Emma's Secret (#2) by Steena Holmes

Emma's Secret by Steena Holmes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Reading "Finding Emma" (#1) by Steena Holmes will assist in fully understanding the dynamics of the characters in this novel.

"Finding Emma" is an emotionally charged story of a little girl who goes missing for two years and the devastating effects it had on her family, The pain and anguish the mother experienced was almost palpable, a parent's worst nightmare. Through it all, Peter (the father) tries to console and keep his marriage to Megan (the mother) together as he attempts to provide closure to care for their other two daughters. Even after 2 years Megan couldn't help but see Emma's face in every child she encountered. How does one put closure on a missing child when there is no body to bury, no funeral to attend? Although Megan decides it is time to move on for the sake of her family, she still holds onto to the hope that her daughter is still alive waiting for her.

"Emma's Secret" goes on to further depict the emotional pains family endure when a kidnapped child is returned.  Reading this book first is really a spoiler in my opinion. Having read "Finding Emma" first, I was delighted to see that the story continued. The first book takes you on the roller coaster ride with the family and kidnappers as they struggle with how to handle their situation. Although named "Emma's Secret", I found the book focused more on the mother's experience of having her daughter returned. Understandably, a tragedy of this nature will affect the entire family for many more years to come. It was difficult at times to reconcile with Peter's attempts to "help" Emma by bringing her to see Jack (Dotty has since passed), with whom Emma came to know as grandpa.  Although, it was his ailing spouse who brought Emma home, he did little to rectify the damage initiated by Dotty who suffered with dementia.



View all my reviews