Amina intersect, the story’s tension ratchets up yet another notch. Both girls were very sympathetic characters, as was the little boy who lives in the house with them.

A novel about the guilt and sacrifice that comes with being a good parent, how dysfunction breeds dysfunction, how abuse and love can co-exist, and most of all the variations and permutations of ‘family’, this thriller ticks all the boxes. An interesting setting coupled with well drawn – though damaged – characters ensures an enjoyable – though disturbing – read. Recommended for anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers.

This review was originally published on my blog: Fictionophile

[Stefanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating 2.5 Stars

Where to begin with this review? Well, for starters I was pretty excited when Netgalley offered me the opportunity to read Ruth Dugdall's Nowhere Girl, her follow-up to Humber Boy B, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I even partnered with two of my closest goodreads friends and pushed this book to the top of the To Read pile (no easy feat there) The only word I have to describe how I am feeling now is...disappointed.

There are a lot of 5 star reviews out there for this one, so I am most definitely in the minority with this opinion but I am just not seeing what others have in this book. The blurb drew me in, the plot sounded promising but that was where my interest ended.

The main character and her boyfriend, who appeared in Humber Boy B (whom I enjoyed reading about in HBB) were nothing like how I remembered. The main character Cate, went from a strong, independent, complicated women, to someone I couldn't even recognize and didn't want to get to know.

I never scan books, if I get to the point where I feel I have to do that to be done I will more than likely just not finish the text but it was hard to stick to that with this book. I just felt that most of what I read was repetitive descriptions that had little to do with the uncovering of the main plot.

I can't imagine the amount of work it takes to write a novel so I do not intend to be mean or cruel to an author who has accomplished that feat, especially one who can write a book like HBB. But suffice it to say, this book just wasn't for me. It fell beyond flat.

The unveiling of final plot point were told to us, instead of allowing the reader to "watch" it unfold before their eyes. We never were given an opportunity to find out what was happening with the police investigation into the missing girl and in this case I feel that detracted from my enjoyment of the book further.

I cannot in good faith, recommend this book to other readers.
But I wish to thank Netgalley. Ruth Dudgall, and Legend Press for the opportunity to read and review this book prior to publication.

[Janet · Rating 2 out of 5]

My rating is 2.5 stars

After reading Humber Boy B and loving it, I was happy to have been offered a copy of Nowhere Girl.

Unfortunately for me it didn't live up to the thrilling read of HBB. Basically Cate Austin, a probation officer from the previous book has now moved to Luxembourg to live with her new partner, Olivier. She has given up her job, home, everything she knows back in the UK to make this new and happy start.

We meet Ellie, a young teenager who goes missing from a local fair when she's out with her mother and sister. Then we meet other girls in a different scenario who have left home in the want of a better life, so hope their parents' anyways. What culminates is a slow interweaving of these stories that never really got that exciting. In fact, a whole host of things didn't work for me. I can't really talk further of the storyline in fear of giving away important plotting and spoilers. But believe me a fair bit of this had me shaking my head and asking questions. I was constantly perplexed by much of the decision making and and what was said and what not. At times it just felt baffling. An example - without giving too much away - why was Olivier so adamant he couldn't talk to Cate given her background, know how and that's how they met in the first place? It wasn't like she was new to the game?! There was much of this perplexing thought. And the reasoning (which is revealed about 60% through and probably worked out before), for the whole premise of the book didn't feel enough somehow to warrant all that entailed throughout.

In the beginning it held my attention, by halfway through I started to speed read urging the story to move along and finally limped to a fairly lacklustre ending. I had serious doubts about some parts and the implausibility factor kept growing.

All in all I'm really sorry that this book didn't work for me given how much Humber Boy B did. That said, it is only my opinion and I'm sure others will love it.

Many thanks go the publisher for offering me a copy of the book. I haven't been put off in wanting to read other works by Ms Dugdall. In fact I downloaded another book just a few days ago. Just in this case, I didn't take to this one.

I also give thanks to the author and NetGalley for the read. It's one of those that may work, may not. See for yourself. :)

[Bookread2day · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nowhere Girl .
With a shocking twist. In the chilling psychological thriller Nowhere Girl seventeen year old Ellie goes missing.

Ellie head hurt, even opening her eyes made her wince. She must have drunk a lot, because her limbs felt heavy and she didn't know where she was. This had happened before, waking with black holes in her memory. Last time she had been with her boyfriend Joe, she passed out in his bedroom after too much vodka.

In the dark room where Ellie had woken she called out to Joe. She inched her hand along to feel the other side of the bed, expecting to find Joe, but instead there was a wall. Ellie was locked in a caravan the door didn't open, it remained stubbornly closed and the windows were solid and didn't open.

The question is why was she locked in a caravan and who locked her inside it ?

Ruth Dugdall has an established reputation for stylish psychological crime.

[Icy-Cobwebs-Crossing-SpaceTime · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review: NOWHERE GIRL by Ruth Dugdall

When I read Ruth Dugdall's HUMBER BOY B, its depth and complexity amazed me. In NOWHERE GIRL, the author brings that to a new setting, Luxembourg, almost at Europe's geographic center. Known for its low crime rate, the city nonetheless has its perils, including nearness to human trafficking routes. Former English probation officer Cate Austin has relocated with her daughter Amelia, to live with police detective Olivier Massard. Whenthe seventeen-year-old sister of Amelia's school friend disappears at the fair, Cate determines to uncover the girl---and the truth.

[Maxine (Booklover Catlady) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a big fan of Ruth after reading all the books in the Cate Austin series, I think they are fresh and new books. I had read Humber Boy B earlier this year and thought it would be a hard stretch to top that book which blew me away. Nowhere Girl was really enjoyable with a good plot and held my interest but just missed out on that fifth star that I had given to Humber Boy B.

The plot in this book was really quite shocking and tackles the issues of human and sex trafficking which is now one of the most profitable organised crime issues in our world today, it's very real, it's happening everywhere and it's just really horrific. This book brings the terror of that home. You will not believe how it all comes about.

When Ellie goes missing on the first day of Schueberfouer, the police are dismissive, keen not to attract negative attention on one of Luxembourg’s most important events. Probation officer, Cate Austin, has moved for a fresh start, along with her daughter Amelia, to live with her police
detective boyfriend, Olivier Massard. But when she realises just how casually he is taking the disappearance of Ellie, Cate decides to investigate matters for herself. She discovers Luxembourg has a dark heart. With its geographical position, could it be the centre of a child trafficking ring? As Cate comes closer to discovering Ellie’s whereabouts she uncovers a hidden world, placing herself
in danger, not just from traffickers, but from a source much closer to home.

I was hooked in from the start of the book and found Ellie's character was really well done and explored in this book, I really felt a lot of different feelings for this young lady from annoyance to empathy, she is a stand-out in the book. The book changes perspective between what is happening to Ellie after her disappearance and how Cate gets involved at a family level and gets drawn into the case whether she likes it or not. The plot is not as predictable as it might seem at first and there were some real shock moments in it for me. I find that a lot in Ruth's writing, she has a knack of suddenly creating a scene that can really shake you up.

This one just missed out on 5 stars but totally a 4 star read and very much recommended, if you are a fan of this series you won't be disappointed by Nowhere Girl and will be hanging on to the end of the book to find out what happens to Ellie and Cate. A great read of 2015.

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Many thanks to the publisher via NetGalley for sharing a copy of the book with me in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[☮Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't know this was part of a series or I probably wouldn't have requested it.   Other readers have said the last book was better, and that wouldn't surprise me, because this one was lacking.  Lacking a provocative writing style, lacking character development, and lacking in suspense.  The main character Cate was very hard to figure out;  and the relationship with her boyfriend, who lacked any type of personality at all,  didn't make sense.  Whatever they saw in each other was a mystery to me. The family members of the missing girl, and really all of the characters, were like stick figures to me.

Maybe if I had read the other books I would have liked this more. But I have to judge this one on its own.
An ARC from NetGalley and the publisher.

[Alayne Emmett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book started off well and I was interested to see where it was going but, over halfway through I found I was struggling. It became a little too drawn out and I just wanted to finish it.

[Cleopatra Pullen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have followed Ruth Dugdall since her first book featuring Cate Austin, The Woman Before Me, which really impressed me, as have The Sacrificial Man and Humber Boy B. One of the things I most admire about this series is that the author presents very different types of story, whilst keeping the chief protagonist as the link. Nowhere Girl is no different, this time Cate is in Luxembourg, no longer a Probation Officer, but that doesn’t stop her getting caught up in a crime.

Bridget has relented and taken her two daughters, Ellie and Gaynor to the opening day of Scheuberfouer, a carnival of festivities in Luxembourg, despite the fact that Ellie appears to be in the midst of a teenage rebellion Cate and her boyfriend Olivier Massard, have taken Cate’s daughter Amelia to enjoy the the rides and the stalls and after getting caught up in the traffic the evening seems set for a night of innocent excitement. Ruth Dugdall sets the scene beautifully and so it is all the more shocking, that Bridget and Gaynor return home without Ellie, she is missing and worse still the police don’t seem to be mounting any particularly great effort to find her. As Amelia and Gaynor attend the great school and Cate at somewhat at a loose end whilst Olivier, a Detective is busy at work, Cate offers to lend a hand with the school runs as Bridget despairs of ever seeing her daughter again.

Alongside this story we hear the tale of two girls, Jodie and Amina who find themselves in a house in Luxembourg after their parents sought a better life for them. While Amina is relatively happy working in the salon alongside Auntie, she isn’t getting the schooling she imagined and she is worried about what her brother will say back home when he realises she’s left home, a devout man, following the death of their father he is the man of the house. Meanwhile Jodie the brave strong one as they made their treacherous journey across the boarders soon becomes increasingly withdrawn after she begins work as a stooge for Jak at the fair.

This twisting tale is told through the number of days Ellie is missing. We see the tale unfold through Ellie eyes, her mother’s in anguished letters to her daughter, Amina’s struggle in a new country as well as piecing together Cate’s new domestic arrangements through her chronicle. Although Ellie’s story is the most arresting, Amina’s and by default the household in which she was living in was not without its own powerful storyline although I felt that Jodie’s story was somewhat side-lined once the girls arrived in Luxembourg.

I found the story captivating although I had a real struggle with some of Cate’s decisions, statements and actions. I think the author was illustrating that Cate who has escaped one difficult domestic situation and swapped it for one with different complexities was struggling without an anchor, but her behaviour seemed too erratic and foolhardy for the woman I had come to know, and admire in the previous books.

This is the first book I’ve read set in Luxembourg and the scene setting for the country, as well as giving the context in relation to those who are on its boarders, was excellently done. I also enjoyed the school gate scenes where it was apparent that the ex-pat community has its own hierarchy, in line with any other social gathering, the author really gave a feeling of the types of parents which was in stark contrast to the seedier goings on the other side of town.

I will definitely be interested to see what is in store for Cate now her difficulties in England have reached a conclusion and I can’t help but wonder how she’ll feel when she reflects on this part of her life. I’d like to thank the publishers Legend Press for giving me a copy of this book in return for my honest opinion. Nowhere Girl will be published on 31 October 2015.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I love about this authors books, is that even though they all have the same main character, Cate Austin, all her books can easily be read as a stand alone. Saying that though once you've read one of Ruth Dugdall's books you will be left wanting to read them all!

Cate has moved to pastures new in Nowhere Girl and I have to say I think it was the perfect place to set the story. Cate is trying to run away from certain parts of her past and she is hoping her new life with Olivier will bring her the peace and happiness she is looking for. As we find out though no matter how much distance you put between our problems they never really go away.

Cate leaving her old job behind her soon finds herself not being able to fully walk away from that part of her life and it isn't long before she is roped into helping the mother of a missing girl. Only problem is, Olivier is also working on the same case and they certainly don't hold the same views as to what happened to Ellie, the missing teenager.

The storyline actually really threw me. I thought I knew what had happened and what was going on but the author certainly throws some surprises in there so that I was so hooked to the story I had to keep turning the pages.

The relationship between Amina and Fahran really pulled at my heart strings through out the story and I really loved the bond that the two children had. I would love to see both these characters in another book as I know I for one would love to know more about what happened afterwards for these two.

Another brilliant book by the author and I can not wait to see what is next for Cate.

Many thanks to Legend Press and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Sue Kitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

As Ruth Dugdell is a new author to me I decided to start from her first book The Woman Before Me, and have read all four books in about ten days and am now a huge fan.
In this book it starts off where Humber Boy B ended, when Cate Austin started a new relationship with French policeman boyfriend Olivier Massard and moves to Luxembourg with her daughter Amelia to start a new life. Having taken time off as a probation officer in the UK, Cate is finding it difficult to adjust to life as a housewife and nothing more pressing than doing her daily chores and the school run.
When a teenage girl goes missing at a local fairground, Cate finds it difficult not to get involved, much to the annoyance of Olivier who is investigating the case and it seems as though cracks in their relationship are starting to show. Cate is a very strong character and finds it difficult to stand back when she knows there is more to the kidnapping than Olivier believes.
The one thing that prevents me from giving this book 5* is the fact that it wasn’t fully tied up at the end with the Algerian teenagers, and left me wondering what happened to them and to Auntie and Fahran.
A brilliant book that kept me interested throughout.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Legend Press for this ARC

[Lynn Mccarthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book starts at the fairground a trip with her mother and sister.Ellie wanted to go with her boyfriend Joe but her mother said no and had taken Ellie's phone away from her because of what she had done before.
That nigh Ellie goes missing but she has done this before when staying over at her boyfriends Joe's house so they at first thought it was something like that but time ticks on and Ellie doesn't return.

We meet Cate who lives with her boyfriend Oliver who is a Detective assigned to the case of Missing Ellie but Cate also gets involved.
Ellie's mother is worried sick and her dad Achim who is in a high precision in his job wonders is it a kidnapping.
The story is told from points of views from different characters you also get to meet Jodi and Amina who is part of the story.

A great book couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next raced through the book the story was brilliant it all came together nicely.
I have never read anything by this Author before but I will be getting the others Ruth has written I like her style of writing.

Thank you Ruth Dugdall Netgalley and the publishers for a chance to read this book.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading Ruth Dugdall's books since The Woman Before Me was released in 2010. I love Cate Austin as a character and the cases she's got involved in as a probation officer have been unusual to say the least.

I expected, with Cate's move to Luxembourg, the story style would change, no probationers to look after but I hoped it wouldn't detract from my enjoyment. I wasn't disappointed; Cate's involved in the case of a missing teenager from the off as said teenager is the sister of one of Cate's daughter's friends.

There are a few surprises in store for Cate as with all her previous tales. As always with Ruth Dugdall's writing, you think you've got the full story as the narrative switches between Cate and the victim but as the story develops, more is disclosed to get the whole caboodle.

I cannot wait to see what Cate gets her teeth into next and where she'll be!

Thank you to Netgalley and Legend Press for this ebook in return for my honest review.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nowhere Girl features ex Probation Officer Cate Austin as lead character, and follows on from the earlier novels. However, although this could be classed as a series, Nowhere Girl is also perfect as a completely stand alone novel. The author expertly allows the reader enough glimpses into Cate's past within the story, allowing full enjoyment and understanding of her character.

Cate has quit her demanding and often overwhelming job as Probation Officer in the UK. She's worked on some pretty heavy and high profile cases in the past, and encountered people and situations that have shown her the darkest, murkiest side of humanity. Cate was good at her job, she loved her job, but her blossoming romance with Olivier Massard has shown her that she could do other things. Cate and her young daughter Amelia have moved to Luxembourg to join Olivier at his home.

At first, being a homemaker and mother is something of a novelty for Cate. She immerses herself into her new life, encouraging Amelia with school and new friends. Things change when a young girl goes missing from the Schueberfouer Fair and Olivier and his police colleagues do not seem to be taking it as seriously as Cate thinks they should. There are links between Cate and the missing girl Ellie; Amelia is friends with her younger sister and Cate has met her mother. Cate's experience in the Probation service and her growing unease about the case lead her to start to look deeper in the circumstances. The things that she uncovers are shocking and will change Cate's views on Luxembourg.

Ruth Dugdall's books deal with the dark and sinister happenings in the underworld; the things that we are vaguely aware of, but rarely encounter. Nowhere Girl is bang up to date, dealing as it does with human trafficking and the desperate situations that illegal immigrants can find themselves in.

The author paints a bleak and depressing picture of inner Luxembourg and its immigrant population. Her female characters, especially Amina - the young girl from Algeria are solid and believable. Her descriptive passages are haunting and Amina's longing for her homeland and her family is tangible. The fear of discovery fuels the plot of this novel, the decisions taken by many of the characters are purely done through desperation and the reader becomes quite overwhelmed by the despair.

I was totally convinced, and at times, horrified by Nowhere Girl. The author is hugely talented and has the ability to shock the reader with a twist that I certainly didn't anticipate. Nowhere Girl is at times a difficult read, but is always gripping and the plot and the characters are still lingering in my mind.

My thanks to Jessica at Legend Press who sent my copy for review

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[Barbara Rohde · Rating 1 out of 5]

Admittedly I was reading a proof copy of this book but it felt like reading a first draft. Basically it's the story of a missing 17 year old girl Ellie told from multiple viewpoints. The only positive I could find was that you did want to find out what happens despite all the other significant problems with this book. The characters are thin and under-developed and their behaviour is just not credible. The writing itself feels rushed with multiple repetitions of certain phrases as well as telling the reader what is rather than showing. This is part of the problem with credibility - for instance we are told one of the characters has a mental illness but there is no real evidence of this unless you think bad parenting is a mental illness. The behaviour by the character Cate is ludicrous and there is no real back story to explain it. There are strong themes of human trafficking, mental illness and child abuse that are just not explored in any depth and left dangling at the end. As I said, this feels like a first draft, not a completed novel where I found myself struggling to complete it.

[Katy Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I haven't read Humber Boy B by this author, but knew almost immediately that this 'followed on' in the sense of it continuing the story of a main character from that novel. I may return to the first book at some point, as this book doesn't give away the plot of the first, but gives enough detail to make it an appealing read.

A frightening start to the book - 17-year-old Ellie, not on good terms with her mother Bridget, is kidnapped from a Luxembourg fairground. Bridget and husband Achim at first expect, as the police do, that Ellie has run away, but it soon becomes clear that this isn't the case.

A fellow mum, former parole officer Cate Austin, now 'kept' girlfriend (and slightly bored of domesticity) of police inspector in charge of Ellie's case, becomes involved, first as she helps out with Bridget's younger daughter, but gradually unable to stop herself from using her instincts and trying to investigate herself. Her boyfriend, Olivier, seems to be missing vital avenues of investigation, maybe she can learn more...

In a third strand, Amina and Jodie manage to emigrate (illegally) into Luxembourg to escape marriage to fanatics at home in Algeria. At first their story seems unconnected, but their new home above a manicurist's shop is integral to the other plot.

I have mixed feelings about the book. As a parent myself, the first chapter terrified me - the confusion, fear and horror of a child disappearing in a public place. I enjoyed the back and forth point-of-view between Bridget, Cate, Amina and even Ellie worked well, as the strands started to weave together.

The story of the kidnappers and why they took Ellie came as a shock. My sympathies changed a few times, but I couldn't quite understand the reasoning in certain parts of the story, it felt unrealistic (sorry to be vague, but I don't want to give the plot away).

I was interested to see the reaction to the kidnapping at the children's school, this was only touched on and I would have liked more of this - the hysteria, rumours and over-reactions of parents (putting trackers on their children to keep them safe).

Cate is clearly destined to be the heroine of a series of stories that all see her accidentally brush with cases that she can involve herself in. She's a strong heroine, sensible and likeable and will do well in a series.

Amina I wanted more of. Early promise of her terrible journey to Luxembourg builds tension, but it was a little bit of a letdown when she begins her new life, and even when her story (and Jodie's) meets Ellie's, she disappears into the background most of the time, and Jodie's own sad fate is only discussed once. For me, it seemed that the author wanted to include all these aspects but then didn't want to develop them and risk making the book longer and diluting the 'kidnap storyline.

The male characters also felt under-written - it was more a story about the women - kidnapped girl, her mother, the friend helping to find her. Ellie's dad is mostly in the background, out searching. Olivier is mostly tight-lipped or angry. The male kidnappers are also not very well drawn, I didn't feel I knew them well or understood them. The only kidnapper who made an impression was a woman (and mother).

The ending felt rather abrupt and rushed, I has been expecting a longer denouement and conclusion, but it did tie together well enough.

So I suppose, while I read this quickly and did want to find out what happened, it wasn't particularly thrilling or suspenseful, didn't live up to the early highs of terror, but did have some good twists and storylines, even if they weren't fully-developed.

I would still like to read Humber Boy B, I think to see Cate's first story and her work in the probation service.

A good but not great kidnap/immigrant novel, a lot more could have been done with it.

Review of an advance copy.

[Judy Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

A special thank you to Legend Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. .

Catching up with some long overdue reviews.

British author Ruth Dugdall delivers an intriguing and disturbing psychological thriller, NOWHERE GIRL (Cate Austin #4), where dark secrets are uncovered and some things are not as they seem.

It is Schueberfouer, August 2015. What could be more exciting than the annual fair in Luxembourg? An amusement park always offers fun, excitement, and sometimes mystery and danger. What is lurking in the shadows?

Bridget was carefully watching her daughters, Ellie and Gaynor until she turns to the wine bar, deciding she needs to sit down. She has more than one glass. Soon they realize seventeen -year -old, Ellie is missing.

Gaynor, wanted to talk to Amelia, the little blond girl who arrived from England half way through the summer term. Amelia’s mother, Cate Austin, was a probation officer. They have recently moved for a fresh start to live with her police detective boyfriend, Olivier Massard.

Ellie had been kidnapped and Bridget’s husband Achim, a senior partner with his bank, thinks Ellie has run off, as she tends to get into trouble with typical teen issues and boy named Joe. She and mom have had some disagreements ending in fights.

When Ellie comes to, she feels like she is hungover and has no clue where she is. She is locked in.

Cate wonders where the girl is. Leaving the probation service was a relief, like finally putting down a heavy load she had been carrying for so long with cases, reports, and prison visits. Her last case, Humber Boy B, had made her decision to move abroad.

Told more different POV, there is an underlying mystery. We hear from two other women, Jodie and Amina. They are not at home. Readers soon learn how all the pieces fit together.

The case does not seem to be progressing and Cate seems to be concerned. Oliver is on the case, and Cate and Oliver have a difference of opinion.

If you can read between the lines, I am being vague here-- More going on in this town than people know. Cate has enough issues without some of the new drama. Soon readers learn what has happened to Ellie and how the stories are connected.

Ultimately a psychological suspense of abuse and human sex trafficking. I have read several good books recently, revolving around this horrible crime. What they have in common is the creative ways they attract teens into this web, and unfortunately sometimes there is no escaping.

Unfortunately, this one did not capture me completely. With the different voices, I felt there was not a main character to bond or hold the book together. In addition, the changing of past and present tense with different characters.. Cate appeared rather weak and not in full control; overall felt a disconnect and not fully immersed.

However, look forward to reading future books by the author.

JDCMustReadBooks

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm at a slight disadvantage here because I have not read the previous books about the main character. Like many readers I chose to read this crime story because of the setting. The city of Luxembourg in the small nation of Luxembourg seems wealthy and ex-pats go to work in the banking sector or other well-paid jobs, including Cate's new police detective partner. She goes along, with her daughter who is at school. Cate has left a job in the British probation service and finds it hard to settle.

The story also follows a teen girl Ellie who doesn't get on with her mother and slips away at a funfair for some excitement on her own. But her mum is upset and annoyed, and after they meet again matters go awry. Ellie goes missing for much longer this time and sparks a police hunt, media storm and suspicions about her mother.

A couple of girls who are smuggled in to the country from Algeria, Amina and Jodie, show us another side of life and how badly matters can go wrong for some people.

I am rating this book four and a half stars, rounded up to five. I have criticisms such as not liking the way that the tense frequently switches from past to present, not just between characters, which could be acceptable as a way of helping to distinguish voices, but among many characters and at different parts of the same narrative piece. And the author, certainly early on, could have used semicolons far more than she does.

I also see no trail by which the police received a location information and I am sure that the place would have been under surveillance by camera if the police thought people smuggling was going on regularly.

I dislike that the book has been proofread in some country which is not Britain or Ireland, then never edited again, which is easily told by the unfamiliarity with terms such as 'air fix models'. Any one who grew up with them knows that Airfix is a brand and a trademark which must be capitalised.

Don't expect a thriller. This is a slow-release tale which doesn't follow a murder case but a kidnapping, with tensions both personal and caused by the disappearance. We see almost nothing of police work and what we do is illicitly viewed by Cate, who hopes to contribute to finding the missing Ellie. The view of ex-pat wifely life echoes that which I've seen in other works. I had no previous knowledge of the court case Cate's family is experiencing in England and I never took to her boyfriend. Probably fans of the series to date will enjoy this book more than I did. That said it's an interesting and atmospheric up-to-the-minute read with Ellie actually being my favourite character.

Disclaimer: I met this author at a writers' function, but purchased this book normally and this is an unbiased review.

[Jill's Book Cafe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read and enjoyed Humber Boy B I was looking forward to reading this as it also features Cate Austin, the probation officer in that book. In Nowhere Girl, she has resigned her position in the UK and gone to live in Luxembourg with detective Olivier Massard who she'd met while working on the Humber Boy B case.

The plot in this book revolves around the disappearance of 16 year old Ellie at the Schueberfouer fair. Massard is the investigating officer, but it would seem that the police refuse to take her disappearance seriously and Cate finds herself involved in helping Ellie's mother search for her. Running parallel to this plot line is one of people trafficking and sexual exploitation. The two strands come together in a way that it's not possible to guess at, and casts a whole different and shocking light on Ellie's disappearance.

On the whole I liked this book, and was quickly taken with the plot and eager to find out who had taken Ellie and why. I was also keen to see how the people trafficking theme played out as it involved young girls that I hoped to see a an ultimately positive outcome for. With regard to Ellie’s kidnap, we saw her situation from her viewpoint, the effect it had on the family and the wider impact that it had on the school and community it was interesting to balance all these viewpoints with the stance taken by the police which was rather blasé assuming she was just being a wilful teenager. The question was, would her disappearance be taken seriously I time to achieve a positive outcome.

There were hints in the book that the police were investigating the trafficking; or were at least aware of the beauty salon that served as the base for the unfortunate girls. This was something that I think could have been explored further as the trafficking plot was almost incidental in as much as it was necessary to have a plot that linked particular characters. This was one aspect of the book I found disappointing, along with Cate's involvement in the case. It was not that she wanted to help that I found implausible, but more her actions when searching for Ellie. I thought they were at best naïve, but for someone who was also living with the lead detective they were implausible. The means of trying to secure Ellie's release was also unrealistic and the ending didn't answer many of the questions that had been raised concerning many of the trafficked characters.

Having been critical, these are purely my observations on what stopped the book being for me a more compelling read and lifting it from a good read to very good.

I received an advanced review copy via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I read Humber Boy B earlier this year I found it very difficult to read. Not due to the style of writing or characters, just because of the storyline.
I found this follow up novel Nowhere Girl to be much better. Cate has moved with her young daughter to live with her partner Olivier in Luxembourg. When a teenage girl goes missing at a large fair the police don't take it seriously much to Cate's disgust. Olivier is one of the police officers looking into the disappearance and he refuses to discuss any part of the investigation with her. Struggling with the language barrier she along with Bridget, the mother and Eva a teacher start their own investigation.
Taking place at the same time is another story that concerns two teenagers Amina and Jodie. They have both been smuggled into the country from Algeria for the chance of a 'better life in Europe'. However it is not the life that they and probably their families ever imagined. The two stories merge, events from the past are revealed and things become more desperate.
There is a lot covered in the novel. People trafficking, abduction, child abuse and illness and it made a good read. I am reluctant to say too much about how they are covered because it would be easy to reveal too much. I would have liked to seen an outcome for everybody who features in the novel, there were a couple of characters I really liked. However we may, hopefully see them in future novels. I enjoyed reading about Luxembourg, a country I know nothing about and much to my shame I had to google it to find out where it actually is.
It would work as a standalone but there aspects of Cate's family life that wouldn't mean anything if you hadn't read the earlier books. Nothing is revealed about why certain events mentioned in the book are taking place but if you know what they are you understand her more.
With thanks to Jessica at Legend Press for the copy received for review.