"The Missing" by Daisy Pearce is a psychological thriller that aims to weave a complex web of mystery and suspense around the disappearance of a young girl. Pearce presents a narrative filled with twists and turns, aiming to keep readers on the edge of their seats. The setting is appropriately eerie, contributing to an atmosphere ripe for secrets to unfold. However, the novel sometimes struggles with pacing, with some sections dragging and others feeling rushed, which can occasionally disrupt the tension. While "The Missing" offers an intriguing premise and moments of genuine intrigue, its execution lacks the consistency to make it a standout in a crowded genre, ultimately making it a solid, if not unforgettable, read.

3 stars

This book was very hard to get into.
The storyline felt very flat and uninteresting
The characters are all very unlikeable and I felt bored.

Samantha has been looking for her daughter for close to 25 years. Supposedly Edie ran away. Frances is trying to figure out what her husband has been doing behind her back. His mother's fall down a set of stairs brings Frances and her husband back to his home town where Edie went missing. The book felt incredibly predictable. Even the moment when it feels like the author realized how predictable it was and decided to throw in a random twist. The characters and the story didn't feel like they went together smoothly. Many of the characters didn't feel like they made sense either. The end result was a very odd read.

Thank you #netgalley #daisypearce and #amazonpublishinguk for a copy of this book.

Edie Hudson was just 15 when she vanished one day without a trace. No one but her grieving mother Samantha particularly cared that Edie was never heard from again.

Frances has been married to William for a couple of years now. Things has been going well and she had wanted to start a family as she felt it was time, until William started to get quiet and hide things from her. She finds a picture of a young woman on his computer and after some more snooping, finds a picture of a much younger William with the missing teenager.

Travelling back to William's hometown to care for his injured mother, she meets Samantha and the two try to figure out what happened to Edie.
Someone knows what happened all those years ago though and will do anything in their power to keep their secret hidden.

This book was just ok. While the ending was a pleasant surprise, it was a slog to get through. I did like the alternating chapters and I liked Frances chapters but they were just too long.
A great premise but a not so great execution.

3.5stars

Edie Hudson, a rebellious teenager goes missing but no one really cares except her mom Samantha who still believes that Edie must have run away and no harm has come to her.

Frances is married to William who was also Edie's boyfriend during his teenage days. Their marriage has been a good union until money starts to go missing from their account, and William is becoming quieter day by day. When William rushes back to his hometown as his mom has a fall down the stairs, Frances finds herself getting pulled into the mysterious vanishing teenager Edie and meets her mom Samantha.

Samantha and Frances together have to find out what happened so many years ago.
Thanks to Netgalley, Amazon Publishing UK & Daisy Pearce for this ARC

The Missing is a story about a girl who goes missing and people don't seem that upset about it. Her mother is the only one who remains dedicated to finding her, and when she meets a woman who is looking for her missing husband, that woman has a picture of the missing husband and the missing girl. Switching back and forth through timelines and perspectives, this is a quick-moving thriller. The characters weren't remarkable or likable, and I struggled to be concerned for the daughter or empathize with the mother because they weren't fleshed-out characters that I really got to know. As far as thrillers go, it's not a horrible choice, but it also wasn't a favorite.

I love classic missing girls / whodunnit thrillers. They always bring me back to the books I read when I discovered thrillers. You could feel all of the characters’ emotions throughout which made the ending even better! Once you start you will have to continue to find out the ending. And it was a good twist!

Omg omg omg .......... this book was amazing I could not put it down I read every word on the edge of my seat I loved the story line, i loved the way the story just kept us guessing all the way threw I loved all the twists and turns and would defiantly recommend this book it was so believable and kept the reader engaged I love it

Really enjoyed this well written thriller. Solid plot that kept me hooked throughout. Will definitely read this author again.

I had big hopes for this book but the fundamental flaw was the naivety of Freya’s character. I wanted to be rooting for her but the backstory her character was given didn’t match how the story was unfolding. I found it difficult to get past this. The ending left too much unsaid, but not in a good way. I love K.L. Slaters work but this one wasn’t up to scratch.

The concept of this book was much better than the execution in my opinion. Don’t get me wrong, I read this in 2 days. It kept my interest, but I guessed every plot twist. I’m still interested in reading from this author though. They come up with very interesting plot lines, would definitely recommend for a novice thriller reader.

I received a complimentary copy of this book "The Missing" and all opinions expressed are my own. What happened 18 years ago? I wanted to find out but unfortunately the story wasn't that interesting. It was slow going for me and I barely made it to the end. I didn't look forward to reading it each day.

This one is interesting, swift thriller with darker undertones (and some interesting thoughts as food for thought to mull over).

Edie Hudson is missing for 20 years. Wild teenager whom nobody is missing - except of her mother, Samantha, who is hoping against all hope.
Wife Frances realizes that her marriage is in trouble - there are telling signs. And the hidden photos of a girl in provocative poses.

Fast pace, interesting subplots and the darkness in some scenes make for compelling, fast-paced read. Dark cemetery, psychological revelations, possible causes...all of this make for a swift ride.

And I'm glad for the undertone of "nobody cares about the problematic teenagers gone missing". We very much should care. And yes, our past is not our present and definitely should not set our future.

A missing girl. A loving mother who never gave up. A betrayed wife who doesn’t know who to trust.

Fifteen year old Edie Hudson disappeared 18 years ago without a trace. She never made it to school one day and has never been seen or heard from since. Her mother Samantha still lives with grief on a daily basis of losing her only child and wondering what became of her.

Frances has been married to William Thorn for two years but as Frances approaches 33, she is aware of her biological clock ticking and yearns to fill their lives with children. The box room upstairs is where she envisions the cot, the toybox and her nursing her baby whilst the morning sun beams through the window. But alas, that room has become William's home office and where he stores his files and keeps his computer. Recently, Frances has become suspicious of William's behaviour. Money they have saved together for their "baby fund" has gone missing from their account and he appears to be more withdrawn. And then Frances discovers a USB stick taped to the back of his computer. On it are some very revealing photos of a very young woman, in her underwear and clutching an expensive purse William paid for. Is he having an affair?

Then his mother has a fall and he and Frances make the three hour drive to the Sussex Downs to be with her. But his mother's memory appears affected and she gets names and people muddled up. The doctors assure them this is normal after a fall resulting in a head injury and she should regain her normal memory soon. But she doesn't...instead she starts to make some wild noises that don't appear to make a great deal of sense. William's younger brother Alex brings in some old photographs to help kickstart her memory...

...and that's when Frances discovers a photo of a much younger William with the missing girl. Frances then becomes obsessed with finding out what really happened to Edie Hudson as she and Samantha begin to search for answers.

What really happened 18 years ago? The answer is, I didn't much care by this point. Edie was a selfish horrible girl who I didn't much care for and really wasn't invested in finding out what happened to her. All her mother Samantha to do was drone on and on monologuing about life with and without Edie. Frances' story was far more engaging but the chapters were far too long, everything far too descriptive and far too wordy that I just gave up. I ended up skipping to the final chapters to find out what happened and honestly...while it was surprising, I still didn't much care. Edie was hateful. A mean girl who treated her mother like crap. There was something seriously wrong with that girl, a borderline personality disorder maybe.

Told from both Samantha and Frances' perspectives, I was not intrigued in the slightest, but rather I was bored. From start to...well, where I finished. I was disappointed as the premise sounded so promising but the delivery just failed.

I would like to thank #DaisyPearce, #NetGalley and #AmazonPublishingUK for an ARC of #TheMissing in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first Daisy Pearce novel & I have to say it kept me absolutely hooked from the start. I found myself thinking about the characters even when I wasn't reading, which for me is always the sign of an excellent story. The plot is gripping and the characters beautifully drawn but the real joy of this book is the poetic writing style. A definite page turner which I highly recommend. I'll be looking to read her debut 'The Silence' next!

Edie Hudson was only 15 when she went missing. She never made back to her or home, never been heard or seen by someone and never been found. For the past 18 years Edie's mother Samantha had been grieving over her and still wandering to find any clue or answer regarding her girl.

On the other hand Frances 2yrs of married life with her husband William had been great going until now as she suspects he is being more quiet, trying to hide something from her & all of a sudden high amount of money is missing from their account. She finds a picture of very young woman on his computer who is holding a very expensive purse, the exact price amount of the purse had been missing recently from their account.
Further she finds a picture of very young version of William with a girl who'd been missing since years.

Frances becomes obsessed with the missing girl. Suddenly one day William gets a call that his mother had slipped down the stairs is very badly hurt. They both had to travel to Williams hometown to give a visit to his mother.

And the miracle happens on day that by accident she mets Samantha but that doesn't completely answers both of their questions.

Now both women together go on the final journey of finding all the answers. What happened all those years ago? Someone knows all the answer and will try his/her best to keep it hidden.

There was very mixed review for this book but it was kind of good for me. Except for the fact that many times story was very slow.

Thanks @netgalley for e-arc

I really liked this author and this book did not disappoint, it was an appropriately paced, page-turner that will have me hooked throughout the story.

A missing child and nobody but her mother cared. Twenty years later, the mother met Francis who was interested in knowing about the missing child as she found her husband's pic with the child.

That started the mystery going. My first book by this author, the going was slow. There was a sense of darkness with an eerie atmosphere, but the book didn't read like a fast thriller.

Overall, it was interesting as I too wanted to know what happened to the missing child.

Fifteen year old Edie walked out of her home one morning and never returned. Twenty years later her mother Samantha is still none the wiser about what happened to her wild child. Of course she’s never going to stop looking! A chance look at a photo by Frances brings the two ladies together as they try once and for all to solve the mystery. I loved this book straightaway despite some rather weird characters and wanted Samantha to find the peace she so desperately needed. It was a gritty story of deceit, lies and loss. Lewes is a lovely little town so it was nice to see it featured rather than the usual places. I would have no hesitation in recommending this and look forward to Daisy’s next book!

This book was wonderful. With a brilliant plot, and full of twists and turns, this story truly captured my attention from beginning to end.
The authors unique writing style brought the book to life, and I truly found it impossible le to put down.