Stolen

Tess Stimson

Aug 2021 · Sold by HarperCollins UK

About this eBook

‘Wait just one minute while I catch my breath and pick my heart up off the floor. Wow! This book grabbed onto me and would not let go... Five stars’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

You thought she was safe. You were wrong...

Alex knows her daughter would never wander off in a strange place. So when her three-year-old vanishes from an idyllic beach wedding, Alex immediately believes the worst.

The hunt for Lottie quickly becomes a world-wide search, but it’s not long before suspicion falls on her mother. Why wasn’t she watching Lottie?

Alex knows she’s not perfect, but she loves her child. And with all eyes on her, Alex fears they’ll never uncover the truth unless she takes matters into her own hands.

Who took Lottie Martini? And will she ever come home?

A totally addictive thriller, with a twist you just won’t see coming. Fans of Lisa Jewell, Louise Candlish and T.M. Logan will be totally gripped from the very first page.

Readers are gripped by Stolen:

‘TEN STARS!... Utterly fabulous... You won't be able to put it down’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Made my jaw drop!’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Omg, wow... just wow, this book is absolutely bloody brilliant.... Worth all the stars and more’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Crikey, reading this book has taken up my days and nights for 3 days! I couldn't stop reading it... I loved it!’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Absolutely unputdownable’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Boy was I gripped... I stayed up all night reading... So many twists and turns’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Twist, twist, twist – I loved it... Brilliant!’ Jackie Kabler, author of The Perfect Couple

‘Gripped me from the very first page... The twists and turns will have you at the edge of your seat!’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Wow... The twists really blew me away!!’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I went through so many emotions reading this... Hits you right in the gut... Such a powerful and emotional read. Grab the tissues’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ratings and reviews

Wow! What a roller-coaster of a read, I didn't see a lot of it coming, especially the end! This is the first book I've read by Tess Stimson, but after reading this all her past books have gone on my TBR list, what a really great read, a real page-turner, I couldn't put it down. Alex is a single mother to Lottie and the story centres around the wedding of her best friend in Florida, where everyone has gathered to celebrate the happy event and Lottie is one of the bridesmaids. Alex is a hard character to like initially and you're never quite sure if she actually likes her 'spiky' daughter or not, they certainly clash a lot even though Lottie is only 3 years old. Lottie was definitely her father's daughter and Alex was the career woman, but he died in a bridge collapse tragedy the year before. Then whilst Alex is off enjoying herself with a guy at the wedding, and thinks her daughter is with all the other bridesmaids, Lottie goes missing and a worldwide hunt to find her ensues. Of course the press pull everyone's life apart, as usual, and Alex goes from victim to neglectful mother when Lottie still isn't found and the case drags on for 2 years! There are so many twists and turns in this story you really don't know who to trust and who is telling the truth. Every time I thought I'd figured out what had happened another twist happened and I was wrong again, and this happened right until the very dramatic end of the story. Fabulous read that I would highly recommend, just leave enough time to read in one sitting if you can!

It has a twist which I didn't see coming but the ending is predictable. Have you seen Lottie Martini? She's only three and missing from a beach wedding of Marc and Sian. Alex, Marc's best friend goes to attend his wedding with her three years old daughter, Charlotte. Charlotte was a bridesmaid and therefore her mom left her alone with other bridesmaids. But that evening she goes missing. What happened to Lottie? Who took her? Would Lottie ever return? Tess Stimson's this novel disappointed me. I was expecting much more from her. This is an old concept about a child goes missing, about every mom's worst nightmare comes true. Lisa Stone's Taken was of same concept. As is All Her Fault and Our Little Girl. Although it has a twist I didn't see coming but by the time I've finished half of the book, I was so tired that my interest was lost. I didn't want to know who'd took Lottie. There were many chapters. I was expecting it to end soon but it kept on dragging and dragging.

For Alex, every parents worst nightmare has come to life. Her baby girl has gone missing and her torment is added to by the media who have descended. Instead of the help she was desperately hoping for from them in spreading the message, they seem fixated as do the police that she had something to do with Lotties disappearance. Is she responsible? Anytime you read a book involving a missing child you know it is going to be a super intense read that will get the heart racing and Stolen is no different. There were so many times that I had to remind myself to breathe. I was on the edge of my seat, in need of a stiff drink and I no longer drink! There are so many twists and turns in this one I felt like I was on a rollercoaster on a continuous loop. Just when you think you have figured it all out, along comes the curve balls! I gave up trying to guess what was going to happen and just let the book take me along for the ride until Stimson was ready to reveal all. Fast paced, this book will consume you from beginning to end. Tess Stimson really knows how to keep the reader engaged and is a great storyteller. It has been well executed, its characters are believable and its outcome packs a punch. All in all Stolen is a very gripping and suspenseful read that is perfect for fans of the psychological thriller genre.

About the author

Tess Stimson is the British author of ten novels, including top-ten bestseller The Adultery Club, and two non-fiction books, which between them have been translated into dozens of languages.

Her first "proper" job after graduating from St Hilda's College, Oxford (where she read English) was as a news trainee with ITN (Independent Television News). She reported and produced regional and world stories, travelling to hotspots and war-zones all over the globe.

In 2002, she was appointed Professor of Creative Writing at the University of South Florida and moved to the US. She now lives and works in Vermont with her husband, Erik, their three children, and (at the last count) two cats, three fish, one gerbil and a large number of bats in the attic.