The Runaway is the second in Ali Harper's No Stone Unturned Missing persons detective series and it's great. I loved The Disappeared (which was the first in the series), but The Runaway, in my humble opinion is even better and more so because it's based in Leeds and felt so immediate for me.

The main thing that draws me into these books is the characters. Harper has drawn two very different but equally likeable female protagonists. Told in the first person through Lee's point of view, Harper's writing style is almost conversational and because of this its so easy to whip through the book, which I did over two days. I love the insights we get into Lee's character. She is vulnerable yet, when it comes down to it she demonstares a bravery and tenacity beyond even her own expectations. Jo on the other hand appears a bit less vulnerable, a bit more savvy and as such the two compliment each other beautifully.

However, I was so chuffed to see Aunt Edith return in The Runaway. Such a brilliant character - well drawn, appealing and so delighfully humerous. Which brings me onto the second thing that really made the book for me ... the humour. It is so gently written in, but had me guffawing at intervals throughout and I think the humour is a really graceful way of balancing the dark subject matter of The Runaway.

So, with the backdrop of #MeToo and Epstein and .... the list is endless, The Runaway is a timely reminder of how far we still have to go to change attitudes. By weaving together two subplots, one historic and one current, Harper really gets to the heart of how celebrity can bring immunity and it is a current and thought provoking read.
My favourite scene has to be the Rave one in the countryside - Loved it. Loved seeing a different side to the two characters - Watch out for it - as well as being a key scene it's so full of life, fun and joy that I felt like I was in my twenties again.

This is a definite strong 5* read from me.

The Runway is the second book in a series revolving around two young, female private investigators who run an agency specifically searching for missing persons. The gals from No Stone Unturned have, so far, only has solved one case but soon they find themselves with two complicated jobs - a missing boyfriend and a cold case involving a woman who never was identified. Each of these cases leads the women into areas they never have gone before, from flats for the extremely wealthy and well-known, to freestyle "raves" in open fields. As the evidence begins to mount, they soon discover that neither case is at all what it appeared to be and that discovery can, and does, lead to dangerous conclusions.

The Runaway is very "in the now" book. This is not your stodgy old mystery novel but rather a very current, realistic one with characters that are flawed, young and extremely capable. The vernacular is edgy, the characters are young and feisty as hell. You know I love books with strong female leads and Jo and Lee are about as strong and urbane as they come.

"Women aren't taught to fight; they aren't taught to stand their ground. Women are taught.... to run."

These women do NOT run, they are not afraid and they definitely stand their ground. I loved them! I loved the book! While this is the second in the series, it reads as a stand alone quite well. I read it before I read the first in the series and, while I understand more about the women, I never felt lost while reading The Runaway. If you like mysteries with strong female leads the I cannot recommend The Runaway highly enough!

The runaway by Ali Harper.
A really enjoyable read with some great characters. Loved Lee and Jo. Aunt Edie cracked me up. Hopefully there is more to come from Lee and Jo. 5*.

Another fantastic read by Ali Harper, it was so easy to get lost in the world of Jo and Lee again, and although this is the second book in the series it would also read well as a stand alone.

The girls are working on two different cases, one of them looking for Nikki’s boyfriend who hasn’t been seen since he left for a party and the weekend & the other a cold case about a woman who committed suicide 7 years ago, who’s case was never solved, they hadn’t even been able to identify the body.

I was totally hooked by this story, there were so many twists and turns and the ladies use unconventional means to get the answers they need.

I felt so many emotions whilst reading this story, someone of them on opposite ends of the scale which is a really impressive thing for an author to be able to achieve.

The ending totally broke me, I was hoping there would be more from Lee and Jo in the future and now I’m not so sure!

The Runaway is the second book in the No Stone Unturned missing person agency series, unfortunately I've not read book one. I say unfortunately because I enjoyed it and I wish I'd read The Disappeared first.
The characters were obviously introduced to the readers in book 1 but I didn't feel I'd really missed out on anything, this book can be read as a standalone even though there are references back to things which happened in book 1, it only helps to give the characters more body to them.
The story starts with the agency's second client asking them to find her boyfriend who's been missing since going to a rave at the weekend. The enquiry takes the two investigators, Lee and Jo, all over England and on a short trip abroad. During this time a retired journalist friend asks them to look into a cold case from 7 years ago, the suicide of a young woman, who was never identified, which has always troubled him.
Lee and Jo are ably assisted by Aunty Eddie, who is office manager/receptionist/general dogsbody. The characters were all really interesting and well described. I really liked Aunty Eddie's old fashioned, down to earth approach to things.
Will the agency solve the two cases on their books or not? Well don't expect me to tell you, read the book to find out.
I'll be keeping my eye out for more in this series, its a lighter read to some of my usual psychological thrillers but one I really enjoyed.

I enjoyed this book and thought it well written. There were plenty of twists and turns amongst the interwoven cases being investigated. Not having read the first book in the series I was a little disappointed to find so many references to the initial volume. Whilst this means I probably wouldn’t go back and read it I would certainly read further books in the series. A series best read in order.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Impulse and Killer Reads for the eARC.
No Stone Unturned, a missing persons agency, owned by Lee and Jo, gets two new cases. The first is a missing young man, whose girlfriend is desperate to find him. The second is a cold case: a dead girl found 7 years ago, tied to a statue, naked, but for a necklace around her neck. After some time of investigation, it looks like the cases may be linked.
I really liked this book; will probably download the first in the series when I have made some inroads into my TBR list!
Lee and Jo are a great team and the office manager, Aunt Edie, is a fun character. The two mysteries are excellent, I couldn't stop reading, dying to find out what and who. At the same time, I didn't want the book to end.
Lee, in particular, is so likeable; I found myself understanding where she was coming from, having felt the same emotions she feels myself, good characterization!
I hope this will be a long series and also think it would make a good TV show. Definitely recommended!

I really didn't get on with this. I think my main problem was I didn't lime the voice of the narrator.
I wondered if I'd have been better off reading the first book to get a better understanding of the two main characters relationship and history.
I read to the end though,there were some interesting twists.

Brilliant crime thriller. I loved this. Was full
Of twists and jaw dropping moments. Perfect for fans of police crime mystery books xx

What links the cold case of a woman and the recent disappearance of a young man, this is for No Stone Unturned detective agency to discover.

A retired joutnalist wants them to look into a case of a woman found outside apartments who has never been identified and noone has reported missing and a woman wants them to locate her missing boyfriend, as the pis start digging they discover a link to the cases

I have mixed feelings about The Runaway. While the plot and mystery interested me I found Jo and Lee really irritating as characters and had no connection to them. The mystery does pay off and it has a strong plot I just can’t see myself picking up the next book in this series.
I’d give this a respectable 3.5 out of 5 stars.

A woman is found dead, tied to a statue in front of a group of high end apartments. Strangely, the police rule the death a suicide, but the owners of No Stone Unturned PI agency want more answers. Lee and Jo want to know who the woman was and why she would decide to kill herself in such a bizarre manner (who ties themselves up to die?). Links between the dead woman and another case they are working on soon surface and someone makes it clear that solving either case might cost the detectives their lived

The Runaway By Ali Harper

Lee and Jo run No Stone Unturned private detective agency, specialising in missing persons.
In this book they are dealing with two cases at the same time. Nikki's boyfriend has gone missing, and former journalist Martin Blink wants to reopen a cold case. The body of a young woman was found naked and tied to a statue. She was never identified.
This is the second book by Ali Harper about these two private detectives, the first book was The Disappeared. While both books read as stand alone, I did borrow The Disappeared from the library just before reading The Runaway.
I enjoyed both books, with The Runaway being my favourite of the two. I love a strong female lead character, so two is a bonus. I am very much hoping there will be a third book in this series.
Thank you to Netgalley, Ali Harper and the publisher for send me this book in exchange for an honest review.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Harper Impulse and Killer Reads for an advance copy of The Runaway, the second novel to feature Leeds based Jo and Lee of the No Stone Unturned missing persons detective agency.

Lee and Jo get two cases at the one time. Nikki Cooper-Clarke wants then to find her missing boyfriend, Matt, and former journalist Martin Blink wants them to investigate a case that has bothered him for seven years, that of a young woman found naked except a necklace chained to a statue in the grounds of a posh block of flats.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Runaway which has a compulsive narrative told in Lee’s first person voice. The two plot lines run side by side as the women develop lines of enquiry for both. I found both equally gripping in different ways. Finding Matt is possibly the easier of the two as he’s recently gone missing and there are people to talk to. The dead girl is different in that they have to identify her first before establishing why she died. Perhaps there is a touch of serendipity in how easily they get information but Ms Harper’s ability to continually move her novel forward makes it less noticeable as the reader gets caught up in events.

Lee and Jo are not typical fictional detectives, being young, feminist, alternative and not particularly strong in the forward planning department. Despite or more likely because of this they are tenacious and determined investigators. Lee has a strong voice with a well developed social conscience. On the whole I enjoyed her musings but sometimes it was just too right on, woke (pick your adjective for your generation) for my older sensibilities. I don’t need agenda pushing when I’m seeking entertainment.

The Runaway is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

Loved, loved , loved this book. This is the second book in the series but can be read as a stand alone, although I highly recomend The Disappeared as well.

Lee and Jo run the No Stone Unturned missing persons detective agency in Leeds. The settings are all around where I live so can really relate to the story. This time we find the girls being "assissted"in the office by Lee's aunt Edie when they are visited by Nikki who's boyfriend has gone missing following an illegal party. Where and why has he gone? What is he hiding?

Along side the investigation the girls also look into a cold case of the suicide of a young girl found naked and tied to a statue. Who is she and why did she do it? Why did the police not want to investigate at the time?

As the girls investigate both cases the twists and turns come thick and fast with a massive shock at the end which left me sad, shocked and wondering what would happen to No Stone Unturned.


This is a fast paced page turner that I couldn't get through quick enough. Here's hoping there's a number 3 in the series as I would love to know where the girls go from here. A massive five stars.

I loved so much about this book. I loved that it is set in my hometown, Leeds. I was brought up in Leeds 6 so know all the places mentioned which made the book more special for me. I loved that the two protagonists are strong, feisty, intelligent women, who are best friends as well as colleagues. I loved the premise of a female led missing person agency, which made quite a change from male PIs or police procedurals.

The books is very well written, action packed with a great twisty storyline and plenty of humour. It has a real cliffhanger ending which has left me impatiently waiting for the follow-up. Get writing Ali Harper!!

This is the second book in the series, but read well as a standalone. However I will definitely be reading the first book in this fantastic new series. It would make a brilliant TV series.

I wish I'd read the first book in the series by Ali Harper (The Disappeared) as I was confused a few times about references made to the Private Investigators last case and to their relationship. So that's my advice - read the first one and then this and it might all make more sense. The book was good don't get me wrong but I just felt like pieces were missing while i was reading it and the ending leaves you hanging as a prelude to book 3 i imagine.

The Runaway is the first book by Ali Harper that I have read however I found it a little bit "run of the mill" and it didn't capture me

I loved this book it was like coming back to old friends joining Jo and Lee and their detective agency. This was a thrilling read about their latest missing persons case which is a young girls missing boyfriend who has disappeared after an illegal rave. I was not disappointed but when is the next book released it as I need it now I can’t be left like this?