After the Eclipse

After the Eclipse is a harrowing tale from debut writer Fran Dorricott, telling the story of two missing girls, sixteen years apart, but both take place against the backdrop of a solar eclipse. It’s a book that I was really looking forward to reading, and it didn’t disappoint.We meet Cassie who’s younger sister, Olive was abducted during the last solar eclipse that took place in 1997. Since her sister disappeared, Cassie has been racked with guilt, blaming herself for not looking after her properly and giving someone the opportunity to take her. Sixteen years later and Cassie is moving back to her home town, and another young girl is missing. She’s convinced that the girl has been taken by the same person who took Olive, is she finally about to find out what happened to her missing sister all those years ago?At its heart, this is quite an emotive tale, and the grief of Olive’s family plays very strongly. I could feel the loss that Cassie feels for her sister and her desperate need to find out what had happened to her. You can’t really begin to imagine what families in these situations are going through. As I was reading the book, it did make me think of the Jaycee Dugard case in America, who was held captive by her kidnapper for eighteen years before she escaped.Using the solar eclipses made this novel feel quite atmospheric, I thought this was done very well, and it gave the story a much darker tone, creating an impending sense of doom that made me feel nervous for the characters in the book. We also get to see events which took place at the time Olive disappeared, and Fran constantly kept me thinking how things were going to pan out for Olive as I got to learn more and more about what had taken place.I was desperate to find out who had committed the crime and if the two cases were in fact linked as Cassie suspected. Why would they want to take another child sixteen years later, risking the chances of them getting caught? What was their motive here?After the Eclipse completely gripped me from start to finish. Fran Dorricott is a talented writer who I am excited to read more from.

Teenager Cassie is in charge of looking after her eleven-year-old sister, Olive, during the 1999 solar eclipse. More interested in her burgeoning relationship with her first love Marion, she loses sight of Olive. The child is never seen again. Her disappearance marks the end of a normal family life for Cassie and her parents, and the end of Cassie's romance with Marion.Sixteen years later, a booze and sleeping pill addicted Cassie returns to her home town to care for her elderly grandmother and to take time out of her flagging career as a journalist.When there's another eclipse and another child disappears, Cassie's attempts to investigate bring her into direct conflict with Marion, now a police sergeant involved in the new case.There's danger everywhere as Cassie searches for links between the current missing girl and her lost sister.In this tense page-turner, Fran Dorricott writes in several suspects to taunt not only Cassie but also the reader.I would gladly read another book by this author.

I've always been 50/50 when it comes to crime novels. I enjoy suspense andthe psychological aspect but I tire of drawn out mysteries that don't keep up the tension.Nothing to fear about that here, though! Begining from the first flashback where we meet Olive, right to the end, the pace only lets up long enough for the reader to take a breath, before dragging you right back in again.The emotional exploration of Cassie, her guilt and her drinking/sleeping pill problems, and her innately stubborn nature, make for a flawed and sometimes frustrating, but immensely likeable main character. And her sexuality is, simply, a seamless part of the tale, which by itself speaks volumes for the skill of the author.This might be a debut published novel but the author has clearly spent years honing her craft.I highly recommend this book, and I can't wait to see what she does next!

One brief moment of inattention shatters several lives – including that of guilt-ridden Cassie, whose sister disappeared. Fran Dorricott’s massively impressive debut immerses the reader in Cassie’s half-lived life, and her quest for redemption and love. A wonderfully atmospheric and tense psychological thriller, ‘After The Eclipse’ also follows Cassie’s reawakening through the rekindling of her relationship with her first love, Marion. ‘After The Eclipse’ works brilliantly on all levels and I totally recommend it.

I absolutely adored this book! The wonderfully flawed protagonist, the threads of mystery woven throughout, and the beautifully human and down to earth narrative voice truly made this a delight. I have a hectic schedule and was forced to put the book down more often than I cared to, but by the 50% mark, all else went out of the window! I read through the last half of the book in a rush (today!) and fancied myself terribly clever with my guess at the antagonist -- I was absolutely convinced, smug even -- but boy, was I wrong. If you enjoy trying to solve a mystery and your heart pounding out of your chest as you read in a frenzy, this is the book for you. If you don't, are you even a reader, really?