Don't Try To Find Me: A Novel

Holly Brown

Jul 2014 · Sold by Harper Collins

About this ebook

When a fourteen-year-old runs away, her parents turn to social media to find her—launching a public campaign that will expose their darkest secrets and change their family forever, in this suspenseful and gripping debut for fans of Reconstructing Amelia and Gone Girl.

Don’t try to find me. Though the message on the kitchen white board is written in Marley’s hand, her mother Rachel knows there has to be some other explanation. Marley would never run away.

As the days pass and it sinks in that the impossible has occurred, Rachel and her husband Paul are informed that the police have “limited resources.” If they want their fourteen-year-old daughter back, they will have to find her themselves. Desperation becomes determination when Paul turns to Facebook and Twitter, and launches FindMarley.com.

But Marley isn’t the only one with secrets.

With public exposure comes scrutiny, and when Rachel blows a television interview, the dirty speculation begins. Now, the blogosphere is convinced Rachel is hiding something. It’s not what they think; Rachel would never hurt Marley. Not intentionally, anyway. But when it’s discovered that she’s lied, even to the police, the devoted mother becomes a suspect in Marley’s disappearance.

Is Marley out there somewhere, watching it all happen, or is the truth something far worse? 

Ratings and reviews

This reads like a Lifetime movie, which is a negative. But I appreciate how an author can tell a compelling story, the way I enjoy how a band can tell a story through lyrics and music. I stuck with this book to the end. I found it believable and realistic. Can't decide between three or four stars.

Makes you think about family and marriage dynamics and how it truly affects your children, especially teenage girls. It's really hard to be a teenage girl.

I really enjoyed this book! Although fiction, it happens all over. It had a lot of great characters, and a good storyline.. Had a good flow. Am looking for another book by this same author!

About the author

Holly Brown lives with her husband and toddler daughter in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she's a practicing marriage and family therapist. She is the author of the novel Don't Try to Find Me, and her blog, "Bonding Time," is featured on the mental health website PsychCentral.com.