Member Reviews
I know it’s a dark topic, but books about abductions or trafficking always hook me. I think it is because it is a high intensity, suspenseful storyline. I was very much hoping Every Missing Girl was that.
The story follows a missing girl and her family, one of which is a homicide detective and FBI agent Kendall Beck who specializes in missing kids. The story started out great with a quick grab to get you into the story. I liked Kendall right off the bat. Her straight to the point personality was someone I could connect with compared to my own personality. Adam was a little harder for me to connect to, but I understood his passion for his missing family member.
My biggest, and really only complaint was the fast hook at the beginning faded to a slow build. I would have liked the middle of this book to be far more intense and high suspense instead of that slow burn. While the story was still interesting, this was a little less hooking to me and I found it hard to really want to come back to reading. However, I did enjoy the story and really wanted to know how this was going to turn out. It also did not end how I was expecting. I was quite shocked!
Overall Every Missing Girl is a great mystery with some twists you will not see coming. I’ll definitely check out more from this author!
This was great! I didn’t realize it was a second book in a series but I think it did well as a stand alone. I thought there were a lot of characters so it was hard to follow at times. But it was compelling. As much as I hate thinking about child trafficking I loved the awareness this brought.
When I got approved for this title, I didn’t realize it was part of a series. I was disappointed and it took me a while to read it. However, I’m glad I did. Even though this book is #2, reading it as a stand alone wasn’t a problem. I quickly picked up on the characters and didn’t feel that I was missing out not having read book 1.
This was a very quick read for me. I enjoyed the quick pace. The book switches perspective throughout the book and that kept me hooked! I grew to live FBI Agent Kendall, her inner monologue was funny and made her so relatable and likable.
I will absolutely be reading more from this author!
💔Book Review:
Title: Every Missing Girl
Author: Leanne Kale Sparks
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars
This one made cry. Not the outcome I wished for. 😭 This book was very suspenseful, intense and heartbreaking. First book I've read by this author-well done!
When a young girl goes missing after her hockey game, the search is on to find her before it's too late. The investigation takes the reader on so many twists and turns and I felt like I was going to bite all my nails off! Just when you think they have found those involved, nope... think again.
This book has a missing/kidnapped girl, a double murder, suspected sex trafficking and so many questions not being answered. But things start to tie together and they finally find the answers in the most unexpected place. Although the missing girls (yes, plural-there end up being more than one) stories are heartbreaking, justice is served.
Thank you, @netgalley @crookedlanebooks, for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!
Published February 7th, 2023
Title: Every Missing Girl
Author: Leanne Kale Sparks
Genre: mystery/thriller
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
The stunning landscape of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains are among our greatest natural treasures. But there are deadly secrets lurking in the craggy heights. FBI Special Agent Kendall Beck and Denver Homicide Detective Adam Taylor team up to investigate a kidnapping crime, but the case quickly turns cold. When Taylor’s niece, Frankie, suddenly vanishes at a local hockey rink, it’s clear that there’s a predator on the loose—and now, the case has turned personal.
One discovery after another leads Beck and Taylor closer to the truth, as they close in on the devastating truth about the fates of the missing girls—and the many who came before them. Will they be able to find Frankie before it’s too late?
I liked the beginning of this story, but I feel like the second half got a bit choppy and left some important thing unresolved. There were so many possible suspects for Frankie’s disappearance—among other things—but not all of these suspects’ stories were resolved…and that bothered me quite a bit. I feel like they got away with something. I liked the camaraderie between Kendall and Adam and the rest of their team, but the whole story felt unresolved to me, so I probably wouldn’t read more.
Leanne Kale Sparks lives in Texas. Every Missing Girl is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest review.)
New author and new series for me, coming in after the first book, of course.
Kendall, FBI agent, and Adam, Denver PD work on a case involving Adam’s missing niece.
This plot was very intricate and tangled. I loved it. I knew something was off when they interviewed one person and my homing skills were right.
However, I was completely crushed at the end. Crushed! If it was my story I would have changed the ending.
I liked all the dialogue because I found parts of it numerous, even a few new words I want to try out.
Not sure what the author has in mind relationship wise for the main characters, but I don’t see them as a couple.
Did I mention I was crushed at the ending.
This is book two in the Kendall Beck series I didn’t read the first one but will definitely go back and read it now. Kendall is a great FBI agent who specializes in finding missing kids. This time around the missing kid is her friend Adam’s niece and it’s like she just vanished into thin air after her hockey game. They have barely any clues but are working a murder/ robbery gone bad case with Adam who’s a detective where a child was found with the robber. They then find out there is a trafficking scheme going on with young girls being brought through this store. As they dig deeper they begin to learn more as there are several twists and turns as well as so many more issues come to light that unfortunately trying to find this missing girl has brought to light that the people in the town didn’t know.
Be Warned this is a 2nd book in a series but I do believe this could be read as a stand alone.
Kendall Beck is becoming one of my new go to FBI Bad Asses. She has a way about her that makes you want to keep reading.
This was a sad story line but made for a great book,
The story has many twist and some bad characters that you will hate but more that you will love.
I recommend grabbing this one and Leanne Kale Sparks First one.
I have mixed feelings about this one. I am new to this author, but the plot sounded interesting, so I went for it. It was ok. I had a hard time staying engaged with the story because it felt like I needed information from a previous book. I personally didn't find it suspenseful, but the mystery was pretty good. I will read the first book in this series to see if that fills in the gaps.
Double homicide at the convenience store and a little girl who was allegedly kidnapped by one of the victims. I good Samaritan who flees the scene with the little girl. That's just another morning for the FBI Special Agent Kendall Beck and Detective Adam Taylor. But when Adam's niece disappears, it hits too close to home, and the investigative duo is rushing against time to find the preteen. Could the two kidnappings be related?
I loved that the story had many turns and twists. The tension was building with every hour since Adam's niece went missing. The author did a great job painting Adam's character, a man in anguish, and the turmoil of emotions he constantly had to keep under control, not without Kendall's help. Kendall on the other hand had the ability to be clear-headed in the most difficult of situations. The rest of the investigative team was a fun cast of characters with a bit of a locker room talk, but nothing too crazy. I would have liked to see more come out of Adam finding the clue, his niece's name written on the cover of a magazine. But all in all the story was an exciting read, very intense and quite heartbreaking.
This is a second novel in A Kendall Beck Thriller series. It works as a standalone, but if you read The Wrong Woman, you would get more insight into Kendall's life and personal tragedy prior to this story. Great page-turner and a dark drama.
This is book number 2 in the Beck series, it was great as a stand-alone as well. However I am excited to read the first book because I enjoyed this one a lot! Two separate plots that come together at the end and I did not see it ending the way it did! Amazing work by Leanne with her amazing talents!
Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for my ARC!
Every Missing Girl by Leanne Kale Sparks is a very highly recommended procedural and the second novel in the series featuring FBI Special Agent Kendall Beck set in Denver.
FBI Special Agent Kendall Beck and Denver Homicide Detective Adam Taylor team up to investigate the kidnapping of Taylor's niece, Frankie, at a local hockey rink. This closely follows the shooting at a minimart where two people are shot and a child is taken form the scene by a good Samaritan. Kendall is sure that the child is the victim of child trafficking. After Frankie has disappeared, Adam’s brother, Mark, and sister-in-law, Poppy, have no information to share, but Kendall is suspicious that something more is going on.
The details of the investigation and discovery of clues in Every Missing Girl is fantastic and the suspense is palpable as Kendall and Adam race time trying to find Frankie while uncovering everyone involved in the trafficking ring, along with other things. Following the compelling investigation kept me glued to the pages. The plot and the investigation are equally enthralling. I really enjoyed this procedural and will have to check out Sparks previous novel featuring Agent Beck, The Wrong Woman. I found that Every Missing Girl worked fine as a stand alone novel for everyone who loves a great procedural.
The character development was great and the characters were all portrayed as realistic, credible individuals with their own beliefs and reactions. Both Kendall and Adam are portrayed as intelligent, sympathetic, tough, and proficient. The dialogue between characters is great. They are likable (when they want to be), extremely competent, and you will be hoping that they find the clues they need to solve their investigations.
With a fast moving plot that includes twists and surprises revealed within the investigation, the final denouement is extraordinary and perfect. All the investigative threads are followed to a satisfying conclusion. This is a wonderful novel and reminds me of how much I enjoy a well-written procedural.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Google Books, Edelweiss, and Amazon.
Excellent writing… the story was good, with a few twists and the ending surprised me. I enjoyed the two lead characters and am interested in reading more of their stories. Great story.
Not a bad thriller but very slow build up and a lot of characters. I didn't realize this was book two and I feel maybe some information is needed from book one to understand what fully is going on.
This book was a train wreck! The writing was disjointed and jarring with a cast of characters that lacked depth and emotion. Almost everyone was completely despicable as well. If it wasn’t such a serious subject matter, it would be laughable how preposterous the investigation was. When a trafficking ring of large proportions is detected is the FBI really going to send one lone woman agent to work alongside the police? At one point said FBI agent was being assaulted while two male cops that were also preset just stood there🤷♀️🤷♀️ The investigation was so poorly and improperly handled that the ending came as no shock whatsoever! Thank you to Crooked Land Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.
Thank you to Netgalley, Crooked Lane Books, and Leanna Kale Sparks for an advance reading copy of Every Missing Girl in exchange for an honest review. I didnt originally realize this was Book #2 in the Kendall Beck series but this can definitely be read as a standalone. I really enjoyed this one and was very invested in following the story to see what happened. This gave me Will Trent vibes (but not as dark and gruesome) so you know I was here for that. I dont want to give anything away and go into specifics but I was happy with the ending. I felt like the author made this whole story very believable and the ending solidified that for me. This one comes out next Tuesday (2/7) and deserves a spot on your TBR & your bookshelf!
First, let me say I did not know this book was number two in the series, but I will say I did not feel as though I was missing anything. Though it did make me go out and buy book one, which, by the way, is $1.99 on Amazon, I wanted to see more of Kendell and just how much more bada$$ she can be.
It all started with a robbery gone wrong and a child who was not supposed to be there. Enter in the FBI because the child was missing.
While all this is going on, a fellow colleague's niece is now missing, and it will be a race against time to find out who has her and where she is. The first few hours are always so very crucial, and Homicide Detective Adam now truly gets to see just what FBI agent and his friend Kendell get to see and deal with every single day. The ending I was not expecting them to go that route, but I am glad the author didn't just make it a HEA. I feel that because sometimes these cases are not always a HEA, and you gotta be real with it no matter how heartbreaking it may be.
I genuinely do love the police humor that they have in books, as it just makes things a bit lighter, even if the jokes are crude. It doesn't bother me but has me in a bit of laughter here and there. Overall a good storyline and great characters. I plan on reading book one and will be looking for book three, hopefully soon!
This was a new author to me. I thought the book was a little slow at the beginning, but besides that I thought it was very well written and very interesting.
Thank you net gallery for giving me the chance to read this authors book.
Every Missing Girl is my first read by Leanne Kale Sparks. I enjoyed her writing style. The ease and pace that she writes with brought me into the story. I had an idea of where the story would go and that kept me comfortable, until the story turned a corner that quickly had me anxious, upset, and quite surprised. I appreciated the relationship between Kendall and Adam. Their dynamic added layers to the plot and enabled me to get to know the other characters.
I have only one regret with the delivery of this story. I really wish we had one chapter – perhaps a prologue that was in Frankie’s POV. Not to alter the story, but to see it from her perspective. We get the investigation and the long list of complicated circumstances but that little piece felt like it was missing for me.
I highly recommend reading or listening to Every Missing Girl. The narration is great, and the writing makes you want to keep turning the pages.
In this second book in a series (can be read as standalone) Kendall and Adam are put in a case together again when a store is robbed. Not too long after, Adam’s niece goes missing and the team is desperate to find her. Sparks has another great book in her hands. Her writing keeps you guessing on each case as they are worked. If you enjoy police crime novels, this is a series you will want to read. Kendall is very good at her job and is an excellent agent. She is a good strong female protagonist that you can get behind. I’m already looking forward to the next book in the series!