I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Burnt Paper Sky by Gilly Macmillan
Published by Piatkus on August 27, 2015
Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller
Pages: 465
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher
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Rachel Jenner is walking in a Bristol park with her eight-year-old son, Ben, when he asks if he can run ahead. It’s an ordinary request on an ordinary Sunday afternoon, and Rachel has no reason to worry—until Ben vanishes.
Police are called, search parties go out, and Rachel, already insecure after her recent divorce, feels herself coming undone. As hours and then days pass without a sign of Ben, everyone who knew him is called into question, from Rachel’s newly married ex-husband to her mother-of-the-year sister. Inevitably, media attention focuses on Rachel too, and the public’s attitude toward her begins to shift from sympathy to suspicion. 
As she desperately pieces together the threadbare clues, Rachel realizes that the greatest dangers may lie not in the anonymous strangers of every parent’s nightmares, but behind the familiar smiles of those she trusts the most.
Where is Ben? The clock is ticking...

Yay! I was so pleased that Burnt Paper Sky was set in Bristol, as having studied there I feel that I know it well, and having that knowledge of the city, for me, made the story more real and easier to get into, as I could imagine the settings, the locations and the city.

The style of narration is unusual but I have seen it recently. Burnt Paper Sky is told predominantly over nine days from the perspectives of Jim and Rachel, but also involves transcripts, emails, and social media. Showing the wider effects of the case make it all the more real and even more chilling.

Because this is a chilling story that kept me glued to the pages. I really wanted to know what happened to Ben, and I felt the frustrations of the police as the case constantly threw up issues and remained so unresolved. And with so many suspects it was extremely difficult to find the correct one. Although I did have suspicions…

Burnt Paper Sky was a brilliant debut! Utterly gripping it was impossible to put down! And I cannot wait to read more from Gilly Macmillan.

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