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Feb 26, 2018cknightkc rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
More psychological drama than suspense thriller, THE GIRL IN THE RED COAT is a story of the practical and emotional consequences of child abduction as told through the alternating voices of the victim and the parent. After being kidnapped, the young Carmel finds herself in strange circumstances, and like the book ROOM, she relates her experiences from her own unique perspective. In this her debut novel, author Kate Hamer effectively communicates Carmel’s mother’s desperation and anguish. Hamer definitely has a gift for prose which is very beautiful and eloquent. The first half of the book definitely kept me engaged, but somewhere in the middle I began to lose interest. The captors were not what I expected, actually they were rather mediocre and boring. And after a lengthy story line, the ending seemed rushed and with mystical overtones that left me with lots of unanswered questions. Despite all this, I think Kate Hamer is a promising writer, and I’m willing to give her another try in the future.