The penultimate book! This is a great series. Another fabulous read, full of mystery and more unanswered questions. I'm really excited for the next installment where hopefully everything comes to a conclusion.

Repressed is Book 5 in this absolutely fabulous series & another emotional, emotive and tightly plotted thrill ride with investigative journalist Emma Hunter.

Emma, now a well known best selling author for her book Monsters Under The Bed is involved in a different sort of case because this time the child abducted was found and is now married and in her forties.
For Zara Edwards that was a time she wanted desperately to forget but new memories of that time and of people involved are now coming back which could endanger the lives of everyone trying to help, which includes Emma and her friends.

Love the use of dual time lines that the author uses in these novels and I’m on tenterhooks waiting to find out how this brilliant series ends.
LOVED IT ❤️

Many thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollinsUK, OneMoreChapter for an ARC for my honest review.

I didn't expect this book to be so plain. The next child kidnapping story was extremely underwhelmed. It wasn't fascinating. There was also a disconnect as it didn't continue with whomever send the two photographs to Emma from the last book. Emma's relationships with both Rick and Jack went nowhere. There was a good continuation for the investigation into Anna's disappearance and the group; however, looking at the book as a whole. The revelation wasn't as big as I thought for the second to last book in the series. I am looking forward to the last book in the series for the answer to Anna's disappearance.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Zara has spent her life running while staying perfectly still. Abducted as a nine-year-old and found alive two years later she has been hiding in plain sight ever since. Her nightmares are getting worse however, her boyfriend is desperate to find out why, and sleep has become a luxury. Unsure how long she'll be able to hold everything together Zara has no idea how to save herself but then she is introduced to Emma Hunter.

Emma is in a quandary, her investigation into the cold cases of missing children going back decades seems to have hit a brick wall, while her mum is hospital, more lost and bewildered than ever.  As she struggles to cope with what has happened it becomes very clear Emma has struck a nerve with someone desperate to keep their secrets hidden and everything she holds dear is in danger because of her.

This is the penultimate book in M A Hunter's brilliantly original series and although a little different is no less compelling, than the previous four installments. It still draws you in but because of what is happening to everyone involved right now rather than in the past. The main protagonists are moving forwards but seemingly without any idea of who is guiding them or what their motives are.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. This is an excellent series I shall be sad to see end. Although different in tone to its predecessors this book is still highly recommended

A solid four star read. The fifth book in a great series of missing children. Good premise. Great characters. Enjoyed the style of writing. Plenty of mystery to keep me enthralled Look forward to the last book of the saga..Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it

The intrigue continues in the Missing Children Case Files series. Emma is drawn into another case of a child abducted but who is now a grown woman. Danger is lurking and powers are causing havoc to Emma's ongoing investigations. I am now desperate for the final book in this series.

I would like to thank Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for an advance copy of Repressed, the fifth novel to feature Weymouth based true crime author Emma Hunter.

Emma has published several accounts about the treatment of sex trafficked children from their own perspective and so it is to her that Zara Edwards turns for help when her memories of her ordeal 33 years ago start to emerge. Emma is not looking for another book, but information about the disappearance of her sister, Anna, twenty plus years ago. This is the investigation that drives her and it’s getting dangerous.

I enjoyed Repressed which is another page turning addition to the series. It is slightly different to the previous novels in that it doesn’t really add to Emma’s knowledge about the paedophile ring she suspects kidnapped Anna and, thankfully, it’s not as graphic or quite as dark about the abuse. Instead it concentrates on Zara’s torment and the repercussions of Emma’s investigation into the ring. It does, however, follow the same format of alternating timelines and voices, switching between both Emma and Zara in the present and Zara’s experiences as a captive.

The plot is interesting and has much to say about the influence of powerful people. I like a good conspiracy theory, but I’m not sure I bought this one, if only because paedophilia is a hot button subject nowadays and I don’t think they could get so many people involved in a coverup, although I’m prepared to be corrected on this point. I found Zara’s story moving and heartbreaking, but, to be honest, it seemed rather pointless in terms of crime fiction, flickering out with a whimper and adding nothing to the hunt for Anna. I liked the journey but this novel feels like a holding pattern in preparation for the final showdown in the next novel.

Despite these reservations Repressed is a good read.

I have read every book in this series and jumped at the chance to read Repressed as the newest installment. It did not disappoint. It left the ending not at all wrapped up and I have a great need to read the last installment when it comes out. I am fully invested in Emma finding her sister.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc

Repressed is the fifth book in The Missing Children Case Files, and it’s a series that’s not to be missed if you consider yourself to be a fan of crime thrillers. As we grow one book closer to learning the truth about Emma’s sister Anna’s disappearance as a child, the suspense is growing at every turn of the page. I should mention that this is a hard-hitting series that deals with some tough themes, trafficking, grooming and abuse, but the author shows great sensitivity and there aren’t any descriptions that are explicit. 

The latest book tells Zara’s story, abducted as a nine years old, and found two years later. Thirty-five years later repressed memories surface, and with Emma’s help Zara hopes to find some closure. Emma believes Zara’s story hides clues to the identity of a high-ranking gang of pedophiles, as well as answers to her own sister’s disappearance. It’s clear that as Emma moves closer to the truth, she is in danger and this adds a sense of foreboding to the tale. This isn’t a fast-paced read by any means, but this isn’t a negative. The author teases the reader with titbits that could lead to what really happened to Anna.

As each book ends, the tension and suspense gain momentum, leaving you desperate for the next book in the series. The beauty of this series is the ongoing mystery surrounding Anna’s disappearance, Readers of this series are desperate to know what happened to her, is she dead? Has she made a new life for herself? Is she still a victim of trafficking? I have so many questions that I hope M A Hunter is going to answer in the last book in the series Exposed. Addictive, compelling and original, Repressed made for another excellent read. Highly recommended

Threads left dangling😕!

3.5🌟 stars
For me, this volume in M.A. Hunter's Missing Children Case series had a good amount of upheaval and action but not enough forward progress.

Its links to the previous characters and books in the series are actually quite concentrated in a nebulous, suspected group of well-connected high level traffickers that writer Emma Hunter wants to identify and bring to justice. Emma's continual interest in finding out what happened to her missing sister Anna and a few encounters with Aurelie Lebrun, a young French trafficking victim who was the main focus in Trafficked, the third book in the series also serve as links to earlier stories; I just did not find any of these threads moved the series' overarching story to a next level.

Concurrently with Emma getting drawn in to the mystery of an old case by a long-recovered yet still traumatized trafficking survivor named Zara Edwards, she finds herself, friends and colleagues experiencing accidents and mayhem right and left. This part of the plot was fast-moving and good, giving the story an atmosphere of menace and urgency. But several twists were introduced and then just dropped cold. One involving some new memories of Aurelie's left me baffled and quite unsatisfied. Why even bring it up?

As to Anna, the mystery of Emma's presumably abducted and trafficked sibling seems more of a teaser than a real plotline. Will the last book in the series provide answers regarding Anna? Who knows. I am certainly none the wiser after reading Repressed.

At this point I've read the most recent three books in the series and, yes, maybe I'll read the next to find out if all the open-ended questions get answered, but I'm not all that enamoured of the author dangling so many unresolved issues from one book to the next.

Thanks to Harper Collins UK/One More Chapter and NetGalley for providing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

This is another good entry in this series, mostly revolving around a woman, Zara Edwards, who went missing as a child for two years but was later found and brought back home. Upon her return, she struggled to fit back into her life and later began to question if it was even her life to begin with. She was introduced to journalist/author Emma through Emma's agent, Maddie, who's always on the lookout for a new story for Emma to pursue. We read some of the narrative through Zara in the past, though most of the violence she suffers is pretty vague, and merely implied. Emma's companion throughout this story is her best friend, Rachel, rather than PC Jack - her will they/won't they love interest. He's been in a car accident and remains unconscious in the hospital for most of the story.

Also absent in this book is Freddie, the man whose tormentors were finally brought to justice due to Emma writing a best seller about their past sins. Apparently Freddie is angry and not speaking to Emma because she 'pushed him too hard' about his past in her quest to gain answers about her long missing sister. I think that's a bit dramatic, as he knew she needed certain information in order to help all of the other victims and he admitted he should have told her everything he held back sooner than he did.

Apart from Zara's story, there' s not much other action, save for Emma continuing to feel threatened by the underground ring of child abusers. Well, she thinks it's them intimidating her by breaking into Rachel's apartment and causing Jack's accident, but there's no proof. Jack's boss tells her to back off and take the warnings to heart, but she refuses.

Hopefully, all we be revealed in the next and final installment in this series. I'll be sad to see it end, but can't wait for a satisfying conclusion!

We are close to getting all the answers. The plot is thickening, and the mood has changed. This book is different from the previous ones, as it in fact should be, so I don't mind. Until now we have followed cases of kids who are missing, but now we have the kid, alive and well, and in her forties. But is she who she says she is, and what happened to her when she was young?

The small unofficial team looking for the truth of who is behind these despicable things, and what happened to Anna, is getting close to the truth. They are getting so close to the truth that the criminals are getting nervous. Everyone involved in finding out the truth is getting hit in one way or another, and no one is safe.

I look at this series as I would watch a TV series of six episodes. It is one long story, and now I'm waiting for the big bang, the final episode. I absolutely adore the hero, Emma. Her persistence is admirable, and the fact that she never gives up, makes me feel proud of her. I can understand that she wants to find out the truth about what happened to her sister, but it is clear that she also cares about what happened to other missing children, and she wants to catch the evil culprits.

I believe and fear that everything she is about to do will take her into an even more dangerous thing, because the ending of this book showed that she is about to catch some powerful people, and naturally they are not happy about it. Even though Emma has gone through, and is still going through, heavy stuff in life, it warms my heart to see that the friends she now has gathered around her are there for her. They are being attacked because of their supporting roles. How many are willing to be a part of something like that?

Another excellent read in this superbly good series. I highly recommend this book, but keep in mind that this is a series that has to be read in order, otherwise you'll miss out on too much. M. A. Hunter is a talented author, and I wish this splendid series would go on forever, even though I know it won't. On the other hand I can't wait to read the final book in the series. As a final note... I think the author's name should be M. A. N. Hunter :)

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC.

After the ending of the last book I had high hopes and expectations with this book and I wasn’t disappointed. I thought this was a very well written book that, like the previous books, pulled me in right from the start and held my attention all the way through. It has very likeable characters and an engaging plot line. Here Emma helps Zara who was abducted 35 years earlier and is starting to remember events from that time. The story moved from past to present so effortlessly and I had so much empathy for Zara, and at times her story really tugged at my emotions. The author writes of a difficult subject sensitively and without any graphic detail, allowing my imagination to fill the gaps. I found this to be a fast paced, thrilling read with an ending I did not expect or see coming! I love this series and can’t wait for everything to come to a final conclusion in the next book.