Little Rumours by Bryony Pearce (Avon Books, UK)

A small town, a close-knit community suspicious of outsiders. The main characters; Aleema, Naomi and Kelly are totally different and connected only through their children's friendships at the village primary school. Mia, Leon and Joe are best friends. One day Mia is missing and all hidden and dark secrets come to the surface. 

Desperate search for Mia begins.

The parents may find someone or something that they didn’t even know that they had lost.

This book is about intolerances in many forms, recrimination, bullying, convenient scapegoats, but above all about strength and power of friendship. The reader feels and understands the characters. The story is told in each persons point of view and is fascinating to see how different and wrong perceptions affect on the same situation. The tensions are very real and maintained and increased throughout the book. 

Deeply emotional and character-driven novel.

4/5