Rene Denfeld – författare

A wondrous and redemptive debut novel, set in a stark world where evil and magic coincide, The Enchanted combines the empathy and lyricism of Alice Sebold with the dark, imaginative power of Stephen King

This is an enchanted place. Others don’t see it, but I do.

The enchanted place is an ancient stone prison, viewed through the eyes of a death row inmate who finds escape in his books and in re-imagining life around him, weaving a fantastical story of the people he observes and the world he inhabits. Fearful and reclusive, he senses what others cannot. Though bars confine him every minute of every day, he marries visions of golden horses running beneath the prison, heat flowing like molten metal from their backs with the devastating violence of prison life.

Two outsiders venture here: a fallen priest and the Lady, an investigator who searches for buried information from prisoners’ pasts that can save those soon-to-be-executed. Digging into the background of a killer named York, she uncovers wrenching truths that challenge familiar notions of victim and criminal, innocence and guilt, honesty and corruption—ultimately revealing shocking secrets of her own.

Beautiful and transcendent, The Enchanted reminds us of how our humanity connects us all, and how beauty and love exist even amidst the most nightmarish reality.

A haunting, richly atmospheric, and deeply suspenseful novel from the acclaimed author of The Enchanted about an investigator who must use her unique insights to find a missing little girl.

"Where are you, Madison Culver? Flying with the angels, a silver speck on a wing? Are you dreaming, buried under snow? Or—is it possible—you are still alive?"

Three years ago, Madison Culver disappeared when her family was choosing a Christmas tree in Oregon’s Skookum National Forest. She would be eight-years-old now—if she has survived. Desperate to find their beloved daughter, certain someone took her, the Culvers turn to Naomi, a private investigator with an uncanny talent for locating the lost and missing. Known to the police and a select group of parents as "the Child Finder," Naomi is their last hope.

Naomi’s methodical search takes her deep into the icy, mysterious forest in the Pacific Northwest, and into her own fragmented past. She understands children like Madison because once upon a time, she was a lost girl, too.

As Naomi relentlessly pursues and slowly uncovers the truth behind Madison’s disappearance, shards of a dark dream pierce the defenses that have protected her, reminding her of a terrible loss she feels but cannot remember. If she finds Madison, will Naomi ultimately unlock the secrets of her own life?

Told in the alternating voices of Naomi and a deeply imaginative child, The Child Finder is a breathtaking, exquisitely rendered literary page-turner about redemption, the line between reality and memories and dreams, and the human capacity to survive.

A powerful and hauntingly beautiful novel for fans of THE GREEN MILE and THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION.THE ENCHANTED wrapped its beautiful and terrible fingers around me from the first page and refused to let go after the last. A wondrous book... so dark, yet so exquisite.'' Erin Morgentern, author of The Night CircusA prisoner sits on death row in a maximum security prison. His only escape from his harsh existence is through the words he dreams about, the world he conjures around him using the power of language. For the reality of his world is brutal and stark. He is not named, nor do we know his crime. But he listens. He listens to the story of York, the prisoner in the cell next to him whose execution date has been set. He hears the lady, an investigator who is piecing together York''s past. He watches as the lady falls in love with the priest and wonders if love is still possible here. He sees the corruption and the danger as tensions in ''this enchanted place'' build. And he waits. Because every monster was once a child, and even monsters have a story . . .

''A darkly luminous story of resilience and the deeply human instinct for survival, for love...The Child Finder is a novel that demands to be consumed and then once inside you - lingers...'' A.M. Homes, author of MAY WE BE FORGIVENFor fans of THE LOVELY BONES, ROOM and THE ENCHANTEDNaomi Cottle finds missing children. When the police have given up their search and an investigation stalls, families call her. She possesses a rare, intuitive sense, born out of her own experience, that allows her to succeed when others have failed. Young Madison Culver has been missing for three years. She vanished on a family trip to the mountainous forests of Oregon, where they''d gone to cut down a tree for Christmas. Soon after she disappeared, blizzards swept the region and the authorities presumed she died from exposure.But Naomi knows that Madison isn''t dead. As she relentlessly pursues the truth behind Madison''s disappearance, shards of a dark dream pierce defences that have protected her for so long. If she finds this child, will Naomi ultimately unlock the secrets of her own life?WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE CHILD FINDER:''A beautifully written, gripping page turner...a book that is worth searching for, bringing home, and welcoming into your family. 5*'' Goodreads''This book is dazzling and heartbreaking. 5*'' Goodreads''A wonderful, extraordinary book. The author speaks from her heart on every page.'' 5* Goodreads''I could not put this book down until the captivating conclusion.'' 5* Goodreads''I finished the book in a day, not wanting to put it down.'' 5* Goodreads''Wow...a page turner, keeping me in all weekend.'' 5* Goodreads''Loved it and will be recommending it to everyone I know.'' 5* Goodreads''The Child Finder is one of the most beautiful novels I''ve ever read.'' 5* Goodreads

Naomi''s job is locating missing children, but she cannot find her own sister, lost for 20 years. She has no picture, no name, just a memory of a strawberry field at night and running for her life. Celia, a street child, has nothing but her hope in the butterflies that she imagines all around her on Portland, Oregon''s dangerous streets, where young girls are going missing. As danger creeps closer, Naomi and Celia must ask themselves: can you still be lost even when you''ve been found? But will they find the answer too late?