The Lost Daughter

This the first book I've read by the author Diane Chamberlain and I have to confess I was slightly disappointed. A friend recommended this to me as the author has been compared to Jodi Picoult who is one of my favourite adult authors. Alas, for me anyway, she didn't quite match up. I did enjoy the book ok, it just didn't have enough pace for me basically.
This is the story of a young girl who gets mixed up with a boy who ultimately uses her in his plan to try and have his sister freed from jail. The plan is to take the Governor's wife hostage, demanding the release of his sister for the Governor's wife, however things don't go to plan. The Governor's wife is pregnant and while CeeCee is looking after her, she goes into labour and dies, leaving a daughter behind. A daughter CeeCee ultimately ends up raising as her own.
Twenty years later, Tim, CeeCee's boyfriend at the time of the abduction, is arrested for the murder of the Governor's wife and her unborn child. CeeCee is torn apart with guilt and although she knows she could lose her "daughter" and family, she confesses all, with surprising consequences for everyone involved.
The story mainly revolves around CeeCee but we also get a glimpse into her daughter's life and what it has become and how it has done so based on the mother-daughter relationship; a relationship which has been created through the secret life CeeCee has had to create but where her love for her daughter was always the one main constant truth.


Rating: 3 out of 5
Why? The pace of the book was a little too slow for me. I felt it could have been a lot punchier.I also felt the author could have explored the relationship between the daughter and CeeCee more, this really only got going towards the end of the book. I personally felt the book could have been more polished as the plot line was definitely an attention grabber, I just didn't feel it kept mine at all times.