MY NAME IS KATE.
I volunteer at a missing persons helpline - young people who have run away from home call me and I pass on messages to their loved ones, no questions asked.
I don't get many phone calls, and those I do are usually short and vague, or pranks.
But today a girl named Sophie called.
I'm supposed to contact her parents to let them know their child is safe.
The problem is, Sophie isn't safe.
AND SOPHIE IS MY DAUGHTER.
What did I think?
This is an amazing debut; I am simultaneously gobsmacked that it is Emma Rowley's debut novel and salivating at the prospect of what she might write next. How on earth do you follow such a fantastic novel? That's a problem for Emma Rowley to figure out but what a wonderful problem to have.
Kate's life was devastated when her daughter, Sophie, went missing. Everyone feared the worst but then the postcards started to arrive and it looked like Sophie had run away from home. Case closed as far as the police are concerned but Kate has never given up hope of being reunited with Sophie. Kate copes with her situation by volunteering at Message in a Bottle, a missing persons helpline so she can help other people in the same position as herself. One night Kate receives a call from a young woman who wants to pass a message to her family. There's nothing unusual about that, except that the caller is Sophie and the message is for Kate. Before Kate realises what's happening, Sophie has hung up the phone but it's enough to get the police interested in her case again.
Kate isn't content with the police investigation and can't help herself from doing a bit of investigation herself. As she looks at the old postcards she has received from Sophie over the years, she wonders if there's a clue hidden in them. The writing is definitely Sophie's but the tone of the writing isn't right then Kate spots something familiar that may be the key to the whole missing persons case.
I know I've already said that this is an amazing debut, but seriously take note: Emma Rowley is definitely one to watch. She is immensely talented to write such a fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller that draws the reader in immediately and gives them no opportunity to pause for breath. I don't think anyone will be able to work this one out before the end; I was guilty of thinking I knew what was going to happen only for Emma Rowley to very successfully pull the rug from underneath me.
Where The Missing Go is BRILLIANT! Yes, the capital letters are intentional: I'm shouting it's brilliance to the world and applauding the fabulous new talent of Emma Rowley. Take a bow and enjoy your success, Emma; I'm sure we're going to see your books at the top of the charts for many years to come.
I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
My rating:
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