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Rene Denfeld
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The Child Finder Kindle Edition

by Rene Denfeld (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 out of 5 stars 7,200 ratings

'A darkly luminous story of resilience and the deeply human instinct for survival, for love...The Child Finder is a novel that demands to be consumed and then once inside you - lingers...' A.M. Homes, author of MAY WE BE FORGIVEN

For fans of THE LOVELY BONES, ROOM and THE ENCHANTED

Naomi Cottle finds missing children. When the police have given up their search and an investigation stalls, families call her. She possesses a rare, intuitive sense, born out of her own experience, that allows her to succeed when others have failed.

Young Madison Culver has been missing for three years. She vanished on a family trip to the mountainous forests of Oregon, where they'd gone to cut down a tree for Christmas. Soon after she disappeared, blizzards swept the region and the authorities presumed she died from exposure.

But Naomi knows that Madison isn't dead. As she relentlessly pursues the truth behind Madison's disappearance, shards of a dark dream pierce defences that have protected her for so long. If she finds this child, will Naomi ultimately unlock the secrets of her own life?


WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE CHILD FINDER:

'A beautifully written, gripping page turner...a book that is worth searching for, bringing home, and welcoming into your family. 5*' Goodreads

'This book is dazzling and heartbreaking. 5*' Goodreads

'A wonderful, extraordinary book. The author speaks from her heart on every page.' 5* Goodreads

'I could not put this book down until the captivating conclusion.' 5* Goodreads

'I finished the book in a day, not wanting to put it down.' 5* Goodreads

'Wow...a page turner, keeping me in all weekend.' 5* Goodreads

'Loved it and will be recommending it to everyone I know.' 5* Goodreads

'The Child Finder is one of the most beautiful novels I've ever read.' 5* Goodreads

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  1. Book 1 of 2
    Naomi Cottle
  2. Print length
    197 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Weidenfeld & Nicolson
  5. Publication date
    5 Sept. 2017
  6. File size
    1.3 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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  1. This is something I know: no matter how far you have run, no matter how long you have been lost, it is never too late to be found.
    Highlighted by 369 Kindle readers
  2. Are the stories we tell ourselves true or based on what we dream them to be?
    Highlighted by 245 Kindle readers
  3. No one ever told you what to do when love went away. It was always about capturing love, and keeping love. Not about watching it walk out the door to die alone rather than in your arms.
    Highlighted by 233 Kindle readers
  4. It was funny how when it was time for tomorrow, some people stayed and some people left.
    Highlighted by 187 Kindle readers
  5. This is why the people have said ever since: A man is not dead until he is forgotten.
    Highlighted by 182 Kindle readers
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Product description

Review

The story takes you forward on a fast-paced search and recovery, one that keeps you turning the pages. Imminent danger is palpable, keeping you reading, while the mystery is deep and full of angst and loneliness. Danger and urgency are the prevailing worries....If you enjoy mystery, romance, danger and some darkness you will love this story. This work takes you on a journey and keeps you turning the pages until the truth comes out. The characters will stay with you a long time -- Leslie Wright ― Seattle PI

Giving voice to those who are metaphorically or even literally voiceless, Rene Denfeld reminds us that consequences continue, aftermath continues - yet we must somehow find ways of holding on to threads of hard-won hope ― San Francisco Chronicle

A compelling blast of cold air from the wintry woods, with elements of a dark fairytale -- Alison Flood ― OBSERVER

Rene Denfeld has a gift for shining bright light in dark places. The Child Finder is a gorgeous, haunting gem of a novel. Raw and real yet wrapped in a fairy tale, as lovely and as chilling as the snow -- Erin Morgenstern, NYT bestselling author of THE NIGHT CIRCUS

Poetic... Redemptive... Unflinching -- Barry Forshaw ― FINANCIAL TIMES

A moving tale of resilience and hope in the face of the worst of humanity -- Jon Coates ― DAILY EXPRESS

A hauntingly beautiful, chilling novel by a real-life badass heroine (Rene Denfeld is, among other things, a licensed investigator and foster-adoptive parent), The Child Finder turns around a woman named Naomi, a private investigator with a gift for finding lost children, and her search for a girl who has been missing in the Oregon woods for three years. Denfeld brings Naomi to life with precise, lyrical prose. While the whole book reads like a fairytale for adults, Naomi herself is fully realized and deeply human ― CrimeReads

Part mystery, part fairy tale, this is also a real white-knuckle read where the suspense ratchets up to almost unbearable proportions ― CANDIS MAGAZINE

A glittering gem of a story - part mystery, part fairy tale, and all white-knuckled, edge-of-your-seat thriller . . . readers will be drawn in by Denfeld's lyrical prose and undone by the brutal reality that Naomi uncovers, just beneath the snowy forest floor ― Library Journal

The sense of physical and psychological isolation is palpable in this moving exploration of loss, hope and human resilience -- Laura Wilson ― GUARDIAN

Denfeld's haunting, disquieting and tension-filled tale is brilliantly told ― IRISH INDEPENDENT

A darkly luminous story of resilience and the deeply human instinct for survival, for love. Blending the magical thinking of childhood, of fairy tales, dreams, memories and nightmares, The Child Finder is a terrifying and ultimately uplifting novel that demands to be consumed and then once inside you - lingers... -- A.M. Homes, author of MAY WE BE FORGIVEN

A truly mesmerising and deeply moving story ― HEAT

Denfeld is a Portland-based journalist and private investigator, and also the adoptive mother of three foster children. All of these aspects of her life are mined in The Child Finder, a powerful novel about a search for a missing girl that's also a search for identity.... It's "Deliverance" encased in ice... Denfeld's novel is indeed loaded with suspense, its resonance comes from its surprising tilt towards storytelling restraint, a rarity in this typical crackling genre. Elegiac, informative and disquieting... The novel gallops to a suitably heart-racing finish -- Michael Callahan ― New York Times Book Review

A gripping page-turner ― Real Simple magazine

From the Back Cover

“This is something I know: no matter how far you have run, no matter how long you have been lost, it is never too late to be found.”

Three years ago, Madison Culver disappeared when her family was choosing a Christmas tree in Oregon’s Skookum National Forest. She would be eight-years-old now—if she has survived. Desperate to find their beloved daughter, the Culvers turn to Naomi, a private investigator with an uncanny talent for locating the lost and missing. Known to the police and a select group of parents as “the Child Finder,” Naomi is their last hope.

Naomi’s methodical search takes her deep into the icy, mysterious forest in the Pacific Northwest, and into her own fragmented past. She understands children like Madison because once upon a time, she was a lost girl, too.

As Naomi relentlessly pursues and slowly uncovers the truth behind Madison’s disappearance, shards of a dark dream pierce the defenses that have protected her, reminding her of a terrible loss she feels but cannot remember. If she finds Madison, will Naomi ultimately unlock the secrets of her own life?

Told in the alternating voices of Naomi and a deeply imaginative child, The Child Finder is a breathtaking, deeply atmospheric, and exquisitely rendered literary page-turner.

Performed by Alyssa Bresnahan

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01NARGJV7
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Weidenfeld & Nicolson (5 Sept. 2017)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.3 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 197 pages
  • Customer reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 7,200 ratings

About the author

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Rene Denfeld

Rene Denfeld

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Rene Denfeld is the bestselling author of the acclaimed novels THE CHILD FINDER (2017), THE ENCHANTED (2014), and the forthcoming THE BUTTERFLY GIRL (October 2019) which Margaret Atwood raved on twitter is "a heartbreaking, finger-gnawing, yet ultimately hopeful novel."

Rene’s novels explore themes of survival, resiliency and redemption. Landing as the #1 fiction bestseller at Powell’s within its first week, The Child Finder became a top #10 bestseller. The Child Finder received much acclaim, including a starred Library Journal review, glowing NYTBR review, and an Indie Next pick.

Rene was the Chief Investigator at a public defender’s office and has worked hundreds of cases helping others. In addition to her advocacy work, Rene has been a foster adoptive parent for twenty years. She was awarded the Break The Silence Award in Washington, DC in 2017 for her social justice work. She was also named a hero of the year by the New York Times.

The child of a difficult history herself, Rene is an accomplished speaker who loves connecting with others. Rene lives in Portland, Oregon, where she is the happy mom of three kids adopted from foster care as well as other foster kids.

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING AUTHOR

Winner of the prestigious French Prix award

#1 Book of the Year, the Oregonian

Finalist for the 2014 Flaherty First Novel Prize

Finalist for the Connecticut Book Prize

Top #5 Books of the Year, Powell’s Books

Indie Next Pick

Amazon Book of the Month

ALA Excellence in Fiction Award

Foyles Best of 2014

Harper Collins Canada #1 Fan Choice

Waterstones Book Club Pick

Longlist for the 2015 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction

IMPAC longlist International Dublin Literary Award

A New York Times Hero of the Year for her social justice work

Recipient of the National Break The Silence Award

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
7,200 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this book engaging and well-written, with one describing it as a haunting magical tale that steals a place in your heart. The writing evokes a lyrical quality, and one customer notes it has a strange fairy tale quality.

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12 customers mention ‘Readability’12 positive0 negative

Customers find the book highly readable, with one describing it as a page-turner and another noting how it kept them thinking throughout.

"...that my words will not do justice to this haunting and oh so perfect novel from the author of "The Enchanted"...." Read more

"really enjoyed this non run of the mill thriller with a very satisfying end g . I hope there are more books from this author to read." Read more

"...Actually it isn't. I very much enjoyed it and would recommend reading it. Thoughtful, atmospheric and engaging. I'll read more by this author." Read more

"...For me Child Finder isn't in the same league but still a great book." Read more

8 customers mention ‘Lyricism’8 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the lyrical style of the book, describing it as stunning and evocative, with one customer noting how it highlights goodness and another mentioning its brooding atmosphere.

"...the imagination, the horror of victim turned perpetrator, the growth of a human soul, the power of love and so much more...." Read more

"...possible that such an ugly subject matter can produce a work of such beauty and magical brilliance. It evokes a lyrical and almost dreamlike quality...." Read more

"...The Child Finder is a relentlessly dark read with a brooding atmosphere to match. I can’t honestly say I enjoyed reading it...." Read more

"...I very much enjoyed it and would recommend reading it. Thoughtful, atmospheric and engaging. I'll read more by this author." Read more

6 customers mention ‘Story quality’6 positive0 negative

Customers praise the book's story quality, describing it as a tour de force that steals a place in your heart, with one customer noting its well-paced narrative and another highlighting how it illuminates the power of imagination.

"...who finds missing children, but it is also a story illuminating the power of the imagination, the horror of victim turned perpetrator, the growth of..." Read more

"...an ugly subject matter can produce a work of such beauty and magical brilliance. It evokes a lyrical and almost dreamlike quality...." Read more

"...The story is well paced and kept me glued to the page (or the screen actually), but it also explored, through all the main characters, what makes us..." Read more

"Having read The Enchanted I knew Rene was a master storyteller. For me Child Finder isn't in the same league but still a great book." Read more

5 customers mention ‘Writing quality’5 positive0 negative

Customers praise the writing quality of the book, with one noting its lyrical style and another mentioning how it pulls no punches.

"...The writing is lyrical and concise and have a strange fairy tale quality that really appeals to me...." Read more

"Beautifully written. How is it possible that such an ugly subject matter can produce a work of such beauty and magical brilliance...." Read more

"...While the writing pulls no punches about what is happening to her, it is never prurient or sensationalized...." Read more

"...It is well written and Naomi is an interesting character whose own story could be further developed...." Read more

3 customers mention ‘Pacing’3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the pacing of the book, with one mentioning its dreamlike quality and another noting its strange fairy tale atmosphere.

"...The writing is lyrical and concise and have a strange fairy tale quality that really appeals to me...." Read more

"...It evokes a lyrical and almost dreamlike quality. Stunning, a tour de force." Read more

"Beautifully crafted, haunting magical tale set in the bleak snowy wilderness of Northern America. I read it in one sitting." Read more

I loved this!
5 out of 5 stars
I loved this!
I spotted this in my local library and was drawn to it immediately. The reviews on the back suggested key words such as “haunting” and “enchanting”. I was mesmerised from the start and was thoroughly engrossed until the end. I have now seen there is a follow up novel which I am going to read too, so will review that once read… But a full five stars for The Child Finder!
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Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • S. Bell
    5.0 out of 5 stars This is a novel that gets under your skin and steals a place in your heart and head
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 September 2017
    Verified Purchase
    have delayed reviewing this book, because I am so worried that my words will not do justice to this haunting and oh so perfect novel from the author of "The Enchanted".

    This is a novel that gets under your skin and steals a place in your heart and head, and one that I will come back to again and again. It is a novel of untold horrors (indeed, they are mostly untold, Naomi does not remember what happened to her and the snow child escapes into her imagination to cope with her incarceration) and cruelty, but also hope, resilience and forgiveness.

    The writing is lyrical and concise and have a strange fairy tale quality that really appeals to me. The depth and layers in this book are intricate and absorbing. Yes it is a story about a person who finds missing children, but it is also a story illuminating the power of the imagination, the horror of victim turned perpetrator, the growth of a human soul, the power of love and so much more.

    I would urge anyone to read this book, and my thanks go to the publishers and net galley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • jean long
    4.0 out of 5 stars a real page turner
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 May 2023
    Verified Purchase
    really enjoyed this non run of the mill thriller with a very satisfying end g .
    I hope there are more books from this author to read.
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  • Catherine Woodward
    5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning, a tour de force. Definitely my book of the year.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 August 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Beautifully written. How is it possible that such an ugly subject matter can produce a work of such beauty and magical brilliance. It evokes a lyrical and almost dreamlike quality. Stunning, a tour de force.
    One person found this helpful
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  • JustReading
    5.0 out of 5 stars Insight
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 December 2018
    Verified Purchase
    The Child Finder was a book-group choice, which I didn't vote for, because I could tell that it was going to be a harrowing story - and it was. But making myself read it, I was completely drawn into the story, and ended up giving it 5 stars. Being an investigator and therapeutic foster parent herself, the author clearly knows what she is writing about. The characters are well developed, and the voice of Madison/the Snow Girl is haunting. While the writing pulls no punches about what is happening to her, it is never prurient or sensationalized. The story is well paced and kept me glued to the page (or the screen actually), but it also explored, through all the main characters, what makes us survive, and what makes us human.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Kee Lady
    3.0 out of 5 stars Dark
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 September 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Three years after her disappearance, Madison Culver’s parents turn to Naomi Cottle in a desperate attempt to find their daughter who vanished on a family trip to the mountains to find a Christmas tree. Known as The Child Finder, Naomi uses her own experiences as motivation to doggedly pursue Madison’s disappearance and prove that the little girl is in fact still alive.

    The Child Finder is a relentlessly dark read with a brooding atmosphere to match. I can’t honestly say I enjoyed reading it. I squirmed with discomfort on numerous occasions and felt quite relieved to get to the end! It is well written and Naomi is an interesting character whose own story could be further developed. Not my favourite read of 2018 but interesting all the same.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Elizabeth Grassworthy
    4.0 out of 5 stars Worth reading. Much better than the paid for endorsements and reviews imply.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 September 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Judging by the gushing reviews on the first few pages of the book, I thought it would be a terrible and boring book.
    Actually it isn't. I very much enjoyed it and would recommend reading it.
    Thoughtful, atmospheric and engaging. I'll read more by this author.
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  • Josie Jo
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 October 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Having read The Enchanted I knew Rene was a master storyteller. For me Child Finder isn't in the same league but still a great book.
    Helpful
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  • tracey wheller
    5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing and wonderful
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 June 2018
    Verified Purchase
    I highly recommend this novel. I read a lot but this is by far the best I've read in a long time. Rene's writing is amazing and so lyrical. I'd give it more than 5 stars if I could.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Bepe Australia
    5.0 out of 5 stars What a page turner!
    Reviewed in Australia on 4 October 2017
    Verified Purchase
    From the moment I read the first page, I couldn’t put this book down. The fear was almost palpable and one can only imagine what a five year old girl would feel.
    Report
  • Cliente Kindle
    5.0 out of 5 stars Que livro hein amores....
    Reviewed in Brazil on 4 November 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Um livro sem defeitos, mentira tem um sim, ele acaba :c
    recomendo demais, essa historia linda irá mexer com seu coração
    Report
  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating
    Reviewed in Canada on 7 October 2024
    Verified Purchase
    This book was horrifying and hopeful all at the same time, truly a fascinating read. The pace was great, the characters spoke to me and the plot was different than the usual for me. I enjoyed every bit of it.
    Report
  • Ellkay Kay
    5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully Written, Compelling, and Ultimately Joyful
    Reviewed in the United States on 5 December 2017
    Verified Purchase
    This is a beautifully written and pretty wonderful novel. The two major characters, one a twenty-something and the other an eight year old, are or have been victims of sexual predators. In very different ways both find the inner strength to survive and to retain an inner core of self. The elder is now a "child finder" while the younger is a taken child. This book is far more a celebration of those who survive than it is an elegy for those who don't.

    The child finder has had quite a success rate in the searches for missing, presumably taken, children she has undertaken; and, as a result, she has a growing list of pleading requests from distraught parents begging for her help. She is more successful than law enforcement because of her empathy for the child, the dedication she brings to the search--devoting month after month to the single task-- and her ability (pardon the cliche) to think outside the box. This book is not critical of law enforcement. The example we are given is entirely admirable. But how often is law enforcement allowed to concentrate month after month on a single case? But she will. The book mentions one of her previous successes, the finding of a boy who had been missing for eight years. Only she, of all the law enforcement who have looked for the child, thinks to consult the original blueprints of the school where he was last seen. This is pretty much a definition of thinking outside the box. In the current case she alone among searchers finds the original land grants in the neighborhood of where the child disappears, and she along searches out each of those old, original sites for a place in which a child could be hidden. An earlier reviewer suggested that she had some unexplained arcane ability that explained her success. I disagree; it is an unending patience and a willingness to keep on keeping on which explain her success.

    This book obviously tackles very ugly topics--pedophilia and its victims, the victim who grows into a predator himself because he has simply never learned any other way of acting--but it does so with tact; there are no brutal and sickening scenes of child rape here. This is an author who believes her readers know what happens when a sexual predator takes a child. But above all, this is a story of those who survive; and the reader can share in the enormous accomplishment, especially considering the magnitude of what they have survived.

    One thought I'd like to add: A previous reviewer found the book poorly written. I disagree entirely. The two examples that person quotes are thoughts taken from a person's mind. I think that very few people monitor their thoughts for grammatical accuracy, and I found both examples utterly realistic in term of what a person in that situation might think.

    Be that as it may, I thought this a very fine book that I'd recommend to adults without hesitation.
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  • H-T
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Page Turner!
    Reviewed in Germany on 9 October 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Couldn't put it down ... well written story, parts are hard to read (very sad circumstances) with a surprising ending.
    Report

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