Name: Maddie: a verdade da mentira
ISBN: 9789898174123

Fernanda Abreu

Gonçalo Amaral

Maddie: a verdade da mentira

Inês Alegria Ferreira

Probably one of the most controversial books I have ever read. Perhaps because its book tells the real story of something I recall very well from when I was little. It was one of the most unforgettable moments in Portuguese history: the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. 

This book is told from the perspective of Gonçalo Amaral, the detective that was coordinating the investigation "case Maddie". Perhaps if you are from the Uk or Portugal you already know all about the story since it was highly portraited in the news for years and years, causing big scandal and tension between the two countries. I'm not sure if this book is translated into other languages but if you can read Portuguese and are curious (as most of us are) to find more about the case I highly recommend you read it. 

I thought the book was very well written, not only did Gonçalo Amaral points out all the important steps of the investigation, it does in a way that everyone can comprehend and really feel involved in the process. Plus he from time to time expresses some of his opinions and points of view, which obviously should be taken with a grain of salt since we are only reading his side, but still, I found that his little remarks and use of vocabulary gave this book a certain beauty that may nonfiction books sometimes just aren't capable of creating. 

Again, I knew about the case but I was still a child when it happens so I didn't remember it very well, plus the gossip was so huge that I think many people think that they know everything there is to know about the case when in reality we just heard a bunch of random and false information. 

I also recommend if you aren't able to read this book I recommend the documentary on Netflix. I actually watched the documentary first and I only found out about the book because it was mentioned in one of the episodes of the show. The documentary not only has a lot of info from the book but also shows a larger spectrum of points of view of people that were involved in the investigation.