Review of Willow Weeps by Molly Garcia

Book Blurb

It was 1993 when Andy last saw his sister, Willow, one minute he was holding her hand, and the next she was gone.

Thirty years later, Andy has a family of his own, but he’s never forgotten his little sister.

How could he?

Her disappearance destroyed his family and ended his childhood, and with all the leads dried up and no new clues he’s had to accept that she’s gone forever. That’s until he’s contacted by a woman who claims to have a message for him from Willow, sceptical, but unable to resist trying anything Andy meets up with her.

Cleo knows things that were never made public at the time, and Andy starts to think that just maybe, she really is in contact with Willow.
When one of his childhood adversaries is found murdered Andy turns to the police officer in charge of the investigation at the time for help.

DCI Unwin Phelps had reluctantly retired with Willow being his only cold, unsolved case. Offered the opportunity to finally find out what happened to her he agrees to get involved. Working with Cleo and Andy they don’t realise the danger they’re in.

Is Willow back and seeking revenge?

If so, is she dead or alive, and why are those involved in the case being picked off, one by one?

Andy will have to dig deep into a dark past he’d rather forget for the answers, but will finding out break him and those he loves?

Best Book Editors Review

Andy’s been looking forward to the fair coming to town for ages. It’s one of the highlights of the social calendar, and all the kids at school are talking about it. Imagine his horror when his parents say he has to take his little sister along. What will his mates think? From the first page, we’re told how much Andy loves his kid sister, but he really doesn’t fancy being saddled with her when he wants to have fun. It sets the tone for the rest of the book and the guilt to follow. Willow disappears and that’s the last time he sees his sister. He grows, he marries, and he has kids of his own–but the blame and guilt he feels mar his life. Years have passed and the mystery hasn’t been solved–yet.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and a new one for me. She pulls you in with the enticement of the fairground from page one. The characterisation is good, and her people are believable. As you get to know them, the reader splits them into two camps … ‘Don’t like you,’ and, ‘You’re okay.’ As with all good mysteries, as the detection starts, we’re cleverly pulled into suspecting everybody at the appropriate moments in the book This novel has everything you could ask from a detective mystery, and the writing is poignant and sensitively written, with the author having a sound understanding of her characters. DCI Unwin Phelps is a likeable detective that it’s hard not to be drawn to. And the pace is just right, it licks along nicely and never feels cumbersome or clunky.

I highly recommend this book.

Molly Garcia

I was born in Buckinghamshire in the 1970s and at 17 I began working in mental health in the NHS. I have over 30 years experience of working in social care for charities and a housing organisation which forms the basis for a lot of the characters in my books. In between that work I have been the landlady of a pub in the UK and worked in bars in Spain.

I lived in Spain for 7 years from the late 1990s and have since returned there which has given me the opportunity to finally start writing.

I live with my partner of over 30 years and we have two grown up “children”.