The Girl in the Red Coat definitely drew me in right away. It was a hard and emotional book to read. As a parent, I think that is one of my worst nightmares...my child disappears and I have to try to figure out how to move on. This story is told in alternating points of view. We have Beth who loses her 8 year old daughter and her heart breaking count down of the days after. Then, we have Carmel's point of view. This book is unique in that we get to see what actually happened to the child after she was taken. Carmel's story is told through her 8 year old eyes and it is equally heart breaking. 
 I found Beth's story to be honest and sad. It was heard to watch her struggle to continue on with her life after Carmel disappears. The red shoe scene was gut wrenching! But, even with the thought of never seeing her child again, she is still able to find a future. I found I liked Carmel's story line more fascinating. I liked that is was told through her 8 year old innocence. And how even at that age, she is able to find coping skills to try to keep her identity. That is really all I want to say about plot. You need to read it to find out what happened. 
 With that said, I was a bit disappointed with the ending. For me, it was bit abrupt. I wanted more resolution and to find out what happened next. Overlooking that, I did like the rest of the book and do recommend giving this debut a try.