One of Us Is Missing

This story is all a little too possible for my liking. The day I finished it, I woke at 3am in a cold sweat. This is the story that has since made me feel anxious on hearing Coldplay’s ‘Viva La Vida’ playing on the radio. Let me explain; when my children were younger, I took them to their first big stadium concert to experience Coldplay performing. This story is about Rachel and Rory who also take their kids, Emmet and Bridie, to their first big concert to hear Coldplay perform. But unlike my wonderful experience, one of them goes missing. This fast-moving, deftly written novel catalogues so many horrific things that could happen to a family. It is all very believable. And clever.

Like all excellent crime-based novels, there are twists and turns in the storyline. It will keep you guessing. However, more than that, this novel holds up a portrait of a typical family for us all to examine. There is empathy in the descriptions of the teenagers’ complicated lives. There is kindness in the depictions of how parents can break under pressure, or how any of us could make a mistake that impacts everyone in our family. It explores how families can be places of refuge, but also how lonely a family unit can be. And then there are the secrets we all keep. This novel, despite the genre, is all heart.

Fans of Toni Jordan will enjoy the familiar domestic setting of this novel. Readers of Aoife Clifford will relish the twist in the plot. One of Us Is Missing is a thrilling read, designed to keep us all on our toes.