When Selena Cole vanishes, apparently abandoning her children in the park, the police and her family fear for her safety. But when Selena appears 20hours later safe but with no memory of what happened during those lost hours suspicions being to stir. And the discovery of a dead body nearby raises even more questions. Is Selina's amnesia genuine or a clever deception?
Regular readers of my blog will know I am a big Emma Kavanagh fan. I first reviewed her debut novel Falling back in 2014 and Emma has also writtenguest posts for my blog as part of her book launch tours. So this book had big shoes to fill...
Thankfully the Missing Hours does not disappoint.
Emma has mastered the art of writing from multiple viewpoints. We mainly hear from the lead Detective on the missing persons case, DC Leah Mckay, who is forced to close the case early but is convinced there is more to Selena's disappearance, and her brother, newly promoted Detective Inspector, Finn who is leading the murder inquiry of a solicitor. Interspersed between the progress of the two cases we are introduced to the world of Kidnap and Ransom (K&R) through a series of reports, newspaper clippings and essays featuring The Cole Group - Selena's K&R consultancy company formed with her late husband Ed who died in a terrorist bomb blast. This is the main drive of the story and while Leah and Finn are likeable the real tour de force is this element which I found fascinating. K&R is an unknown world to most of us and as an industry it is very closed lipped, so to have a peek into this high stakes world was an interesting and usual premise for a novel. From a relatively slow start the storylines gradually builds and gains momentum as the lines between the cases start to blur and the tension builds. Emma's police and military background again lend an edge to this genre which is so lacking in other thrillers. The finale brings all the voices together with a satisfying twist. A great read maintaining the high standards expected from Emma. 4/5
8 Comments
chantelle hazelden
10/7/2017 07:20:59 pm
I really really want to read this one and your review has only made me want to read it more! Thanks for sharing with #readwithme 10/7/2017 10:16:46 pm
I really enjoyed Falling, so this is definitely one to add to my wishlist #readwithme 11/7/2017 10:20:39 am
This sounds like an intriguing read - very much my type of thing. 11/7/2017 11:57:21 am
I've never heard of Emma Kavanagh but I'm intrigued by the sound of this book. Thanks for a great review! 11/7/2017 10:44:08 pm
I really like the sound of this one! I haven't read any of her stuff before, but I think you and I have very similar taste in books :) 12/7/2017 11:09:29 pm
It sounds as if it builds into quite the page turner - thanks for sharing with #PoCoLo x
Mainy
13/7/2017 07:41:51 am
Sounds like another one for my book list. 16/7/2017 08:27:50 pm
I've never read any books by this author but this does sound like a great read and one I'd want to read. #readwithme Leave a Reply. |
Welcome!Artist, Baker and Blogger. Mum to my two beautiful, cheeky girls. Muddling my way through parenthood with equally cheeky Husband. 
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