A great rollercoaster of a ride through a search for a missing young girl. This book did not disappoint. Well developed characters and locations I felt I could see the whole area which is a sign of a well written story in my eyes. I will defiantly be on the lookout for more by this author.

I was excited to read this book, being a huge Skandi-Noir fan. But, sadly, this one didn't do for me. Trying to work out where I felt I lost interest is quite hard. The characterisation was good, but I didn't feel a connection with Charlie or Anders. I found them both unlikable people, and therein lies the rub. To really care about what happens in a story, you have to care about the people involved. I just felt depressed about drunk and promiscuous 13 year old children. Weird fathers and mad mothers and a general feeling that the missing child would be better off dead as if the rest of her village was anything to go by, she'd grow up to be a miserable, alcoholic, drug addled adult. Not for me, sorry!

This was my first time reading Scandi crime thriller and I liked it! It is a highly suspenseful read, builds and burns slow but then picks up pace. An enjoyable book, For The Missing has everything a good crime story should have. Bengtsdotter's writing is great and I loved Charlie, the main character. I shall be looking out for more books from Ms Bengtsdotter!

This was an excellent thriller, if sad about teenagers drinking and smoking and ruining there lives in a small town.
Thanks so much for allowing me to read this book ahead of publication.
Two children murdered a. Small child, they grew up changed there names got married and had daughters.
But bad things tend to catch up with you, and terrible consequences led to yet another sad life being ruined.
Look forward to reading another book by this excellent author.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Orion Publishing Group for an advance copy of For The Missing, a stand alone novel set in the Swedish town of Gullspång, Västergötland.

Detectives Charline "Charlie" Lager and Anders Bratt are sent from Stockholm to Gullspång to help the local police find 17 year old Annabelle Roos who disappeared after a party. Unfortunately for Charlie Gullspång is the town she escaped from twenty years ago and she has mixed feelings about returning.

I thoroughly enjoyed For the Missing which is not so much a crime novel as an unraveling of Charlie and Annabelle's characters. It is not my usual fare as I prefer a more fact based procedural but I found it gripping reading. The novel is mostly told from Charlie's point of view, both in the present day and in her memories of her childhood but it also has flashbacks to Annabelle's last days told from her point of view and mysterious passages titled "there and then" which catalogue Alice's friendship with Rosa and seem to have nothing to do with the plot until they do at the end.

The police investigation consists of interviews and conversations and seems rather perfunctory and haphazard but it's merely background to the main thrust of the novel which is the examination of Charlie and Annabelle's characters and the shadow cast by the past on the present. I found it riveting despite both characters being a bit of a cliché. Charlie had a troubled upbringing and it manifests itself now in drink, pills and a promiscuous sex life and yet she manages to be a star at work. Slowly, over the course of the novel, how she came to be like this is explored and explained. Annabelle is initially portrayed as a good student and all round good girl but gradually cracks appear in this facade and she is hiding big secrets. The small town setting brings a magnifying glass to any flaws and a sense of claustrophobia to the events. It's very well done.

For the Missing is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

A lovely read!

The book starts a bit slow but then quickly builds up speed. The story itself is gripping and full of twists and turns!

I am a big fan of Scandinavian crime writers so I was keen to discover a new author in Lina Bengtsdotter.
The opening chapter really hooks you and draws you in. The story is told over a series of timelines; the present which covers the police investigation; throughout the day that the girl went missing; flashbacks from the detective’s childhood in the same small town and the story of another couple of young girls growing up there too, the relevance of which becomes clear at the very end.
The book is well written with an engaging style and I can imagine it as being the start of a successful detective series. However, it paints a depressing picture of this part of rural Sweden, without hope; with poor employment opportunities and disillusioned young people engaged in drugs, alcohol and promiscuity. The typically flawed detective has even more weaknesses and a more traumatic backstory than most. As such, it is not a comfortable read.
I would like to thank NetGalley and the Orion Publishing Group for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

This is the english translation of a popular book released last year in Sweden. The first of a series, it introduces DI Charlie Lager of the National Operations Dept. in Stockholm. When a young girl from the small town of Gullspång goes missing, she & colleague Anders Bratt are sent to help with the investigation.

As we quickly learn, Charlie has a boatload of secrets. One of them is she actually grew up in Gullspång with her alcoholic mother Betty. And she’s spent most of her life suppressing the memories. Not a problem, she’ll just keep that to herself & do her job (& pack her medication). Besides, what are the odds she’ll be recognized after 20 years?

Annabelle Roos is a smart, vivacious teenager who loves a good party. There’s not much to do in Gullspång except get together & drink. As far as she’s concerned, her future does not include sticking around. But until then, she has to survive small town gossip & her unstable mother. Turns out Annabelle has a few secrets of her own & after one night of partying, she disappears.

The book has 4 story lines that alternate & gradually connect to the overall arc of the plot. The one given the least amount of space is the investigation into Annabelle’s disappearance. In other chapters we follow her over the course of her last few days leading up to the party. There’s also the story of Rosa & Alice, 2 young girls whose friendship takes a sinister turn. And lastly, we relive Charlie’s childhood as her return to town opens the floodgates on all those memories & events she’s worked so hard to forget.

So here’s the deal. This author has some serious writing skills & the fact it is a debut novel just makes it all the more impressive. Kudos also go out to the translator. The prose is smooth & without the odd phrases or stilted dialogue I’ve come across in other translated works.

But I think your enjoyment of this book may be tied to your reading preferences. This was a new author for me so I did a little reading up on her books & saw this tagged as a thriller. I would have to humbly disagree. If forced to give it a label, I’d say it’s a combination of family drama & suspense.

I thought I was picking up a police procedural which I love to read but soon discovered the investigative aspect plays a minor role. This is actually Charlie’s story. And boy, does she have one to tell. I won’t get into details but since she fled Gullspång, Charlie’s life has been a steady stream of booze, pills & meaningless one night stands. And as we revisit the past with her, we come to understand why she has a few “issues”. The choice to make Charlie’s personal story the focus may have been because this is book #1 in a series & the author wanted to establish the character & her history.

So when it came to rating the book, I chose to base it on personal preference & what I enjoy reading. It’s just a simple mismatch between book & reader & not a reflection of this author’s ability to craft a compelling story. If you’re a fan of character driven drama this should be right up your street.

By the end the fates of Annabelle, Rosa, Alice & Betty are revealed & there are some surprises in store. As for Charlie….well, she’s got a long road ahead of her but you get the feeling she’s finally made peace with her past.

This book was amazing! I had no idea where this was going throughout this book I kept trying to guess where it was going and every time I was way off. I could not for the life of me guess where this story was going and I love that in a mystery.

I loved Charlie's character, although I've noticed in the majority of mystery books why do detectives or cops not know how to control their alcohol? Other than that I really liked her character, when she had an inkling she didn't drop it she just kept trying to figure it out and learn what happened.

Annabelle bless her I really felt sorry for her sometimes having to deal with her crazy protective mother, but once the thing came out it was understandable. I thought she was interesting character and I liked how we learnt about her life.

Rosa and Alice scenes very interesting and I want to know more about that.

After all this had done I felt like although the Annabelle part of the story had been answered, I still had questions when it came to Charlie, like I can't really explain it without spoiling it but yeah I had some unanswered questions.