Emma, Disappeared

This was my first novel by this author and it was one which I thoroughly enjoyed. I read many crime/police procedural novels and I do enjoy novels which focus on missing persons. The downside of this is that they can often blur into one another and many have difficulty in standing out from what is undoubtedly a crowded market.

In this novel, Emma Harte has disappeared (although I presume you picked that up from the title). What makes this novel very interesting is that the book begins a number of days after the disappearance as we meet James, a library archivist who has a clear fascination with the case and begins to engage on social media about it - becoming something of a local star in promoting feminism and the safety of women in the city.

However, what becomes clear is that James is aware of more about this than we think and when the plot moves to the days leading up to Emma's disappearance, we learn exactly what he knows.

I think what made this stand out for me was the timeline. It seemed strange, initially, for the book to begin after the disappearance and move forward in time before moving back to pre-disappearance and then forward again.

However, this really worked for me and allowed the reader the chance to try to work out what happened to Emma (and her now missing boyfriend!) before revealing what happened and letting the consequences of this play out. I am not sure I have explained this well however it definitely worked!

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

Wow what a book thank you ever so much for the opportunity to review. I could not put it down. Would definitely recommend to others

I absolutely love the clever and compelling Eire-based thrillers that Catherine Ryan Howard writes and was therefore delighted to come across an ARC of a novel that appeared to have all the hallmarks of a similarly enticing thriller. Whereas Ryan Howard’s debut novel “Distress Signals” figures one half of a young couple (Adam) in the search for the other (his missing girlfriend Sarah), Andrew Hughes’ thriller introduces us to a young couple who are both missing: Emma Harte, a recent university graduate, and her boyfriend Tom have both disappeared. While the police are investigating, a group of Emma’s university friends take up the search – and social media user and local man James suddenly finds himself catapulted in the spotlight in after posting about the case. As his life begins to unravel, the reader becomes more and more unsure of what is empirical fact and what is social-media- fabricated fiction …
This was a fast-paced thriller, set in contemporary Dublin, that is highly recommended to regular readers of the genre. My thanks go to the novel’s publishers to NetGalley as it was their advance copy that allowed me to read this thriller and to produce this honest, independent book review. I will now definitely seek out two historical crime novels this versatile author has also published to date, as well as his social history book documenting Dublin’s Fitzwilliam Square.

Emma, Disappeared by Andrew Hughes is such a great book that I didn't want it to end!!

The main character, James Lyster works an archivist at the National Library of Ireland. His job is unique but quite mundane. After a young woman Emma has been reported missing, volunteers are requested to assist in a search for clues to her disappearance. James is happy to join in, but could not fully anticipate the consequences of his decision.

Hughes' characters are a believable, likable bunch, who come across a number of well-known Dublin landmarks during which the author skillfully keeps the reader engaged, on edge and entertained as events unfold.

This was a fast paced and intense read where a woman goes missing and it takes off viral on social media. I love these type of books and this one is one you won’t want to miss.