The Stolen Girls by Jeff Stetson

Note: This novel covers topics which can be triggering to some, such as Slurs, Paedophilia, Racial Issues, Sexual Assault etc. If any of these topics trigger you, please do not read this book. 

This is “The Stolen Girls” by Jeff Stetson. A thriller in which two little girls are taken without a trace. Their fathers are devastated and we (the readers) will have to wait to see if these girls will ever see their families again. This book was a solid 4.25 Stars.

1. Plot Summary

We meet two fathers and their families, Ron and his daughter Jennfier/Jenny and Todd, his wife Elizabeth/Liz and their daughter Rebecca/Becky. Sadly, Ron’s daughter goes missing, which sparks devastation in him This is because his daughter is all he has left as his wife died a few hours after childbirth. After around 1 week Todd’s daughter also goes missing which causes major problems for his mental state, as well as his marriage. These two fathers find each other and gain a sort of friendship as they bond over their similar circumstances. However, there is an imbalance between them; Todd is privileged and rich while Ron is an African-American who is barely getting by. Regardless, they manage to find ways to connect through this and gain each other’s trust and want to help each other out. Throughout the book we get multiple point of views (POVs) , however it is done in a very good way. We gain insights into the fathers minds, the girls minds, and the sick person who kidnapped the girls mind. Throughout the book you can see how emotional and desperate the fathers are. Usually, when I hear of thrillers the author gives us one POV of the supposed victim. It was heart-breaking to read about the pain both sides were experiencing, reading about such trauma evokes deep emotions in you as a reader. 

2. Writing style

The writing style is detailed and descriptive, but in a good way. It does not describe irrelevant things. It also makes you engrossed in the story style. Descriptive and detailed writing can very much make or break my reading experience and this surely made it better. The pacing is fast to medium, which keeps you on your toes by building suspense. 

3. Characters

As this is a thriller book the individual characters and their traits are not something I look closely at and analyse. However, l the characters were amazing overall. 

The Fathers: They have their own separate identities and trauma, they have both made mistakes, but you get to see them grow. They effectively portray how desperate a parent will become at the face of their child being in danger. You read how they spiral and how they cope with each other. The lengths to which  they go for their daughters is heart-warming, however it is extremely heart-breaking that they are going through this. 

The Girls: The pain that they go through is heart-breaking, but the way they never gave up no matter what is truly inspiring. If I was ever in this type of situation I would be unaware of how to deal with the pain and how to function.

Sick (in the head) Kidnapper: He is disgusting, and seeing what goes through his thoughts makes him even worse.  

4. Originality

This concept is probably not as original as I found it to be. I am still new to the whole mystery of thriller genre, so to someone new in these genres it would be something original, however to someone more experienced in this genre maybe not. 

5. Enjoyment and impact

I enjoyed this book, it kept me on my toes and even managed to pull some tears out of me. It was overall a heart-breaking story to read. I liked how it also explored smaller sup-topics through the book, such as the class difference between the fathers. It made it even more realistic, which to me is the scary part, the fact that things like this happen today. 

6. Target audience

People who want a fast to medium pace, emotional, thrilling, heart-breaking, detailed and descriptive read. 

˗ˋˏ୨୧ Overall Assessment ୨୧ ˎˊ˗

Overall, I enjoyed this book would recommend this book, however please first take a look at the trigger warnings I put in the beginning. This book should have them stated for people who possibly might get triggered from such topics. My only critique would be that it might have been better to put the name of the character when it came to the switching of POV’s, but it might have been a part of the style.