«99 Red Balloons» by Elisabeth Carpenter

Two girls go missing, decades apart. What would you do if one was your daughter?


When eight-year-old Grace goes missing from a sweetshop on the way home from school, her mother Emma is plunged into a nightmare. Her family rallies around, but as the police hunt begins, cracks begin to emerge.

What are the secret emails sent between Emma’s husband and her sister? Why does her mother take so long to join the search? And is Emma really as innocent as she seems?

Meanwhile, ageing widow Maggie Taylor sees Grace’s picture in the newspaper. It’s a photograph that jolts her from the pain of her existence into a spiralling obsession with another girl – the first girl who disappeared…

This is a gripping psychological thriller with a killer twist that will take your breath away.


‘An intense domestic thriller, twists and turns galore, and a host of family secrets. An absorbing read.’ Paul Finch, bestselling author of Strangers


‘An intelligent, taut and compelling thriller’ Sam Carrington, bestselling author of Saving Sophie


‘Carpenter emerges as an addictive new talent’ Helen Fields, author of Perfect Remains


‘The plot is seamless’ Amanda Robson, author of Obsession