Booklist Reviews
Denfeld, whose first novel, The Enchanted (2014), explored the mythic properties and imaginative possibilities of prison, again finds inspiration in dark places. Naomi has earned a reputation as an investigator with a gift for finding missing children, or determining for certain that they will not be found. This time Naomi, once a lost child herself, seeks Madison Culver, who disappeared three years ago, at age five, during a family outing to chop down a Christmas tree in Oregon's beautiful, snow-laden, and inhospitable Skookum forest. Into Naomi's search for Madison, her tentative prodding at her own past, and involvement in a missing-baby case, Denfeld splices in the narration of a young "snow girl," who is imaginatively surviving her violent imprisonment with the unspeaking Mr. B, whom she believes is her husband, by adopting an identity from her favorite Russian fairy tale. Aptly unclassifiable, Denfeld's compulsively readable second novel calls on elements of horror, suspense, and fairy tales to explore legacies of abuse and the resilience of the most vulnerable among us. Copyright 2017 Booklist Reviews.
BookPage Reviews
Lost in the woods
The Child Finder, Rene Denfeld's second novel and her most personal to date, is a harrowing story about a young girl living in captivity and the one woman who could possibly find her and bring her home. Naomi Cottle, the titular heroine, has a knack for locating missing children. She's found 30 of them—but not all of them alive.
Her latest case brings her to the chilling remoteness of Oregon's mountainous Skookum National Forest, where three years earlier, Madison Culver went missing at the age of 5 while looking for a Christmas tree with her family. Previous search-and-rescue attempts have all failed, largely due to the vast terrain and ice-cold temperatures. But Naomi is not one to give up, and as her investigation proceeds, she believes that Madison's disappearance can only be the result of an abduction.
Naomi's personal journey from foster child to adulthood parallels her search for Madison. As Naomi's fears and sources of determination come to light, the narrative also dips into Madison's mind, allowing readers to experience her terrifying ordeal at the hands of her captor, known only as Mr. B. Both narratives are expertly intertwined into a deeply moving story of survival and hope.
Denfeld writes in part from personal experience. Her stepfather was a sexual predator, and she has adopted three kids from foster care. She's worked as a death penalty investigator and brings depth and understanding to the victims of such crimes as well as the perpetrators.
The Child Finder is a chillingly good read that will stay with you long after you close the book.
This article was originally published in the September 2017 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.
Copyright 2017 BookPage Reviews.Kirkus Reviews
A gifted investigator combs Oregon's snowy mountain forests for a missing girl.Naomi Cottle is a child finder. Grieving families call on her when their children go missing, and she devotes her entire life to finding them, sometimes dead and sometimes miraculously alive. Like many literary detectives, her personal life suffers for her single-mindedness: she has few friends and remains in only intermittent contact with her foster family. In her latest case, she's been asked to find a girl named Madison Culver, who went missing three years ago, at the age of 5. Although the locals assume Madison froze to death, Naomi, propelled by her own vague early memories of being held hostage as a child, is determined to locate the girl. At the same time Naomi searches for clues in Madison's disappearance, readers are privy to Madison's narrative as she's locked in a cellar with a man she knows only as B. With nothing but her daydreams and memories of fairy tales to keep her sane, Madison r einvents herself as the snow girl and wonders whether the life she once had is gone forever. Aside from a clumsy subplot about Naomi searching for a baby from an impoverished community, Denfeld (The Enchanted, 2014, etc.) keeps the pacing quick as readers rush to discover Madison's fate. While Denfeld's message is meant to be redemptive—no loved child will ever be forgotten—make no mistake: this is also a book that is frankly about the sexual abuse of children. And though Denfeld is no doubt trying to explore the psychological realities of this abuse, and of conditions like Stockholm syndrome, her tendency toward florid writing can make her depiction feel romanticized and takes the book at times from disquieting into downright unpalatable. Denfeld's intentions are good, but her tone strikes the wrong notes. Copyright Kirkus 2017 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.
Library Journal Reviews
Investigator Naomi is especially good at locating lost children because once upon a time she was lost herself. Now she's after Madison Culver, who vanished three years ago in Oregon's Skookum National Forest. Her search brings up bits and pieces of memory that promise to deliver something dark if they ever coalesce. Big in-house love; Denfeld's The Enchanted was an ALA Notable Book of the Year.
Copyright 2017 Library Journal.LJ Express Reviews
In her sophomore novel, Denfeld (The Enchanted) has created a glittering gem of a story—part mystery, part fairy tale, and all white-knuckled, edge-of-your-seat thriller. Set in the snow-choked world of Oregon's Skookum National Forest, Denfeld's tale revolves around the work of Naomi, an investigator known as "the Child Finder" who helps families track down their missing children. Calm, methodical, and determined, Naomi is single-minded in her pursuit of those lost because she was once a lost girl, too. As the book opens, she is meeting with the parents of Madison Culver, who disappeared three years before during a family trip to the forest to cut down a Christmas tree. Many have written off Madison for dead, but Naomi is willing to consider alternatives—even though the search causes her to remember long-lost scenes from her own tragic past. As the story alternates between Naomi's voice and that of a "snow child" who believes that she is living in a fairy tale, 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. Verdict Strongly recommended for readers who enjoy the work of authors such as Jane Hamilton and M.L. Stedman (The Light Between Oceans). [See Prepub Alert, 3/27/17.]—Amy Hoseth, Colorado State Univ. Lib., Fort Collins (c) Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publishers Weekly Reviews
An investigator seeks missing children in the remote reaches of an Oregon forest in this intense novel by Denfeld (