This is an amazing debut; I am simultaneously gobsmacked that it is Emma Rowley's debut novel and salivating at the prospect of what she might write next. How on earth do you follow such a fantastic novel? That's a problem for Emma Rowley to figure out but what a wonderful problem to have.

Kate's life was devastated when her daughter, Sophie, went missing. Everyone feared the worst but then the postcards started to arrive and it looked like Sophie had run away from home. Case closed as far as the police are concerned but Kate has never given up hope of being reunited with Sophie. Kate copes with her situation by volunteering at Message in a Bottle, a missing persons helpline so she can help other people in the same position as herself. One night Kate receives a call from a young woman who wants to pass a message to her family. There's nothing unusual about that, except that the caller is Sophie and the message is for Kate. Before Kate realises what's happening, Sophie has hung up the phone but it's enough to get the police interested in her case again.

Kate isn't content with the police investigation and can't help herself from doing a bit of investigation herself. As she looks at the old postcards she has received from Sophie over the years, she wonders if there's a clue hidden in them. The writing is definitely Sophie's but the tone of the writing isn't right then Kate spots something familiar that may be the key to the whole missing persons case.

I know I've already said that this is an amazing debut, but seriously take note: Emma Rowley is definitely one to watch. She is immensely talented to write such a fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller that draws the reader in immediately and gives them no opportunity to pause for breath. I don't think anyone will be able to work this one out before the end; I was guilty of thinking I knew what was going to happen only for Emma Rowley to very successfully pull the rug from underneath me.

Where The Missing Go is BRILLIANT! Yes, the capital letters are intentional: I'm shouting it's brilliance to the world and applauding the fabulous new talent of Emma Rowley. Take a bow and enjoy your success, Emma; I'm sure we're going to see your books at the top of the charts for many years to come.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion. ( )

I really enjoyed this page turner ( )

Sometimes I want to be wrong. Do you ever feel that way when you're reading, and you can almost see neon arrows pointing the way? I saw the arrows and I so badly wanted to be wrong. I wasn't.

This book starts off at a painfully slow pace, with a lot of mundane repetition of daily life. I felt for Kate, as a mother, but I was bored with her.

The pace finally picks up in the second half, when Sophie's perspective is introduced. I found her parts far more compelling. Still, the story went in exactly the direction I expected. None of the characters behaved in any surprising way.

I have to mention one trivial aspect that bugged me throughout this story. I kept wondering how Kate supported herself. Aside from a part-time volunteer position, she didn't work. She was divorced, and far from retirement age. Maybe things work differently in England, and her ex-husband was being forced to support her financially. Maybe I missed that part within all the trivial stuff. I just found it odd that she never worried at all about finances. Most people would be in a perilous position when their life falls apart and they can't function or hold down a job.

At any rate, the heart of this story is worth getting to, if you can manage to wade through the sluggish first half.

*I received a review copy from the publisher, via Amazon Vine.* ( )