This was sooooo good! I received a copy of this book through net galley in exchange for a review.

This was a fast paced page turner, I didn’t want to put down! There were twists I didn’t see coming.

The only disappointment with this book, there was no explanation of motive, maybe there will be another book?

I have already bought another book by this author.

I didn’t want to put this down and was totally hooked from the very first page. After Ray Eke comes home from having treatment for a breakdown he opts for the quiet life and is a litter picker for the local council. Then one day he finds the bloodied body of Lauren Pascoe who went missing three years previously. From the outset it is obvious that she had been kept alive until just before her body was found, the police are struggling to find her killer and then another girl is reported missing……….
This has short to the point chapters, a great cast of characters, has twists, turns and at keeps you guessing right until the end! Although at times it was quite graphic in my opinion it was in keeping with the storyline. An absolutely brilliant read that I very highly recommend. Thanks to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for the ARC

This was a book of hidden secrets.
Ray has had a breakdown and his mam moved in to help him out. Whilst he’s starting to feel better he’s started a new job, collecting rubbish on a route he sticks to every day. One day he comes across a body and the story goes from there.
Cleverly twisted & built from one layer & up. Guess away who is guilty and then get a surprise when all is revealed.
Very good read.

This book had me guessing until the end.

I loved the writing style how it was 3rd person but with little insights from each character, I also enjoyed the layouts how it didn’t divide each person into each chapter and instead mixed it all in, it made it feel more realistic.

The plot was amazing, I honestly had no idea who did it even the ending had me shocked, I hadn’t put that possibility together.

I could 100% see this being a tv series

A quick and easy read that I finished in one sitting. It had a good amount of twists that kept me guessing and was full of suspense and tension.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.. Ray is an accountant who snaps one day and has a nervous breakdown. He decides that Accounting is no longer for him and he takes a job picking up garbage for the Town. Not because he needs the money but because he needs to keep himself busy and his mom, Ziggy moves in with him to help him out.

One day while he is picking up garbage, he comes across a body and as soon as he sees her he realises it is the girl that has been missing for several years. He immediately calls the police and this thriller begins.....how many more girls will turn up murdered and what is the connection of Ray to any of these women, if any. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more by this Author.....Enjoy!!!

A great book quick and easy to read with a great twist at the end.
Don't miss the chance to read a great book.

Almost creepy in it's unsettling crimes and seemingly banal witnesses. Solid team and taut investigation keep things moving to solve two horrific murders - and you really won't guess the end, you might have a hint, but nope, the twist is real, no cheating!

Obsessed with The Missing Ones by Anita Waller! From the first page, this crime thriller is a total grabber with its fast pace and insane twists. The moment Lauren Pascoe's body turns up after three years missing, you're in for a dark ride. The Major Crime Unit in this book? Seriously good. Their teamwork, how professional they are, and how much they care about this awful case makes them so easy to root for. DI Chris Chandler and his team feel like old friends instantly. The suspense builds perfectly, keeping you on edge the whole time – I was up way past my bedtime turning pages. Waller is a master at unfolding this mystery, and the pacing is spot on. The writing puts you right there, with these eerie and sharp descriptions that add to the mood. Some things in this book completely blindsided me, and other parts I figured out, which made it so engaging. If you need a crime thriller with awesome characters and a story that won't let go, The Missing Ones is it. I'm already hoping for more from this Major Crime Unit – completely invested.

Thank you net galley for this arc. i absolutely love this book.. the like the flow, the twist in this story was so good,didn"t see that coming. although the description of what the women delt with was hard to read. but a very good police procedural.

First, thank you Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC!

This was a solid, chilling thriller with a murdered young woman and a killer on the lose.

I'm not reading police thrillers a lot usually, but the blurb drew me in, and I really liked the main character, Ray who wants nothing but a peaceful life, but then ended up finding a dead body. What a poor soul, really.

All the twists and turns kept me entertained, and my jaw was on the floor more than once while I've read this book in one sitting. 4.5 stars from me and indeed recommended!

A great twist in the end with this.

Ray seems likeable albeit a little quirky. Clearly talented and working on his own demons. I can't blame him for wanting the simple life and taking the job that he does even when his day is interrupted by finding a dead body.

You can't help but feel sympathetic to his situation and I think you are meant to be concerned for him.

Ziggy is clearly supportive of her son but her relationship with Janet does throw things off slightly and leaves you wondering whether you've missed something.

There's an obvious link to Rays old company and the missing ones and some things are obvious but that's all very deliberate!

This is very cleverly written and plays games with the reader as well as the police. Loved the surprise at the end and it did have me questioning whether there were tells that I hadn't picked up. Great read!

The Missing Ones by Anita Waller is set to be published by Boldwood Books on the 16th May 2025.

When Ray Eke, former hotshot accountant who (post-breakdown) has become a litter-picker in Sheffield, finds the body of a young woman just off the tram tracks of the city's Donetsk Way, not only is he shocked, but so is everyone else.

The body is soon identified as Lauren Pascoe, a young woman who was at the centre of an unsolved missing person case three years earlier. It is clear that she has been held somewhere, tortured and murdered incredibly brutally [I had to stop reading when I read just how she had been killed]. Where was she all this time? Who is responsible? And is there a reason she was found just across the road from Moss Way Police Station?

Soon, another woman, Hannah Wrightson, goes missing, is this new case related to the existing one? Especially as she just so happens to be the receptionist at Ray's old accountancy firm. Chris Chandler, the detective in charge is sure there's a connection, and equally sure that Ray is innocent.

Waller really pulls no punches here, and it works incredibly well. I had read one of her other books, The Family at No. 12, some time ago and loved it. Interestingly, she focuses more on the police investigation here than I remember her doing in the previous book, and it definitely makes for a good contrast. You also get a real sense that Waller knows Sheffield well, and eerily I was in Gleadless for the first time in many years not long before I picked up The Missing Ones, taking a tram from White Lane into the city centre.

Usually, I'm not a big fan of crime books which focus so heavily on the police force, for various reasons including political ones I won't get into here. However, Waller manages to make it compelling, even if there are many aspects of their investigation and dialogue which feels outdated such as the he or she debate [just use they!], some subtle homophobia, misogyny and (sometimes not-so-subtle) transphobia on the detectives’ parts, as well as referring to a woman not yet sixty as ‘elderly’.

My memory of The Family at No. 12 is quite patchy, given how long ago I read it, but now I feel like I need to re-read it, especially in light of how The Missing Ones ends. To be clear, the two novels are unconnected, but Waller's plotting and twists in this one have made me curious to see how they are in the previous book.

This book is a psychological thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I was hooked from the very first page, I was completely immersed in it. Waller masterfully weaves suspense and thrilling twists that will leave you breathless. This book isn’t just a page-turner; it’s also a heart-wrenching journey through complex emotions and intense situations. Each character is beautifully crafted, pulling you deeper into their world with every chapter. Trust me when I say this is a BRILLIANT READ that you won’t want to miss!

Recently transferred DCI Chris Chandler finds himself firmly in the middle of a gruesome murder enquiry, when the body of a young woman is found by a litter picker. It turns out that she went missing three years ago, but she hasn't been dead all that time. When another young woman goes missing quickly after the discover, Chris and his team face a race against time to find the culprit.

The Missing Ones contains some pretty dark scenes, which are hard to read at times, but don't detract from the overall quality of the writing. I raced through the book, just as DCI Chandler and his team race through the investigation. The story is interspersed with scenes featuring Ray Eke, the former-accountant turned litter-picker who found the first body. Ray is trying to live a quiet life after a mental breakdown, but find himself in the spotlight after his discovery.

The Missing Ones is an excellent thriller, which will keep you guessing right til the end.

The Missing Ones by Anita Waller, when the book begins we find Ray eek having a mental breakdown at his accounting firm that he shares with his best friend Mark. Cut to a few years later, he has given up accounting and finds his solace in picking up litter for the town of Sheffield and the first chance we get to see him doing this he also finds a dead body. It turns out it’s a girl who’s been missing for three years But they soon learned she only recently died. The new detective on the serious crimes unit DCI Chris Chandler hasn’t even learned the name of his team members yet but must find the murderer of Lauren Pascoe before he can even get the cause of death certificate back there’s another missing woman. her name is Hannah Wrightson and soon the team will learn Hannah and Lauren both have ties to the accounting firm but the answers don’t come as swiftly as the bodies do but are just as baffling. This was such a good book I hope this becomes a series because I thought DCI Chris Chandler in the gang works so well together and make for an interesting crew to follow not to mention would love to hear more about their lives especially Maria in DCI Chris just know when you think this book is over keep reading until you’re at the acknowledgments because trust me when I say you do not want to miss a word. #NetGalley,#BoldwoodBooks, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview, #AnitaWaller, #TheMissingOnes,m

The Missing Ones by Anita Waller is a very highly recommended thriller which features the search for a brutal killer.

Ray Eke was an accountant before his breakdown. Now he wants nothing to do with numbers anymore and spends his days collecting litter for the city council. When he finds the brutalized body of a woman on his rounds, he immediately calls the police. The victim is Lauren Pascoe, who went missing three years before. It clear that during those years someone kept her as a prisoner and tortured her. When a second young woman, Hannah Wrighton, disappears the police are sure the killer has abducted the next victim and the search is on.

The pages flew by in this well written, fast-paced thriller/procedural. Although the torture involved is gruesomely and graphically described which may be difficult for some to read, the main focus is the investigation. All the clues are logically followed and the search for the perpetrator is in high gear.

While reading, the clues will provide you with several suspects to keep in mind. All of the characters are realistically portrayed in the narrative. DI Chris Chandler is introduced in this novel. He has relocated and is learning about the strengths and weaknesses of his new team while trying to find a heinous killer.
Thanks to Boldwood Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Ray eke has been enjoying his job with the council
Then one morning he found a body that was defianatly dead
He is sure that it’s Lauren Pascoe that was about 3 years when she was missing
But then another girl was taken
Who did it
I had an ARC

A good thriller with some excellent characters. Lots of twists and turns and a big surprise. Some disturbing scenes but all add to the story.

The Missing Ones is a chilling, atmospheric thriller that pulled me in from the very first page. Ray Eke is a quietly compelling protagonist—gentle, broken, and deeply human. The mystery around the murdered girl and Ray’s murky past unfolds with just the right balance of suspense and misdirection. I did figure out the ending before the big reveal, but that didn’t take away from the tension or emotional payoff. A dark, gripping read with a satisfyingly twisted conclusion.