In this gripping physiological thriller, a school camping trip goes tragically wrong when three teenagers are separated from the rest of their group, and they decide to go for an ocean swim in perilous conditions. Grace Disher is the teacher in charge of the camping trip and is fifty metres away when she watches, horrified, as the boys race into the raging seas. From her training, she knows if she tries to rescue the boys in these conditions, she will die, too.
However, her decision not to attempt a rescue immediately comes under scrutiny by the school staff, grieving parents, the media, and unforgiving trolls on social media. Even some of the police mention that they find it hard to believe she didn’t attempt to rescue the boys. People are looking for someone to blame, and even though there were two male teachers entrusted with the care of the boys, the spotlight is firmly on Grace. Her life is now a living nightmare.
It's not helped when Grace’s private life is exposed on social media, and it seems someone is stalking her. Her very safety is at stake. With media camped out on her front lawn and at the school, who can she trust and where can she go? And someone is watching closely, with their own twisted agenda.
Three Boys Gone is a pacey thriller that is a thoughtful examination of grief, guilt and blame in an era of social media witch-hunts, where misinformation spreads like a virus. This is a twisty, multi-layered read that is expertly plotted and executed.
Reviewer: Karen McMillan
Pan Macmillan