Where the Road Ends

Where The Road Ends is the seventh stand-alone novel by American author, Tara Taylor Quinn. After her father died, Amelia Wainscoat took over the running of his enormously successful construction business; her husband, Johnny, continued in his job as a construction worker, while nanny, Kathy Stead looked after little Charlie. But then Johnny died in a boating accident, and Amelia relied even more on Kathy. A year on, she could see that Kathy's relationship with Charlie was becoming unnatural: Kathy had to go.

Barely a week later, every mother's worst nightmare: Charlie disappeared from a ride at a funfair, and Amelia immediately suspected Kathy. When authorities exonerated the ex-nanny, Amelia took matters into her own hands. She may have hired ex-FBI agent, Brad Dorchester to find Charlie, but that wasn't going to stop her from looking for him herself, even if that meant taking on an alias, living in cheap accommodation and taking menial jobs. Amy Wayne would stop at nothing in her search for her son.

This is a gripping tale, although it does, perhaps, drag a little in the middle. Quinn's purpose may be to give the reader a sense of Amy's weariness after months of searching. The romance between Brad and Amy hinted at in the blurb is very much in the background, especially when Amy falls into bed another man. And while the climax is quite dramatic, the astute reader will be able to predict from the back cover blurb and the first chapter or two just what the shocking revelation at the end will be. Just a bit slow. 3.5 stars