Set in late 1950s suburbia in a hot oppressive Santa Monica a young housewife with a seemingly perfect life goes missing during the middle of the day, leaving behind a pool of blood and a screaming baby. I really enjoyed this tale where the country is on the cusp of change in terms of women's rights and the civil rights movement. The heat serves as a way to build the tension and suffocating nature of the town. The character of Ruby the missing women's 'help' was really interesting and I enjoyed viewing events through her eyes and the way characters reacted to her. The tale is told through Ruby, Joyce the missing woman and the lead detective investigating the case, Mick Blanke's perspective. As the case unravels so too does the veneer over Joyce's perfect life and shows how nothing is quite what it seems from the outside looking in. I enjoyed the style of writing and although I had guessed some of what happened there were shocking revelations that unfolded. I would defiantly read more books by this author.