The Vale Girl

"I had seen every last secret laid bare in my own house, every briefcase in Banville gaping open.But I had missed one."Fifteen-year-old Sarah Vale has disappeared from the small town of Banville.Resident copper Sergeant Henson attempts to find the missing girl but the locals dismiss his investigations. What would you expect with a mother like hers anyway?No one really cares except teenager Tommy Johns - for Sarah Vale takes a straight line to his heart.And, sometimes, one true champion is all it takes to tear a town's veneer apart.A delicate and layered exploration of secrets and lies, forgotten children and absent parents, and the long shadows of the past.An extraordinary debut from a talented new writer.