I need to shout and rave about a new fantastic psychological crime novel that had me guessing right to the very end! Full of twists, The Day I Lost You by Ruth Mancini is all-consuming, emotional and raw.
A criminal lawyer for over twenty years, Ruth Mancini was inspired to write this powerful novel after she worked on a real-life criminal case that really moved her. The case stayed with her, clearly influencing her work as a writer. For this reason, when you grab your copy of this novel, I urge you to read the personal introduction by the author. It will make you want to read the following crime fiction all the more, as well as enable you to reflect and understand the actions of the characters.
The Day I Lost You is a unique story. Mainly told from the point of view of Lauren and Hope, it is an unbelievable story of motherhood and tragic loss. Told back to front which skilfully enhances the drama, the novel opens with Lauren starting a new life with her young son Sam in a small, seaside town in Spain. Yet her new world crumbles when the Spanish police turn up at her door questioning the identity of Sam, and Lauren as his mother. Hope, along with her husband Drew is back in the UK, struggling with the loss of her baby son, also named Sam, after he was taken in mysterious circumstances. The police begin to believe the crime is solved, yet Lauren possesses a birth certificate and passport for Sam, both clearly stating he is her child…
What follows is the unravelling of this very emotive mystery. I swear I have never read a book like The Day I Lost You. All the way through I was gripped by the character driven plot and the raw emotion that was evident throughout the narrative. There is no way I could have predicted the outcome of this twisty turny novel. I love that. I also feel that the ending, also emotional, is the right and just ending.
Thank you to Tracy Fenton from Compulsive Readers for inviting me to the blog tour of The Day I Lost You, which is due to be published by Century in hardback on Thursday, 31 July 2025. Thank you also Tracy for introducing me to Ruth Mancini. I can’t wait to read more from this author!
To follow the blog tour, please see below.
