Gordon and Sarah Rutherford are normal, happy people with rich, fulfilling lives. They have a son they adore, a house on the beach and a safe, friendly community in a picture-postcard town.
Until, one day, Bonnie the labrador comes in from the beach alone. Their son, Rory, has gone – the only trace left behind is a single black sandal.
Their lives don’t fall apart immediately. While there’s still hope, they dig deep and try to carry on.
But as desperation mounts, arms around shoulders become fingers pointed – at friends, family, strangers, each other. Without any answers, only questions remain. Who can they trust? How far will they go to find out what happened to Rory?
And the deadliest question of what could be worse than your child disappearing?
When the truth begins to emerge, they find themselves in a world they could barely have imagined.
Book Info: Print length: 391 pages. Publisher: Zaffre. Publication Date: 3 July 2025
My Thoughts:
This is my first book by Liam McIllvanney and the blurb really captured my attention. Missing children seems to be a popular theme at the moment for psychological thrillers, so I was intrigued to see how the author known for his literary crime fiction would cover this heartbreaking scenario.
Set in the picturesque coastal town of Fairlie, Scotland, the novel follows Gordon and Sarah Rutherford as they grapple with the vanishing of their seven-year-old son, Rory, whose only trace is a lone black sandal brought home by the family dog.
The book is cleverly split into three parts, beginning with the immediate aftermath of Rory’s disappearance and the devastating impact on both parents. The grief and turmoil is intense throughout the story and the reader is taken on this awful journey watching Gordon and Sarah fall apart both emotionally and mentally.
I’m not going to say much more about the story because you need to read this for yourself, but I will tell you that it’s a powerful story of love, loss, grief and hope.
