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Snatched
In Mandasue Heller's gripping new suspense novel a girl disappears - and suspicion rips through a family and a neighbourhood. It begins on a winter afternoon, when schoolgirl Nicky Day runs from a gang of bullies. Then her little brother starts the fire. But the nightmare that is engulfing Sue and Terry Day is only beginning ...A single mother who left a six-year-old on his own while she went clubbing on a Friday night. An absent father with a hot teenaged girlfriend who didn't seem to care who was minding his former family. The police, the neighbours, the friends, the lovers turn accusing eyes on them both. Suspicious voices ask whether Nicky has run away; whether the fire is really an accident. And meanwhile, time is running out for Nicky. Bestselling author Martina Cole loved Mandasue Heller's second novel, Forget Me Not. She wrote, 'Mandasue has played a real blinder with this fantastic novel.' Now thousands of readers have discovered Mandasue Heller.
Paperback
First published March 19, 2009
88 people are currently reading
465 people want to read
About the author
Mandasue Heller
37 books447 followersMandasue was born in Cheshire and moved to Manchester in 1982. She spent ten years living in the notorious Hulme Crescents which have since become the background to her novels. Not only is she a talented writer, but she has also sung in cabaret and rock groups, seventies soul cover bands and blues jam bands.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
November 26, 2025
An average read which is a shame as from the premise I thought I was going to love this.
Middle of the road three stars.
Middle of the road three stars.
September 8, 2015
After reading previous MH books, I would go as far as to say she was a lot better than Martina Cole and each of her books I have loved. However after reading this new book I am unsure what to say about it. The story is of Sue and Terry Day, an estranged couple whos youngest child has been caught in a fire in Sue's home and their elder daughter has subsequently gone missing. The husband Terry has run off with a younger lover Leanne, and when Sue gets involved with Leannes father Dave, things go terribly wrong. Although the writing was good and I enjoyed the book, I thought it lacked substance and the ending felt slightly rushed. I'm hoping this is just a blip in her career and the book is a "bump in the road" in her otherwise flawless writing and I will wait to read her next book before deciding if she is worth reading again.
January 20, 2022
An easy read, but I found all the characters really annoying!
March 10, 2017
This was another great book by Mandasue Heller. I do love her books and the characters she writes. They all feel so real that it feels like you could almost imagine knowing some of them. I like the way she builds both the characters and the story making you want to get to the end just to know the outcome.
August 7, 2018
What a brilliant read! Not something I would necessarily have picked up. The front cover didn't grab me. But it was recommended by a friend so I thought i'd give it a go. And i'm so glad I did. The characters were brilliant & believable & the book has been so well written. I can't praise it enough. I will be looking for more books by this author.
October 27, 2016
Excellent
Excellent read. Brilliant storyline with a magnificent twist. A must read. Couldn't put this down. I would definitely recommend this book.
Excellent read. Brilliant storyline with a magnificent twist. A must read. Couldn't put this down. I would definitely recommend this book.
October 16, 2024
Yeh, not really sure what tripe I just read! Can’t believe it has a rating of 4.17⭐️ but then again there’s only 1500 ratings/reviews. Seriously, this book had very little going for it! It was more like the TV series EastEnders and I’m from Australia and have only seen snippets of this show!
This is not a thriller in anyway! It was more of a domestic drama about the people who lived in a council estate and how screwed up their lives were! Are people really this feral!? Not one redeeming quality amongst them all except maybe Pauline and even she wasn’t a saint!
The story revolves around a single mother, Sue, who leaves her 6 year old son, Connor, alone and goes away for a girls night/weekend. To be fair she did think her daughter, Nicky, was going to be home to babysit. A fire burns down her house and her 6 year old almost dies. In addition her daughter is abducted. Sue’s ex husband and father of her children is in a relationship with an 18 year old, Leanne, who is possibly the most disgusting character (along with her mother) in this book. The story is essentially about trying to find Nicky but essentially no one seems to really care about her and the abductor is revealed early on in the book so there was no suspense. The characters were brainless, uncouth and uninteresting. Not one of them had an empathetic, sympathetic or feeling bone in their bodies, appalling.
That being said I ploughed my way through 400 pages and didn’t think about quitting because I found I became engrossed in the dreary lives of these people and couldn’t wait to see what ridiculous, violent and sad event was coming next. I gave this 2 stars for the portrayal of the depressing state of affairs people living in poor socioeconomic conditions experience. Surely not everyone living in these conditions are as hideous as the characters in this book?!
This is not a thriller in anyway! It was more of a domestic drama about the people who lived in a council estate and how screwed up their lives were! Are people really this feral!? Not one redeeming quality amongst them all except maybe Pauline and even she wasn’t a saint!
The story revolves around a single mother, Sue, who leaves her 6 year old son, Connor, alone and goes away for a girls night/weekend. To be fair she did think her daughter, Nicky, was going to be home to babysit. A fire burns down her house and her 6 year old almost dies. In addition her daughter is abducted. Sue’s ex husband and father of her children is in a relationship with an 18 year old, Leanne, who is possibly the most disgusting character (along with her mother) in this book. The story is essentially about trying to find Nicky but essentially no one seems to really care about her and the abductor is revealed early on in the book so there was no suspense. The characters were brainless, uncouth and uninteresting. Not one of them had an empathetic, sympathetic or feeling bone in their bodies, appalling.
That being said I ploughed my way through 400 pages and didn’t think about quitting because I found I became engrossed in the dreary lives of these people and couldn’t wait to see what ridiculous, violent and sad event was coming next. I gave this 2 stars for the portrayal of the depressing state of affairs people living in poor socioeconomic conditions experience. Surely not everyone living in these conditions are as hideous as the characters in this book?!
May 14, 2020
A pretty good book, the story building was overall rather well done but there was a significant area of stagnation during the middle of the book that seemed to serve no other purpose but to show how annoying and fake the people living on the street are. Joanne is an annoying selfish bitch, we get it, but we don’t see any other layers to her personality. We never have her childhood explained, what made her like that, why does she anchor herself to older men, etc. The plot twist revealed itself 100 pages early before the actual reveal to the characters themselves, which seemed kind of a let down of suspense. What the book did really well was somehow make me root for terry. He destroyed his family by sleeping with a 16 year old, in the marital bed, whilst himself being 30+. Yet somehow I root for him now. His girlfriends possibly the worst person in the entire city, he never gets to see his kids, even though he’s possibly the only decent parent in the entire book and overall just seems to be the only character that actually cares about anyone but themselves.
Overall, the story building is good whilst having an extensive boring part half way through with a plot twist that was revealed to the reader far too early.
Overall, the story building is good whilst having an extensive boring part half way through with a plot twist that was revealed to the reader far too early.
May 2, 2021
I am actually annoyed with myself for finishing this book because I knew by the 100 page point I was never going to warm to it. In fact, I would go so far to to say that this was a terrible book. The only reason I kept reading was because it had such high reviews and I kept expecting something more from it. Why else would it have such high reviews if it was so consistently bad!?
There was not a single likeable character in the whole thing. Everyone was just horrendous, except maybe Pauline who was a fairly minor and repetitive character.
The two main events happened in the prologue and first chapter and then there was - please note the air quotes here- 'drama' in the final chapter, which was cliché and unsatisfactory.
The 400 pages in the middle were just a massive soap opera. Awful characters having repetitive, childish, screaming arguments about the same things. On repeat. Think Eastenders but without the cliffhanger endings and forlorn looks.
I'm actually really angry with myself for ploughing through and I wish I'd stopped about 100 times through reading.
There was not a single likeable character in the whole thing. Everyone was just horrendous, except maybe Pauline who was a fairly minor and repetitive character.
The two main events happened in the prologue and first chapter and then there was - please note the air quotes here- 'drama' in the final chapter, which was cliché and unsatisfactory.
The 400 pages in the middle were just a massive soap opera. Awful characters having repetitive, childish, screaming arguments about the same things. On repeat. Think Eastenders but without the cliffhanger endings and forlorn looks.
I'm actually really angry with myself for ploughing through and I wish I'd stopped about 100 times through reading.
August 20, 2025
Not a book I would usually pick up but this did not disappoint. I didn’t suspect the person who had kidnapped Nicky at first until it was about to be revealed. I loved the story and was always waiting for the next clue. I fell in love with Jack and the way he cared for and tried to protect Sue and Connor. The ending I thought was really dramatic and exactly what I was waiting for but I thought it was a little anti climatical when Nicky was found and glossed over a little bit. With the way the story was built up it would have been nice to have had a little bit more of a reunion between the characters. However the way Nicky was found through Connor’s clues was perfection. Will definitely be picking up some more of this authors books and some more books of this genre.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 7, 2021
It was a pretty good read and definitely had a good crime thriller vibe to it but it was not as good as Martina Cole like people claim, I think it lacked detail and it felt like the story moved a bit too quick and the fact that it takes the entire book and even the prologue for stuff to finally get interesting is a bit disappointing, and you don't even get a good understand off the aftermath of the case that this book covers which if it included I would probably be willing to make my rating higher. But I still enjoyed it and would recommend. But I wouldn't read it again
December 9, 2025
I had a lot of doubts at the start of the book, there are a tons of “ly” adjectives in the dialogue, which show that the writer doesn’t exactly feel confident with themselves- we should know that someone said something “pointedly” by the way you write them.
With that being said, the characters here are very real. All of them are deeply flawed and this read like a well acted British drama. The synopsis of the book only comes in to play during the last 5th of the book though. And the rest is a lot of social politics which might be boring for some, but I grew attached to seeing how they would all react together and that’s something to write home about.
With that being said, the characters here are very real. All of them are deeply flawed and this read like a well acted British drama. The synopsis of the book only comes in to play during the last 5th of the book though. And the rest is a lot of social politics which might be boring for some, but I grew attached to seeing how they would all react together and that’s something to write home about.
December 23, 2017
Snatched
This book moved along at a cracking pace, really well written and thought out story. I guessed who the baddie was pretty early but that didn't spoil it for me. Some horrible characters and some lovely ones. I felt sorry for Sue,who seemed to be very easily taken in by all and sundry but she did come good in the end. Looking forward to reading the next in the series now - I just hope it's as good!
This book moved along at a cracking pace, really well written and thought out story. I guessed who the baddie was pretty early but that didn't spoil it for me. Some horrible characters and some lovely ones. I felt sorry for Sue,who seemed to be very easily taken in by all and sundry but she did come good in the end. Looking forward to reading the next in the series now - I just hope it's as good!
May 27, 2019
On the cover of the book it says if you like Martina Cole books you love Mandasue Heller.
I have enjoyed some of Martina’s books and I didn’t enjoy this. Helier isn’t in the same league as Cole. Reasonable start, predictable middle and rushed end. Did the author get bored? Everything happened in the last chapter. Daughter disappears, son nearly dies in a house fire. Blah blah. Guessed who was behind it all. Don’t bother.
I have enjoyed some of Martina’s books and I didn’t enjoy this. Helier isn’t in the same league as Cole. Reasonable start, predictable middle and rushed end. Did the author get bored? Everything happened in the last chapter. Daughter disappears, son nearly dies in a house fire. Blah blah. Guessed who was behind it all. Don’t bother.
February 9, 2022
So this has definitely been my best read so far of the year.
I really like the dynamic between all of the characters, even the grossly unlikeable ones like Leanne, and the way the characters interacted was brilliant.
I also loved that this book was one that I'd not read before. You know how sometimes you read a novel, and you swear the plot is something you've read somewhere before? Well that's definitely not the case here.
I highly recommend this one
I really like the dynamic between all of the characters, even the grossly unlikeable ones like Leanne, and the way the characters interacted was brilliant.
I also loved that this book was one that I'd not read before. You know how sometimes you read a novel, and you swear the plot is something you've read somewhere before? Well that's definitely not the case here.
I highly recommend this one
January 18, 2023
What I love about this book is the story. It's full of drama, and every character has their past and present dramas in life, but what I don't like is that the drama is too much to the point that you will get annoyed with them. I wish the story would have a better ending because there were so many things happening and it lost focus on the main problem. It was like someone cut the story short and I don't know why.
I guess I liked it but not in a way that I will read the book again.
I guess I liked it but not in a way that I will read the book again.
July 1, 2023
I read this fairly quick and I did enjoy it although in parts I found it a bit far fetched. The story just didn't feel believable, you know? Like for instance Sue's whole attitude towards Nickys disappearance, her believing it was Nicky that started the fire even though she knew Nicky wasn't at the house before she left that night? Just things like that really, made it hard for to actually empathise with the characters. But it wasn't a bad book by no means, just far fetched.
August 23, 2017
'if he thinks blah blah then he's got another think coming' seems to appear in every heller book - four in this one which had me (as everyone seems to do in each book) sucking my teeth...
Still the books are easy to fall into and there's often a good baddy in there or at least one relatable character.
Still the books are easy to fall into and there's often a good baddy in there or at least one relatable character.
October 7, 2017
It's a while since I read this, and I was gripped from the start.
I can't remember much detail (sadly that's happening a lot to me, these days) but I do remember that somehow this book gets right under the skin in the deep, dark buried places we hate to admit exist!
My first reading of one of her books - won't be the last!
I can't remember much detail (sadly that's happening a lot to me, these days) but I do remember that somehow this book gets right under the skin in the deep, dark buried places we hate to admit exist!
My first reading of one of her books - won't be the last!
March 5, 2024
Clever good read, imagined me being one of the neighbours,involving a number of human behaviours that this book draws us into, a good feel of living on a council estate and the closeness of people who dislike each other but also helping each other out. When needed. Will read more of this authors books .
February 26, 2021
Good story but I found parts long winded. Reading the chavvy conversations and arguments was a bit lengthy and unnecessary to the story at times. Ending was a tad rushed but overall a good story. Just could have been wrapped up better.
March 20, 2017
Another blinding story by mandasue
I've read all but 1 of mandasues and loved every one. Seriously a brilliant author and she's blown it out the bag again with this one!!!
I've read all but 1 of mandasues and loved every one. Seriously a brilliant author and she's blown it out the bag again with this one!!!
January 7, 2018
Good
Sat up reading till midnight could not put it down, Good read well worth reading hope to read more off her books.
Sat up reading till midnight could not put it down, Good read well worth reading hope to read more off her books.
February 3, 2018
Thriller
This is the second book I,be read by this author and it,s as good a story as the first ,a very believable plot very well written. A thriller at its best .
This is the second book I,be read by this author and it,s as good a story as the first ,a very believable plot very well written. A thriller at its best .
May 16, 2018
A brilliant read, could not put down, would recommend.
November 12, 2018
Absolutely loved this book! Couldn't wait for the kids to get to bed so I could read another chapter. The ending wasn't fantastic, could have been better.
June 19, 2019
Brilliant....im a massive Mandasue Heller fan ...and this is one of the best!
June 20, 2019
Good book.
This is the fifth book I have read by this author and they are just getting better and better. Can’t wait for the next one.
This is the fifth book I have read by this author and they are just getting better and better. Can’t wait for the next one.
April 18, 2020
Mandasue books are always a good read
September 3, 2020
What a read. Loved it. Better than Martina Cole in my book, and I love reading her books. Was riveted. Wanted to know what happened at the end, but was disappointed when I had finished it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews