This is a very decent thriller, but I found a read the first 20% very quickly the felt quite a slow down until maybe the 85% time. It’s a good story, just maybe the pacing through the middle chapters were not for my reading speed.

Story and premise wise it’s very clever and I really loved the end, the last 15% sucked me in and the 2 characters in Lucas black and Beth seemed to come to life.

A good story, perhaps missing a jot of peace, but highly competent writing, and a great story that culminated I a great end,

Alice Teale is Missing is a first H A Linskey book I have read and I really enjoyed it. Well written, fast paced, with strong characters, it ticked all the boxes. I hope this is a start of a series as I liked the two main detectives, Beth and Black, and would definitely read about another case solved by the pair.

I loved the start and end of Alice Teale is missing but felt the pace did drop off somewhat in the middle. The book is well written and I enjoyed the fact it was set in Northumberland instead of one of the usual main cities. The book does build to a gripping conclusion and I would say the last third of the book becomes is where it comes into its own and becomes a real page turner. I would rate this book 3.5 stars and look forward to reading more from the author.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin UK Michael Joseph and the author for the chance to review.

This is an excellent police procedural novel, with a team of two likeable officers, DC Beth Winters and DS Lucas Black. There is some initial hostility between them, Beth is a Direct Entry Scheme graduate, fast tracked for promotion, many serving Police Officers, dislike these as they say they don't have enough relevant beat experience, and Lucas is an ex- soldier, whom, if the workplace rumours are to be believed, killed someone, believing him to have a gun, but was unarmed.
Set in Northumberland, Alice Teale, is a popular, well liked teenager, who is seen walking out of school one day, and is never seen again. This is a dark story line, but sadly, all too familiar today. What I really liked and found beneficial to the enjoyment of this novel, was, every time a new line of inquiry was started and new facts came to light, then a few pages from a journal kept by Alice, were posted to the detectives in charge. A lovely way to keep us in the loop of the story and a great tease to the mind. The novel has a very logical and satisfying conclusion, which bodes very well, as I am hoping there will be further books starring these detectives. Black and Winter sounds good!.
I only meant to read the first few chapters to get a feel for the story, yet, 4 hours later, it was finished!! I have rated this as a 5 star read, and fervently hope there will be more books in the future. I have recommended this to my daughter's reading group and will post a review to Goodreads today.

This is an excellent new novel from Howard Linskey--good plot, lovely evocation of the North East, great characters and excellent writing. When schoolgirl Alice Teale is reported missing, two detectives who have never worked together are tasked with finding her; he is ex-army who once killed an unarmed suspect, she is a novice at this level. The novel is clever in that the plot unfolds alongside extracts from Alice's journal, and the two are skilfully interwoven. Wonderful!

A gripping plot with so many suspects in the disappearance of Alice Teale. I enjoyed the characters of Lucas and Beth and would love to read more books involving them.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. It starts with the disappearance of 17 year old Alice Teale who was on her way home from school one evening. Family call the Police who begin a missing person investigation. I thought the author introduced two really likeable detectives who had never worked together before as the main characters. As the book progressed they started to slowly establish a good working rapport. I enjoyed the authors writing style and the plot certainly held my attention all the way through. There were twists and turns in the story and I thought including excerpts from Alice’s journal made the book a thrilling read. I hope there is at least another book to follow with these two characters in and I would definitely read it.

I was thrilled when I was approved to read Alice Teale is Missing on NetGalley and I’m so pleased to say that it more than lived up to my expectations!

Alice Teale is Missing is a novel that looks at the disappearance of teenager Alice – she is seen leaving school one afternoon but then is never seen again. Her disappearance is being investigated by detectives Lucas Black and Beth Winter, and interspersed with chapters following the investigation we get to read snippets of Alice’s diary.

I loved how this story was told – it was great to see who Alice was and how she was feeling in the period leading up to her disappearance. It made her feel like a real person and I felt really invested in whether she would be found.

I also adored Black and Winter together, they made for such an interesting team and I loved the way they were new to working together and so sizing each other up whilst also working on the investigation. Black is the more senior detective and Winter respects that but she’s also not afraid to put forward her views. I’m really hoping that this book is the first in a series and that we might get another book with Black and Winter because they are my new favourite detective duo.

The investigation into Alice’s disappearance grows increasingly complex as Black and Winter interview witnesses and potential suspects. There are some unsavoury people connected to the school and you don’t know if this is a lead or if it’s a red herring.

I devoured Alice Teale is Missing in one sitting as I was so engrossed in the novel, and the writing is brilliant. I simply had to know what had happened to Alice and where she was. I will definitely be looking for more books by this author, and I highly recommend this book!

This book is very addictive and fluently written. A familiar plot with a missing teenager and two detectives with their own emotional baggage.Detectives Winter and Black are completely different in their outlook but they make a great pairing. I hope to see them in another book. Really good story telling. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"Alice Teale is Missing" is a dark, mesmerising tale of secrets and lies that will keep you gripped from the first page.

There is something very Agatha Christie-esque about the title of this book and I suspect that like the legendary storyteller herself, H.A. Linskey will become a luminary of the crime fiction genre well into the 21st century. "Alice Teale is Missing" is that good. The story revolves around the eponymous Alice of the novel and the subsequent police investigation into her disappearance, led by the wonderfully drawn characters of Detectives Winter and Black. Extracts from Alice's diary shape the investigation by the police, with vignettes providing the propelling force of the plot in Linskey's expertly constructed narrative. With everyone amongst the collective cast of characters seemingly hiding something, this is a mystery novel that will keep the reader guessing until its thrilling, final denouement. It is difficult to say much more without spoiling the story for what will surely be a legion of admirers of this novel. Suffice to say you won't be disappointed in choosing this book to keep you company on a dark winter's evening. H.A. Linskey is a masterful storyteller, with "Alice Teale is Missing" an apt reflection of his prodigious talent.

Engrossing, dark and addictive. Simply wonderful.

Summary:
As usual, seventeen-year-old Alice Teale walked out of school at the end of a bright spring day.
Except she's not been seen since.
Alice was popular and well-liked, and her boyfriend, friends and family are desperate to find her.
But when the police start asking questions, it becomes clear that almost everyone has something to hide.
Detectives Beth Winter and Lucas Black don't know which way to turn - but then they receive a disturbing package.
Pages from Alice's precious diary.
Who could have sent them? And what have they done with Alice?

Oh my! I hope that this is the start of a series as I absolutely loved the police pairing in this book. Beth Winter and Lucas Black excel in this tale of a missing schoolgirl. Chalk and cheese, as all detective pairings should be, as they spark off each other throughout as they try and get to the bottom of what happened to Alice Teale who disappeared as she left school one evening. The investigation falters until they start to receive pages from Alice's diary and it becomes clear that there is so much more behind things than just her disappearance...
More of what happens I am reluctant to divulge as to do so might inject spoilers into my review and I'm not about that at all. Suffice to say that scratching the surface of what is happening exposes a viper's nest of shenanigans.
This book gripped me from the start and held me in its thrall throughout, spitting me out at its conclusion, exhausted but wholly satisfied. I do have to admit however that something that happens early on in the book did trigger my spidey senses and as we reached the run up to the end of the book, the final reveal, I did sit back and smile smugly as I was right! That's probably more to do with my voracious nature with crime fiction rather than anything the author did though.
There is quite a lot going on in this book with fingers pointing everywhere initially, the number of suspects slowly being whittled down as the narrative goes on. As it should be in a book of this nature. Alice's family and friends provide key information that eventually all comes together, along with that provided by teachers at the school she disappeared from. But Lucas and Beth have their work cut out for them cutting through the noise to get to the truth. A pairing that I have already waxed lyrical about and hanker to see rekindled in future books.
All in all, a cracking read that I thoroughly enjoyed. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Amazing. What a book. I absolutely loved this story and it has me guessing throughout. Full of suspense and twists.

Set in Northumberland, in the ex-mining small town of Collemby (which is fictional but very realistically evoked of such mining towns) Alice Teale has gone missing. Someone saw her leaving school grounds at 9pm and she's never been seen since.

It shouldn't be hard to find someone who knows something. These mining towns are close-knitted, small and everyone knows everyone to some degree .Very well evoked and the setting feels real, with real life characters and issues. It's a forgotten place where even the school was failing until the new head John Morgan turned it around.

The police in this case are perhaps even more interesting than the case itself - DC Beth Winter is a fast track police officer, who has been taken in her first proper posting on DCI Everleigh's team,. She's working with DS Lucas Black who has some rumours flying around him. He shot a man when on the job and he's been vilified ever since.

Has Alice run away? She hasn't got the best family and that 's saying something! Her dad is a bit creepy and her brother seems strange. Alice seemed popular and good. Hopefully the diary she wrote in the lead up to her disappearance will shed some light on where she could be. (That was particular strength of the novel these two narrative threads)

There seems a lot more to come with this police team and Alice Teale might have disappeared but I hope Winter and Black don't!

What a fantastic police thriller I have enjoyed this book ,was slow to start but once I got into it I enjoyed it would give it a 3 star

I’ve been wanting to read a Howard Linksey for a while so was very pleased to receive this ARC and I was not disappointed! The author writes well, the story was well paced and it was an enjoyable read. The story was set in Collemby, a small, run down town in Northumberland not too far from Newcastle.

I really liked the start of the book which was an extract from Alice Teale’s journal which I found intriguing and so I was hooked from the start! There were extracts from Alice's journal tantalising us throughout the book and little by little we learn about her and her concerns.. Alice was a bright, attractive and independent 17 year old who attended the local Collemby School and was studying A Levels with a view to university. She had a tangled home life with a difficult relationship with her volatile father. Alice was reported missing after leaving school late one evening with the PE teacher being the last person to see her. DC Beth Winter and DS Lucas Black investigated her disappearance and what followed was an intriguing tale with plenty of twists and turns to satisfy enthusiasts of the crime fiction genre.

The quality of the writing of the story was very good. For example, I found I could easily picture the town of Collemby in its fading, former ‘glory’ as it resembled many former pit towns. You could feel the tension between Alice’s parents and wince at the harsh, combative nature of her pint swilling father. He was truly an unpleasant soul who Alice tried to understandably avoid. All the characters were well captured, you could picture the teenage angst and the evasiveness of some of Alice’s teachers which made you wonder why anyone would employ them! The stand out characters were Alice, Beth and Lucas. Lucas had a reputation which led to Beth being wary of him but as the barriers broke down them the two became an excellent team and I will definitely want to see what happens next in their working and personal lives. There was real tension in the writing when Lucas told Beth his backstory and that was the point where significant trust developed between them.

Alice’s journal made us ‘see’ the real Alice. She was an interesting girl though very troubled, playing a role that people wanted her to play. She was clearly in pain but we don’t know why but assume it was because she was under pressure to be perfect. I thought the journal sections worked very well in the storytelling. My only negative was the end which I wasn’t entirely convinced by, hence 4 rather than 5 stars. Also, schools take registers electronically but I guess that wouldn’t have made the storytelling so interesting!!!!

Overall, a well crafted story with a few shocks, some tension which was relieved with some nice touches of dry humour especially from Lucas. There were secrets aplenty with characters who do things they most definitely shouldn’t. We had messed up, dysfunctional families and criminals who were hiding in plain sight and students who who were living in misery.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for this ARC.

New author for me and one I will definitely watch out for in the future.
This is a rather neatly executed mystery set in a Cambrian town of Collemby where everyone knows everyone's business be it fact or fiction. We are introduced to young DC Beth Winter and DS Lucas Black when they are put together to create a new task force investigating a missing school girl named Alice Teale. It seems Alice was seen leaving school following after school activities and then she vanished. Dead ends and red herrings are all driven by pages torn from Alice's diary that are delivered to the incident room on a daily basis.
Black has a backstory and he too has been the recipient of office gossip, Beth on her first case is unsure and struggles with what she has learned until Black himself tells her what happened.

They do make a good team, part of me is hopeful this is the start of a series. I shall watch patiently.

I lost patience with this very quickly - really dull, uninspiring characters and a storyline so slow it was almost in reverse gear. Not my cup of tea, sorry.

Howard Linskey is just getting better and better as a crime fiction writer as he proves in this cracker of a book, in what I am hoping is the first of a new series set in Northumberland, in the ex-mining small town of Collemby. DC Beth Winter is a fast track police officer, who has been taken in her first proper posting on DCI Everleigh's team, working with DS Lucas Black who has just taken over the investigation into the missing 17 year old schoolgirl, Alice Teale, last sighted leaving school by a PE teacher, Jessica Pearse. Beth is apprehensive about working with Lucas, about whom rumours proliferate, and someone no-one wants to work with since he shot a man dead on the job. Collemby is a run down town, teeming with gossip and where everyone knows everyone. Collemby Comprehensive is being run by a super head, John Morgan, who has turned the place around from being a failing school.

Alice is beautiful, very bright, popular, a deputy headgirl, has a hectic life with a part time job and involved in numerous extra curricular activities, like drama. Lucas and Beth run down every lead they can follow, wanting to find Alice but time is running out, and they are afraid she is already dead. Their best hope that she has run away, Alice's family is dysfunctional, with her dad having an inbuilt dislike of her, although she is close to her brother, Daniel. The obvious suspect is her boyfriend, Christopher Mullery, but she has an ex-boyfriend who lost everything when she left him. There is a barman, Rick Madden, who was keen on her, rumours that it is common practice for male teachers to get involved with their young students, and her her best friends, Chloe and Kirstie are interviewed. The case takes a strange turn when torn out pages from Alice's journal find their way in dribs and drabs, delivered to the the police team. Lucas and Beth begin to form a close bond as the twisted case progresses, determined to find the truth of what happened to Alice in a town that is full of secrets.

This is an atmospheric crime read, you get a real feel for the economically impoverished North East in the Northumbrian town of Collemby. Linskey's characterisation is great, the complex Alice, Beth is the rookie out to prove herself and the ex-military Lucas is not the most talkative of men, grumpy, burdened by his past in the police force, both working a case that takes it toll on them, personally and professionally. It is fascinating watching their relationship develop under such intense pressure. This is a highly entertaining gripping and compulsive crime read, with many twists and turns until the horrifying truth comes to light. I would definitely recommend this to fans of crime fiction. Many thanks to Penguin Michael Joseph for an ARC.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. This has to be one of the best police thrillers I have read for a long long time. Great read.

I have read a couple of Howard Linskey's DC Bradshaw police procedurals and really enjoyed them. I think this could potentially be the start of an even better series. I really liked the dynamic between DC Beth Winter and DS Lucas Black. He is a good bit older than her so there isn't likely to be any romance between them and at first they don't even like each other. This dislike gradually changes through a grudging respect to a sense of trust and real friendship.
The story which is based around the disappearance of 17 year old Alice Teale on her way home from school has many suspects and I have to admit that I was stunned when the detectives finally solved her case.
I'd highly recommend both the author as well as this book.

Review posted on Goodreads and Amazon