I would like to thank Netgalley and Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for an advance copy of Night Falls, Still Missing, a stand-alone thriller set on the Orkney Islands.

Fiona arrives on Orkney at the behest of her best friend, Madison, who has hinted that something is wrong at the archaeological dig she is working on and she has to show it to Fiona, but Madison has disappeared, her lodgings have been cleared out and her car is missing. Determined to find Madison Fiona starts to investigate and finds that Madison has been keeping secrets.

I enjoyed Night Falls, Still Missing which is a tense read with several twists, set in a picturesque location. It is told mostly from Fiona’s point of view with flashbacks to past events in her and Madison’s lives. These flashbacks round out Madison’s recent history (pre-Orkney of course) and add an extra dimension to her disappearance. They also cast a little light on the, at times, uneasy relationship between the two women.

The plot is well enough done to hold the interest. I must admit that I had a good idea of the motive within a couple of chapters, having read the same idea more than once before, but it fell away in the body of the novel as I got lost in various conflicting motives, only to resurface later on. I like the concept of the novel where there are few viable suspects and a limited geography as it allows a stronger emphasis on motive and motivation. It also makes it more plausible that Fiona could uncover the truth. It is an interesting contrast between the openness of the location and the claustrophobia of the relationships, although all are wild and untamed. I found it to be a tense read.

I didn’t take to either Fiona or Madison, who, despite being missing, dominates the novel with her secrets and poor decision making. Fiona is probably well drawn but she spends much of the novel either in tears or emotional turmoil, until the denouement where she suddenly becomes bold. It gets a bit wearing.

Being Scottish I like a slice of Tartan Noir but I was disappointed in this novel, not because of the location which seems well described, but because all the characters are English. I say this not from racism but because there is no Scottish feel to the novel in the dialogue so it could have been set on any island with wild weather and it wouldn’t make any difference.

Night Falls, Still Missing is a good read that I can recommend.

Thanks to Penguin UK - Michael Joseph and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

#NightFallsStillMissing #NetGalley

The intriguing premise for this book, with its mixture of archaeology and intrigue, made this a must-read for me. 'Night Falls, Still Missing' certainly delivered on this promise, with some faultless execution on the part of Helen Callaghan. It simply oozes suspense, helped in no small part by the atmospheric setting of a tiny, isolated island in Orkney. The story revolves around the disappearance of Madison on an archaeological dig. Shortly before her disappearance she initiated a call for help from her friend, Fiona. Yet, when Fiona reaches the island, Madison is nowhere to be found. The prime suspect for Madison's disappearance is her ex-boyfriend and stalker. But all is not as it seems in this tautly-plotted, twisty thriller. Or, should I say, not everyone is who they purport to be. Friend or foe? That is for you to find out. The story was an engaging one from the get-go. Callaghan certainly knows how to hook her reader from the very first page of this fiendishly clever tale. I read this in one sitting. Thrilling stuff.

Great book, gripping and unputdownable. I have read this book in just one sitting it has been absolutely fab!

Archaeology lecturer Fiona Grey travels to Orkney, responding to a cryptic call for help from her old friend, Madison, who is working on a dig there, led by celebrity TV archaeologist Iris Barclay. When she arrives, though, Madison is nowhere to be found, her rented cottage deserted. Nobody seems to have a clue where she is, but Fiona’s sure Madison wouldn’t just take off without telling anyone. Worryingly, too, there are signs that her stalky ex-boyfriend is up to his old tricks again.

This was an absolutely cracking read which I thoroughly enjoyed. The windswept island setting is very well rendered and I could picture it quite well. Fiona was a really engaging character and I loved her tenacity, loyalty and courage as she strives to uncover what’s become of her friend, even to the point of putting herself in danger. I had a hunch who might be involved, which turned out to be correct - but it was no more than a hunch and I certainly didn’t have a clue where the plot was going. While we see little of Madison directly, her personality too emerges strongly through Fiona’s recollections and her interactions with the people around her. There’s a nail-biting denouement which had me glued to the page.

The island setting was a bit reminiscent of Ann Cleeves’ Shetland books (one of those featured an archaeological dig, too, I think). Helen Callaghan’s book compares very well - and that’s high praise.

I enjoyed this story, with an atmospheric setting. The tension built up and it was hard to guess what was coming next, and who might be the perpetrator, overall I would recommend it.

I didnt really enjoy this book unfortunetly. By the time I was getting to the end I didnt care what happened to any of the characters and what they had done. Not a book I will be recommending.

A compelling and eerie thriller about archaeology and friendship.

Fiona has had some odd messages from her friend Madison, begging her to come and visit her on an isolated island in Orkney where she's taking part in an archaeological dig. Though their friendship has had its moments over the years, Fiona knows Madison wouldn't ask unless she was needed. But when she gets there, Madison has disappeared. The rest of the archaeological team are vaguely sympathetic but not particularly helpful.

What if Madison's stalker has re-emerged, Fiona worries? Out there, staying in the cottage Madison was supposed to be living in, staring at the ocean and wondering about the secrets it holds, Fiona could believe almost anything. She feels compelled to stay and figure out the mystery - but in doing so, is she placing herself in danger?

Callaghan obviously knows her subject well and the story is told in a very solid and believable world. I really felt Fiona's concern for her friend (though she does weep an awful lot) and there was good tension between Fiona and the men and women Madison had been working with. The plot kept me guessing until pretty close to the end.

What I loved the most about this book was the friendship between Fiona and Madison. It was so real, we all have these friends, sometimes who makes us so happy but sometimes could become incredibly toxic.
I didn't see the end coming, and through enjoyed it, especially the archaeological side of the things were interesting to read.
I would recommend people who love reading psychological thrillers, also missing person mysteries, this was a gripping, page-turning read.

I really enjoyed this book & the setting in orkney. This is a tense read which I flew through I would recommend this book to anyone.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book. This like all the others I’ve read by this amazing Author, is absolutely brilliant. Great storyline, characters that work really well together. Brilliant well written fantastic story. Well worth 5stars.

I really loved this book. A missing person with lots of twists and turns. Atmospheric and beautifully written very well paced an absolute joy to read. Highly recommended.

I enjoyed this book as I got into it. I loved the Orkney setting and the archaeological background. I found the characters a little shallow at the beginning but they did develop as the story progressed. I felt that it was meant to be a book about ambition but the main ambitious character only appears part way through and the other two main characters' ambition was a bit thin, really focusing on their competition for success.

The second half of the book lays a misleading trail towards the villain and I felt that this was successful.
I recommend this book

Quite an unusual twist placing an archaeological dig at the centre of a missing person mystery. The story kept you guessing as to what happened to Madison, why and who was the perpetrator. However, there’s only so long you can keep the reader in suspense and this story nudged the boundary. Some books leave you breathless and wanting more but sadly this wasn’t one.
A couple of niggles….petrol does not power a car’s heater, at least not directly and was the car at the bottom of the cliff or in the depth of the ocean? It switched quite frequently.

Thriller/mystery set in Orkney on a remote archaeological dig. Not entirely believable as far as the "finds" go. Characters are good and interesting,story moves quickly to its conclusion.

Utterly, utterly brilliant! What an edge of your seat thriller!! There were moments when I wanted to read on, but was also apprehensive as to what might actually unfold - heart in my mouth moments!! Fantastic read, one that keeps you on your toes!!

To begin, I’d like to thank Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for sending me an ARC of this book, and to NetGalley for facilitating. And a thank you to Helen Callaghan for another thoroughly enjoyable read!

I read Dear Amy and Everything is Lies a while ago and loved loved them, so when I saw that Helen Callaghan had written another I was desperate to get my hands on it! And to my delight, I was sent an ARC to my Kindle! Again, as with the past 2 books, this couldn’t be more different to the previous offerings but it was equally moreish!

I won’t spoil this book for anyone so my review won’t contain any spoilers!

There are a lot of “girl is missing” books around at the moment so the genre is really getting tired with that theme at the moment. This is not like those books. It was full of suspense and twists. The characters were so diverse and and easy to identify and form a relationship with. And again the way that Helen Callaghan has described the places, I could see them so clearly, and Helly Holm was terrifying - as was the journey over there!

The story line was less “detective tries to track down missing girl before it’s too late” (which I must’ve read a million times in the past couple of years) and more “friend tries to find the truth in a sea of lies”. Usually with this genre I can tell quite early on who is the “baddie” but with this book it was probably only a page or two before the reveal that I had a lightbulb moment. But I still couldn’t figure it all out!

I had a lot of fun reading this book because it was like a puzzle that I was trying to solve from the first page to the last. It wasn’t a passive read for me, I felt thoroughly involved and when I wasn’t reading the book I was thinking about the book and trying to unravel the truth!

Massive thanks again to Helen Callaghan! Loved this book, I can’t wait to see what’s next!! After 3 fantastic reads I am adding Hellen Callahan to my “follow” list on Amazon and Goodreads so that I don’t miss any of her future books!

Fiona arrives in Orkney at the invitation of her friend, Madison, who is working on an archeological dig and found something interesting. It soon becomes clear that Madison is evading Fiona and has disappeared. So who has brought Fiona here and what has happened to Madison?
I really enjoyed Helen’s previous books and this was no exception. It’s so well written and the description of the land, the weather and even the food and lifestyle was spot on! (I travel up North to Caithness and Helen summed it up perfectly!)
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I’m a huge Helen Callaghan fan but Night Falls, Still Missing still shocked me.
I’ve had to take a full 24 hours between finishing the book and writing my review because I’m honestly in awe!

One of those thrillers that grips you from page one. As expected there’s a lot of suspicious characters and red herrings. I had no idea how the story was going to end and that’s a big thing for me.

This is THE book of 2020. You don’t need to read a long review about Night Falls, Still Missing. You need to buy this!

I don't tend to read many psychological thrillers (I could write an essay on why - suffice it to say it's mostly down to what I perceive as their often misogynistic, or at least misogyny-adjacent, treatment of the 'hysterical/mentally ill woman' trope) but had enjoyed a previous Helen Callaghan so thought it was worth giving Night Falls, Still Missing a try. And, overall, I'm glad I did. Although presenting few surprises (the who- and why-dunnit were exactly what I predicted from about 20 pages in), it was a very readable thriller which particularly benefited from the evocative, and well described, Orkney setting.

A missing person, a long list of suspects, an islet only accessible at high tide and a gathering storm. These are some of the components familiar to regular readers of murder mystery novels.

Here, Helen Callaghan combines the above to produce a gripping tale where the reader is constantly trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

The story's main character is Fiona Grey, who, in January 2020, at the urgent request of her best friend Madison, drives from Cambridge to Caithnes to catch the ferry boat to Orkney.

She does not know, what is behind it all, but it sounds pretty important and desperate. When she arrives in Stromness, Madison is not there to meet her and it transpires, that she has gone missing in mysterious circumstances. Could her disappearance be connected with her unbalanced ex-boyfriend, who after stalking her has now a restriction order against him?

Readers of books of this kind may assume, that this is maybe too straight forward an explanation. Add a scheming brother, a slightly creepy landlord and four members of an archeological dig, who all seem to be hiding something, then the plot thickens.

Fiona is faced with uncovering a mystery, where she finds out hidden secrets, that will ultimately put her own life in danger.

I always like about halfway through such books, to step back, examine the evidence, and pick a suspect and motive. I this case, I was wrong. I wonder if you will fare any better?

Well worth a read.