Two women from different worlds disappear. Detective Clements believes they are connected.
Leigh Fletcher has the family she always wanted, the family she thought she’d never have. When Leigh met Mark he was recently widowed left to raise two young boys. It had only been five months since his wife died, but Mark needed a stepmother for the boys. Leigh’s life revolves around the boys. She’s a sensible mom that solves everything, looks after everyone, and always knows where the next after school activity is being played. For ten years Leigh has been the boys stepmom.
Kai Janssen is married to a Daan. They met in London while Daan visited for work. Kai’s life is filled with privilege and social parties. She’s a career oriented woman. She also takes care of her mother so she’s away from home a few days of each week.

Adele leaves a trail of suspicious activity giving readers plenty to speculate. This was not one of those on the nose investigations. DC Clements had a few chapters dedicated with her point of view but she mostly got as far as questioning family and friends.
Starts off a missing persons case becomes a domestic thriller and finishes up with twist after twist. The concept was unique very original. However, I struggled with the execution in the beginning, but once I gained my footing the story flourished.
I hadn’t given it much thought when I read the premise of a missing persons case. After reading other peoples reviews it seems some people consider missing people a type of trope. I suppose it’s a recognizable theme. I on the other hand don’t put much thought into that concept being a trope. Tropes have a tendency of opening the door to preconceived ideas. I don’t like projecting my ideas into a story. I rather let the the author give her writing voice an opportunity to guide the reader.
This is my first reading experience by Adele Parks. I’ve learned she has written 21 novels and is one of the bestselling authors in the United Kingdom. I have to admit I was drawn to the cover, the title, and the premise. Although, It was a rocky beginning for me having been unfamiliar with her writing voice. I’m a sucker for intriguing storyline’s and with the caption “a gripping story of greed, lies, and dark secrets” I couldn’t wait to delve in. It took some time to warm to the idea of what was happening. Sure Adele needed to develop the characters and get readers acclimated to the concept. Just when I grew impatient having skimmed along I found the golden hidden secret that unlocked the entire premise of the story. Once that was revealed the story blossomed.

I imagine it must of been challenging to write this type of story trying to hide what was happening. It’s understandable that mistakes can be made. That’s why it’s surprising to find an incorrect name used. Using a name incorrectly in this type of context changes the outcome. Hopefully the author is aware of the mistake.
This was a compelling story one that will linger long after having finished reading. That ending alone has me thinking long and hard.
Adele built the story with multiple points of view toggling between the past and present. It’s easy to read despite the numerous characters. There are a few twists but for the most part this was predictable and easy to sort out. Overall, it was the secrets that defined these characters.

Sloooooooooow predictable burn. Did I like this? Yes!! Did I love it? No. I do love missing persons stories and the captor gives the captee notes from a typewriter slid under the door to her holding "cell". Ok - I'm intrigued - let's get THRILLERY.
Unlikeable characters, I love to hate them. But there was so much internal dialogue and going back to the past that it made the story run a bit slow for me. This is also very light on the thriller. I did see one twisty twist coming from a mile away but another one snuck up on me and pinched me on the ass.

Detective Clements is determined to figure out what happened and if these disappearances are related in any manner... and we all know they are because we're reading about it. *wink* But really, I feel like if this part had been left out, it wouldn't have made much of a difference in the story itself. So this is definitely less "procedural" than you may think at first.

I don't know, y'all. I do love this author and will absolutely continue to read her. The ass pinch I mentioned earlier is at the end of the book and I'm just not sure I bought it all. I absolutely have no issue suspending belief but sometimes I just have to head tilt and brow furrow at some things. I need answers.

I was hooked from the very beginning with this book by Adele Parks. It’s a domestic thriller that does include a subject that might be too taboo for many.
However, if you know me…I thrive on thrillers that are filled with disturbing taboo subjects and if you need to put TW I’m all about it 😁!

Lee, whom is socially awkward and infertile, is having lunch with her BFF in the park, happens to see a man with two young boys. When the younger boy falls from the top of the slide she rushes over and the dad is in shock and she takes over. His wife recently died of cancer, but it wasn't long until they were married.

She worked away from the home during the week and life was great for many years. That is until that dreadful Thursday, she didn't return home. Mark and the boys are beside themselves and they call the coppers.

This isn't an ordinary missing wife case as the DC realizes, especially when another wife is reported missing also.

What happened to Lee and how are the two missing wives connected? You will be blown away when you find out.

Definitely for those who love juicy twisted domestic thrillers, where the gender stereotypes are reversed!

Thank you #HTP and #NetGalley for my gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.

Two women missing. They both appear to have everything and as Detective Clements begins her investigation it doesn't take her long to realize that they are connected in some way. As Clements begins interviewing the women's husbands, neither has a clue as to where their wives have gone.

Leigh Fletcher and Kai Jansen seem as different as night and day and it is up to Clements to find these women, with hopes that they are still alive. While Leigh appears to be a happy wife and stepmother, Kai is married to a wealthy businessman and lives a life of glamour. But they both disappeared at the same time. Coincidence?

Although Leigh's successful job as a consultant takes her away half a week at a time, her home life seems perfect. Kai's life also seems perfectly ideal, although caring for her ailing mother part-time regularly takes her away from her husband Daan. Both women lead part-time lives, for apparently very good reasons. Who took these women and what is the motive? What is more is whether or not Clements will find them safe and alive.

This intriguing book by Adele Parks proved to be an excellent read. As the clues were dropped pieces started connecting as perspectives changed as the story progressed. While the plot was something that will be made clear to most readers, it was quite interesting how Parks tied everything together, resulted in a surprising conclusion.

Many thanks to MIRA and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Leigh Fletcher is a married consultant and mother to two stepsons. She regularly works out of town beginning on Mondays, returning on Wednesdays. When she failed to come home at her regular time and could not be reached, her husband Mark contacts the police for help. Detective Clements starts her investigation and then learns of another woman, Kai Janssen, who’s gone missing, reported by her wealthy Dutch husband, Daan. Her instincts tell her two cases may be connected so she asks to investigate both. Both women seemed to have vanished inexplicably, without a trace.

Boy, this one took me around the bend and back! I came up with so many theories my head was spinning. The story is told from multiple points of view but the primary weight of the backstories and plots are delivered from Leigh and Kai. I found both women to be enigmatic and couldn’t always trust their reliability. Their husbands were also curious at times, making me vacillate between their innocence or guilt. It all combined to make for a compelling reading experience.

I listened to the book and was thrilled with the narrator! She managed so many speech patterns and accents I often though there was more than one performer. As for the mystery, I guessed most of it incorrectly but at least the culprit was someone I suspected. That ending…well, it left me speechless. Get ready for a journey you won’t want to interrupt and some clever twists. I couldn’t put the book down because I just had to know whodunit.

Holy Wow Cow!! OMG!

Woman Last Seen is an amazing book! I was hooked from the first page until the last and I absolutely cannot wait to read more books by Parks! When's the next one coming out? Gimmee it now!!

Woman Last Seen had me guessing until the very end. Great plot twists throughout the book that I didn't see coming. Will be picking up more books from this author!

I DO NOT WANT TO READ ABOUT COVID IN FICTION!!!!! I think I might have to start waging a similar war on this as I do with 'prooftexting' in Christian nonfiction - an automatic star deduction every time I see it, which is the case here. Granted, it wasn't *as* prevalent as I've seen other books (as this book takes place in the days just before England initiated its lockdown), but I personally do not want to see it AT. ALL.

Outside of the COVID elements (which were really more tangential to the story anyway and could have been easily eliminated, which makes it even more infuriating that they were included), this book has a slow build through the first third or so... and then it begins picking up steam. (Both bedroom and motion.) Parks does a pretty solid job of tossing in believable suspects, to the level that I personally was completely wrong about a couple of characters, and I didn't peg the ultimate person responsible basically until Parks made it very blatant as to who it was.

Overall a solid work of suspense/ mystery hampered by the unnecessary inclusion of COVID. Recommended, if you don't mind reading about COVID.

I really enjoyed Woman Last Seen and found myself wanting to pick it up any chance I had. There were parts I had figured out but there were a few surprises thrown in. The only complaint is I felt the ending was a little abrupt. Would definitely read more from this author and would recommend this book.

Unfortunately this one wasn't for me. It starts great and I was hooked but then easily became bored as it dragged on. Then out of the blue a lot of very disturbing sex stuff that made me feel very uncomfortable.

Thanks Netgalley for the chance to read this one, it's out now!

Woman Last Seen is a bit of a slow burn for me, and it took me a bit to get invested in the story. Once I did, I genuinely wanted to know how it would all play out. I did end up guessing most of the twists and the outcome, but that didn't take too much away for me. I will say that I feel like this one was more domestic suspense than thriller, but it was still quite good. I like the way Adele Parks sets the scene, and her character development is good even when I didn't exactly like the characters, at least not all of the ones I felt I should like. But that's the way of the world, isn't it? We don't like everyone we meet, so it adds a little realism to the mix. All things considered, this is an entertaining story and it has a tension about it that made me want to keep going to see what would happen even if I did guess it.

Two women are reported missing and the police must determine the connection between the two in order to solve their disappearance. I can't say too much without giving the plot away, but what I really liked about this is it's originality. It is not your typical thriller and certainly not your typical characters. The story had a quick, suspenseful flow and moved along nicely. I did figure out the twist very early on, so I wasn't surprised at all. I also felt that the ending was a bit abrupt. Still, a fast, entertaining read for thriller fans.

Wickedly plotted and wonderfully suspenseful.

Two women…that live in completely different worlds.

Leigh married a widower with two small boys. She happily steps into the role of stepmother and falls in love with the children. They struggle like most families, but Leigh loves being a wife and mother.

Kai marries a handsome and very wealthy businessman. Neither wants children. She lives a glamorous life…filled with entertaining and other meaningless tasks.

Both women disappear around the same time. Could the disappearance of these two women, who are so different, be related?

I’ve only read one other book by Ms. Parks but found it very enjoyable, so I jumped at the chance to read this one. The cover is absolutely beautiful and grabbed my attention the first time I saw it. This domestic thriller has some awesome twists. Some I saw coming, but others were a complete surprise! I highly recommend it!

Sincere thanks to Netgalley for a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions are my own.

#womanlastseen #adeleparks #netgalley #justfinishedreading #bookstagrammer #harlequintradepublishing #mira #htpinfluencer #inexchangeforreview

A perplexing missing person thriller. This was a slow burn and started to pick up right when I started to get bored. The characters were interesting and the author gave us just enough tidbits to stay invested and keep reading. I didn’t love the ending but overall, this was a fun read. My thanks to the publisher for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

Leigh Fletcher is a happy wife and stepmom to two boys. She leaves for work one morning, but disappears. Kai Janssen is also happily married and disappears while on a trip to check in on her mother who is ill. Each couple seems to be keeping secrets that could be related to the disappearance of the women. DC Clements is convinced these two seemingly unrelated cases are connected and won’t give up on the investigation no matter what direction it takes.

The premise of this book is very intriguing and I really enjoyed the first part of the book which goes back and forth in time and between Leigh and Kai’s points of view. Leigh and her husband Mark, as well as Kai and her husband Daan, are flawed and are keeping secrets. This provides a great set-up for a suspenseful story. This is a hard book to review without giving away crucial plot developments. There is one huge twist fairly early on in the book that is a game changer! There is a lesser twist involving Leigh’s best friend that ends up being important to the overall plot. Although the author includes a few red herrings as to what happened to Leigh and Kai, I was able to figure it out relatively easily. Also, know that this is not a cozy mystery. There are a couple of violent scenes that are hard to read, and there are also some graphic sex scenes.

I enjoyed the character of DC Clements and wish there would have been more of a focus on the investigation, especially toward the end of the book. I was interested in how things would turn out, but some parts of the book became tedious. There are pages and pages of internal dialogue and soul-searching that at first give some insights into important characters. However, they soon become repetitive and slow the pace of the book. Although I appreciate the major plot twist in the story, that doesn’t make up for the somewhat predictable and abrupt ending that leaves many things unresolved and ambiguous. I love the premise of Woman Last Seen and would read other books by this author, but was disappointed in this one.

~ Christine

Leigh met Mark one day in a park where he was playing with his two young sons. Mark’s wife had died a year before and Mark was struggling to raise his sons while handling his grief. After getting to know one another, they got married. Since Leigh is unable to have children, she dearly loves Oli and Seb. Mark has a gardening landscape business and Leigh’s job takes her to Scotland Monday through Wednesday night. She arrives home on Thursday mornings through the weekend. But this Thursday morning, she doesn’t come home. She and Mark had an argument before she left on Monday and since he hasn’t heard from her all week, he figures she’s still smarting from their argument. Worried now, Mark calls the police to report her missing.

Kai is married to Daan, a wealthy Dutch man. Kai told Daan that her mother is in a nursing home in the north of England for Alzheimers. The doctors say the woman has an infection so Kai is up there for a few days each week while they monitor her mother. But when Kai doesn’t return on her latest trip and doesn’t answers his calls, Daan gets worried and calls the police to report her missing.

This book kept me on the edge of my seat. I’m on the fence regarding how I feel about Leigh as a person. She is certainly a complex personality who decided to allow herself to live her life to the fullest. Not far into the book, I figured out who the “bad guy” was so it was interesting to see if I was right. I think readers will find this book very thought provoking and as is quoted in the book: “For every action, there is a reaction.” Enjoy.

Two women from very different worlds go missing in the same week. Happily-married step mum, Leigh Fletcher vanishes on a Monday morning, and then Kai Janssen, married to wealthy Dutch businessman, Daan disappears. DC Clements investigates.

Adele Parks writes so well that it wasn’t long before I became completely enveloped in this compelling story. Both of the women’s husbands, Mark and Daan were well portrayed as was DC Clements. The author did a brilliant job of forcing me to second guess everything and revise my suspicions and theories as I was frequently guided along alternative paths. Very dark in places and with a smart build-up, I was shocked by the twists and the ending. Very highly recommended and an extremely worthwhile mystery-thriller.

A special thank you to MIRA Books and the author for a complimentary copy of this novel at my request received via NetGalley. This review is my unbiased opinion.

I liked the style of writing and the storytelling, unfortunately I didn't care for the characters and the story fell flat.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A 2.5 stars read.

From the blurb I expected a fast-paced, full of suspense and action solving this missing person cases. Unfortunately, it's far from those things. It's a slow-burn psychological thriller.
At the beginning we follow the victim's life, that got me sympathize with them which is good, the back and forth between the past and present, got me turn page after page wondering what happen, altough kinda dragging sometimes, still it's not that bad even though kinda annoying for me. Then THE Plot Twist hit me and it's a big surprise, I really didn't see that coming so I think it's getting better, but nope, everything is going downhill from that, I hate all characters in the end and some parts seems unbelieveable and that ending OMG it's so infuriating and frustrating and kinda dissapointing for me. I wish I could say something more but I don't want give any spoilers.

So overall, it's just an okay read for me.

I have started and deleted the first few words so many times of this review… I’m honestly sitting here with my jaw on the ground! I loved the writing so much! It’s my favorite Adele Parks book to date and I’ve read a bunch! I loved the first person perspective and I loved the POV from multiple characters. I loved how everything was pieced together throughout the book. I’m still in utter disbelief at how it ended and ………