Book Review: Eyes Like Mine (Sheena Kamal) @BonnierZaffre

When the phone rings, Nora is expecting another work phone call; instead, she is surprised to hear a man on the other end stating his daughter is missing. Nora’s daughter: the baby she gave up fifteen years earlier cannot be found. Grappling with not wanting to get involved and wanting to be helpful, Nora struggles until she sees a picture of the girl. The girl with eyes just like her. Once she is on the case, Nora is thrown into the past; the past that she has worked hard to forget and danger that she has longed to escape.

Grappling with not wanting to get involved and wanting to be helpful, Nora struggles until she sees a picture of the girl.

A girl with eyes just like her. Once she is on the case, Nora is thrown into the past; the past that she has worked hard to forget and danger that she has longed to escape.

Once she is on the case, Nora is thrown into the past; the past that she has worked hard to forget and, in turn, finds herself in the type of danger that she has longed to escape.

Eyes Like Mine, releasing in other countries (including Canada!) in July as The Lost Ones, introduces a brand new anti-heroine with flawed, recovering addict, Nora Watts.   Working as a PI and journalist, Nora finds herself caught up in the case of her missing daughter, a daughter she had given up years before.   Along with the help of her ex-sponsor, her employers and her sister, Nora begins the hunt for her daughter and gets wrapped up a parallel crime when one of her co-workers is murdered.   This upcoming mystery thriller by Sheena Kamal will have you glued to the pages and flipping rapidly to understand how all these moving pieces fit together.

Much of the novel is spent discussing and rolling out Nora’s backstory.  In fact, the search for the missing daughter, Bonnie, almost becomes secondary to rolling out Nora’s character.   I, for one, loved this. Between learning about her seedy upbringing and her tempestuous past (her rehab stints and her addictions), Kamal lays out a complex character that takes the entire novel to unfold.   The author’s notes at the end make it seem like this will not be the last novel for this character and I am pleased.   Nora was very likable; her vulnerability, wit and scarred personality made her incredibly relatable and appealing.

I also loved the setting of this story. Call me biased, but this one is set in Canada. As a Canadian blogger, it is so nice to be able to see a novel set in your country! The plot points discuss certain issues that are very prevalent in Canadian society.  Specifically focusing on Aboriginal issues as Nora comes from mixed race heritage.  There is discussion surrounding the of assimilation of Native cultures and the missing Aboriginal women.  I loved seeing this develop throughout the pages.

My only complaint with this title was that I found that it dragged at times, especially in the middle of the story; this one hit the ground running and I wanted the novel to keep its momentum and be a little faster paced.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read and I’d recommend it to anyone who likes a twist with their protagonists and an anti-heroine to root for.

I gave it a 4/5 stars on Goodreads. This one releases in the UK (under the Eyes Like Mine title) on February 9, 2017, but the rest of us have to wait until the end of July!

Thanks for Netgalley, Sheena Kamal and Bonnier Zaffre for this review copy

 

 

 

 

 

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