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Toys in the Dust by NM Brown

She has escaped a killer, but for how long?

Two seven-year-old girls, Tina and Suzy, are playing in a dusty creek when a stranger appears and strikes up a conversation. He is sad that he doesn’t have a doll to play with like the girls do, so Suzy hurries home to fetch one. When she returns, Suzy discovers both Tina and the stranger have vanished.

A short while later, traffic officer Leighton Jones, who is fighting his own demons, is driving home from the scene of a near-fatal accident. When Leighton sees a young girl race out in front of his car and vanish into the countryside, he reports the sighting. Unfortunately, his superiors, who are increasingly concerned about Leighton’s mental health, doubt the child exists.

But after Tina’s mother confirms her daughter’s disappearance, Leighton risks his job by pursuing his own investigation of the case.

Meanwhile, in the Californian countryside, a child killer is relentlessly searching for the one who got away.

Leighton has his work cut out. But can he prove his sanity and find Tina before the stranger does?

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About the Author

Norman has enjoyed writing for more than two decades. He has always considered a combination of decent fiction and good coffee as providing the best way to unwind and slip out of ordinary life for a while.

Having grown up Central Scotland, he studied English at Stirling University, where he began penning poetry, drama scripts and short stories. However, his real commitment to writing resulted from spending a snowy winter attending a series of fireside writing workshops in Perth.

More recently, Norman’s love of crime fiction led him to create the weary detective Leighton Jones. Having based his debut novel around this character, Norman felt so intrigued by him that he decided to give Jones at least two more outings.

Aside from his family, Norman’s other passion is cooking, which may explain why culinary elements always seem to creep out of his kitchen and into his stories.

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My Review

5 Stars

Tina and Suzy are seven years old and playing with some toys that Suzy got from her cousin. While playing at the stream a stranger approaches the girls. He wants to play with them but he doesn’t have a doll. Suzy runs home to get him one and when she returns both Tina and the stranger are gone. Suzy tries to tell the police but they don’t take the report seriously

But Tina is a smart girl and gets away from the stranger. Unfortunately she gets lost in the woods. While running from the stranger she runs across a road and in front of a car. That car is driven by Leighton Jones. Leighton is still trying to recover from his wife’s suicide a little over a year earlier. He is seeing a doctor but the police force has essential figured that he is not going to recover. Leighton decides to find Tina on his own.

When Tina escaped I was cheering for her and was hoping that someone would find her or she could get out of the forest. My heart went out to Leighton. He has going through so much and is still trying to take case of his daughter yet everyone he works with is looking down their nose at him.

And speaking about the police force. ARGH!!! I know some departments can be like this but it was so frustrating how they just discredit witnesses. You NEVER discredit a witness, you might not believe them but there can always be something to what they say.

This is a killer story that kept me on the edge of my seat. I couldn’t read fast enough to find out how it was going to end. This is the first book I have read of NM Brown but it won’t be my last. This is one book you need to check out. You won’t be disappointed.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

I would like to thank Bloodhound Books for the opportunity to read and share this book.