Irish Breakfast tea. Check. Firm pillow and electric blanket. Check. Anticipation of turning that first page in Gerry Schmitt’s new Afton Tangler thriller, Little Girl Gone. Absolutely.

Plot: The first chapter elegantly sets the story, mood, and tone. Ms. Schmitt neatly opens with a scene that should be normal but right away heads into dark territory. The creepiness, the closing in, the foreshadowing of things about to go terribly wrong. And they do. Gerry’s pull into the pages is absorbing and relentless. The story lets you breathe for only seconds at a time until events, clues, and motivations bite through that snuggly blanket. Read every word or you will miss something important. Did you catch the mistake Ronnie made at his victim’s house that is surely to give him away?

Spectacle: Schmitt is quite adept at sliding in thematic elements to enhance the scene and deepen the chapter’s underlying currents. Wherever you are, the cluttered, dusty police station, the dingy home of the kidnapper, or Susan’s fancy just-so house, the sensory details are rich and satisfying. The cadence of boots crunching in the snow, the smell of Marjorie’s kitchen, of white and cold and ice permeating the scenes. The sound of a pickax. (You’ll know what I mean.)

Character: Here’s where Ms. Schmitt shows brilliance. From Afton to Max, Ronnie, Shake, and even a random TV reporter, the author has created rich, complex, genuine, knowable, and frightening characters. Each has a clear goal and motivation. And they have secrets from each other. Here are people who come apart, who lash out and ruin other’s lives, who show courage and heroism, and who act and react in believable yet very dark ways.

Dialogue: The author clearly has taken time to explore each character’s speech patterns, rhythm, and word choices. And she sprinkles in a lot of funny lines. These lines are subtly placed and will give you a chuckle when you really shouldn’t be chuckling at that moment.

You may want to use one of those plug-in cup warmers when you settle in with this book. As pieces came together and the story concluded, I reached for my mug. But I was so engrossed in the lives of the characters my tea had grown as cold as the frigid Minnesota landscape. And the book cover beautifully matches the story. Icy and blue Minnesota coldness.

Don’t miss out on this book. Yes Ms. Schmitt can sure write a good cozy under her pen name Laura Childs. But wow can she write a thriller.