This is a cleverly written book. The twists were spectacular and really kept me entertained. The characters were realistic and intriguing. I had high expectations from this author and I definitely wasn’t disappointed!

A woman walks into the sea from a holiday beach in Cornwall; a worried onlooker summons the lifeboat, but she cannot be saved. Her daughters, fiercely loved and raised by their single mother after the premature death of their father, are stunned by the realisation that she has ended her own life. Reunited by tragedy, and each with problems of her own, as adults they begin to reinterpret the events they experienced as children.
Meanwhile, DI Fox, approaching retirement from the police force but doggedly re-investigating cold cases, is haunted by one case he cannot let go: the unsolved and tragic death of an infant twenty years earlier. As he re-examines the case, suggestions of a frequent mystery visitor to the grave, the suicide of the farmer who found the tiny body and information from the landlady of the local pub revive his hopes of solving the case.
This is an engrossing and poignant novel, peopled by characters whose flaws are only too human. A thoroughly entertaining read.

I have read Erin Kinsley before and thoroughly enjoyed the read. This was superb.

The story begins on a beach where a woman, Alice, walks out to sea with the intention of killing herself. Although there is an attempt at rescuing her it is clear she does not want to live.

One of her daughters, Lily, calls the other, Marietta, who is living overseas and asks her to come home as their mother is missing and Lily has been asked to go and identify a body which is believed to be Alice.

In the meantime, DI Russ Fox is investigating a cold case of ‘Baby Michael’ who was found dead some twenty-five years ago.

The characters are well rounded and I loved Marietta who stays in her home town despite her misgivings as the tale unfolds and the reasons for Alice’s suicide is looked into.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Headline and Erin Kinsley for my ARC of Missing in return for my honest review.

Excellent read. Highly recommended.

A very good read.
Family secrets and deep dark lies,never surfacing til a death forced the reopening of old wounds fr.om a distant past.
Totally absorbing,I loved it!

How a past life with hidden secrets can haunt you for the rest of your life. Was the death an accident, suicide? Do we really know people as well as we think. An unfolding of life and a re-connection of sisters.

A solid four star read. Great premise. Well written. Good characters. Page turner. Plenty of suspense to keep me guessing .The ending leaving everything tied up left me satisfied. Definitely will read the next novel. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

The story of two sisters whose mother killed herself and a missing baby. The book initially starts as two stories that merge into one. It’’s well written and I couldn’t put it down. Great book

I was excited to have the opportunity to read this book as I so enjoyed ‘Found’ by Erin Kinsley. ‘Missing’ is also a page turner and begins with Alice walking into the sea and not returning alive, leaving her two daughters and Detective Russell Fox - a wonderful character - to discover the secrets and lies that coloured her life. The setting, a coastal town, is atmospheric, and the main characters - Lily, Marietta and Fox - are relatable, all struggling in their own ways. I enjoyed the novel very much, particularly for its in-depth characterisation and the slow burn mystery that is cleverly revealed.

Really enjoyed this story and all the twists it brought. It starts as 2 stories and you know they will mix but it is the uncertainty of how. Then when they do, the stakes rise...

I thought Missing was terrific. Missing starts in a dramatic fashion with tragedy at sea and I knew I was going to enjoy the book. Just why did Alice go into the sea that day? Is what happened an accident or by intent? I loved the way Lily and Marietta are reunited by grief as they try to understand exactly what happened to their mother and why. The author does a great job of exploring their complex relationship. Interwoven with their story are chapters that revolve around Fox involving a cold case, a chilling infanticide 20 years before. Just what does this have to do with Alice and her daughters? The author keeps you guessing until both stories collide and long hidden secrets shatter everything they knew about Alice, their own childhood and the man known as Uncle Simon. This is a terrific thriller.

A very enjoyable book telling the story of two sisters dealing with their mothers unexpected death. Mari, estranged from her family returns from living overseas to help her sister. Along the way many secrets are uncovered.
Alongside this story Detective Fox is working on so.ving cold cases. Particularly the murder of a new born baby. These stories are told separately but become interwoven. The outcome was not what I had expected.
I would recommend this book, Erin Kinsley tells her stories well. I have also enjoyed Innocent and Found.

I found this a slow read, but it was still enjoyable. To start with I did not really warm to Marietta, the Sister from Overseas, who loved to travel rather than stay put in one place. She had wanderlust. Then there was Lily, who seemed to be left to deal with everyone to deal with their Mother who had gone missing. It was then discovered that Alice (their Mother) had drowned. It appeared to be a suicide but no-one knew why she would have done this to herself.

The story then merges with a cold case that is being investigated by DI Fox. The story of an infant found murdered many years ago.

It was good how the author merged the two stories together. None of it was predictable, and it was good how the two cases were blended by the author.

This is a book full of secrets, lies, family drama and family relationships. Well thought out and complex, making it a good read.

Such a twisty compelling thriller with lots of character driven narrative! A cold case detective tracks back the murder of a baby and two sisters mourn the death of their mother. What is the link? I was left guessing right to the end and enjoyed every word of this novel.

I thoroughly enjoyed this intriguing novel, a literary crime thriller, which kept me guessing throughout because whilst I had suspicions as to who was responsible for a child's death, I was unsure until the last chapters as to how and who else could be implicated. The mystery is initially incredibly well set up with Alice's decision to end her life ( not a spoiler as its clear that is her intent in chapter 1). This leaves Alice's two daughters to deal with a huge fall out as to where their mother is and if and why her death is suicide. But there is another huge mystery here. In an initially unrelated strand we are introduced to the story of a murdered baby and to the detective who is investigating this cold case. Russell Fox is a superb study of a detective nearing the end of his career. I was impressed with the writer's knowledge of police procedure. Two aspects of this novel, however, made it not only a very satisfying read but also a page turning one. I could not put it down. Pace within the plotting is excellent. It moves quickly and is thrilling as it gathers pace towards a final denouement. The second is characterization which is outstanding. Not only is sleuth Russell Fox brilliantly portrayed but Lily and Marietta, Alice's daughters, are shown to develop as personalities, each with their own needs, conflicts, inner dilemmas and edginess towards each other. They both have desires, positives and failings as human beings but much is resolved by the novel's end. This is an atmospheric story filled with gripping twists and turns as well as lovely sensitive writing. Highly recommended.

📖BOOK REVIEW📖⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

#missing by @erinkinsleyauthor

@headlinebooks @netgalley

⏩for synopsis

Another book I’ve throughly enjoyed from this author!

I’ll start by saying this book would definitely be classed a slow burn but by no means was it boring. As I’ve found with the author’s previous books, she has an amazing way of mixing the domestic and murder mystery/thriller genres together perfectly, making her books such a pleasure to read.

I loved the way the book was worked out using quite a domestic storyline but all the while dropping in hidden hints and clues throughout, which were constantly fuelling the mystery side of things. Furthermore, adding in sections of police investigation also broke up the book and kept me constantly intrigued.

I also really enjoyed all the characters, their back stories and settings the author used. I found just enough of everything was included, giving you enough to relate to and form a bond with but without getting bogged down with the details and boring.

Overall, great story and a great read - definitely recommend you look for this one once it’s been released!

(p.s I only didn’t give it 5⭐️ as I love the authors other book #found a tiny bit more!)

Released: 19th August

With thanks to author #erinkingsley, #headlinebooks and #netgalley for allowing us to read this one early!

-Emily @the_book_girls_1

When Marietta Ansley answers a phone call from the other side of the world she has no idea how much her life is about to change. Their mother, Alice, is missing and Lily needs her sister to come home and help work out what's going on. The police have been in touch and she can’t do this alone; it's time for Marietta to step up to the plate but neither of them could ever imagine the secrets their mum has left for them to discover.

DI Russ Fox has only a short time left in the Devon and Cornwall police which, he's pretty sure, is why he now works in a portakabin looking into cold cases. One above all other has haunted him for over twenty-five years and he knows the clock is ticking on his chances of solving it. He is nothing if not determined however, and somehow he's sure that gradually he's getting just a little closer to finding the hidden clues which will point him in the right direction.

This is Erin Kinsley's third stand alone novel and is a heart wrenching look at the secrets we keep from those we love most and the damage they can do. The sisters, Lily and Marietta, like many siblings, are as different as chalk and cheese. One a home bod, happy to remain in the town of her birth with her childhood sweetheart for always; the other a globetrotter searching but never finding exactly what she left for in the first place. I liked them both instantly and know through personal experience the accuracy of the feelings expressed by the sister without a need to travel who, sometimes needed a bit of backup from the one who did.

DI Fox's case was devastating and as the storyline moved forward the required  cold and callous nature needed to commit such an act was explored and discovered to be as chilling as the crime itself. He on the other hand came across as a warm and thoughtful individual who still had every hope of finishing what he'd started.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. I thoroughly enjoyed this beautifully written book even with its tragic storyline which touched me deeply.

I loved this book, finding it a real page turner that I didn’t want to put down. It starts with Alice walking into the sea and drowning and is the story of her two daughters, Marietta and Lily, being reunited and trying to uncover what happened to their mother and why.

Simultaneously, DI Russell Fox in the cold case unit is still looking into a case that has haunted him, that of a baby found murdered years ago.

The story is well written and plotted, with interesting characters and detailed back stories. I enjoyed the detailed descriptions of the characters lives, interactions and the locations.

Another fab book by Erin Kinsley, thanks to net galley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Mari and Lily's mother goes into the sea in a suspected suicide. We follow the results of her decision and find out part of the reason why she did it. A dead child and a suspicious artist also feature.

I raced through this book staying up late into the night to finish it

Really great book.Enjoyed every page pity it had to finished.

Alice ,who lives in Devon ,mother of two daughters Lily and Marietta is found struggling out to sea ,swimming.
Twenty five years previously a baby of only days old is found on a distant farm in a clump of trees ,dead in a blanket and been set alight. Named as Baby Michael ,no one knows who the parents are and remains a mystery.
Who murdered Baby Michael? that is a cold case question for D.I. Russell Fox who for all those years has tried to fathom out the perplexing puzzle which had caught the nations interest at the time.

Lily lives locally , married and desperately wants a child, Marietta who wanders across the globe on a whim is in Colombia . The death of their mother Alice reunites the two girls in their grief.
What is the connection ? D.I. Fox starts to put clues together and starts on a quest to answer the questions that lay hidden for all those years.
Amazing story of twists and turns that make the reader follow the journey of both Marietta ,Lily and Russell Fox . The end wherever it leads cannot be a happy one.
A must read with characters we meet every day ,so real.

I loved Erin Kinsley's debut novel Found and although I found her second novel Innocent rather disappointing I was keen to read this, her third novel. Missing is set in a fictional seaside town in Cornwall and follows two threads. That of the aftermath of the suicide by drowning of Alice and how her daughters deal with their grief and loss. Running alongside this is the cold case investigation by DI Fox into the murder of Baby Michael 20 years ago. Are these cases connected and what is the link ? I absolutely loved this novel and it contained everything I want in a novel - a coastal setting, family secrets and a good police procedural aspect. The small town coastal setting is atmospheric and Kinsley does a fantastic job with the characterisation of Alice and her daughters Lily and Marietta. I could really envisage Alice's cottage and the life she had lived there. The very different grieving experiences of Lily and Marietta are dealt with sensitively and I liked the pace of the novel which gave time for Kinsley to explore the feelings and experiences of the sisters. Alongside this, DI Fox's investigation works well and I found this to be a hugely satisfying read. Highly recommended.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC.