I ran to get help...but her body disappeared...will anyone believe me...?

Having just learnt her husband had misplaced the part of their marriage vows which promised to "forsake all others" and "to be faithful", and with her best friend no less, Megan left the remnants of what was her marriage behind and hightailed it to her hometown of Hollicombe Bay where she is now staying in the stifling attic room of her sister's house. It's where she now sits trying to let some air in when she hears a scream. She listens in the stillness. Nothing. Maybe she imagined it. But no, she is sure she heard a woman scream. And so she goes to investigate which thus leads her to the woods behind her sister's house and there in the stream lay the unmoving body of a young woman...maybe nineteen? Twenty at most? Is she dead? Megan isn't sure and so she drags her out of the stream and recalls the adverts on TV that transposed CPR with the Bee Gees "Staylin' Alive"...and so she does that.

"Ah-ah-ah, stayin' alive...stayin' alive..."

1-2-3...breathe...1-2-3...breathe...

And yet the woman remained silent and still. Megan pat her pockets for her mobile phone remembering that it was plugged in on charge in her attic room. She really needs to get help, but she doesn't want to leave the young woman.

Making a dash, she races into the house and up the stairs where she retrieves her phone and makes a breathless plea to emergency services who ask her to remain on the line and outside the address from which she's calling so the services get the right place. All the while, Megan is worried about the woman in the stream alone. When the services finally arrive after what seemed like an endless wait but was probably no more than ten minutes, Megan rushes off leading them back to where she found the woman's body.

But now she's gone.

And now no one believes that she saw a body in the stream, believing instead that she was having some sort of mental breakdown in light of the current status of her marriage. But Megan knows what she saw. And she will stop at nothing to prove she was right. Until she begins to doubt herself too.

Did she really see the body? Or was it just the stress of recent events that she is projecting figments of her imagination into reality? Megan is certain of what she saw...isn't she? And now she must dig for the truth but in doing so uncovers something sinister hidden in the bowels of the sleepy town.

Can she escape this nightmare? And find out the truth behind what is really going on? Before it's too late...

Another gripping read from Kerry Wilkinson. I loved how we returned to the area of Whitecliff for this as he incorporated that are into the neighbouring Hollicombe Bay. And whilst remaining a standalone story.

The characters were all a bit meh. None of them really likeable. Megan was wishy-washy. Nicola was a bossy britches. Ben was blase about everything. Jessie was a typical moody teenager. Pam was nosey and gossipy. Trevor was creepy. Daniel was probably the most OK one out of the lot...which in itself was highly suspicious. LOL

As always, the tale is peppered with Kerry's trademark dry wit and humnour which is what makes his books so entertaining. I love his humour. And while this was a fairly predictable read (I worked out fairly early one what was going on), it was his witty quips and trademark humour that kept it fresh and interesting. Without it I doubt I would enjoy his books as much. I hope we return to Whitecliff and Hollicombe Bay again.

I would like to thank #KerryWilkinson, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheMissingBody in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

I found this one to be a bit slow and have an awful lot going on, but it kept me wondering how it was all going to tie into the end. Some things didn’t tie out at all.

Megan is recently separated from her husband and wants to get away from him and their current life quickly, so she decides to go and stay with her sister Nicola. Her sister has her stay in the attic and while up there Megan hears a scream and decides to go investigate. Upon looking around, Megan finds the body of a girl, and attempts CPR after she finds the girl not breathing. CPR didn’t seem to work so she had to go back to the house to find her phone to call the police. But when the police get there, there is no body to be found. Is Megan just stressed out with what’s going on in her life and she imagined it? Or was there really a body, but if there was, where did it go?

Well what a creepy place to live, can’t say I thought much about the townsfolk 😂

At first I was completely torn with Megan and if she loosing the plot or what she thought had happened did actually happen. I really liked her as a character, especially her restraint when she catches up with her ‘Bezzie’.

This is a slow burning thriller, but there is a lot going on, which maintained my interest, the secrets of the past kept me wanting to get to the next page.

The Missing Body by Kerry Wilkinson is a top-notch psychological mystery thriller that starts with a bang and leaps straight into the action. The opening is very strong and I was instantly hooked. I really enjoyed the writing style and the easy humorous narration. I remembered from reading an earlier book by Kerry Wilkinson that it was surprisingly funny and The Missing Body has the same deadpan tone and accessible style, making the chapters fly by.

I felt really sympathetic towards Megan, who is a likeable and feisty character, for what she goes through. The wider cast of characters was believable and secrets seemed to be hiding behind every door. There are vivid descriptions of the tired seaside town of Hollicombe Bay and its residents and I could clearly picture the scenes as they played out.

The plot is exciting and full of secrets. There are some genuinely tense moments as the plot progresses and the mystery tightens its grip. I thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns and was urging Megan on in her investigations. The ending is surprising and the book has a satisfying conclusion. I would whole-heartedly recommend The Missing Body to all fans of the genre and will definitely be reading more from Kerry Wilkinson.

With huge thanks to the publisher for my copy of The Missing Body and for my spot on the blog tour. [Review on blog will publish 16 July].

Kerry Wilkinson has a warped one in The Missing Body, full of cruel characters and actions, leaving me questioning who to trust. He’s found his niche as a thriller writer and is an auto-read author for me!

Thank you, Kerry Wilkinson, Bookouture, & Netgalley for my early copy! All opinions are my own.

While I enjoyed the beginning and ending of this book, the middle dragged on a bit. However, this did not detract from my overall enjoyment of the story.

From the very start, it was clear that something strange was happening in Hollicombe Bay, but no one seemed to believe Megan's suspicions. When she hears a scream and rushes into the woods, she discovers an unconscious woman in a stream.

But when she returns with help, the woman is nowhere to be found. Did Megan imagine the woman in the stream, or is there something sinister going on?

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the free copy of the book.

I just love this authors books...........and The Missing Body by Kerry Wilkinson was no different. This book was an excellent read from start to finish with excellent twists and turns throughout.

Megan Lexington is staying at her sister and family house in Hollicombe Bay, as her world has turned upside down when she found out her husband is having an affair with her best friend and she was pregnant with his child!
Relaxing on her bed, and wondering what she is going to do, she hears a scream and rushes downstairs to see if she can see who screamed and if they need any help. Megan leaves the house and runs towards the woods, where she thought she heard the scream from, only to find
an unconscious young woman wearing a pink top bright against the earth, her long, dark hair wet from a nearby stream.
As Megan looks around to try and get some help she finds there no one about, and she left her phone charging by her bed. She races back, alerts the police to come quickly and tells them to where to find her and the unconscious woman. But, when she goes back to the spot the young woman was lying she is Gone!!! The Police do not believe her and put it down to her imagination.

Where has she gone? I know she was there! But, no one believes me!!!!!

WoW this book was so good and I highly recommend it or any book by Kerry. His books have all been an excellent read.

Big thank both Netgalley and Bookouture for my ARC.

I’m a fan of the author and was looking forward to reading The Missing Body. The blurb sounded like the kind of thriller I’d enjoy. I really wanted to know what had happened to the girl’s body. This book got a hold of me after the first few lines and refused to let me go. I love it when a book does that. I didn’t want to stop reading because I was enjoying it so much trying to work out what the hell was going on. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

Quite a good read. Probably not my favourite book by this author but still kept my interest. Thanks Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I have read books by this author before so I was really expecting to enjoy this one but I was let down. It started okay but then nothing happened and then nothing happened to where I thought it was called The Missing Plot instead of Body. It was really easy to guess what happened in regards to the body and I even guess what was going on in town before I was even halfway through the story. I think my favorite part was the father and his catapult. Just didn't work for me but I really wanted it too.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'The Missing Body' by Kerry Wilkinson.

Well, well, well Wow!!! What another absolute cracker of a book by an extremely talented author!!! This book sucked me straight in from beginning to the explosive ending. It was very well written with excellent descriptions which put me straight into the storyline. The synopsis and the cover suited the book perfectly.

This is yet another absolutely fantastic page turner by the extremely talented Kerry. Kerry's evocative writing skills really brings the story to life ensuring you can see everything around you and feel everything that Megan is feeling. The storyline is addictive and filled with suspense, family, tension, secrets, mystery, drama and everything you could ask for in a fantastic page turner!! I loved all the twists and turns and throughout it kept me constantly on edge trying to guess what was going to happen next and although I hate to admit I was wrong, I was wrong each and every time, but keep that to yourselves please!! So, a MASSIVE CONGRATULATIONS Kerry for managing to prove me wrong time and time again!!! I would NEVER have seen that ending coming fair play! I have read many thrillers and it's getting harder and harder for me to be surprised so great job there. As always with Kerry's fantastic books this book was gripping, easy to read and fast paced. If you have never read any of Kerry's books then grab your copy of this page turner today and I promise you will not regret it!! I loved the storyline and just loved everything about it. It was all done perfectly!! An absolutely addictive page turner that kept my heart in my throat on the edge of the seat and absolutely absorbed me. The fact there were so many different red herrings and so many possibilities that all would have worked perfectly I could not put this book down!!! I was so invested in the storyline that I was up until 2am!! I would LOVE to see this turned into a movie!!! I cannot wait to get stuck in to the previous and future books in this series!!!

WARNING ⚠ DO NOT START THIS UNTIL YOU HAVE CLEARED YOUR SCHEDULES AS THIS BOOK IS ADDICTIVE!!!!

THE characters were fantastic, solid and completely believable and I absolutely loved meeting some of them again. The main protagonist is Megan who I really liked from the start. My heart went out to her with everything she was going through. I enjoyed getting to know more about her as well as the other characters although I must admit I wasn't a fan of them all!! As always with Kerry he has created realistic, strong and in depth characters that leap out of the pages at the reader ensuring they feel and see everything they are seeing and feeling. There was a great eclectic mix of characters from good to bad which always helps to liven the storyline up. They all had such different and strong personalities and all suited the storyline perfectly.. There were such a mix of personalities and its hard really to say too much about any of them without giving too much away!!! Regardless of whether you liked, loved or disliked any of the characters they all work perfectly together to bring this story to life. I cannot wait to meet the next characters that this author creates for his next books. A great cast of characters that come to life thanks to Kerry's extremely evocative writing talent!!

CONGRATULATIONS KERRY ON YET ANOTHER ABSOLUTELY ADDICTIVE PAGE TURNER!!!! THIS IS EXACTLY WHY YOU ARE ONE OF MY TOP 5 MALE AUTHORS!!! HERE'S TO YOUR NEXT SUCCESS 🥂

Overall a compelling, addictive, action packed and fantastic page turner!!

#TheMissingBody #KerryWillkinson #Bookouture #BookoutureAnonymous

@KerryWilkinson @Bookouture @BookoutureAnonymous


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A good read
Have read all Kerry’s books
And this is one didn’t disappoint
Read over two night couldn’t put it down
Thanks NetGalley

After discovering that her husband and best friend have been having an afair, Megan leaves her home and goes to stay with her sister.
One day, she hears a distant scream and goes to find where it came from. She sees a young woman in the water and drags her to safety. However, it soon becomes apparent that the woman is already dead.
Because Megan had rushed out of the house, she didn't have her phone with her, so runs back to call the police. When they arrive she takes them to where the woman was laying, only to find that she had disappeared. The police don't believe her when she says the body was there. This triggers a series of events that brings to light the dark side of human nature.
Can Megan get to the bottom of the many questions she want answering? Is she in danger?
Read to find out....
Another great story by my favourite authour - Kerry Wilkinson

Another belter of a good read from this very talented author. I don't think Kerry has written a book yet that did not deserve 5 stars and this is no different.
Brilliantly written you can feel Megan's confusion and frustration as she begins to question if she really did find a body, the creeping suspicion that maybe she can't trust her sister and the effect of the memories of why she left the town in the first place.
A clever and unusual plot interspersed with the author’s wry humour and I particularly liked the nod to the characters in the Whitecliff Bay Mystery series.

The Missing Body is a gripping thriller that will keep you intrigued throughout the story.
The mystery element is one that will have you shaking your head more than once as you try to figure out what is going on.
The story is full of family secrets and drama.
Author Kerry Wilkinson always delivers a story full of tension and suspense.

Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #Bookouture for the book #TheMissingBody by #KerryWilkinson. What a wild ride this book is. Megan returns to her hometown after a split from her husband. As she is settling in her sisters home, she hears a scream. She finds a girl in the water not breathing. After calling the cops the body is gone. Nobody believes her. As she digs into the truth, she finds something horrible. Can she escape? Who is behind this?

Gripping, shocking, and twist filled. Kerry Wilkinson has delivered once again! Like Megan, the main character in this book, I had many questions and desperately wanted answers while reading this brilliant page turner!

Megan is still reeling from the events that unfolded in her personal life when she moves in with her sister, Nicola, and her family. Just when Megan thinks she is getting settled, she hears a woman scream and finds an unconscious young woman near a stream in the nearby woods. When she returns to the scene with the police the woman's body is missing!

Everyone has doubts about what Megan saw. Megan has been through a lot recently. Was she seeing things as her sister Nicola whispered? Was the body real? Was it moved? What happened? Questions swirled through both mine and Megan's minds. As she digs deeper for the truth, she might not like what she uncovers!

Kerry Wilkinson has a knack for inserting tension, suspense and mounting danger into his books. I also enjoyed the setting in this book. It provided atmosphere and created that small town feel. Small towns are wonderful, but they can also harbor secrets. I had no idea where the plot of this book was heading and enjoyed the twist filled ride that Wilkinson took me on. Just when I thought I knew what was going to happen next, this book took a turn.

I have enjoyed Wilkinson's writing for some time (this is the 14th book that I have read by this author) and always look forward to reading what he writes next. I find his books to be fast paced, well thought out, tension, and thrilling.

3.5 stars rounded up.
As always we start with this... Warning! This publisher is renown for back filling books with ads etc. The copy I read ended quite early. So you don't get caught out, I would really recommend that you find out where the story ends in the version you are reading before you start!
So... Megan is staying with her sister after the breakdown of her marriage. She is in her attic room when she hears a scream. She rushes downstairs, out of the house, and follows in the direction of where she thought the scream came from. She shocked when she finds the body of a young woman. She tries resuscitation but there is nothing she can do. Having left her phone behind, she runs back to her sister's house to call the police. And this is where things get weird cos instead of her simply leading them to the body so they can start their work, there is no body...
And so begins a rather incredible, at times, story which skirts crazy and unbelievable but which is also quite a lot of fun, and an easy read, so I rounded up the half star. There was also a lot of this author's trademark observational humour that I did find myself chuckling along with all the way through. He really is a master of that stuff.
The plot is complex but well executed, even with all the eye-rolling I did along the way. And with no superfluous waffle or padding, it gets on with itself very well indeed. And the ending, when it eventually came, did satisfy.
All in all, not his strongest book but a worthy addition to what is already an impressive back catalogue. Roll on next time. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I couldn’t fathom why Megan abruptly left her home and husband. My detective senses were dull when reading so I didn’t pick up an obvious reason until it was revealed. I thought one character was really nervy and I cheered with Megan told her off.
The entire town was skeevy and off. I figured out what the big secret was and thought the residents were all horrible people.
Megan’s skulking and snooping proved fruitful and she turned out to be the heroine. I wish she would have confr9mted her husband and read him the riot act.

Kerry Wilkinson’s “The Missing Body” by author Kerry Wilkinson is a very good thriller that instantly hooks the reader. The story features Megan who, while unpacking at her sister’s house, is shaken by a scream that leads her to discover the unconscious body of a young woman in the nearby woods. The problem is when she returns with the police, the body has mysteriously vanished, leaving behind only empty woodland and a cloud of doubt.

Megan is haunted by a dark past and despite the doubt she remains determined to uncover the truth and her sanity. In her pursuit for the truth she need to face her own demons. The novel is full of suspense as Megan faces her past as well as dealing with the present mystery. Eager to prove her doubters wrong who see her has unstable especially with her past history. Her search for the truth will throw up new tests and put her safety at risk.

I enjoyed reading Megan’s search for the truth despite the doubt and danger making this novel a very enjoyable book.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Bookouture for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.