Book Review: Where The Missing Go

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This is my book review of the evocative story, ‘Where The Missing Go‘, by Emma Rowley.

The missing don’t always want to be found.
 
Kate Harlow recognizes this painful truth, even as she continues to search for her daughter, Sophie. Her daughter disappeared two years ago. The police have stopped investigating. After all, Sophie has sent postcards home, insisting that she’s fine.

To fill the space in her increasingly empty days, Kate volunteers at “Message in a Bottle”, where runaways can leave messages for loved ones, no questions asked.
 
Then one evening, a call comes in from a voice Kate instinctively recognizes, even through bursts of static and beyond the sudden dial tone that breaks their connection.
 
Those closest to Kate worry she’s cracking under her grief, imagining that it was Sophie. But Kate knows that it was her daughter on the phone. And that a stranger has been inside her house. Watching her.
 
Sophie is out there. And Kate has to find her, even if someone will try anything to stop her . . .

Synopsis:

My name is Kate.

I volunteer at a local charity, where young people who have run away from home call me. And I pass on messages to their loved ones, no questions asked.

I don’t get many phone calls, and those I do are usually short and vague, or pranks.

But this morning, a girl named Sophie called.

I’m supposed to contact her parents to let them know their child is safe.

The problem is, Sophie isn’t safe.

And Sophie is my daughter.

My Review:

This one was a page turner. Kate was dedicated to finding her missing teenage daughter, although her husband moved on with his life. He didn’t want to be reminded every day of losing his only child, and soon moved in with his girlfriend.

The police say she left a note explaining that she’d run away. She did not want to be found. Case closed.

Kate worked tirelessly online, looking for clues. She worked at a call center for the missing. Everyone told her to get on with her life, too. But Kate could not do that. She needed to know the truth to have any closure.

Occasionally, there would be short notes or postcards from Sophie, showing where she was as she traveled the world. The police say that clinched it.

Your daughter is a runaway.

But Kate didn’t think the wording was Sophie’s words. It did not sound like her. Who would know better than her mother?

Kate didn’t believe her daughter truly wanted to leave home. She thinks Sophie had help. And she will not stop until she proves it.

About The Author:

Emma Rowley is a writer, ghostwriter, and editor with a background in newspaper journalism. A graduate in Classics and English at Oxford University, she trained as a journalist at City University.

Emma has spent considerable time in the courts and covering major crime stories. She lives in London.

Visit Emma Rowley for book updates.