5 stars from Richard Dockett on 21/7/19
https://richarddeescifi.co.uk/a-review-finding-david-by-stevie-turner/
A medium, a message and a mystery. The perfect ingredients for a very clever and well written short story. It reaches to the heart of everything. Not just, how can they know? and how can it be true? but – what does it mean if they are?
There’s always the danger, in a short story, that the plot
is rushed, or the action condensed. Nothing like that happens here, this is a
well written and well thought out tale.
Not to give too much away, but this story had me reading quickly, it’s very cleverly put together, with the end of every chapter leaving you desperate to turn the page. The theme is familiar, the desperate, overpowering need to know.
Karen needs to know what happened to David, Rae, the medium, says that she has the answers. Mick is sceptical. Then things get really interesting, as motives and secrets are revealed.
The writing is crisp and the description accurate, the characters are well-drawn. You can feel a certain emotion towards one character, then after a few more pages, shift it to another as the plot unfolds. The issues are not clear cut, although at the start you may be forgiven for thinking that they are. As the story develops the skill of the writer at leading you along a twisted path becomes more obvious. The ending is very satisfying, making me want to read more stories about the medium (I’m sure she has lots of interesting ones to tell), perhaps in a series of her own.
I have no hesitation in giving this story 5 stars.
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5 stars from D.G Kaye on 13/7/19
https://www.amazon.com/review/R1APQEVMKHH1UX
Stevie Turner's latest was a great escape read, and by the second page I had to find out what this psychic was going to tell Karen, and then I became absorbed and wanted to just keep reading.
Karen and Mick's happy life was shaken and stirred after a chance outing to a clairvoyant's public show where Medium Rae focused her attention on Karen, offering her a message from beyond from Karen's deceased son - gone missing years before. Rae offers Karen her card, inviting her to contact Rae to learn more if she chose. What mother of a missing child wouldn't jump at the opportunity to connect with their missing/dead child?What Rae reveals to Karen sets the tone for the journey to seek out what happened all those years ago when David just a boy then, completely vanished - never to return. The search to find David's never been found body ensues, and as clues develop and possible suspects for David's death appear, a great strain weighs between Karen and Mick's marriage.
Turner always has rich characters who draw us into her stories. I also enjoyed how the story carried through with a tiny crumb given in each chapter, leaving me anxious to turn to the next chapter while still kept wondering - Who the heck killed David - until near the very end. I also enjoyed reading in this genre, which is not a usual one for me. If you enjoy a shorter book with all the meat of a story wrapped up nicely, you will no doubt, enjoy this book!
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5 stars from Janet Gogerty on 17/8/19
People go missing all the time; when a child goes missing it's every parent's nightmare and never knowing what happened can perhaps be worse. The author turns the usual missing person story on its head. Would you talk to a psychic, would you trust them? Whether you believe in the paranormal or not, would you take the chance of ignoring a loved one trying to contact you from the other side? We are soon swept along and the reader is not sure who to trust, nor is David's mother Karen as her marriage is threatened.
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5 stars from Colin Guest on 24/8/19
I found this book so interesting I had a job to put it down until I reached the end of the story. It is a fact that clairvoyants have been known to assist the police in their inquiries. All in all a great read .
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4 stars from Stephen Bentley on 1/10/19
This short story took me about two hours to read. It was delightful. If you have a longish wait it's an ideal read for entertainment to while away the boredom of waiting.
Author Stevie Turner is a good storyteller. The yarn simply galloped along. In spite of (I guess) some of the subject matter or theme of the book comprising of the paranormal, it was written in an entirely credible way.
There is some excellent dialogue throughout the book. I also liked the character building - unusual in a short story but this one was just long enough for Stevie to put some 'flesh and bones' on the main characters.
Great ending too and one I did not see coming. Well recommended read!
