1.5 stars for this NetGalley backlist title

Oh my! This was an implausible eye roller!

This started off with an intriguing storyline. After being gone for almost a decade, a woman returns to her childhood hometown to stay with her sisters family. The day after she arrives in town, she is thrown into a police investigation and becomes a carer for her niece and nephew.

I liked the first quarter of this book and thought the writing and storyline had potential. The author built up a promising plot with likeable characters. The atmosphere of the small town was done well, as was the exploration of the rekindling of family relationships and sisterhood.

Once the disappearance happens, this book quickly becomes unrealistic and cheesy. The main character becomes an amateur sleuth who basically leads the local detectives to solving the mystery. The head detective just so happens to be her past love that abandoned her on prom night and who she never got over (eye roll!). There are convenient flashbacks that come out of nowhere to push the plot forward and so many questionable plot points. The storyline was at times highly predictable and other times absolutely absurd.

Overall, this was a complete miss for me. Even the audio narrator was lacking. She had a strange way of pronouncing some words and included some awkward pauses which I found distracting. I do not recommend the audio version if you are going to try this one out.

Thank you to my lovely local library for the audio loan!

This book was a quick easy read, but I really enjoyed this story and would love to read more from this author.

I really loved this book in a new to me author. The characters and location really and to the story. I can't wait to read the next one. This book keeps you guessing until the end.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exhange for an honest review.
I found "My Sister Is Missing" by Carrisa Ann Lynch to be a nicely paced suspenseful mystery/thriller that kept me interesting the entire time and I found the ending was totally unexpected.
This is the 1st book that I have read by Ms. Lynch.
I am quite excited to read her newest book coming out in 2/2021 called, "Whisper Island".

Thank you Harper Impulse and Killer Reads and NetGalley for the ARC/

Great book to read by the pool. I really enjoyed it, and the twists and turns, not sure where it was going to end up. Check it out if you want a good fast paced read.

An intriguing suspense novel!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this creepy book

well what a weird book

20 year old mystery

a sister thats missing

poor emily doesnt even know where to start looking or cope with her nephew and niece...did her sister run away or was she taken and why when she looks at the woods does she get the shivers...what secrets do they hold

and why is there a message to her sister from an old school friend threatening her...

its not a strong story but its keeps your interest enough to find out the truth at the end

Nine years ago was the last time Emily has been home, however, her sister Madeline pleaded with her to come back to their childhood home to help her with the children since her husband left her for a younger woman. Plus she hinted that there was more but wanted to do it face to face.

Twenty years ago, Emily had a near-death accident in the woods surrounding their house and at the same time, another child went missing. Were these 2 incidents connected?

But before Madeline tells Emily "the big news" and only after 24 hours of Emily arriving, Madeline goes missing. Is it of her own accord or is something more sinister?

I really enjoyed this book. I was surprised at all that happened within the 197 pages. I was 99.99% sure I had it all figured out but the last few chapters showed that I wasn't even close.

A quick read that will keep you guessing throughout!

GR psoted 03/04/20
Blog post: 03/05/20

This book was fast paced. Hard to put down. It flowed well and it was very well written. It caught hold of me and had me hooked from the start . I was literally on the edge of my seat reading this book.

This book had me hooked from the start and I was drawn into the mystery. It was obvious Madi had a big secret and even when that was revealed, there were further twists to keep you guessing. It's not a long book but it packs a huge amount of suspense into the shorter length. This was my first introduction to Carissa Ann Lynch but I'll definitely look out for more in the future!

Carissa Lynch once again proved why she’s such a master of the dark mystery genre. She created such a finely crafted mystery that I was unable to stop turning pages once I began reading. Everything - the setting which emanates the feeling of desolation and abandonment; the characters, each carefully concealing their own dark secret; the masterfully-created plot, which imminently moves to an explosive climax - all of these components of a perfect story will ensure that you’ll be on the edge of your seat, reading late into the night until you find out what happened so many years ago in a small town of Bare Border.
Emily returns to the town of her childhood after receiving a strange phone call from her sister, Madeline. Everything seems oddly familiar as she arrives; her little niece and nephew win her over at once and Madeline seems fine, apart from her recent separation from her husband. Only, Emily’s sister vanishes overnight and now it’s Emily’s duty to find out what happened to her before it gets too late. An estranged husband who acts suspiciously, Madi’s friend who appears on her doorstep in a frantic search of a VHS tape, an old photo of a girl who disappeared under mysterious circumstances years ago - for Emily, there won’t be a lack of suspects in this highly strange case. Till the very end, I kept wondering if she would uncover the terrifying truth or if the past would catch up with her just like it did with Madi.
I can’t recommend “My Sister is Missing” highly enough. It’s written in the best tradition of the dark mystery genre and is a true must read for all fans of the genre. Gritty, engrossing, and impossible to put down it will haunt you for a long time after the last page is turned. Wonderfully done!

My Sister is Missing
The most creepy, fast-paced and gripping thriller of 2019

by Carissa Ann Lynch

Harper Impulse and Killer Reads

One More Chapter

General Fiction (Adult)

Pub Date 08 Feb 2019

I am reviewing a copy of My Sister is Missing through Harper Impulse and Killer Reads and Netgalley:

If you are looking for a powerful, fast paced, on the edge of your seat thriller My Sister is Missing is just the ticket.

Will a VHS Tape depicting a horrific crime, help solve a twenty year old crime.

There are neighbors who have something to hide, as well as a sister who is Missing.

Is her sister Madeline the victim or the one to blame?

I found My Sister is Missing to be a well written, fast paced, suspense novel, that kept me engaged from first word to last!

Five out of five stars!

This book jumps right into the meat of the story. From page 1, you find yourself engrossed in Emily's story. As she works to unravel her sister's disappearance and what happened to her many years ago, we're holding our breath along side her. Great book, quick read, what more could you ask for?

New author for me but pleasantly surprised. Thank you for the approval and look forward to a book relationship with other reads in the future,

This book was good....not amazing....but it was worth reading. I was intrigued by the storyline and thought it sounded good....I liked the characters, the kids were cute! The book kind of muddled along and felt a bit long winded in places, like bits could have been left out and it wouldn't have made a huge difference. The end had some surprises but it kept twisting and I was a bit done with it by then....I also found the end a bit flatter than a normal thriller. It kept me wanting to read it as I wanted to see what happened.

I loved this book. It had me on the edge of my seat from the beginning wanting to know what really happened. BUT who can really say what happened except for those who were there?

Definite must read for thriller fans!

A really good gripping read. This book is a great page turner. I read it in one sitting. The characters and the setting are interesting and really well described. The plot kept me intrigued the whole way through.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

My Sister is Missing by Carissa Ann Lynch is a fast-paced mystery that had me hooked from the very first page. The twists and turns will keep you guessing until the very end, and have you scrambling to slot the many puzzle pieces into place.

Emily has returned to her hometown of Bare Border, Indiana, to reunite with her older sister Madeline. The two sisters have been estranged for years, and Emily has not even met her eight year old nephew and three year old niece. The reunion goes well, much better than Emily could have expected, until she wakes up the next morning to discover that Madi is missing. Surely there is a simple explanation, as Madi would never willingly abandon her children to her sister's care. Has Emily's reappearance given Madi an excuse to escape her life? Or is something more sinister afoot?

The novel is presented in parallel storylines, shifting between Emily and Madi's shared childhood, and the present in which Madi has gone missing. Is the past linked in some way to Madi's disappearance? Masterfuly crafted, the two storylines ultimately sync in a shocking reveal that will blindside even the sharpest of readers. I hope to read more from this talented storyteller in the future.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Impulse and Killer Reads for this ARC.

My Sister is Missing, like many other books in its genre, falls down the slippery slop of ineffectual and frustrating writing; turning, what could have been a rather interesting mystery, into one in which the pay-off is deemed not worth the slog it would take to get there. For a long time, all I wanted was to read a mystery/thriller; to be entertained, to be enthralled, to give a way a few hours like a majority do with contemporary romances and their status as “beach reads”. But, after reading many that have the exact same grammatical and structural problem as My Sister is Missing, all my heart longs for now is a piece of bloody good literary fiction.

My Sister is Missing by Carissa Ann Lynch, this is one of those books that takes a you by the hand when you first start reading and does not loosen it's grip until that last page is turned! Excellent characters and very interesting storyline, fast paced and easy to read as it flows nicely. Thank you Netgalley, the Publishers and Author for this book and letting me leave my review! Will be reading more of this authors books in my future!!