About The Book
She must find Annabelle. Before it’s too late.
THE MISSING
Nora’s daughter Annabelle has disappeared, last seen on her way home from a party.
THE LOST
Gullspång’s inexperienced police are wilting under the national media spotlight – and its residents desperate for answers.
THE CLOCK IS TICKING . . .
Stockholm DI Charlie Lager must return home to find Annabelle, and then get out of town as soon as she can. Before everyone discovers the truth about her . . .
My Review
With thanks to the publisher for the copy received. When I first started reading this book I had a feeling that it would be like many others. A police officer who has alcohol problems, is a loner and has a troubled past. But I didn’t have this feeling for long. The novel is much more than that.
Charlie is everything mentioned, but unlike many she does admit to having a problem and she does try to make the best of her life. Having to return to her home town isn’t what she wants but she is relieved that nobody recognises her. It had me wondering what she was hiding from and whether what happened to her still affected her now.
The narrative concerns the disappearance of Annabelle. She has a very strict mother, a more sympathetic father and for somebody so young indulges in a lot of substances. But you can see why, in a way. She is clever, beautiful and misunderstood. Most of all she wants to escape, just like Charlie did.
It is a town that has many inhabitants who are heavy drinkers. It has no prospects, limited employment with bullying employers and appears unfriendly. You read about many places and think it would be nice to visit. This isn’t one of them.
Alongside the main narrative there are flashbacks to what happened to Annabelle on the day she disappeared. This part is all about her. You see what she is thinking, how she sees her future and how she copes with her family life. This was one of the more unusual and fascinating parts to the novel, getting to see how she interacted with people who were suspects.
There are also sections that tell the story of Nora and Alice. These were chilling and I spent much of the novel working out how it connected to modern day.
For The Missing is book one in the series and I’m looking forward to the follow up later in the year.
Steph's Book Blog 