The Birthday Party

A party. A nightmare. A child gone without a trace.

It started out as a party: six little girls gliding and giggling at the ice rink to celebrate Natalie’s daughter’s eighth birthday.

But by Natalie’s next head count, it’s turned into a crime scene. Six children went onto the ice—and now there are just five. Nobody saw her niece, Elle, being taken. Nobody saw the person in a cartoon costume lure her quietly away.

Traumatised by what happened on her watch, Natalie spends the next decade supporting her sister, Jo, as the years since Elle’s abduction tick by. But as the tenth anniversary approaches, Jo becomes convinced that someone is stalking her—someone who knows the truth about that day on the ice.

As long-buried secrets start to surface, the sisters must relive the horror of losing Elle—and watch the world as they know it shatter before their eyes.

©2025 by Shalini Boland. (P)2025 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Wow! The twists!

I love it when I can’t figure out who did what and why! Well done Shalini Boland!

Intriguing read

The characters are unique and well drawn. I wanted to keep reading without a break.

Wickedly twisted!

Great twists and turns. I didn’t figure this one out. Nice story with enough detail but not too much to get boring. Ending is unexpected!!

Thoroughly enjoyed!!

I love the narrator so much. This book was well written and the twist at the end was a nice closing to the end. The relationship between the sisters was palpable. The hurt and guilt felt by each family member was felt. I look forward to reading more from this author!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was an excellent book! It has great twists and turns that I didn’t guess.