The Child Finder

A Novel

By: Rene Denfeld

Narrated by: Alyssa Bresnahan

Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

A haunting, richly atmospheric, and deeply suspenseful novel from the acclaimed author of The Enchanted about an investigator who must use her unique insights to find a missing little girl.

"Where are you, Madison Culver? Flying with the angels, a silver speck on a wing? Are you dreaming, buried under snow? Or is it possible you are still alive?"

Three years ago, Madison Culver disappeared when her family was choosing a Christmas tree in Oregon's Skookum National Forest. She would be eight years old now - if she has survived. Desperate to find their beloved daughter, certain someone took her, the Culvers turn to Naomi, a private investigator with an uncanny talent for locating the lost and missing. Known to the police and a select group of parents as "the Child Finder", Naomi is their last hope.

Naomi's methodical search takes her deep into the icy, mysterious forest in the Pacific Northwest and into her own fragmented past. She understands children like Madison because once upon a time, she was a lost girl, too.

As Naomi relentlessly pursues and slowly uncovers the truth behind Madison's disappearance, shards of a dark dream pierce the defenses that have protected her, reminding her of a terrible loss she feels but cannot remember. If she finds Madison, will Naomi ultimately unlock the secrets of her own life?

Told in the alternating voices of Naomi and a deeply imaginative child, The Child Finder is a breathtaking, exquisitely rendered literary listen about redemption, the line between reality and memories and dreams, and the human capacity to survive.

©2017 Rene Denfeld (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers

Kept asking questions

While the story’s premise is interesting, there were what seemed to me to be obvious questions. A recurring one was how a 5 yr old had such advanced powers of deduction & an advanced vocabulary while being in captivity for several years.

The main character’s final words of wisdom were pedestrian to the point of silliness and the author’s lead-in to her next book was a bit too obvious.

The value of a book like this for me is heightened awareness of these missing & exploited kids. For that, Denfeld is to be commended.

Beautiful, inspiring .

This book was intense . Not your usual child abduction book . It was serious , profane . A beautiful character . Will say this , if I had young children today , would chain them to me . The monsters are real . Buy this book , you won't be able to put it down

Wish I could find more just as good !

I really enjoyed this book. I go through about 1 per week and most are longer than they need to be. This one was perfect, it got my attention and kept it through out. I highly recommend it if you like emotional ones that end well.

Just ok

Couldn’t really get into the story. Narrator was so-so, didn’t really capture my attention.

Couldn’t put it down!

This story grabs you from the beginning and holds you tight until the last word. You feel as though you are in the story and can see what the characters see and smell the smells that are so vividly articulated. While the story moves into a dark place that is unspeakable, you can’t put it down.

Dark But Captivating

As much as this story is hard to read at moments, it's truly a beautiful take on the secret community of the sexually and physically abused children. Rene really helped someone like myself who has been fortunate not been through a horrid situation like being captured and abused, understand how a young child mentally and physically survives. Also, instead of making out the capturers as monsters, you understand the truth behind sexual and physical abuse to, especially children, which is the fact that the abuser went through the same experience as a child. The cycle merely repeats itself. Which is so sad and so true.
Wonderfully written and I would suggest to anyone who can stomach this kind of story.

Absolutely incredible!

Such a gorgeously written tale of a very overdone topic. The prose is amazing, the characters are interesting and the abuse scenes are cloaked as to not be gratuitous - yet we know what horror is happening. This book is - just wow.

What a story!

This story was beautifully crafted and performed. It kept me hooked from start to finish.

Good but Strange

I have some mixed thoughts about this one. At times the story was exciting and moved quickly -but then sometimes I couldn't figure out where it was trying to go. At the end it all made sense of course but some listeners may not have the patience to see it through. It's also a bit of a unique style of storytelling - the kind where you have to pay more attention in the "boring" parts or you'll lose track of what's going on. The ending (last few chapters) were quite exciting and wrapped most of it up nicely. There might be a book 2 because some things were left unresolved.

captivating

This story is well paced and engaging. the voice was a little monotone but still very worth the listen.