Lost Girl (Unabridged‪)‬

This is an outstanding novel performed exceptionally well.

It is the year 2053, climate change is wreaking havoc on the world: floods, droughts, starvation, disease, and mass migration north. The Father (we never learn his name) is living a semi-normal life in his upper middle class neighborhood in England with his wife and daughter when tragedy strikes. His four year-old daughter is abducted. The police are overwhelmed with hundreds of more serious crimes and do little to help. Driven somewhat insane with the loss and spiraling thoughts of what kind of depraved monster has taken his daughter, the Father takes matters into his own hands.

The story begins two years after the daughter’s abduction. The Father is working as a kind of free-lance interrogator with the secret help of sympathetic police officers. He crosses line after line of illegal behavior as he tortures, then kills his leads – child molesters and human traffickers. There seems to be no limit to the depravity of the men he finds. It is difficult for him to unsee their evil.

It is a dark world, spiraling quickly to a deadly end for all humanity. The backdrop of climate change and human misery keeps the mood bleak and the listener in a state of perpetual hopelessness, mirroring the Father’s own state. This well written jewel tends to dig deeply into metaphor, describing mood and events with great detail. While the story is full of action, violence and drama, it can also move slowly, methodically at times over sensations and detail. It is well worth the effort, just an observations for some impatient listeners, stay with it.

Without spoiling the plot, it is worth noting a particular character that is introduced late in the novel. This drug addled acolyte is so compelling and unusual, the listener will wish he had been brought into the story earlier. Reality itself bends around this strange person, inviting the listener to think differently about metaphysics, humanity and most interestingly – death.

The audiobook is performed by Kris Dyer, who is simply outstanding. The character voices are clearly differentiated and remarkable for their variety. Most notable are his female voices, which at times make the listener wonder if there wasn’t a second narrator. Mr. Dyer matches the dark mood of the novel in voice and inflection giving what can only be described as a near perfect performance. His is a voice worth following.

This is an outstanding novel performed exceptionally well. Its violent theme and dark mood will not appeal to every listener, however. It is about a vigilante father trying to recover his daughter or at the very least punish those who would have abused her. The attention to detail and the dire warning given in this dark novel make it well worth listening to. Highly recommended.

Warning: Scenes of extreme violence, torture and child abuse make this novel inappropriate for young listeners and others sensitive to these themes.

Audiobook was provided for review by the publisher.