Finding Claire Fletcher

On the day that Detective Connor Parks has jeopardized his career for killing a man, he meets Claire Fletcher in a bar and spends one night with her, catching a glimpse of the girl she once was. Trouble is Claire Fletcher is no longer that girl. When she vanishes from his bed leaving an address, he tries to follow up for a chance to re-encounter this intriguing woman only to discover shocking news. The enigmatic Claire has been missing for years. As his work life disintegrates he sets out to solve the mystery of her disappearance. Claire becomes as ethereal to Parks as the ghost of whom she used to be is to Claire herself due to the man who has ‘unmade her.’

Returning to the living hell that is her new life, Claire is overcome with guilt for endangering the man who has woken a part of herself she had thought was long since dead. The question is how will she find the resolve to ensure no one else loses their life in her name?

From the opening first person narration of the mystery woman herself, or a version of her, the question hooks are planted that lead us into the story which is really four separate story lines cleverly shuffled. As each one ends on a crisis point or question we alternate to the next which deftly pulls us along as we search for the next big reveal. Major questions demand answers. Why isn’t the most obvious and simple solution to Claire’s dilemma possible?

We follow Parks’ quest to find Claire from his third person narration as he weathers the situation with his career. Intermingled with all this we become a party to Claire’s current life as well as the history of her past which has led to now, when she still was wholly Claire Fletcher.

This gripping tale of psychological abuse is realistic and well-written. At times, I felt my breath become tight as I empathized with Claire’s ordeal, which is a testament to the book’s inherent craft. Clearly much research on trauma had been undertaken to underpin the heroine’s motivations. Dark it may be, but not gratuitous. Part way through however I became disappointed when I’d thought I’d figured out who Claire’s abuser was, but I had just been led into a skillful trap by this talented author who had sent me off down a blind alley, laying a trail of pseudo clues that had me fixing on how smart I was.

I finished the book and remained in the world Lisa Regan had created for a while. It’s always a good sign when a story lingers. It’s even better when you discover an author you enjoy and want to hear more from then find out there are several other works to encounter.