"…my childhood was one long nightmare, really. But this is different. Unfinished business—a time bomb ticking quietly like a second heart in my chest"
---------------------------------------
"He’s been up to his old tricks again."

All is not what it seems. Ebbing is a small coastal community, rich with day-trippers, and increasingly, week-enders. We meet a cast of locals, Dave, the owner of a pub, The Neptune, Toby and Saul, who own The Lobster Shack, the postwoman, Pete Diamond, a new arrival eager to run a music festival, the unspeakable Pauline, and plenty more.

"Elise knew that Ebbing wasn’t like its neighbors, Bosham or West Wittering. It didn’t feature in the Bayeux Tapestry or have thousands of visitors surging in like a spring tide on a nice day. An old fish factory with a corrugated roof squatted in the armpit of the curved sea wall guarding the harbor, and the ten thousand inhabitants lived mostly in prefabs, housing estate boxes, and salt-stained bungalows rather than thatched cottages but Elise didn’t mind. It felt a bit more real—and it was all she could afford on her own if she wanted to be by the sea. She’d never really considered it until recently—she was a city girl, through and through—but she’d worked up this fantasy that the sea would be company."

DI Elise King, 43, is on extended leave, still recovering from, and being treated for, a nasty bout of breast cancer. Well, that and a broken heart after the sudden end to a long-term relationship. Being stuck, unable to properly get back to major-crimes work is a hardship of another sort.

Luckily for her, there just happens to be a notable local person missing in Ebbing. Charlie Perry is 73, silver-haired, (I see Bill Nighy) a particularly friendly sort, a local sweetheart, with an adult disabled daughter on whom he dotes. He is involved in many local charities, and has a kind word for everyone. We meet Charlie in the prologue, affixed to a chair, gagged, waiting for his captors to return, desperate to escape.

The second piece that gets Elise moving is Ronnie, her charming, if intrusive, next-door neighbor. A particularly effervescent sort, she bubbles over on learning that Elise is a murder detective, and nudges her to get involved in solving the mystery, unofficially of course, and just by following small leads.

But there are other local curiosities that bear looking into as well. Two young people collapse at a local music festival after consuming some tainted drugs, (how did those drugs get there?) and a local barn catches fire mysteriously. There is a fair bit of unfaithfulness, more than a bit of financial distress, and lots and lots of secrets.

Of course, small leads lead to more questions, which lead to more leads which lead to… and on it grows. This offers Elise a way to test out her weakened physical and mental muscles, building her confidence, as long as she stays in the good graces of her colleagues in the local constabulary.

The structure is to alternate current action (in which Elise, with Ronnie, conducts a private investigation) with a recounting of events that led up to the present unwelcome state of affairs. We go back to seventeen days before Saturday, August 24, 2019, and step up to the present, day by day for the most part. Chapters are labeled with when events take place using the metric of the number of days before August 24. Both current and look-back chapters shift POV. Our primary character, Elise King, takes the most (37) but Dee, her house-cleaner takes up a fair number (19). Charlie gets 8 and 9 chapters are distributed among other characters. Barton is a master at presenting diverse POVs. It is always clear who is speaking, whose eyes are providing our witness.

One lovely element of this Fiona Barton novel was the rise in prominence of place. It has not been a major focus in the past, except in The Suspect, which included a lot about Thailand.

"We moved here three years ago and it was lovely because we’d never lived by the sea before. So I had all this new material when we moved here. Lots of new people to watch and y’know, take notes about and so I decided that I would set my next book in Ebbing. Fictitious town. Did not want to get weighed down by a real location. And “I’ve had a lot of fun. Um, you know, sort of describing this small rundown seaside town…It is not one of the chi-chi ones that everybody wants to buy a property in, but it’s full of characters." - from The Poisoned Pen Bookstore interview

She writes about the tension experienced in any gentrifying place, as locals become economically squeezed by more affluent outsiders. A change for Barton this time is that her main character is a detective. In her prior series, she had featured a journalist, reflecting her many years as a pro in that field.

In any mystery there are two general things to look at, the story itself (Is it interesting? Does it make sense?) and the appeal of the lead. Do you want to spend 384 pages with this person? Not to worry. We are introduced to Elise King as she is struggling to work her way back to the love of her life, the thing she is best at, the thing that gives her the most satisfaction, her work. The limitations she experiences are the result of her illness, an act of God essentially, and not the product of substance abuse or moral failing. Another element that is crucial to a satisfying mystery is that it offers surprises. You may need a neck brace to prepare for the whiplash from the many twists that Barton has woven into her plot. There are a couple of particularly good ones near the end.

The supporting cast is a true strength in this one. Dee gets a lot of screen time, so we get to know her second-best. It is a fun challenge trying to figure out what is going on with her. Pauline, Charlie’s wife, is comedically awful. Ronnie is a wonderful support and much-needed nudge for Elise. I was very happy to learn that Barton plans another Ebbing-based tale, and Elise and Ronnie will both be back.

Bottom line is that I found Local Gone Missing an entertaining mystery, with engaging characters, a compelling core story, and a string of related events that is tightly woven into a very readable book. If you can locate a copy you will not be sorry.

"'You have to remember that monsters don’t look the part, Ronnie,' she said. 'They’re not marked out in any way. If only . . . They live among us in plain sight. In their cardigans and sensible shoes. They have library cards, buy a poppy for Remembrance Day. They’re the man or woman next door who picks up a pint of milk for you, asks after your parents, or takes in parcels from deliverymen.' All the while planning their next act of depravity."

Review posted – July 1, 2022

Publication date – June 14, 2022


For the full review, with links, please head one over to https://cootsreviews.com/2022/07/01/local-gone-missing-by-fiona-barton/

This is the third book of Fiona Barton's that I have read and reviewed. I guess that makes her one of my must-read authors. And honestly, in my opinion, each book is better than the last one.

This story grabbed me from the very first chapter. How can a person being held captive not be an intriguing way to start? And then all the secrets kept by everyone in town. Who are the good guys and who isn't? It was hard to keep track of who was doing what and why—but in a totally good way. That's what makes this story so great, all the questions, and so many sneaky characters.

Local Gone Missing is a book that you will not want to put down once you start. I just had to keep going so I could get to the bottom of everyone's motives. What a great read!

The book did have a slow start, but around 40% things got interesting and I was fully invested in the story. I really liked the way it all played out and the ending left me satisfied. There were three narrators for the points of views and that worked well for me. I did switch to the book towards the end because I tend to read faster when the story is reaching it’s peak.

I read and enjoyed this author’s Kate Waters Series and I liked each book more than the last. I was interested in this new book but I don’t think I liked it quite as much as the series.. I did find that there were a lot of characters and it was confusing at times. There does seem to be a lot going on in the beginning of the book and luckily things get clearer as the story progresses. Although this wasn’t my favourite of this author’s I still enjoyed it and will read more from her.

Fiona Barton is always spot on in her storytelling, and Local Gone Missing is no exception.
Detective Elise King is on leave, fighting her biggest battle yet. Cancer. She is just hanging out, resting, observing things around her, when suddenly Charlie is missing. So you already know that Detective King isn’t going to be able to sit around and watch.

I like the "small town" reads since it always seems to be the small towns that seemingly on the surface look serene and non mysterious usually have such an undertone of secrets and lies! Elise King is residing in a seemingly small quaint seaside town that reveals some mystery to the detective who is trying to map out her own life wondering if she will ever return back to work and be able to investigate again. It seems the town of Ebbing is bringing the investigation right to her doorstep. A local man goes missing and her amateur sleuthing neighbor was a great addition to having a sidekick for Elise! The story switches between multiple POVs, has a few subplots, and at times could be a lot at once but overall was a good detective read! Thank you NetGalley for the copy and the chance to review with my own opinions.

I've read all of Fiona Barton's novels, and while The Child is still my favorite, I really enjoyed her latest whodunnit thriller. The novel is told via dual timelines and narrated via multiple points-of-view, with the main one being Detective Inspector, Elise King. I wasn't completely surprised by any of the twists because I had an inkling early on, but I wanted to see how all the characters ended up being connected.

The beginning was confusing for me, as we were introduced to a large cast of characters and I kept having to go back to reread chapters to help jog my memory. Also, while the mystery itself didn't completely pique my interest, I would like to know more about Detective King, as her ending was left open. I'm hoping this is the beginning of a new series by Ms. Barton.

A thank you to Netgalley for sharing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'll start with this: I have enjoyed Barton previous books and won't hesistate to reach for another. That said, I can't say that I enjoyed this one overall and am a little disappointed by it. The story itself is promising and while the execution isn't bad, there's something a bit disjointed about it and most characters remain two dimensional rather than being fully fleshed out, which makes it hard not only to connect with them, but the book itself.

If you like slow-paced books, you will definitely enjoy this book more than I did. It took me about halfway through the book to really even get into it. I am normally okay with slower-paced books but I was already in a reading slump when I started the book so that did not help. Once I did get into it though it was a lot more interesting and easy to finish quicker!

I enjoyed “Local Gone Missing.” The main character, detective Elise King is on medical leave and somehow becomes embroiled in the disappearance of a man in a small seaside town.

**I received an electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

I always enjoy reading a Fiona Barton novel and Local Gone Missing was no exception. I've had some time to think about this one and it made me bump my rating up just a bit from where it started at a 3.5/5. I couldn't help but be a little confused since there is a lot going on in this one, but I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that I listened to the audiobook. I really appreciated that there were 3 narrators (Gabrielle Glaister, Jayne Entwistle & Nicholas Guy Smith), but there are a lot more viewpoints than narrators, so it did tend to get confusing that way. I am definitely planning on a reread of this at some point, and for that, I will try simply reading the book as normal. Despite my confusion, I was a really big fan of the audiobook in general and I thought all of the narrators were fantastic. In other words, don't be scared to pick up the audio just because I got confused by all the characters.

Out of all the viewpoints, I definitely enjoyed Elise's the most, and thanks to her there is a very police procedural feel to the story. I love police procedurals, and I loved watching Elise as she tries to figure out what is going on in Ebbing. Out of everyone, I felt like I got to know her the best and was very invested in her since she is on leave thanks to having breast cancer. I really felt for her, and she felt the most fleshed-out of the characters. I was also a huge fan of the way so many things and characters tied together, and the small-town feel of everyone knowing things about everyone else. There are plenty of secrets to be revealed though, and I enjoyed the slow unraveling of them. I would call the pacing of Local Gone Missing medium at best, but there is so much going on that it easily kept me interested. So, who should read this? Fans of police procedurals who can handle a lot of viewpoints and a lot of moving pieces, this is for you!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I enjoyed Fiona Barton's The Child, so I knew I had to grab Local Gone Missing when I saw it available. You guys know I can't pass up a good thriller!

Elise has always been an ambitious person. She had high hopes for her career as a detective, but her medical leave is forcing her to take a step back from that life. Now she's not sure if she'll ever return. Funny how that happens.

Thankfully, the drama of her small town is enough to keep her mind away from the work she may have left behind forever. The small town is being transformed as those with the money grab up land and build luxury houses – much to the chagrin of the locals.

Right away, I found myself hook on Elise's story. I think we've all been there – having something we care about so much, only to think that it may be lost forever. This very human concern made for a solid foundation in Local Gone Missing.

Which is exactly what this mystery needed. It took a little longer to get into the intrigue of what was happening in town and even longer for me to put all the puzzle pieces together. Neither fact is a bad thing, merely a statement. However, I think the story's core could have used some more fine-tuning before things were said and done.

The thing I enjoyed the most about Local Gone Missing had to be the characters. There are several characters, all of whom are very different from one another. They nearly make up for any other complaints I have about this book and kept me invested until the end.

Local Gone Missing is a slow-burn mystery/police procedural.
Detective Elise King is on medical leave recovering from breast cancer. But when a local man goes missing, she and her neighbor Ronnie can't help but get involved, unofficially, of course. I like both Elise and Ronnie as characters and thought they worked well together.
Another character is Dee, the local house cleaner who cleans both Elise's and Charlie's (the missing man) homes.
There were a lot of secondary characters and it was hard to keep things straight sometimes.
I did find it to be quick read, with short chapters that I like.
Solid 3 stars.

I love books with a dual timeline, and I also love multiple narrators. This book had both of these things, however in this instance, it just didn't work. For some reason, I just struggled to keep up and remember who was who and when was when. Getting lost in the details meant I couldn't get into the mystery and clues placed along the way. I also need to stop reading procedural thrillers, and that is more about me than this book. Thanks to NetGalley for the early look at this recent release.

Some guy with financial trouble and a b*tchy wife goes missing after a music festival in a small town. Detective Elise King is on medical leave but can’t help herself from investigating this case.

I’m struggling to remember the details of this book, and I just finished reading it a few days ago. I think Elise is an interesting character and I’d love to read another book with her in it, but this story was overall pretty dull.

I did love the nosy/Murderino neighbor who created the pin and red string board in her kitchen — honestly, she should have been let loose to solve the case on her own because she would have wrapped this all up much quicker.

I’ll definitely read another book by Barton, but this one was not my favorite.

2.5*
Detective Elise King is on leave, fighting the battle of her life - breast cancer. A battle she is presently conquering and wants nothing more than to return to work. Only her brain is fogged up, a side-effect of the chemo she received.

When a local man, Charlie, vanishes she can’t help but sniff around “unofficially” of course. But as the case becomes more complex she’s suddenly needed back on the frontline. Maybe even before she’s really ready to take that leap.

Told from multiple perspectives and timelines, the further I read the more confused I became.

There seemed to be so many fringe characters that kept popping up that I didn’t recognize. I kept questioning myself, “am I supposed to know who this is?”🤷🏻‍♀️

I have to admit by the end I’m not completely sure if I totally understood all the pieces of this complex puzzle.

What I did enjoy was the police procedural aspect and the character of Elise King. The chapters from her POV were clear and concise (even if her foggy brain wasn’t).

Not a favorite from this author, but I’ll still be reaching for her next.

A buddy read with Susanne that left both of us a bit confused 🤪

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group

Local Gone Missing is a slow-burn mystery that will leave you surprised at the end. The story follows Elise King, a local detective who has been on medical leave, who begins investigating the disappearance of a local man with the help of her neighbor. While she isn't officially back to work, she provides whatever information she finds to her coworkers. The other main character, Dee, is a local housecleaner who tends to be an invisible presence in homes and learns a lot of secrets.

Overall, the book is a bit of a slow burn with some pretty great twists. The ending was solid and the characters were great. I definitely recommend checking out Local Gone Missing!

Thank you Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC!

I was thrilled to receive the e-galley of this title from the publisher. Mainly this was because I have read and enjoyed all of the other books by this author. I was also delighted to be approved for a title by Berkley as this is a rarity for me.

Local Gone Missing was an absorbing book from the start. It followed many characters, among them, Charlie. He is quite the man but what is behind his facade? Early on readers learn that Charlie has a severely disabled daughter (Birdie) and a second wife (Pauline) who is quite attached to her creature comforts. What will “hail fellow, well met” personality, Charlie, do to meet his financial obligations?

Dee is a cleaner. As often happens in fiction, Dee observes a lot while she tidies. There is more to Dee than meets the eye.

Pete Diamond (is it a coincidence that his name is the same as Peter Lovesey’s detective? This is just an aside as I noticed the name). Pete is one of the weekenders, a group that the insiders do not welcome. He has organized a music festival. It does not go well. Read the book to find out why.

There are many other characters as well. They are both local and not. Many of them (and all of the ones in the book) have complex interrelationships.

Finally, there is Elise, a character whom I really liked. Elise is a police officer who has been on leave due to a bout with cancer. She is friendly with Ronny. The two insinuate themselves into the investigations that are going on in their beach community. Of course, the police are involved as well.

Much happens over the course of the novel. I was deeply immersed and eager to see what would happen next.

I can honestly say that this might be my favorite book by the author. Those looking for a suspenseful, slow burn summer read need look no further.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for this title. All opinions are my own.

This is a Mystery Suspense. I loved the characters in this book so much. The characters felt real, and I really did not guess who did it. I loved the drama ride this book took me on. The ending of this book was really good, and the reveal was done so well. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Berkley Books) or author (Fiona Barton) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

One more book read with #BerkleyBuddyReads and again, I am happy to have read it. This suspenseful mystery by Fiona Barton was a good quick read. Local Gone Missing has short chapters with multiple points of view that did not get overwhelming. They really gave a clear picture of this small seaside, vacation town and some of it’s inhabitants.
⠀
One of the points of view is from the local housekeeper, Dee, she is in and out of everyone’s homes and seems to have the dirt, but there is something going on with her too! I think she was my favorite character because she is a common thread through all the others.
⠀
Elise is a successful detective who, at the beginning of the book, is on medical leave but she can’t shake her sleuthing nature when two kids overdose at a festival and a well liked neighbor has gone missing. Obviously he might not be liked by everyone. Elise is probably the main character and her chapters are distinct and detailed as a police detectives probably are.
⠀
I enjoyed the fast pace that kept me guessing until the end. This book came out last Tuesday so it is sitting on a shelf somewhere, ready for you to pick it up.
⠀

⠀