Local Gone Missing

Fiona Barton Penguin

Detective Elise King is recuperating in the sleepy seaside town of Ebbing after undergoing intensive chemotherapy treatment. Instead of taking it easy though, she can’t resist immersing herself in the case of a missing local, Charlie Perry, to keep her boredom at bay. Then two teenagers end up in hospital after an incident at a festival in the town, and Elise wonders if they are linked to Charlie’s disappearance.

The short, punchy chapters made this an easy read, each one relating to a different character. We are drawn into the lives of Dee, the local cleaner with a sordid past; Pauline, Charlie’s pretentious wife; Toby, who is keeping a huge secret from his partner Saul; Ronnie, Elise’s supportive neighbour; and Birdie, Charlie’s daughter who has suffered a terrible brain injury. Each of them hold a link to Charlie’s disappearance, but can Elise put all the pieces together while struggling with her recovery?

An entertaining mystery with a cracker of an ending – I had no idea who the culprit was until they revealed themselves!