When a five-year-old girl steps into an elevator and disappears without a trace, her father must piece together the mystery of her whereabouts before it’s too late.
DADDY DEAREST follows the story of a divorced father whose daughter is his everything; his young child radiates pure innocence, and through her, he sees the world in a different light. However, all that changes when she steps into his apartment block’s elevator and vanishes like dust in the wind, leaving no clues behind. As the police come up with little evidence to her whereabouts, a slow truth comes to light revealing that there may be more pieces to this puzzle than some are letting on.
Author Paul Southern skillfully creates a protagonist with a very distinct voice, one both likes and despises all in one breath. The narrator never reveals his name or anyone else’s (safe for a neighbor), and seems to do so intentionally to draw a divide between himself and those around him. This technique not only places the characters in tense situations, it also keeps the readers at arm’s length making it difficult to trust the unreliable narrator even though his daughter is missing. It’s clear from the beginning that the “daddy dearest” himself has a lot to hide, and details slowly come forward as the story progresses. However, this plays into the story’s only shortcoming – the action plateaus around the middle, and the remaining pages of the novel are spent dealing with both seen and unforeseen consequences.
The dialogue is also short and to the point – at no time in DADDY DEAREST do any characters have long-winded speeches or go off on tangents. This brevity adds to the quick pace of the novel and also reinforces Southern’s bid to keep the reader from getting to know the players in the game better.
DADDY DEAREST’s unreliable narrator makes this psychological thriller a compelling read.
~IndieReader