The Missing Ones is the 7th book I've read from Waller and is up there as one of my favourites.

I was obsessed! That prologue though, it had me hook, line and sinker! Now she had me in her clutches Waller wasn't letting me go until I'd devoured every last word!

It's a fast paced read with some great twists and an unexpected blinder at the end. The suspense was intense and had my pulse pounding ten to the dozen.

Ray was quite the odd character though wasn't he? I cast my suspicions on him from the beginning.

A dark, atmospheric and engaging read.

I absolutely enjoyed reading this. Will definitely be recommending. Kept me really hooked I'll love to reread again

The Missing Ones is a mix of police procedural and psychological suspense. The discovery of a woman's body by a man picking up litter reopens a cold case. The woman has suffered atrocities, and the need to find the killer is at the forefront of the newly appointed Detective Inspector's mind. Another disappearance puts additional pressure on the investigation team, but the clues are sparse and the suspects hard to find. It's a disturbing story with terrible crimes and many unexpected twists. The ending is suspenseful, and the final twist is chilling. I like the investigation and psychological suspense mix, which keeps the reader guessing, the investigation team dynamic, and the final twists that emphasise the story's psychological aspect.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Ray Eke has always found peace in his job., collecting litter for the city council. Until the day she found the brutalised, bloodless body of a girl on his round. He recognises her too. Lauren Pascoe went missing three years before. It's also clear she hasn't been lying on the roadside verge all this time. Someone's clearly been holding her prisoner. Keeping her as their very special toy. The police know it couldn't have been Ray, whose gentle heart is obvious to all. But then another girl is taken. And she's someone who Ray had a connection with, back in his previous job as an accountant.

I was pulled into this story by the end of the first chapter. Ray Eke is known to all the local police force as he waves to them when they pass him while he's litter picking. When Ray discovers the body of a woman who has been missing for three years, the police are desperate to find out who had kept her captive.

The pacing is perfect and the twists kept coming in this gripping read. I did kind of guess who the killer was, but only just before it was revealed. The final twist I did not see coming at all.

Published 16th May 2025

I would like to thank #NetGalley #BoldwoodBooks and the author #AnitaWaller for my ARC of #TheMissingOnes in exchange for an honest review.

First book I have read from this author. Well written. Plenty of suspense and twists to keep me reading. Well rounded characters. Very enjoyable . The only niggle for me was I felt the ending finished too abruptly. Would definitely read the next novel. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

My first Anita Waller I can anticipate it won't be my last. The Plot within itself was tantalizing and anticipating without being overtly gory. The characters were superbly fleshed even without immense detail. I may become a full time thriller consumer.

1⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an advanced copy of The Missing Ones.

Ray is a successful accountant until one day he experiences a mental breakdown. He recovers and decides to take a more low stress job like picking up trash. He is very content until one day he finds a body and his life is turned upside down.

The premise of this book was better than the execution. This book seemed to have a very juvenile writing style and really drug on way too long.

The only thing wrong with this book is that I finished it far too quickly. I found it very hard not to race through the pages trying to outguess the author. But, then, I was left twiddling my thumbs because I was not ready to part with the indomitable Litter Picker.

Mrs. Waller writes with intelligence and expertise on police procedural matters. She depicts each member of the investigative team with meticulous precision, infusing them with distinct personalities and traits. The true brilliance lies in how her portrayal allowed me to grasp the team's dynamics, their thoughts, and their uncertainties about the progress of the investigation, along with an intense sense of urgency that drove them to dig deeper for answers. The lighthearted banter among the team members added realism and brought the story to life.

This is why I found it impossible to put the book down.

The conclusion, dear readers, is akin to coiled spring—so intricately twisted that I am still reeling!  

What a colossal imagination this author has!

Don’t miss out on this very dark twisted and cautionary tale of murder.

I really enjoyed this book and found it to be one of the better police procedural books I have read for a while. Really liked the characters DI Chris Chandler and all of his team, definitely scope for a full series with these characters and could easily see it being televised.
The story itself was quite gruesome at points really adding some grit to the story.
Very fast paced. Thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish.

You may think that you know where this story is going however, then the author throws in not just one huge twist but a second massive one right at the end. It is a great page turner as you try to figure out what exactly is happening and how the perpetrator is. This is a tale where instead of the usual fingers pointing towards the people it could be , it is more pointing away from those it couldn't be which makes it a great twisty dark story.


Thanks to Netgalley/Boldwood books for the ARC to review

This is a good crime thriller.
A woman’s naked, brutalised body is found by a local litter picker.
When the Police arrive they recognise Ray as he’s well known in the area as he used to be an accountant until he suffered a breakdown.
He now chooses to clear the streets as it’s a stress free life.
The investigating team are upset by the results of the post-mortem as it seems the woman was tortured for some time.
Soon another young woman goes missing and Chris and the team fear the worst.
This is a good read but had a bit of an abrupt ending with no explanation of why the attacks were carried out.
Thanks to Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read this book.

This crime novel had me hooked from the very start. The Sheffield setting added a gritty, realistic atmosphere—it felt like settling in to watch your favourite Friday night crime drama, only darker and more intense.

What I really appreciated was how smartly written it was. The characters' decisions made sense, and there weren’t any plot holes to pull you out of the story. It’s always a bonus when a book respects the reader’s intelligence.

I devoured it in just two days—which is no small feat with a six-year-old at home! I simply couldn’t put it down. The police team were genuinely likeable, and just when I thought I had it all figured out, an unexpected twist took me by surprise.

Highly recommended read—I’m off to buy more books by this author!

The Missing Ones is a psychological thriller that explores the lingering effects of childhood trauma, buried secrets, and the devastating ripple effects of one person’s disappearance. Anita Waller presents a tightly wound narrative that moves between past and present, slowly unraveling the truth behind long-held family pain.

What Worked:

The premise is gripping: a mysterious disappearance with emotional stakes tied deeply to a fractured family. Waller handles the core mystery well drip-feeding information at just the right pace to keep readers turning the pages. The dual timeline approach is a solid structure, allowing for tension to build as we piece together the truth.

Waller also shines in creating atmosphere. The rural English setting adds a layer of isolation that complements the novel’s tone of suspicion and grief. The feeling of claustrophobia both emotional and physical is ever-present.

Sadness, guilt, and loyalty run through each character’s arc, and Waller does attempt to give them depth. Some of the characters, especially the women, are portrayed with emotional sensitivity and realism, which was a highlight.

What Fell Short:

While the setup was strong, the execution felt uneven. The middle section dragged, with a lot of internal monologue and backstory that slowed the momentum. Key reveals were predictable, and some twists lacked the impact they were clearly meant to have.

Character development also felt thin in places. A few characters made decisions that didn’t quite align with their earlier behavior, and some dialogue came off as overly expository rather than natural.

Finally, while the book is marketed as a thriller, the suspense element was fairly subdued. Readers expecting a fast-paced or intensely suspenseful ride may be left underwhelmed.

Final Thoughts:

The Missing Ones is a solid read with emotional weight and an intriguing mystery at its core, but it didn’t fully deliver the punch I hoped for. Fans of slower-paced domestic thrillers with a focus on family dynamics may still enjoy it but don’t go in expecting edge-of-your-seat tension.

Sadly I didn’t love this book even though I’d seen it had been highly rated by others. It was readable for sure but I found certain parts of it to be a little frustrating and unrealistic. The police team in this book were unlike any I’ve ever known of or read about in other police procedurals, short working hours for one thing! Unrealistic procedures and thought processes and overall just not believable for me. I like books to have twists in them and although you could argue that this one did have a couple towards the end I found them to be very obvious. I’d already figured out the ending at 60% in. I’m grateful to have been provided an ARC copy to read and review but sadly I can’t rate this one very highly.

My thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Missing Ones’ written by Anita Waller in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Gentle and kindly Ray Eke is recovering from a breakdown and having disposed of his accountancy business is now spending time picking up discarded litter. During his normal route is finds the horrifically mutilated body of Lauren Pascoe who disappeared three years earlier. This is DI Chris Chandler’s first investigation having just moved to the district and he and his team will be working non-stop to identify the killer before a replacement for Lauren is abducted.

‘The Missing Ones’ is so addictive that once you’ve started reading it’s impossible to put down. The plot is tense with non-stop action and victims whose injuries are so vividly described that at times it’s difficult to read without grimacing. I’ve really enjoyed reading about DI Chris Chandler and his hardworking team of Maria, Tia, Bryn, Sally, Andy and Danny who’s been transferred from traffic patrol, and I’m hoping this is just the first of a new series as I’m positive these characters have many more books in them to intrigue readers. I’ve found this to be a well-written and exceptionally chilling thriller that’s had me gripped from page one and although I rightly guessed early on who I thought the killer was I wasn’t prepared for the massive shock that was awaiting me in the epilogue. Thank you Anita, you're a brilliant writer!

This was such a dark and twisty read that had me gripped all the way through, I really found it hard to know who to trust!

The Missing Ones follows Ray Eke after he finds a body of a girl who's been missing for years. Ray had a breakdown a few years ago, and swapper his seemingly successful career for a simpler job collecting litter. When another girl is found dead, he recognises her as a previous coworker. Wanting to know the truth, he starts investigating. Is he getting too close to the truth?

What an amazing novel. Dark, disturbing, and full of promise. Super atmospheric and with gruesome twists, an absolute page-turner!

3.5 ⭐ rounded down.

This was my first time reading Anita Waller and it was an okay introduction. I liked the characters, the storyline and the setting. It was a little more gruesome than I expected, nonetheless, it was decent. I did enjoy some parts of the investigation, and the chemistry the team had. Their banter with each other was entertaining. However, I am not sure I quite liked the writing style. It didn't flow naturally to me.

In addition, certain parts of the book dragged. I also figured out pretty early on who the killer was. That wasn't what let me down though. I'm an avid thriller/mystery reader, so, I can almost always guess the twist. What really disappointed me was how rushed it felt. There was no explanation for why they did it, what led them to it and why they chose their victims. I felt like there was so much more that needed to be explained. I mean there's ambiguity, and then there's plot holes...huge difference. The final line also threw me. It came out of nowhere and I audibly said "huh?".

Overall, I wouldn't say I hated it, but I definitely had several issues with this book. I did however enjoy some of it, and would give this author another try in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley, Boldwood Books and Anita Waller, for my eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

This book was creepy good. I was instantly drawn in—especially curious about Rays breakdown and how he ended up living such a quiet, isolated life. The story unfolds with a haunting intensity, and the sorrow of the families with missing girls really hit hard. The torture details were unsettling and tough to read at times, but they added to the disturbing atmosphere. Even with the heavy content, I couldn’t put it down. Dark, emotional, and impossible to look away from. Twists and turns, suspicions about the identity of the predator, rage fueling my desire to see the reveal. Loved and Hated this book.

I flew through this creepy thriller in just a few hours!

After a breakdown at work, Ray Eke swaps his senior partner role at the accounting firm he founded for a litter picking job for the council that gives him all the fresh air he needs. When one day he stumbles on the body of a woman who went missing 3 years ago and has been held captive all that time, this mild-mannered man is thrust into the spotlight. But nobody can imagine he’s connected beyond coincidence. Surely?

Then another woman goes missing.

This is well-paced, and sufficiently unnerving. Even at the end I’m still not sure quite how to reconcile everything…