The Unusual Abduction of Avery Conifer is a stand-alone novel by Australian author, Ilsa Evans. To say that Elizabeth Patterson is surprised when Shirley Conifer turns up on her doorstep at 5.40am on a Sunday morning with their granddaughter, Avery, would be an understatement. And when she learns why they are there, she is incandescent with anger.

That Shirley has come to her at all is unexpected: rather than not getting on, they actively despise each other. But her motivation is concern for four-year-old Avery, and Shirley knows that Beth’s feeling in that regard is as strong as her own. Later it is pointed out to Beth just how difficult it must be for Shirley to concede that her own son represents a danger to his daughter.

With an eye on the long term, Shirley manages to talk Beth out of her initial impulse to call the police, and within hours, they have headed to a beachside AirBnB and sent Avery’s father, Daniel an ultimatum: seek counselling and live with Avery under the watchful eye of his parents. Beth is fairly confident that the man who put her daughter, Avery’s mother, into prison, will not agree, so makes contingency plans with military precision.

Soon they are on the run, with Beth’s salt-and-pepper miniature schnauzer and Shirley’s eighty-nine-year-old mother, Winnie, along for the ride, an Amber Alert on Facebook, and the cops, specifically DS Elsa Kaltenbrunner and her partner, DC Rebecca Flanagan, on their tail. Elsa is convinced that the matter will be quickly and efficiently sorted out, but she has perhaps underestimated the strength of feeling this trio of grandmothers has for young Avery.

In the process of reaching their hideaway, the grannies learn that anonymity cannot be found in an international airport, or on a city street, especially given how prolific mobile phones are. Then, confined together with a four-year-old, these three women discover a great deal about each other and themselves, about motherhood and the myriad of feelings and emotions it entails.

Evans gives the reader a tale that has elements of slapstick, but also addresses several topical issues, including ageism, the influence of breakfast TV, and trial by social media. Multiple narrators each contribute: snippets, or larger parts of the story. The dialogue, especially anything uttered by Winnie and Avery, is often entertaining. Her characters have depth and appeal, and all are very humanly flawed, giving this tale the seal of authenticity. Funny and thought-provoking, a delightful read.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Harlequin Australia