My Rating: 3.75⭐️
Set in Cinderfield, Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire the story begins when Adele Friar’s older sister Maddie disappears without a trace on Midsummer’s Eve. The next day Adele frantically searches for Maddie and reports her missing to local law enforcement who initially tries to brush her off citing Maddie’s record for minor offenses, but Adele persists and manages to file a report. Maddie was last seen headed for “The Clearing” in the forest, common land inhabited by settlers who live in a community of their own making, with their own set of laws, enforced by a domineering matriarchal figure. Adele and Maddie had a traumatic childhood and have a history with the forest community. They usually avoid the area on account of past experiences and Adele cannot fathom why Maddie would be headed for a party in that location.
The missing persons alert reaches the ears of London-based forensic scientist Dr. Laughton Rees, who has an open file on the Cinderfield disappearances. Maddie's disappearance is not an isolated incident. Laughton’s research points to a total of 58 missing persons cases dating back twenty years, that have neither been solved nor investigated further. Locals often attribute the disappearances to “The Cinderman” a mythical figure from local folklore - a “forest phantom who’s believed to prey on young women”- but Laughton correctly assumes there is more to these cases than meets the eye. The lack of urgency on the part of local law enforcement indicates negligence and/or obvious cover-up and corruption within local enforcement. But how deep does this go? Laughton leaves for Cinderfield, determined to help Adele locate Maddie and get to the truth behind the disappearances. She is aided (from a distance) by DCI Tannahill Khan who is away attending a conference. It soon becomes evident that multiple entities are actively trying to create obstacles in Laughton and Adele’s search for Maddie and the truth. What follows is a complicated web of lies, corruption, crime and cover-ups. Will Maddie be found? Who is behind the disappearances and how far will they go to prevent Laughton from discovering the truth?
I truly enjoyed Simon Toyne’s writing in Dark Objects and with The Clearing the author does not disappoint! Dark, complex and suspenseful, the intriguing plot, the characters and the even pacing made for a riveting read. I really liked the atmospheric setting, the incorporation of a folklore (fictional) element into the plot and how the plot is structured. The narrative is presented from multiple perspectives, seamlessly woven into a cohesive narrative. Though I could guess a few of the revelations along the way, I couldn’t wait for the final reveal and remained hooked till the very last page. On that note (I don’t want to give too much away), one thread of the story did leave me with a few questions but that did not detract from the overall reading experience. Additionally, I like how the author is portraying the evolving relationship between Tannahill and Laughton. I wish Tannahill Khan had a larger role to play in this installment and would love to see Laughton and Tannahill team up again in the future.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed The Clearing by Simon Toyne and look forward to future installments in this series. Many thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
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