Synopsis
Motherhood was supposed to be blissful for Anne Conti. On paper, she had it all—a beautiful baby girl, a devoted husband, and a life of comfort and stability. Marco, her charming and successful husband, was always willing to step in and help. But Anne couldn’t bring herself to accept that help. Something inside her made her feel like asking for it meant she had already failed.
Her diagnosis? Postpartum depression. But for Anne, it felt more like a stain—a weakness she couldn’t admit out loud. Would her mommy group judge her? Did it make her less of a mother? She would never hurt her baby on purpose, but she couldn’t ignore the fear of what she might do during the harder moments, when she was alone and Cora wouldn’t stop crying.
So when Marco convinces her to leave the baby at home for a few hours to attend a dinner party next door, Anne reluctantly agrees—on the condition that they check on her every thirty minutes. But after a few glasses of wine, a bit of flirty conversation, and a moment of carelessness, everything unravels. Did Anne really shut the front door? Marco came in through the back—but did he leave it unlocked?
Their baby is gone. And whoever took her knew exactly what they were doing.
Character Summary
Anne isn’t a likeable character. Her postpartum depression feels like it was inserted to humanize her and give readers a reason to empathize—but for me, it didn’t work. She came across as hollow, more of a narrative tool than a fully developed person. I never connected with her emotionally, and honestly, I didn’t feel bad for her at any point. Just me?
Marco, her Italian-American husband, is portrayed as the self-made man—he worked his way through college because his working-class parents couldn’t afford to send him. His humble background is emphasized repeatedly, mainly to contrast with Anne’s wealthy family. The real focus, though, should’ve been his constant need for validation from Anne’s parents. That insecurity was meant to make him look suspicious, which tracks—because, let’s be honest, it’s always the husband, right?
Anne’s parents, Alice and Richard Dries, also unlikable characters. Alice plays the background throughout the whole book, then in the end, she instrumental in figuring it all out but, we don’t get that conversation. It’s just barely mentioned by Detective Rasbach.
Speaking of Detective Rasbach, as far as fictional detectives go, he’s useless—but that’s par for the course in thrillers like this. Bad police work is practically a requirement. He gave it a shot though, I’ll give him that.
My Thoughts
Very early on—around chapter five—I felt like I had read this story before. I had a theory, and while I was only half right, I wasn’t completely off base. About 40% in, I pivoted and came up with a new theory, which ended up being mostly correct. A few wrenches were thrown in, sure, but I was definitely in the neighborhood.
Marco and Anne were not likeable characters, which made it easy for me to root against them. Honestly, if either of them had ended up in jail, I wouldn’t have been mad. Anne’s postpartum depression felt more like a plot device than a genuine emotional anchor. I get why it was included—it’s supposed to humanize her and give readers something to empathize with—but for me, it fell flat. She felt hollow, like a character written to serve a function rather than feel real.
The story gave Gone Girl vibes, and I couldn’t help but draw a line from this book to Carola Lovering’s 2024 novel, Bye Baby. Something about the pacing, the characters, and the unreliable narrator energy made it feel connected somehow.
What kept this from being more than a 3-star read were the glaring plot holes and poorly executed police work. For example: how did Marco manage to go alone to meet the kidnappers without police interception? And how did Richard sneak around with duffle bags full of ransom money without anyone noticing? Withdrawals over $10,000 get flagged—there’s no way the Dries got that cash without alerting the alphabet boys.
Then there’s Marco again. For someone under suspicion, how was he not being followed more closely? He managed to sneak off to the drop spot, his office, and the riverbank—twice!—without any surveillance? I’ve seen more effective police work on Paw Patrol.
The story was cluttered with side characters that served no real purpose. Cynthia and Graham were so thinly written their presence barely mattered. The doctor who is mentioned repeatedly but is conveniently out of the country. The neighbor, who cares? The high school bully. Why was she even there?. Bruce Neeland’s connection to Richard? Never explained.
Final Verdict
It was just… meh. A quick, filler thriller. If you’re waiting on your next Libby hold or need something to keep you from doom-scrolling on TikTok, it’ll do. But I’d still probably pick something else.
whitneydaniell 
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