What if your husband failed to come home? What if a young girl from the village disappeared on the same day? What if over a short period of time, everyone begins to assume the two events are related? Reported Missing examines the despair that envelopes Rebecca Pendle, when on July 17, both her husband Chris and young Kayleigh Jackson disappear.Rebecca wants to trust that her husband had nothing to do with the disappearance of fourteen-year-old Kayleigh, but the town has already decided. When Chris does not return within a few days, Rebecca begins sliding into deep depression. Four months later, no trace of Chris or Kayleigh has been found.
Unable to stay in the home she and Chris shared, Rebecca moves to a caravan park where she spends months drinking too much and sleeping with the aide of pills. The story quieted down for a while, but a planned vigil for Kayleigh's fifteenth birthday stirs the town up again. After teenagers discover where she is living and harass her, Rebecca decides to conduct her own investigation to prove her husband's innocence.
But Rebecca isn't a confident heroine with a clear plan. She is a confused and despairing woman who finds many of her best memories of her husband tainted. Much of what she learns does little to improve her hopes. How well did she really know her husband?
I wasn't at all sure that I would like this book, but I ended up engrossed. It isn't fast-paced, but it is an intimate examination of a woman going through a terrible emotional trauma and eventually managing to try to take charge of her life.
Reported Missing is a fascinating debut novel.
Read in May; blog post scheduled for July 6.
NetGalley/Bookouture
Psychological/Suspense. July 14, 2017. Print length: 356 pages.
This sounds interesting from looking at the heroine's emotional aspect as most thrillers tend to focus more on the plot and twists than going in depth on how the characters feel but I'm not complaining though I feel it's best if there's a balance between these two. :)
ReplyDeleteYep, this one tends more to the psychological effect on the protagonist. An examination of the way accusations can unravel trust....
DeleteFrom the beginning you imagine this must mean he's guilty of something right? Sounds like a good mystery!
ReplyDeleteMaybe it doesn't even matter if he is guilty, everything about their marriage is suspect in Rebecca's eyes. False or true, accusations can ruin lives.
DeleteI would hate to find myself in that situation. Poor Rebecca.
ReplyDeleteHaving to evaluate everything about your relationship with your partner, someone you believe to be falsely accused, would be shattering emotionally.
DeleteThis book sounds intriguing even though the premise of discovering that your husband/partner is not who you thought they were has been a theme of several novels in the last few years. It still sucks you right in.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, this novel doesn't follow the same pattern as other novels with the theme. Much less concerned with the husband (guilty or falsely accused) and more with Rebecca's depression and isolation until she finally pulls herself out of her despair and lethargy, accepts her situation, and attempts to discover the truth. It was too slow in parts, but thought-provoking.
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