So many characters and so many plot twists and turns. This definitely a one sitting book, so be prepared. Enjoy the suspense!

"I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review"

Six-year-old Lola Jade Harper is taken from her bedroom. Her mother is distraught. She is convinced her estranged husband, Gavin Harper, has abducted their daughter.

Detective Rachel Prince is leading the investigation but is soon out of her depth as she searches for the most high-profile missing child in the country. To uncover the truth about Lola’s disappearance, Rachel must untangle the Harper family’s complicated web of secrets and lies.

I have been a big fan James Patterson series The Woman's Murder Club and I have to say this book reminds me so much of them. It didn't take me long to get into the book and really start to enjoy it. The only issues is I knew what was going to happen before it happened. It came across as very predicable at times. Also another issue I had was with the main Character Rachel, she is great at her job but man she is beyond selfish and throughout the book I became so annoyed with her.
Even with those issues I did really enjoy this book and hope that the series continues as I would love to read other books in the series if they continue to come out. I love a good police mystery and this hits all the right boxes.

I ended up giving this book 3.5 stars out of 5 and recommend anyone who does love the woman's murder club series to give this book a try.

#TheMissingChild(detecticeRachelPrincebook1)
#NetGalley
07 Feb 2018

I was lucky enough to receive this book from #NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review. This is possibly one of the most exciting new detective with her sidekick Detective Sergeant Mark Brickall. The relationship between these two is absolutely awesome and you know that no matter how much they bicker and call each other names they will always be there for the other. I am definitely looking forward for the next installment hopefully soon. The subject matter is interesting and touches all as a little girl is missing from her house in the middle of the night and as time goes by it starts to look like she may have been part of a child smuggling plan or been abducted by her father who is estranged from his wife. DI Prince is sent to Portugal to search there since the father had spent some time there. After several months it is starting to look like they might not succeed and then another little girl is snatched and kidnapped and the press goes wild again. The plot is incredible and I must admit that I never for one second figured out the ending but I did stay up all night to finish the book. As said before I hope we will continue to hear more from DI Prince and DS Brickall. Loved the book and will happily recommend it to friends and family! Great job!

A compelling crime book with a strong plot around the abduction of a child. The plot is well written while I was shocked at times I still enjoyed how the twist and turns were delivered.
I tend to enjoy books with a strong female lead, while the main character was strong and sassy she was also likeable and shows a softer side. I did at times just was to shout at the book and , "For the love of god eat a cake love" her love for salad and fitness was covered a lot and i look forward to finding out a little more about Rachel in the next book. I loved the banter between her and her partner however I felt this was not very real, as it would never be allowed these days. A good start to a new female deceptive series, I will look out for the following book.
3.5*

Very interesting storyline. Never knowing which way things are heading. The book was well written by the author. I liked the style. The plot was great and kept my interest through out

It took me a little while to get into this book, but once I did, I was hooked. Great new thriller series; Rachel Prince took a few pages to get me invested, but then I was on her side.

The writing is fast-paced, fresh, and tight. Recommended if you're into British contemporary TV.

**NetGalley provided copy for review**

This book sounded interesting from the description and didn't disappoint me. For the first half of the book I found I was enjoying it but it was easy to put down. However, the second half had me hooked!

I liked the main character and can't wait to read more about her (I know it's going to be a long wait!). I'm not sure about her partner but maybe I'll warm to him in the next book.

The story itself was clever enough for me not to guess it completely. I like to be surprised and I definitely was once the full details were revealed.

The Missing Child by Alison James sounds like its going to be a book that you cannot put down! Another thriller/mystery/suspense. There is definitely a sweep in this genre, it’s extremely popular- have you noticed that? Used to be that the only suspense novels centered around dead bodies and police procedurals but now many writers are penning psychological thrillers that twist and turn and captivate the reader.

Here’s the scoop:

Six-year-old Lola Jade Harper is taken from her bedroom. Her mother is distraught. She is convinced her estranged husband, Gavin Harper, has abducted their daughter. Detective Rachel Prince is leading the investigation but is soon out of her depth as she searches for the most high-profile missing child in the country. To uncover the truth about Lola’s disappearance, Rachel must untangle the Harper family’s complicated web of secrets and lies.

As the case progresses, the body of a local woman is found. The death at first seems unrelated, until a trail of social media posts lead Rachel to a chilling discovery. And then another little girl is taken…

With growing pressure from the public and the appearance of someone from her past she’d rather forget, will Rachel be able to solve the connection between the two missing children and the murder – before it’s too late?

This crime thriller promises to be an intense read!

Enjoyable book. A bit different from usual missing child stories. Kept me guessing and enough twists to keep my interest. first book I have read by this author and would read further books. Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced review copy.

I enjoyed this book and I think it could be the start of a great series if Detective Prince grows up a bit. I thought the character was very childish and I thought it a bit far fetched that she had disappeared from her husband's life without a trace. Overall it was a good story line but in places I wanted to shout get on with it, as the story seemed to stall but then pick up again. I think it was worthy of 4* and thank you for the ARC.

The Missing Child could have been a typical procedural, but the twists that James introduces throughout the novel are some of the most remarkable, inventive choices I've encountered in crime fiction as of late. The first half is a bit by the numbers, but stick with this for a strange, satisfying payoff.

I received an advanced review galley from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.

A great first book for me by this author. A great storyline, fast paced and thrilling with believable characters you can relate to. I would recommend this author!!

Good,complex characters and a story that moved along briskly. A few twists along the way. A good read.

Check out The Missing Child by Alison James
Thank you Netgalley for giving me this ebook! I enjoyed it dearly, really. If only all the books in 2018 will be this good, I wouldn’t know which one to pick up first!
The characters were lovely, and Rachel is most likely my new favorite detective. I can say this book gave me a British Jo Nesbø type of feeling.
I recommend this from the bottom of my heart, and I will definitely read more books from this series!

Death, destruction and deceit. It's all in this psychological thriller.
How to make mother of the Year? Follow the example of this mother.
Oh, to be a detective. I loved all the nuances that go with serving in the capacity of this smart, articulate detective.
Her partner is a great character, who doesn't want to eat junk food and not gain weight!
The race to find the child, was adventurous, scary and I held my breath all the way through, wanting, yet not wanting to know the outcome. Spectacular read. 5 Stars

Alison James
The Missing Child
Rachel Prince Book 1.

Well It looks like I may have just found myself another Series of books to follow.
For book one this was a great read. It felt that it wasn’t over complicated and made it easy to follow the story, yet it gripped me right from early pages. I was eager to get to know the character of Rachel Prince and excited to see which direction the book would go.
As usual I kept second guessing what I thought was going to happen, but oh how wrong was I.
Lola Jade Harper was taken from her home one spring night and hasn’t been seen since. A child at the centre of a bitter custody battle, the father continued to protest his innocence in the child's disappearance.
The story had been all over the news for months, but with no clear leads the media had lost interest and the police were struggling with the case.
Now though with a new lead that is the belief she was targeted and snatched to order. This surely is ever parents worst nightmare, how would you cope. With this new lead comes more complications and the father has now disappeared, which looks even more suspicious.
Now the case has been passed over to the Investigation Support at the National Crime Agency.
DI Rachel Prince takes up the case.
It’s been great getting to know a new character, and I think that DI Prince is going to be a brilliant character the more she is developed, the more we learn about her, I think the more we are going to like her. She is by no means perfect, has her flaws but is certainly dedicated to her work.

I’m looking forward to reading more in this series, and getting to know the characters and I eagerly await the next installment

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2214196471

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy of The Missing Child, the first novel in a projected series to feature DI Rachel Prince of the National Crime Agency.

Rachel and her sergeant, Mark Brickall, work in Major Crime Investigative Support providing expertise and advice to other forces when required so it is no surprise to them when they are asked to assist Surrey CID in their months long search for missing six year old, Lola Jade Harper. Obviously they look at the family first, but what a family, full of secrets, lies and half truths and it isn't long before Rachel is feeling overwhelmed as she tries to reach the truth.

What an absorbing read The Missing Child is. I was hooked from page one and couldn't put it down until I'd reached the end. The twists and turns just keep coming and every time I thought I had a good idea of what was coming Ms James turns it on its head. There are recognisable aspects of the novel from recent high profile child disappearances but Ms James welds them together in her own style to produce a unique story which will have you gasping in surprise as events unfold.

I do like a police procedural with a third person narrative and a linear timeline so I was predisposed to liking The Missing Child but it has exceeded my expectations with good pacing and new revelations in every chapter. It makes for compulsive reading.

Rachel Prince is a very appealing protagonist, smart, dedicated and unafraid to get her hands dirty in the field she is less sure of herself in personal matters and is prone to relationship blunders. I look forward to learning more about her in future novels. The strength of the characterisation in the novel lies in the humour and easy camaraderie she has with her sidekick, Mark Brickall. It seems very natural, realistic and well established.

The Missing Child is a great read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

The Missing Child ( Detective Rachel Prince Book #1) by Alison James

Through " The Missing Child", Alison James introduces Detective Rachel Prince. Another police procedural with a strong female lead. So how does it stand from the others ?

Six year old- Lola Jade Harper is taken away from her home. The mother of the child blames it on her estranged husband Gavin Harper. The local police investigates and conducts search for the missing child. However, they couldn't locate the child or pin down a suspect and it becomes the most high profile missing child case in the country. When Gavin Harper disappears suddenly and is suspected to be out of the country, DI Rachel Prince is asked to assist the case.
Price and her sidekick DS Brickall team up with the local police to re-interview witnesses and family members. They follow several possible clues but everything leads them in circles. As the case progresses, the body of a local woman is found. The death at first seems unrelated, until a trail of social media posts lead Rachel to a chilling discovery. With growing pressure from the media and public, Rachel and her team struggle to bring Lola Jade home before its too late.

The missing child is more of a police procedural than a fast paced thriller. I found the ending a bit dramatic but the book kept me hooked throughout. Alison takes her time in introducing and developing her main character. The story alternates between the case investigation and messed up personal life of Rachel Prince. Rachel seems to have issues with relationships and doesn't seem to hold high ethical standard. However she is intelligent and a very capable detective. There are moments where her minute observations leading to major breakthrough in the case. She & Brickall make a great team and their interaction adds humor to a very serious story line. Though far from perfect, I ended up liking detective Prince and I'm looking forward to finding out more about her.

Thanks to Netgalley & Bookouture for the review copy.

Overall, The Missing Child is a great debut from Alison James and I would totally recommend it for fans of Kim Stone, Erica Foster & Robyn Carter.

4/5 stars

The Missing Child by Alison James a fast-paced thrilling five-star read. This is the first book in the new Detective Rachel Prince series and wow what a start, it’s going to blow you away. This book was brilliant the story was compelling and could have easily been on the wrong side of garish given some of the details, but the author dealt with the drama in such a great way that the story gripped you and refused to let go rather than being gregarious and overly done. It was possibly the best thriller I have read this year, there has been some great twist and turns but they are all dealt with and wrapped up in tight knots. The web that is weaved through the story was beautiful, every minute I wasn’t reading I was thinking about the plot and who had abducted Lola Jade, was it the same person who killed a single mother and then abducted another child? Where the red herrings in the story real twists or just there to twist your melon?
There were some things I didn’t like as much, like the partner Brickall he wasn’t a fave of mine, there was just something about him that irritated me. In some places you could tell that the author is still learning and promises the series will get better and better. The second book can’t come quickly enough for me.