22 year old Olivia is missing after walking home alone one night. She is on CCTV going into a dead end alley and never coming out.
Julia is the lead detective on the case and determined to find Olivia. But she has a secret of her own to protect. She’s instructed to NOT find Olivia and to frame someone else for her murder in order to protect her family.

I thought this was a well written and clever thriller that was a bit complex. I couldn’t stop reading and found the twists and turns surprising. There were parts that were a little confusing but overall it was a well paced, suspenseful book that was also a look at what you would do to protect your family. Definitely recommend to my fellow thriller lovers:)

Happy publication day to the most bonkers book I've read since Gillian's last one!

I absolutely loved "Wrong Place Wrong Time" last year, and I am so stoked to rant and rave and hand sell the heck out of this one at work.

I don't even know what to say about this one other than it made me yell out "WHAT??" A couple times. If you're like me and you love mystery/thrillers but you feel like they're all sorta formulaic, try this one.

22-year-old Olivia has been missing for one day…and counting. She was last seen on CCTV, entering a dead-end alley. And not coming back out again.

Julia, the detective heading up the search for Olivia, thinks she knows what to expect. A desperate family, a ticking clock, and long hours away from her husband and daughter. But she has no idea just how close to home this case is going to get.

Because the criminal at the heart of the disappearance has something she never expected. His weapon isn’t a gun, or a knife: it’s a secret. Her worst one. And her family's safety depends on one thing: Julia must NOT find out what happened to Olivia - and must frame somebody else for her murder.

If you find her, you will lose everything. What would you do?

This clever and endlessly surprising thriller is laced with a smart look at family and motherhood, and cements Gillian McAllister as a major talent in the world of suspense and a master of creating ethical dilemmas that show just how murky the distinction between right and wrong can be.

DCI Julia Day gets a call about Olivia, a high risk missing person last seen on CCTV going into a blind alley and not coming back out. The case is utterly baffling and it’s going to get a lot worse, way, way worse for Julia. As this dedicated, everything by the book, police officer has to do the unthinkable in order to protect a close family member. She must frame someone for Olivia‘s murder, or the ‘Secrets Genie’ will be well and truly out of the box. The story is told from several perspectives but principally by Julia.

Well, she’s done it again! What sets Gillian McAllister's books apart is her unique descriptions, the banter between characters, and the emphasis she places on the importance of family, especially motherhood, in each of her stories.

"Just Another Missing Person" is another riveting thriller that continues her trend of puzzling, enigmatic, and complex writing. You feel like a detective not only solving the mysteries she throws your way but also becoming attached to the three different narrations: Julia, a workaholic, honest police officer; Lewis, a caring father devoted to finding his missing daughter; and Emma, a single mom who would do anything to protect her son, even as she suspects his behavior.
The characters in this book are so well-developed and relatable that you become fully invested in their journeys. Julia, the dedicated detective, has her world turned upside down as she searches for the missing Olivia. Her relentless pursuit of the truth and the dilemmas she faces add layers of complexity to the narrative. Then there's Lewis, the father on a desperate mission to find his daughter, tugging at your heartstrings with his unwavering love and determination. And Emma, the fiercely protective single mom, whose struggles and suspicions add an extra layer of tension to the story.

The plot revolves around Olivia, a 22-year-old who disappeared without a trace, leaving behind many inconsistencies that rub Julia, the detective, the wrong way. During the investigation, she encounters a mysterious man who seems familiar, and soon she finds herself facing a difficult decision: to corrupt evidence to protect her family or risk losing her daughter forever by exposing the truth. And what if this case is connected to her past demons, the other missing women cases she still couldn't solve, all leading to her own destiny?

The storyline is riddled with mysteries like Easter eggs that you have to uncover one by one, all interconnected. Just when you think you've solved the main mystery, the author throws another puzzle piece your way, leaving you screaming in surprise as you start theorizing all over again. And As I delved deeper into the story, I found myself entangled in a web of secrets, lies, and revelations. The mysteries were like a chain of dominoes, each one falling into place and leading to even more thrilling discoveries. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, McAllister threw another curveball my way, leaving me reeling with surprise and admiration for her storytelling prowess.

The emotional depth and raw vulnerability of the characters added a human touch to the suspenseful design of the story. I felt their fears, their pain, and their unwavering love for their children. McAllister's portrayal of motherhood and the lengths parents would go to protect their offspring struck a chord with me, making the story all the more powerful and resonant.

And that ending! Oh, what a masterpiece! The cleverly woven threads of the plot culminated in a stunning revelation that left me in awe of McAllister's narrative brilliance. It was a satisfying conclusion that tied all the loose ends together and left me with a sense of fulfillment and admiration for the author's storytelling skills.

If you're looking for an original, intelligent, riveting, deliciously twisty, addictive, and exceptionally well-written thriller, you've found yourself a gem! This is easily one of the top five best thrillers you'll read this year!

Ahhhh I loved this one so much. I feel like it combined so much of what I love about books into one. It was a little bit of everything- slow burn, character-driven, police procedural, and with a twist I didn't see coming. I don't even know if I should describe this book as a case about a missing person or a book about how far you would go to protect those you love. McAllister balanced both the mysteries and the relationships perfectly.

I loved how clever and detailed the author is with her writing. I feel like both in this book and her previous, all outstanding questions are answered and all moving parts come together-- which I just so appreciate in a book that has so many details. I'm late to the McAllister train, but I'm looking forward to going back and reading more of her soon!

Thank you so much NetGalley and William Morrow for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Top Pick - 4.5 Stars

DCI Julia Day loves her job as a detective in Portishead, England, and often puts her job first, which has caused a strain in her marriage. Julia loves her husband and daughter but is dedicated to her job. However, Julia did something out of character a year ago to protect her daughter, Genevieve. Julia’s latest case is a missing person’s case, and she is determined to find the young woman who seems to have vanished into thin air. However, Julia’s past mistake comes back to haunt her when an unknown man blackmails Julia to plant evidence in the missing person’s case, or he will reveal everything she did the year before. Julia has to make the difficult choice between compromising her integrity or protecting her daughter and her job.

This book has elements of a police procedural, but just as DCI Julia Day is not the typical detective, this story is more of a thriller than a procedural. The story follows Julia as she searches for Olivia Johnson, but it is mainly about the moral dilemma Julia faces and the dangerous situation she’s in. The story is told from multiple points of view, but Julia is the main character. The whole story is suspenseful, but the big reveals start about two-thirds of the way in, and the book becomes hard to put down. Things got tense, and I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. There are a couple of things that require you to suspend disbelief, but the story is so engaging I was able to overlook them.

This is a twisty thriller that gets better and better as the story progresses, with the surprises continuing until the very end of this intriguing thriller.

~ Christine

This is an amazing mystery thriller! I loved this author’s last release and this one is just as good!

This story is full of plot twists that keep on coming! I honestly couldn’t have predicted the ending if I tried. This book is a page turner. I loved the alternating pov and definitely recommend to thriller and mystery fans! Happy pub day!

**3.5/5 Stars, Rounded Down**

Wrong Place Wrong Time enraptured me. It sucked me in from the first page and never let go. Evidently, I wasn’t the only one, as it was a Goodreads nominee for Best Mystery & Thriller (2022) and a Reese’s Book Club pick. Just Another Missing Person by Gillian McAllister grabbed my attention immediately; it only took reading the first two sentences of the book’s synopsis. I was so excited for it, but it let me down.

The plot thrills. Julia Day is a police officer, committed to justice and doing what is right. Her career stands on her spotless reputation, but a cold case—a missing young woman—haunts her. Old fears resurrect when another woman (Olivia) goes missing. Julia Day soon finds herself at a crossroads: Follow the straight and narrow…or don’t. Because if she does, her family secret could be revealed. Circumstances force her to break her moral codes again and again, but it’s the best for her family. Or so she tells herself.

Just Another Missing Person features chapters written from three viewpoints: Julia, Emma, and Lewis. I won’t spoil who they are, but each reads differently. Even without the names at the beginnings of the chapters, I could tell them apart. At first, the connections seem not existent. As the tension builds, the three paths braid together, and every mystery of McAllister’s plot finally makes sense. She does a stellar job of keeping her readers guessing every step of the way. I could predict nothing, which—considering how many books I read—is hard to do at this point. Just Another Missing Person is exciting, complicated, and electrifying.

I am glad I read it, but I didn’t like elements of it. McAllister kept my attention—I didn’t even want to blink—until about 75% of the way through the book. At that point, my annoyance crept up, mostly over minor things. The big one: I got fed up with the characters asking each other if they were “okay” or “all right.” Of course, they are not all right. No one is all right. Additionally, the book’s written words lacked…gravity for me. Maybe that’s just McAllister’s writing style, I don’t know. But instead of making me feel I was hanging off a cliff with my fingers weakening, I was walking to the store. I lost the intensity.

Don’t get me wrong: Just Another Missing Person by Gillian McAllister would be the perfect subject for a thrilling movie. I can picture it easily, and I’d buy a ticket. McAllister surprised me with every chapter, and I’m glad to have read her newest work. But something felt lackluster. And that’s okay. It won’t keep me from anticipating her next novel, whenever that may be!

A compelling and suspenseful read!

I read my first Gillian McAllister novel last year. “Wrong Place Wrong Time” was a great read that had me looking forward to reading more from the author. And after reading the description for “Just Another Missing Person” I was excited to start reading.

DCI Julia Day is out for dinner with her daughter, Genevieve and her husband, Art. But before she even receives the meal she ordered, she is notified that there is a new missing person case. She tells her daughter and husband she has to go in.

“This is the job, she repeats to herself. That has become her mantra after twenty years in the police.”

Twenty two year old, Olivia Johnson was supposed to have a job interview the day she disappeared. Olivia is not the type to have just taken off. She was last seen entering an alley. But she never reappeared.

What happened to Olivia Johnson?

Julia is determined to find Oliva. However, it’s not long before Julia finds herself facing a huge ethical dilemma. She will need to make an almost impossible choice.

What will she do?

I’m always a little worried when I read another novel from an author where I really enjoyed their previous novel. However, I shouldn’t have worried as once again Gillian McAllister has delivered a twisty and clever page-turning police procedural thriller with a great cast of characters and a compelling storyline.

Most of the story was told from Julia’s point of view though there were chapters from other characters perspectives. It started as a slow burn but wasn’t long before I was hooked and couldn’t wait to read what would happen next. The story has some great twists and I loved the ending.

Needless to say, I’m excited to read more from Gillian McAllister.


I'd like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.

Last summer I was OBSESSED with Wrong Place Wrong Time so I was very excited for this release and it did not disappoint! This story is told from multiple perspectives but our main character is Julia, a detective specializing in missing persons. Her newest case is Olivia, a 22 year old who was last captured on CCTV entering a dead end alley and never coming out again. As the investigation begins, Julia is approached and threatened - plant evidence to frame a specific person, or her family’s biggest secret will be revealed. Julia is desperate to solve the mystery of Olivia’s kidnapping, while actively trying to dupe her coworkers, and find out who this mystery man is and why he’s after her. This truly boggled my mind at times but in the best way.

This was so so good!! Julia is a detective that is leading the search for a missing 22 year old woman named Olivia. This had so many twists and turns it will leave you stunned! I could not put this down!! This case hits close to home for Julia. It makes you question how far would you go to protect your child? I highly recommend this thriller!!! Gillian McAllister has become one of my favorite authors. Her writing is clever, brilliant and compelling. I loved Wrong Place Wrong Time too!

Thank you @netgalley and @williammorrowbooks for this eARC in return for my honest review

Overall this book was just okay. I didn’t care for the second person POV in some chapters and I didn’t feel connected to the characters. The premise seemed exciting but it was a miss for me

This was a great thriller with so many twists and turns that I was kept guessing until the very end! And that ending? WOWZERS!!!! If you love amazing thrillers then this is the book for you!!! I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

I was super into this one until about 20% in when it’s revealed that the whole plot relies on the detective having had done something that was completely out of character. I just couldn’t get back into it after that.

Ok. I hate giving a bad/mediocre review, but here goes. So, I wanted to give this author another chance, thinking Wrong Place Wrong Time was just maybe a one off. BUT, I think this authors writing style just isn’t for me.

I will say I loved the plot of this book and there were twists in there that I honestly didn’t see coming. So already, it’s better than Wrong Place. But, man if she didn’t repeat the same words 3 times in a row, 4 times on 1 page. It drove me CRAZY! Like, honestly is it a word count thing? Cause I saw no reason for the repetition, it didn’t even make sense.

Anyways, if you can get past the writing style, this was a pretty enjoyable book. Will I read another by this author? I don’t know. But, I still finished this book in a day so that has to mean something?

I loved Wrong Place Wrong Time and I loved this one too. McAllister is the queen of plot twists! I read it in an evening because I couldn't put it down. I had to know whodunnit! Not only is this book entertaining, but it's also a deep examination of being a parent and realizing just how far a parent will go to protect and/or save a child. Highly recommend.

This was a good, fast paced thriller. I read it in a day. I’m not a huge fan of detective novels, and there was a little too much pro cop propaganda in it, but I still enjoyed it. Definitely unpredictable.

Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy. I loved the plot twists throughout the book. I enjoyed this one as much as I enjoyed Wrong Place Wrong Time. I look forward to reading more books by McAllister.

I’ll admit that the first 6-9 chapters were hard to get through. It felt choppy, the writing and story just didn’t flow. But I stuck with it and I’m glad I did. I was surprised by the turns in this story and the ending, I did not see coming. Overall, I really liked this book!

Another winner of a book from Gillian!! I am a huge fan of this author and her writing. Her thrillers are some of my favorite. This book was suspenseful and kept me guessing. The writing style flowed nicely and could easily relate to the characters.

It happened again! My mind was blown, and my last remaining gray cells burned to the ground, as if I had binge-watched the entire six seasons of Black Mirror in one go or had an Inception-Tenet-Interstellar marathon all in one day! This natural side effect comes with reading any of Gillian McAllister's mind-bending, intelligent, adrenaline-pumping, anxiety-inducing books. She's a master at bending different timelines, confusing our minds with multiple narrators' statements, and dragging us into a puzzle-solving frenzy.

But what sets Gillian McAllister's books apart is her unique descriptions, the banter between characters, and the emphasis she places on the importance of family, especially motherhood, in each of her stories.

"Wrong Place, Wrong Time," her previous work, rocked my world, and I was left awestruck, unable to find proper words to express my feelings in a coherent review. Words wouldn't suffice!

"Just Another Missing Person" is another riveting thriller that continues her trend of puzzling, enigmatic, and complex writing. You feel like a detective not only solving the mysteries she throws your way but also becoming attached to the three different narrations: Julia, a workaholic, honest police officer; Lewis, a caring father devoted to finding his missing daughter; and Emma, a single mom who would do anything to protect her son, even as she suspects his behavior.
The characters in this book are so well-developed and relatable that you become fully invested in their journeys. Julia, the dedicated detective, has her world turned upside down as she searches for the missing Olivia. Her relentless pursuit of the truth and the dilemmas she faces add layers of complexity to the narrative. Then there's Lewis, the father on a desperate mission to find his daughter, tugging at your heartstrings with his unwavering love and determination. And Emma, the fiercely protective single mom, whose struggles and suspicions add an extra layer of tension to the story.

The plot revolves around Olivia, a 22-year-old who disappeared without a trace, leaving behind many inconsistencies that rub Julia, the detective, the wrong way. During the investigation, she encounters a mysterious man who seems familiar, and soon she finds herself facing a difficult decision: to corrupt evidence to protect her family or risk losing her daughter forever by exposing the truth. And what if this case is connected to her past demons, the other missing women cases she still couldn't solve, all leading to her own destiny?

The plot is riddled with mysteries like Easter eggs that you have to uncover one by one, all interconnected. Just when you think you've solved the main mystery, the author throws another puzzle piece your way, leaving you screaming in surprise as you start theorizing all over again.

As I delved deeper into the plot, I found myself entangled in a web of secrets, lies, and revelations. The mysteries were like a chain of dominoes, each one falling into place and leading to even more thrilling discoveries. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, McAllister threw another curveball my way, leaving me reeling with surprise and admiration for her storytelling prowess.

The emotional depth and raw vulnerability of the characters added a human touch to the suspenseful plot. I felt their fears, their pain, and their unwavering love for their children. McAllister's portrayal of motherhood and the lengths parents would go to protect their offspring struck a chord with me, making the story all the more powerful and resonant.

And that ending! Oh, what a masterpiece! The cleverly woven threads of the plot culminated in a stunning revelation that left me in awe of McAllister's narrative brilliance. It was a satisfying conclusion that tied all the loose ends together and left me with a sense of fulfillment and admiration for the author's storytelling skills.

If you're looking for an original, intelligent, riveting, deliciously twisty, addictive, and exceptionally well-written thriller, you've found yourself a gem! This is easily one of the top five best thrillers you'll read this year!

A big thank you to Ariele Fredman, NetGalley, and William Morrow for sharing this AMAZING book's digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.