Title: Local Gone Missing
Author: Fiona Barton
ISBN: 9781787630833
Publisher: Bantam Press / Penguin
Pages: 336
Source: Review copy from the publisher
Blog Tour Organised by Random Things Tours
Everyone watches their neighbours.
Elise King moves into the sleepy seaside town of Ebbing. Illness has thrown her career as a successful detective into doubt, but no matter how hard she tries to relax and recuperate, she knows that something isn’t right.
Everyone lies about their friends.
Tensions are running high beneath the surface of this idyllic community: the weekenders in their fancy clothes, renovating old bungalows into luxury homes, and the locals resentful of the changes. A town divided, with the threat of violence only a heartbeat away.
Everyone knows a secret.
This peaceful world is shattered when two teenagers end up in hospital and a local man vanishes without trace. Elise starts digging for answers, but the community closes ranks, and the truth begins to slip through her fingers. Because in a small town like this, the locals are good at keeping secrets…
Everyone’s a suspect when a local goes missing.
Official Summary
15 June 2022
First impressions can be deceiving. This book drops you into what appears to be a quiet community. Turning the pages, you quickly discover that a lot is hiding beneath the surface. The author delivers twists and turns that will keep you reading into the early hours. I raced through this story, and not just because I had a tour deadline to meet. This is a gripping read that is full of surprises.
I have not read anything by Fiona Barton before and this book had me hooked right from the start. She weaves an intriguing tale, allowing you to get to know the characters and the general community dynamic. However, just when you are convinced you have it all figured out, she twists things around and shows you a completely different side to these people. I loved it.
A small community is in an uproar about outsiders taking over, arranging a music festival they are convinced will attract unwanted visitors who will bring drugs into the community. When an elderly gentleman disappears and two youngsters are rushed to hospital after a drug overdose at the festival it leads to a lot of suspicion and finger-pointing. Elise King, a DCI who recently moved to the community quietly watches from her window and cannot resist the urge to start investigating. While looking for one missing man, King uncovers a lot more than she expected.
This book had me racing from page to page. I loved how the story unfolded, showing the different sides of the various community members. The ending was brilliantly tied up. I loved it.
The author created a wonderful group of people in this book. The characters are fabulously drawn, they are realistic and colourful. I enjoyed how everyone seemed to have something they were hiding and how easily they pointed the finger at each other when their own truths were about to be revealed. No one was who they appeared to be.
This was a wonderful read that managed to keep me amazed with every new little detail that was revealed. It felt like a light-hearted crime mystery but revealed a pretty dark basis. Local Gone Missing is a twisty story that keeps you guessing and ends with all the little threads nicely tied together at the end. If you are looking for a gripping read full of twists and turns, then you will not be left disappointed when you reach for this book. It’s a wonderfully creative read.
Remember to Visit the other tour stops
Also by Fiona Barton
The Suspect
The police belonged to another world – the world they saw on the television or in the papers. Not theirs.
When two eighteen-year-old girls go missing on their gap year in Thailand, their families are thrust into the international spotlight: desperate, bereft and frantic with worry.
Journalist Kate Waters always does everything she can to be first to the story, first with the exclusive, first to discover the truth – and this time is no exception. But she can’t help but think of her own son, who she hasn’t seen in two years since he left home to go traveling. This time it’s personal.
And as the case of the missing girls unfolds, they will all find that even this far away, danger can lie closer to home than you might think . . .
About The Author
Author bio from the publisher
Fiona Barton’s debut, The Widow, was a Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller and has been published in 36 countries and optioned for television. Her second novel, The Child, was a Sunday Times bestseller. Born in Cambridge, Fiona currently lives in Sussex and south-west France.
Previously, she was a senior writer at the Daily Mail, news editor at the Daily Telegraph, and chief reporter at the Mail on Sunday, where she won Reporter of the Year at the British Press Awards.
While working as a journalist, Fiona reported on many high-profile criminal cases and she developed a fascination with watching those involved, their body language and verbal tics. Fiona interviewed people at the heart of these crimes, from the guilty to their families, as well as those on the periphery, and found it was those just outside the spotlight who interested her most
Thank you to Anne Cater, from Random Things Tours, for including me on this tour. I enjoyed this story and hope I get to read more of this author’s work soon. Are you a Fiona Barton fan? What is your favourite book? Leave a comment below.
Thank you for visiting the blog and reading my review, your support is appreciated. Remember sharing is caring, so please share my review. Until next time…Happy Reading!
Interesting review!
Thank you
Thanks for the blog tour support x
Always a pleasure.