17 September 2026

Just Another Missing Person was an unusual read, full of surprises, blurred timelines and plenty of moments that left me wondering exactly what was going on.

This crime thriller explores some powerful themes, particularly loss and the lengths we are willing to go to protect our children. I have to admit that I struggled with the first half of the book. The shifting timeline and the way information is revealed left me feeling a little confused, and I wasn’t always sure what was happening or when it was happening.

However, the further I read, the more the pieces began to fall into place. Suddenly, things that had seemed confusing started to make sense, and before long, I couldn’t even remember why I had doubted the story in the first place.

The question of how far we would go to protect our children is the driving force behind the novel, and McAllister is certainly not afraid to cross some very dark lines. Julia’s struggle between doing what is right and doing what she believes she needs to do to protect her child makes this an emotionally charged read. Her decisions kept me turning the pages, even when I wasn’t entirely sure where the story was heading.

The twists were brilliantly placed throughout the book, and just when I thought I had a handle on what was happening, another surprise came along and changed everything.

While the unusual structure and shifting timeline made this a challenging read for me at first, I appreciated how everything eventually came together. McAllister certainly knows how to keep her readers questioning what they know and turning the pages to find out what happens next.

Just Another Missing Person is a clever and twisty crime thriller that explores some difficult questions about family, loss and just how far a parent might go to protect their child.