A matter of chance A novel

Maddy Stewart's leisurely summer vacation turns into a nightmare when her eight-year-old daughter, Vinni, disappears without a trace. Maddy is sure that she knows who abducted Vinni their neighbor, a kindly older woman, disappears at the same time so when local detectives don't seem to be moving quickly enough, she begins her own investigation. As months, then years, pass, Maddy's life is divided between her burgeoning career as a painter and her quest to find her daughter and bring her home. This duality is the key to Maloney's debut, which unfurls layer by layer, each chapter exposing new clues both to Vinni's whereabouts and to Maddy's inner turmoil. Even the two primary side characters John D'Orfini, the small-town detective who serves as lead investigator on Vinni's case, and the older neighbor/mother figure who boosts Maddy's standing in the art world play into the two competing, yet complementary, sides of Maddy's life. Throughout the novel, Maloney highlights the risks a mother will take to save her child, and the will and determination to never give up hope, in an intriguing literary-thriller/women's-fiction crossover that will appeal to readers looking for a sophisticated puzzle.--Donohue, Nanette Copyright 2010 Booklist