The Clearing by Simon Toyne

 

When a young women goes missing on the summer solstice the only person who seems concerned is her sister. Local police show little interest in investigating. Dr Laughton Rees becomes involved when a missing person report is eventually filed and there are links to local folklore about The Cinderman.

From the opening chapter there is a creepy and sinister vibe to this novel. Thanks to Simon Toyne you'll be wary of wooded areas in the future. The storyline gives you an uneasy sense that you are constantly being watched, that there is something lurking just out of sight.

The Clearing is set in a small community in Gloucestershire, this setting makes it difficult to decide who is trustworthy and who is working against those searching for the missing girl. As the story progresses you begin to realise how much power and control those in authority wield in such small communities.

The other question raised is why are those in power so reluctant to believe a young woman has been abducted? The stakes are raised when Rees begins to dig deeper, aided from afar by DCI Tannahill Kahn, and discovers that almost 50 women have gone missing in the area over a twenty year period.

We see a much more dynamic Rees in this novel, she refuses to be fobbed off, misdirected or threatened in her quest to find the missing girl and discover why so many young women have gone missing. My one disappointment with the book is that we didn't see much of DC Kahn. Hopefully a third book in the series will have Rees and Kahn working side by side again.

The Clearing by Simon Toyne will be published on 20^th July 2023 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for a review copy.