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REMEMBERING SARAH
Mike Sullivan is determined to raise his six-year-old daughter Sarah to become a tough, independent woman. His own mother left him when he was twelve, promising to return and rescue him from his father, an abusive and violently unpredictable thief who, Mike believes, is responsible for her disappearance. But Mike's wife, Jess, has an overprotective need to shelter Sarah. Rebelling against her paranoia, Mike waits until Jess leaves the house and then, against her wishes, takes Sarah sledding. Only Sarah doesn't want to go up the hill with her father. Sarah wants to go up with her best friend. In love with his daughter's stubbornness, Mike grants her wish, and when Sarah doesn't come down, he finds himself stuck in the middle of a snowstorm, his daughter gone. Five years later, Sarah is still missing. The only suspect, Francis Jonah, the former priest believed to be responsible for the disappearance of two other girls, is dying of cancer. On the anniversary of Sarah's disappearance her jacket is discovered—by Jonah. Battling a failed marriage and desperate for the truth, Mike is in a frenzied race to unlock Jonah's monstrous secrets before he dies. What is the connection between the disappearance of Sarah and Mike's mother? And why has Mike's father suddenly reappeared? In this story of gripping loss, compassion, and forgiveness, Mike must confront a family history steeped in lies, deceit, and, hardest of all, the persistent suspicion that his daughter might still be alive.  Read an excerpt
Read the deleted scenes (caution: spoilers)
BUY THE BOOK IndieBoundAmazonAmazon UKBarnes & NobleThe Toadstool BookshopsVJ Books
Atria US hardcover April 2004 ISBN 9780743463782 Pocket US mass-market paperback March 2005 ISBN 9780743463799
INSPIRATION The idea for the story came while I was living in Nashua, New Hamsphire. Every day on my way to work and when I was coming home, I'd pass this park with a really steep hill. At the top was this telephone pool with a floodlight so the kids could go sledding after it got dark—which, as anyone who lives in New England knows, can happen as early as 3:30 in the afternoon. One night, during what turned out to be a particularly nasty snowstorm, I was stuck in traffic and watching the kids sledding when a voice popped into my head and said, "Sarah, you go up that hill with Paula, you come down with Paula, understand?" That's all I had. A month later, I was driving into Tyngsboro, Massachusetts, and saw off the road and near a stretch of woods a wooden cross with a girl's pink snow jacket wrapped around it. When I saw that, the whole story came together for me.
REVIEWS
"Stunning ... his best book yet and is sure to bring this gifted writer to a much larger audience—exactly what he deserves." —David Montgomery, The Chicago Sun-Times "Mooney is a fabulous storyteller. Virtually every character here is a memorable one... [this novel is] simply impossible to put down." —Bookreporter.com "Readers will hang around long after bedtime..." —Richmond Sun Times Dispatch "A harrowing tale with a real emotional punch. It hits you in the stomach from page one, and then squeezes you, tears at you, as you accompany Mike Sullivan on his journey to find the truth." —Deadly Pleasures Magazine "An impressive psychological suspense thriller that is the most accomplished book—poignant, neat-handed, and hopeful—in this talented writer's burgeoning career." —I Love A Mystery "Remembering Sarah sports a compelling premise enhanced by the presence of an equally compelling, emotionally tortured central character, Mike Sullivan... Successfully combining elements of Jacquelyn Mitchard's The Deep End of the Ocean and Dennis Lehane's Mystic River, the novel examines the bonds and responsibilities of marriage, parenthood and friendship, and the wounds people inflict on one another, both intentionally and unintentionally." —Mystery Scene Magazine "A child goes missing and readers are automatically at the edge of their seats. The scenario never fails to jump-start a thriller—but it carries risk. Once hearts are racing, the plot simply has to deliver. In Remembering Sarah, Chris Mooney successfully turns the screw." —New York Daily News "Harrowing, gripping, haunting, gut-wrench, beautifully-written, and one of the best—maybe the best—I've read this year." —Harlan Coben, New York Times bestselling author "At the core of this gut-wrenching thriller is something rare: a thoughtful, poignant examination of parental love and parental folly. Chris Mooney has written his finest novel, and that's saying something indeed." —Dennis Lehane, New York Times bestselling author "Chris Mooney has taken every parent's worse fear—the disappearance of a child—and used it to create one of the best thrillers of the year. Never exploitative, always gripping, Remembering Sarah is a moving exploration of remembered loss and undying hope that should catapult its author to the forefront of a new generation of thriller writers." —John Connolly, New York Times bestselling author "A masterful journey into the dark regions of the heart, with carefully drawn characters, biting dialogue, and a plot that's as smooth and strong as fine liquor. You won't be able to tear yourself away from this gripping, moving, and wildly successful thriller. I loved it. A home run on every level." —Larry Brooks, USA Today bestselling author  |
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