When DI Adam Fawley gets the call that 8-year-old Daisy Mason has gone missing following a fancy-dress party at her parents’ home, he knows this is going to be a tough case. As we’ve seen in recent years, so many of these cases involve the wrongdoing of family or friends, and trial by social media is inevitable, especially if they don’t tick all the right boxes with their appearance and behaviour when they appear in front of the TV cameras.


And Daisy’s family are definitely not run-of-the-mill media darlings. Mum Sharon is jealous, obsessed with how she and her home are presented, and doesn’t seem to hold much affection for her missing daughter Daisy, or her young son, Leo. Her husband Barry presents more questions than he provides answers, and his closeness to his daughter, as well as the skeletons that keep appearing out of his closet raise eyebrows and give the story an unpleasant edge. Is all as it seems though?


Having lost his own son in tragic circumstances just a year ago, is DI Fawley the right person for this confusing, frustrating case, or is it, as the title suggests, just a little too close to home? His own story is heartbreaking and develops throughout the book where we find out what happened to him and his family in the preceding years. I really like Adam as a character and interestingly, the author wasn’t sure whether Adam was to be a male or female character so he’s rounded and sometimes reads as quite feminine. He’s a great character and I’m looking forward to reading more by this author, so I can get to know him a little better.

This is a story full of twists and turns which keep you guessing right until the very end.