Talib, the finder, has been called in by Kent police to look into the disappearance of a 12-year old girl, Alice, eight years ago. They are convinced that a recently arrested child murderer is responsible for Alice's fate but Talib is not so sure. As he looks into Alice's absence, he draws parallels with the book her is reading, both about quiet girls whose families seem not to care. When he finds the solution, it is both unexpected and yet also predictable.
This is the first in Mason's series about a finder of missing persons, but it is the second in order that I have read. Just as before, I fell completely into this story - it's not quite a novel but quite long for a novella. The narrative is low-key but very intelligent and really draws the reader in.

Following Mick Heron's recommendation in the Guardian, I immediately sought out Simon Mason's Ryan Watkins series and it was one of the best decisions I made reading wise this year. Having also read the case of the missing accountant, and enjoyed it, I was eager to read this one too.

In July of 2015, a young school girl called Alice goes missing during her paper round, her bag discarded on the pavement, never to be seen again.
Another cold case, and the Finder, Talib, is called in to unearth what may have happened to Alice at the request of Dave Armstrong.
When the body of another girl is found years later, a local man is arrested, possibly responsible for this as well as Alice's disappearance.
The finder questions those that knew Alice in an attempt to discover what it was that caused her to go missing. Slowly and gently, he teases out clues and aided by the book he's reading, What Maisie Knew by Henry James, he reveals the mystery.
There's no rushing through the pages to reach the conclusion. This is a slow burn, a well written building up of information, clue after clue revealed until the satisfying ending.
The characterisation remains strong, and I'm hoping for more of the series, and soon. Please.

With thanks to NetGalley and Quercus for the proof copy prior to publication.

Missing Person: Alice is the second book in the Finder Mysteries series by British author, Simon Mason. In mid-July, 2015, twelve-year-old Alice Johnson doesn’t turn up to school: her bag of papers is located part-way through her morning paper round; a motorist sees her some distance from there, apparently heading for the highway; a businesswoman spots her in a town some distance away, chatting to the driver of a black car, then getting in. She isn’t seen again, and no body is found.

Nine years later, Vince Burns is arrested for the murder of fourteen-year-old schoolgirl, Joleen Price, and proximity puts him under suspicion for Alice’s possible abduction: he had the opportunity, and he doesn’t have an alibi. His attitude during questioning about Alice is strangely coy.

Former police detective, Talib, aka The Finder, is called in to review the missing person case. He studies the file, and interviews those associated with the case: the police SIO, the witnesses, and Alice’s mother, her father, the woman Rob Johnson lived with at the time, staff, teachers and classmates at her school, her newsagent employer. The owner of his B&B offers an opinion.

The witness statements seem to contradict one another, while the girl described by those who should have known her well were inconsistent enough that a teacher wondered if she was “a girl deliberately presenting others with different, sometimes contradictory, versions of herself.”

The Finder traces her route from where she was last seen and speculates on possible destinations that might have put her in Burns’s orbit. He interviews Burns, and wonders if the man’s coyness about Alice may point to a desire for notoriety rather than actual guilt.

He keeps in mind all the potential reasons that a pre-teen might go missing: “Because they are forcibly abducted. Because they are persuaded or coerced. Because they are frightened. Because they want to escape. Because they are rescued. Because they have done something terrible. Because they are victims of a crime. And also, sometimes, for no reason they could ever explain, out of an inexplicable but overwhelming need.” What applies to Alice Johnson?

The finder’s own story is only hinted at, but it’s clear he is intelligent and thorough, compassionate and kind. When the B&B owner is curious about his motivation for such a challenging job, he muses “Would I have said that I was driven to find out the truth, to ‘change the picture’, to replace a false story with the true one?”

When he witnesses a heated exchange between Alice’s still grieving, embittered, estranged parents, he wonders if the novel he’s reading in his down time offers a clue to the truth? The plot takes a few turns and, even though the astute reader may have a strong suspicion about Alice’s fate, especially if they have read the other book in this series, the reveal is definitely worth persisting for. More of this series will be most welcome.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Quercus Books/riverrun.

It's not an action packed/fast paced thriller nor a domestic that makes you wish you could live like a hermit.
It a drive driven investigation that goes back the facades, the lies, and the indifference. Alice disappeared, she could have been killed by a predator.
Nobody has seen her since the moment she left a bag of papers to deliver.
The Finder, the voice that tells the story, is the only one to go beyonds the impressions and the lies and to get to know Alice. There's parallel between Alice and Henry James' Maisie.
There huge twists at the end and the description of a world of adult who simply don't know or are not able to care
Loved it, poignant and gripping
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This is an intriguing story told in the first person from the point of view of a missing person investigator called the Finder. It’s a bit like a modern version of the Rockford Files, a beloved tv programme from my childhood, in the way the author talks directly to the reader.
The Finder is tasked with searching for Alice Johnson, a 12 year old newspaper delivery girl who has disappeared 9 years earlier.
Her warring and unpleasant parents have had no closure but when a killer, in prison for a murder of another girl, claims to know about where she is, the Finder is asked to reopen the investigation and talks to witnesses and her family.
I enjoyed the way the book was narrated, there was a little personal information about the Finder although most of it read like a report into the investigation and how it was concluded. It was quite factual but as a literary technique it worked well. The Finder, himself, is reading a Henry James novel about an unhappy girl who has to choose which parent should look after her and this has a baring on the story.
“Missing Person: Alice” is the first in a new series by this excellent author who has written some compelling thrillers featuring the unusual detective Ryan Wilkins which I veritably devoured over the last few years.
I’m now looking forward to starting the 2nd book in the Finder series which is being published at the same time.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy.

The first in a new series, with its melancholic and almost anecdotal style, it's a simply exquisite and utterly compelling read.

An unusual take on a crime book, Talib is a "finder", some one who looks into missing persons. This book is set in and around Sevenoaks in Kent. When a girl is found murdered and sexually assaulted, the police want to look into the disappearance of 12 year old Alice, who went missing 9 years ago. The book is told from the point of view of the finder, who interviews people involved with Alice and gradually pieces her movements together. Talib is a mystery at first, only gradually do we get to know them and about their family and work history. Slow moving, but in a good way, the descriptions of people and places are enjoyable and detailed so you get a good picture of the scenes when you are reading. Talib is wise about human nature, seeing what makes people tick and knowing which questions to ask. All in all this adds up to a fascinating and interesting read with a couple of plot twists .
Thanks to NEt Galley for a great read, I am moving on to the next in the series

My thanks to the Author publisher's and NetGalley for providing me with a Kindle version of this book to read and honestly review.
A quality book clever intelligent storytelling well written with superb characters throughout particularly our cool calm lead. Engaging and interesting from first to last page, with surprises along the way, especially the ultimate twist which I am pleased to say I worked out.
Completely recommended.

The first in a series featuring Talib, a refugee from Iraq and a private investigator specialising in finding missing persons.
The investigator describes the locations of his investigation meticulously, which is a good selling point for a series that will move around the country. In this first case, Alice, a teenager, disappears around Sevenoaks and the investigation encompasses Kemsing and the Weald of Kent. In his down time, Talib reads What Maisie Knew by Henry James, the story of which provides insight into the character and possible motivations of Alice.
The characters Talib meets are well drawn and believable. The mystery takes a few twists and turns. We get a glimpse of Talib’s backstory but I guess this will gradually be sketched in over the series.

As a big fan of the Ryan Wilkins series it was a no brainer to request the new novellas from Simon Mason.

Pleased to see something new I started this with excitement but quickly found it to be a very different proposition from the aforementioned series. A slow moving story begins written with a very noir style as we meet the ‘finder’ an Iraqi ex policeman looking at cold cases.

As he slowly and deliberately works back through the case of the missing Alice, he manages to eke out information and threads his predecessors did not,

The story plays out well, though I didn’t enjoy the constant reference to a book the protagonist was reading,

The finale is a well written surprise.

I have been granted access to the 2nd Novella which I originally planned to read in quick succession but with the meandering pace of this one I’ll need a couple of books in between before returning.

By no means a book I didn’t enjoy, just after a grim read that lacks any pace or humour, it’s nice to take a break before being drawn back into the dark

Talib, a former policeman, is now a 'Finder', employed by police forces to revisit missing person cases. The book is written from his perspective.
In this case, he is looking for Alice, a schoolgirl who disappeared, believed murdered by a serial killer. Talib reviews the police records, re-interviews witnesses, including the alleged killer, and retraces Alice's steps.
I really enjoyed the author's DI Wilkins books, but the writing style in the Finder books is completely different. Talib is originally from Iraq, and his English is formal, and he is very polite. The pacing is very gentle, and the conclusion is very clever. I enjoyed this.
Recommended.

This was an interesting read - but very much a slow burner and I say that as a compliment. The Finder, an Iraqi Ex-policeman has been hired to find a young girl long lost in and around Sevenoaks and slowly and methodically he finds and then interviews everyone who had dealings with her at the time of her disappearance.

Slowly he sifts the evidence, retraces her steps and makes connections never previously considered. I won't spoil the ending but it was satisfactory, credible if a bit surprising.

I enjoyed the slow contemplative air of the book and enjoyed the characterisations of the main protagonists. An interesting start to a new series and thanks to NetGalley I am about to read the next one too!

I only requested this book because I wanted to read the next book in the series, then I saw that it was based around Sevenoaks in Kent, which is very close to where I live, so I thought I would request this too.

Our narrator, 'the Finder' of the series, is an Iraqi-born former police detective who assists police forces in finding missing people.

When a young girl's body is found in a lake near Sevenoaks there is evidence linking her to a local man, Vince Burns. Mr Burns is relishing the notoriety and seems keen to imply that there may be other victims, he seems to want to be a famous serial killer. Nine years ago a twelve year old girl called Alice Johnson went missing while on her paper-round and her body was never found. The local police call on the Finder to find Alice('s body) and hopefully pin her murder on Vince Burns.

As the Finder retraces Alice's steps and reinterviews anyone who knew her then, he finds a child of great contradictions. Where des the truth lie?

This is a difficult book to categorise. Its a quiet, thoughtful, measured detective story, with the Finder trying to get inside Alice's head just as much as following clues and re-interviewing people. He also analyses the people he interviews to assess their credibility. We often say people piece together the evidence and that is a very good way of describing this detective process. Nothing felt like a leap of imagination or something obscure mentioned in passing, everything followed logically, including a few blind alleys.

Overall, I really enjoyed this. My only gripe was the references to the book the Finder was reading - I do hope his reading matter won't be some kind of allegory/commentary on each missing person in the series. On to book 2.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.