Dear Laura

"It’s really good. This girl was willing to do so much to find her friend while being stalked by his kidnapper. "

"This is actually going to be a hard review to write because I don't want to spoil the journey; discovering things with Laura is part of the reason I enjoyed the book, so I'm not going to talk about the plot much. I'd even go as far as to say read the first paragraph on the back cover and if it sounds like something you'd like- just go for it. You'll likely read it in one or two sittings and you won't regret it; it took me two but only because I had to sleep.<br/><br/>Short spoiler-free synopsis: Laura's friend Bobby goes missing when they're teenagers. Every year on her birthday, she gets a letter from someone who claims to know where Bobby is, but he'll only tell her what he knows if she plays his game.<br/><br/>I will say there's nothing supernatural in this story, though there are ghosts and a monster. The ghosts of things that will never be that haunt you your whole life. And a monster of a person that will stick with this reader for a while. None of this feels that particularly far-fetched, which makes this even more unnerving. Not a pleasant thought, but true nonetheless.<br/><br/>This is the first thing I've read by Gemma and I need to read more. I love her voice and style; it feels immediate with no words wasted. I don't know if all of her work is like that, but it suited this story perfectly. I can easily see why this was nominated for a Stoker award. <br/><br/>If you're in the mood for something realistic, disturbing, and unputdownable- this is it."