Then She Was Gone/ Lisa Jewell/ 359 pgs/ audiobook

Another long weekend drive meant that I resorted to listening to my second audiobook. I most definitely liked this narration better than the other one. In Then She Was Gone, Lauren Mack's daughter Ellie vanished one day while heading to the library. She was 15 years old and no clues to her disappearance were ever found. Almost 10 years later, Lauren is living a half life. She's divorced from her husband, though it's clear he's a good guy and there is still affection between them. She has very distant relationships with both of her remaining children, Jake and Hannah. She readily admits that Ellie, the youngest, was her favorite. Out of the blue, the police call to tell her they have found some of Ellie's remains plus her backpack. A funeral is held and then we jump ahead a few months where Lauren meets a man named Floyd. The story is told from a few different viewpoints, Ellie's in the months before her death, Lauren's at the present time, Ellie's tutor at the time of her disappearance. It's all well written, but in truth this is more women's fiction than suspense. It tries to add an element of suspense at the very end but it falls flat. The story of Lauren coming back to life and re-engaging with her family and the world is a good one, just don't expect a suspense novel in the truest sense.