The Year of Fog by Michelle Richmond is one of the most gripping books that I’ve read in a long time. It begins with Abby Mason, walking a beach in the Bay area with her finance’s 6-year-old daughter, Emma. For one moment, Abby looks away at a dead seal pup on the beach. When she looks up, Emma is gone.

The rest of the book covers the next year in Abby and Jake’s relationship, and their relentless search for Emma. What DID happen to her? Was she kidnapped? Did she drown? The story is every parent’s nightmare. I cannot imagine being in such a situation, and it made me hug my daughter a bit tighter while reading it.

The story will leave you not wanting to put it down. I highly recommend The Year of Fog.