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Reported Missing

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Overall, I liked this book. Not a bad mystery. I felt bad for the girl but at the same time, I was suspicious of her. There were a few things I was meh about...especially the ending...but it was good. Here is the link for Blodeuedd's and my discussion:

http://www.caroleraesrandomramblings.com/2017/08/joint-discussion-reported-missing-by.html

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I really enjoyed this book. I didn't find it as suspenseful as I thought it would be, but I definitely needed to keep reading to find out what happened with Chris and Kayleigh. Unfortunately in the end we still don't know what really happened to Chris, other than being left with the impression that he took off, but knowing that he didn't do what he was suspected of in regards to Kayleigh's disappearance was good. I would definitely read something else by this author.

I received this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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This book made me so mad! Why were everyone so mean! Poor Rebecka! It was not her fault her husband had done what he had...or had he done anything at all?

That is what I was wondering this whole book. Maybe he had been killed. Maybe he had just left. Maybe he had taken that girl.

And as for Kayleigh. Maybe someone had taken her. Maybe she had run away. Maybe someone had killed her. Maybe he had taken her, maybe they left together.

Left back home is Rebecka. Kids throw things at her. People whisper behind her back. Like it was her fault. Like she knew. All she wanted was the truth and as she had arisen from her drunken stupor she tries to find out what her husband was really about.

And I kept on guessing. It was just too hard to tell to be honest. I wanted to believe the best of him, but as she started to falter so did I.

Good book. And to be honest, yes it shows it is British. It is just something in the tone of it

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Four months ago a young girl went missing and on the same day Rebecca Pendle's husband Chris disappeared too. Ever since the two disappearances have been linked in the press and by the people in the town. The suspicions are that Chris either did some harm to Kayleigh or they both went away together. The book deals mainly with how Rebecca is coping with Chris' disappearance and her attempts to find out where and why he has gone and whether there was any connection between him and Kayleigh. Although this was a good story I felt it was a bit slow at times and I struggled to like Rebecca.

Thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture and Sarah Wray for the opportunity to read and review this book.

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Reported Missing follows the downward spiral of a wife tormented by a town that suspects a connection between the disappearance of her husband and that of a 14-year-old girl. Left with only a grainy CCTV image, Rebecca drowns herself in alcohol and desperation as she searches for the truth.
The pace of Reported Missing seems slow at times, but it is set in relationship to the main character's realization that life with her husband wasn't as it seemed. It is because of this that you get a true sense of Rebecca's anguish.
She puts herself in dangerous situations and lashes out at those around her, offering a less often exposed look at the relationship between adult daughters and their aging mothers.
This story also offers a character diversity that I enjoyed, but I was less enthused about the protagonist being a heavy drinking female, and thus a less than reliable narrator because that has become a common trope in thrillers recently.
I also like that this story addresses how public opinion and social media influences what we view as truth.
Reported Missing is a modern and well-written debut that leaves me looking forward to more from author Sarah Wray.

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I would like to thank Bookouture for allowing me to review this book.

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I would like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Reported Missing’ a debut novel by Sarah Wray in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
Rebecca believes she and husband Chris have a happy marriage but Chris suddenly disappears on the same day as fourteen-year-old Kayleigh. Have they disappeared together or are their disappearances just a coincidence? Rebecca goes around their home town of Shawmouth asking questions and stirring up bad feeling but will she ever discover the truth?
‘Reported Missing’ is a slow starter with little action initially, but as I read more of the story it got under my skin and I found myself getting involved and wanting to know answers. It’s well-written and has an ending I didn’t expect. Well worth reading!

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A good thriller that has a good twist
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

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One could argue that the real victim in this scenario is Rebecca. She has committed no crime other than being married to a suspect in the disappearance of a teenage girl. There is no concrete proof other than the fact that both Chris and young Kayleigh vanished on the same day. Does a simple coincidence have more sinister connotations or has Chris been leading a double-life?

The public believes Rebecca has been harbouring a deviant and they also think she supports him. The fact that she is searching for him seems to imply a sort of complicity. Her actions would be perceived as those of a caring and worried wife under other circumstances.

Rebecca starts to admit to herself, as the story progresses, that perhaps her life with Chris wasn’t so picture perfect. She has a selective memory, which is probably why she finds it hard to accept the reality of his betrayal.

As I mentioned before, I think Rebecca is the real victim. She is completely vilified by nearly everyone she encounters, especially a certain group of youngsters. Her life has disintegrated into a fog of sleeping pills and alcohol. Her husband is presumed guilty just based on circumstantial evidence and a heck of a lot of rumours.

Wray has written a cracking read, there is no doubt about that, but I believe she deserves a kudos for perhaps unintentionally calling out the media and society for pointing fingers without proof. For showing the negative aspects of social and mass media where fake news and false rumours are prevalent and reputations are destroyed in the blink of an eye, and the actual truth has become almost inconsequential to the majority of people.

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Rebecca's husband, Chris, disappeared 4 months ago at the same time as Kayleigh Jackson, a 14-year-old girl. People around town believe that Chris abducted Kayleigh, but Rebecca is trying to prove them wrong. As she continues her investigation, she learns things about her husband she never knew. How well did she really know him?

The book was relatively slow-paced, and the ending was somewhat disappointing. It wasn't terribly suspenseful, and I'm not sure I would call it a thriller.

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Quite a good story but none of the "thriller" twists I expected

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Rebecca's husband is missing. At the same time, a young girl is also missing. Are the two incidents related? The police seem to think they are and so begins a witch hunt. People are more sympathetic to the fact that a 14 year old girl is missing, much more so than a grown male. Especially one that has a reputation now of a pedophile. Therefore, Rebecca has trouble finding anyone to help her. She no longer works but spends her days wandering the streets in hope of finding her husband. I had trouble liking Rebecca. She was someone that I wouldn't call a strong personality. She drank a lot, felt sorry for herself a lot, didn't to anything to help her situation, made enemies.....a lot. She allowed teens to bully her, which I didn't quite understand. I wanted to scream at her to fight back!! She was a weak character that I couldn't bring myself to like. As for the mystery.....it was ok but nothing memorable about it. I couldn't fathom why the police would keep thinking that the two disappearances were related? So they both went missing on the same day. That's what links them together? I don't know, the whole thing didn't work for me. Nothing much happened throughout this story. You basically just "watch" Rebecca bumble through her life. If your looking for a shocking thriller.....look elsewhere. There were no shocks, thrills, twists, basically anything that makes a good thriller. In the end, I found this book to be quite boring.

**Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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The premise of this book had me really wanting to read it, but unfortunately it didn’t live up to expectations for me. The book started quite slow, I was constantly waiting to discover some answers to what had gone on. When the truth started to finally come out I did get drawn back into the book, but then that truth only covered part of the mystery.

I was left a bit disappointed if I’m totally honest, and I hate feeling that way after really looking forward to reading something. Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for providing a copy.

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Reported Missing

by Sarah Wray

Bookouture



General Fiction (Adult) , Mystery & Thrillers

Pub Date 14 Jul 2017

I am reviewing a copy of Reported Missing through Bookouture and Netgalley:

Four months ago Rebecca Pendle's husband went missing as did fourteen year old Kayleigh Jackson, was this merely a coincidence or was it something more?

Another girl comes out soon and says Chris approached her as well.

The entire town angry at her Rebecca must find out the truth, but will she be ready for whatever she finds? Will she be putting herself in the danger?

I give Reported Missing five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

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I thought the plot was very interesting and the book well written.

I found the book lacking in tension. I wanted the slow pace of the story to build up and then out of nowhere grip me and take me on a journey of suspense, unfortunately it just didn't manage it.

Thank you Netgalley, Bookouture and Sarah Wray for allowing me to read and review this book.

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Four months ago 14 year old Kayleigh vanished from her hometown without a trace. On the same day Rebecca Pendles husband disappears too. Rebecca believes this to be a coincidence but pretty much everyone else believes somehow they were linked. As she is ostracized by an angry town she strives through a fog of alcohol and depression to discover the truth. But as more secrets about her husband come to light even Rebecca begins to have her doubts.

This book wasn't quite what I was expecting. For me it was more a domestic drama than an out and out thriller. It's a study of an innocent woman who finds her self facing off a town who thinks her husband is a paedophile and she knew about it. And she isn't coping. Instead she's barely recovering from a nervous breakdown and heading straight to been an alcoholic. It's only as she decides to take matters into her own hands that she starts to come out of the darkness. But as she tries to cope she begins to uncover secrets about her hometown that could put her in danger. Despite (or maybe because) of it not been what I expected I really enjoyed this novel. It's well written and nicely paced with a well thought out plot. Rebecca is a sympathetic and quite likeable character that is easy to empathize with - even when she's been a bit of a cow it's easy to understand why.

An excellent story of lies, blind trust and heartache with a darned good mystery to boot
I received this from Netgalley and Bookouture for an unbiased review.

All my reviews can be found at www.dejaread.simplesite.com know a little more about you.

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This book was so creepy and chilling and I cant say enough good things about it. This book was a book that made me lose sleep and trust me I like my sleep. Highly recommend.

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This book is hard for me to peg down completely. It is a good story but it definitely had its weaknesses. I had trouble staying engaged in this book so it took me 12 day to complete.

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The synopsis of this psychological thriller:

Rebecca’s life is a mess and her husband is missing, the worst part is, so is a local teenage girl, both disappearing the same day. So it only makes sense to many that the two are related and Rebecca stands by her husbands innocence and receives major backlash. Eventually as things progress she starts to have doubts too, its just too much coincidence.

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Okay, first off, the idea behind the story was good. You feel sorry for Rebecca because even you as the reader have been brainwashed into not believing in coincidences and the harder she believes in her husbands innocence the more backlash and harassment she receives from the missing girl’s friends. The plot twist is good, I’m not going to spoil it for ya tho 😉 , and there wasn’t a fairy tale ending. Not to say the ending was bad, in this case I think the ending suited the story quite well.

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The excitement was a bit on the dull side for about the first 70% of the book. When you start to reach the climax it gets interesting enough to push through to the end.

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My biggest hang up was the writing. The first half of the book the sentence formation seemed choppy and fragmented. I’m not sure if was done on purpose due to the first person point of view or not but it really bugged me. It got better and flowed a bit easier through the second half of the book.

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My rating for this one is a 2 out of 5 stars as the writing bugged me and though the story was good and was dark and yes there was mystery, I didn’t think it quite suited the genre of psychological thriller.

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A good pshycological thriller and would recommend for people who likes a slow burner - I unfortunately don't. For me more needed to happen instead of her constantly being in her own head trying to figure out exactly what has happenend.
The writer has a knack for the anxiety driven prose and I say she is one too watch

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I am a victim. A cover love victim. There was no way my eyes would not catch the beautiful contrast of colors and the tagline that hints to my favorite trope: the suspect husband! No wonder why I don't want to get married, haha!

The title gives you a good idea of what to expect in this book. Missing people. A teenager. A man. Coincidence? Crime stories and newspaper headlines have taught us not to believe in them, so I could totally see why the town, the police, and every Tom and Harry would think those two disappearances were connected. I would probably have thought the same! Yes, the police are supposed to “investigate all leads” but don't we hear that the easiest explanation is the right one? Can we really blame them for looking at the first facts and drawing conclusions?

Rebecca trusts her husband. Trusted. But while his life got “suspended”, hers kept going, the town had to find someone to blame, and her life took a turn for the worst. Living in a caravan, she is only the shadow of herself. With a head full of questions, bottles around, and weeks since she's heard anything from the man she was supposed to spend her life with, there is not much for her to look for anymore. I first felt so sorry for Rebecca. I understood her need to stick to her husband's side, and I felt the unfairness of how the disappearances had been handled. After all, people go missing every day. The fact a young girl and a former teacher vanished the very same day could only be a joke from life, and I couldn't help feel angry at the police for the angle with which they handled the case from the beginning. If Chris only had disappeared that day, the police would have treated the information differently, and I couldn't help thinking he did not stand the same chance as a beautiful and lively teenager.

Rebecca feels in her guts that her husband has nothing to do with what happened to Kayleigh, but as time goes by, she can't help but wonder, and when she witnesses strange happenings in town, she decides to dig a little. Only the digging brings doubts, and I can't blame her for that! I can blame the alcohol and bad decisions, though. This is when I started to detach myself from her distress. I know not all women are strong and ready to fight for what they believe in, live for and whatever, but I was so frustrated to see Rebecca wonder and wonder without doing anything to prove her husband's innocence, and her naivety and helplessness got on my nerves. I could only take so much of drinking, sleeping pills and feeling sorry for herself. She did not deserve some of the things that happened to her, but I was hoping it would trigger something, a reaction from her, and make things more exciting, but Rebecca never really left her shell.

I appreciated that the story explored what happens to the other side, the ones left behind with a wall of questions, a deafening silence, and a broken heart. I only believed it took too long for the plot to move on from the poor victim Rebecca to tangible facts and events. I admit I was wondering about Chris throughout the story, and as information was given to us, the shadow of a man appeared, a very different man than described by his wife. Rebecca is caught in the past, the good memories, and the life she had, and she cannot cope with the assumption that something happened. Except it did, whether or not the disappearances are connected. I wished a hundred times that I could shake some sense into her.

The mystery and possible link between the cases weren't enough to keep me turning pages like a crazy lady. I struggled to finish the book. Maybe a more resilient main character and a slightly faster pace would have helped. I couldn't find a way to connect and get curious about the teenager, and her friends did not help. I did however enjoyed the answers I got and the open ending. I felt it was perfect for this particular book. My only regret is that it took way too long to have me interested in what was happening.

Reported Missing could satisfy readers looking for a different perspective on missing people cases and lovers of assumptions, if they can handle a slow pace and a load of self-pity.

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I have received this as an ARC book from NetGalley intern for an honest and truthful review. I love murder mystery books, I saw this one on NetGalley and knew from the moment I read the preview I had to read it. When reading the first few chapters I wasn't drawn to the characters at all, but within a few chapters they had me wrapped around their fingers. It was well written and let me tell you I couldn't put the book down after I started reading it. A spouse and someones child that suddenly goes missing (or is accused of a crime, or both), and the remaining wife and parents desperately tries to figure out what happened while refusing to believe what others insist is true. It draws you in because you want to know the end of the book and if they find him.

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