This book has two of my very favorite things - a missing person case and a crumbling family estate stuffed with secrets. This one got off to a bit of a slow start. Is Ailsa losing her mind, is the house haunted, or is someone out to make her think both of those things? Throw in a community who is either overly interested in the house or openly hostile (or a bit of both) and there is a lot going on in this book. And just what happened to Ailsa's father all those years ago? I think all the plots, subplots, and mysteries gaining traction slowed down the beginning. It was always enjoyable and easy to read though at times for the first third I felt a little bit impatient with the story.



When things start moving they really start moving! And while I had enjoyed the book from the beginning I was well in truly hooked by the second half. I like that Elliot's characters are more sympathetic than the average psychological thriller character (or at least in my experience). While Ailsa wasn't someone I'd always want to spend time with I could always sympathize with her. This was quite a mystery -some old some new - and was fascinating to unravel!

The Missing Years is an atmospheric read from the very first almost tense chapter. With the manse, the very house, taking on a personality of its own.

It is no secret that this genre is one of my favorites and even though I knew the genre I was getting into when I started this story, I was expecting all the other stuff I would be getting as well.

This story was...a bit creepy in a really good way. The house its self really does take on a personality all its own and I really enjoyed being drawn into the story and the very heart of the mystery. Add in a touch of Scottish lore and setting and you really do have a fun read that kept me guessing, turning the pages and completely entertained the whole way through.

Ailsa Calder has just inherited half of her childhood home, an estate known as the Manse in Scotland. The other half is owned by her father who has been missing for over 25 years. Legally she can’t do anything with the property until her father is found, except live there, which is what she decides to do.

THE MISSING YEARS is a quiet suspense novel. Ailsa’s return to the Manse isn’t celebrated by all she comes in contact with, and odd occurrences keep happening in and around the house. The heart of the book is the mystery of her father’s disappearance, the toll it’s taken on her over the years, and what answers the eerie old manor home can give her.

I enjoyed the setting most of all, the house full of secrets and memories, standing among “the craggy peaks of the Scottish Highlands.” Sounds amazing and gothic! On the flip side, I was hoping for a faster pace and more twists. Though the build up was slow, the ending was wild.

This book is a little bit thriller, a little bit ghost story, and don't forget a potentially haunted (sentient?) house. And maybe mental illness, too? So there's a little something for everyone in this novel.

Ailsa returns to her childhood home after the death of her mother in order to dispense with the estate, which is half-owned by her father who disappeared 27 years before. Her half-sister joins her and they befriend a number of people in the small Scottish village.

But something sinister is afoot. Ailsa sees someone in the attic. Doors open and shut on their own. Dead animals are found on the doorstep, but live animals won't come onto the grounds.

While this book had a slow start, once it picked up I didn't want to put it down.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

So...you are telling me that only half of this house is mine and I can’t sell it until we find my father who disappeared twenty-seven years ago?

The only other choice Ailsa Calder had was to occupy the house which held memories both good and bad.

She finds out there are more bad associations with the house than good.

The neighbors have been freely roaming in it, and the town’s residents have nothing good to say about her father who disappeared with diamonds.

Along with all the trouble with the residents, odd things also happen in the house itself.

Ms. Elliott’s writing style is descriptive, but the book is a bit slow and focuses on where Ailsa’s father could be or whether he is dead and on the house that seems to be haunted.

At the end of each chapter, a blurb is added about where her father may be or where he may have been all these years.

The odd and different characters do pull the story line along and work well together as one mystery after another comes to the surface along with secrets that are revealed.

If you are a fan of old houses, family secrets, sibling rivalry, family sagas, mysteries, and some unresolved issues, THE MISSING YEARS is be a book you will want to read.

You just need to move slowly along with the characters and the story line as everything is revealed in the very peculiar, twisted wrap up. 4/5

This book was given to me as an ARC by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars. A decent, somewhat suspenseful, mystery. Upon the death of her mother, a woman inherits half of an eerie old Scottish manse; her father, missing for 27 years, owns the other half. She travels to Scotland to settle the estate and encounters strange, unexplainable happenings. Is the mansion haunted? And what’s happened to her father? A slow, slightly creepy tale with good atmosphere and likable characters, but I would have enjoyed more of a spookiness factor.

Liked the overall story and the somewhat paranormal, slightly gothic feel of this story- a creepy, secretive house is always something I enjoy. The story felt longer than it was, though, and something about the structure of this story (down to the interludes between chapters where Ailsa hypothesizes about what could have happened to her father) is reminding me strongly of something I've already read (though I can't place exactly what).

Excellent characters, suspenseful intrigue and fast paced story. This book kept me guessing until the very end. Highly recommended along with Lexie Elliott's The French Girl.

I thought that this was a huge step for Lexie Elliott in the right direction for psychological thriller suspense novels genre books! While I did enjoy THE FRENCH GIRL, I think this one was even better. Very chilling and riveting read, that had me wondering who the heck was being talked about and who was doing what or was someone possibly losing their minds. Lots of fun chills, thrills, twists and turns! Must read for thriller fans!
Will he highly recommending to the members of chapter chatter pub!

A dark mystery with a hint of the supernatural. You're not sure who to trust in a tiny Scottish town. You'll find out in a twist that's not a twist.

Ailsa having inherited an old Scottish manor travels back to Scotland with her younger half sister to settle the estate. The manor (Manse) is creepy and seems to have a mind of it's own. Lots of strange things are happening that has Ailsa on edge. Her father owns half of the manor but hasn't been seen for all most thirty years. Having never been declared deceased, when bones are found, the mystery of her father may be solved. But there are lots of twists and turns and many characters that will keep readers on their toes in solving this mystery. This one was a little too weird for me.

Wanted to love this title. Scotland, spooky house, an apparently tight-knit group of friends. A mysterious disappearance in the past. Community still angry after many years. All good signs for a spooky mystery. And I was intrigued by each of the characters. But there were too many bits that didn’t fall together. Parts felt rushed and unresolved. Yet, still, it held my attention enough to finish it.

This is Elliott’s second novel and it was not bad, but perhaps not quite as engaging as the first. I think those that liked The French Girl will still enjoy this one. A bit of mystery, a bit os supernatural - it was a fine read.

The Missing Years is an edgy and atmospheric novel that takes place in the highlands of Scotland! The setting is ripe for suspense and mystery. The book is well written and the characters are intriguing. Personally, I didn’t love the mystical aspects of the book, it’s just not my thing.

**I received an ARC from NetGalley for an unbiased review of this book.

Gothic type story that takes place in a Scottish manse--journalist Alisa is staying there after the death of her mother along with her half sister. Banging doors, dead animals on the doorstep, and lots of local gossip. Neither the story not the characters were overly compelling.

Ailsa Calder lives a fast-paced life around the world, but based in London. She rarely sees her family, which is fine with her. But when her mother dies suddenly, Ailsa feels guilty for not being able to make it back in time for the funeral. When Ailsa discovers she inherited half a house in the Scottish Highlands (her father who disappeared 27 years ago owns the other half), she asks her half sister Carrie to go with her to prepare the house for sale.
Strange things happen at the Manse. Also, strong feelings swirl about the Calder family, and how Ailsa’s father disappeared with a shipment of diamonds so long ago. What really happened? Why won’t animals set foot inside the Manse’s property? And who is the mysterious visitor trying to scare Ailsa away? Who can she trust?
The charming Scottish language and village people, the mystery of her father’s disappearance, and the tragedy of the missing 27 years makes this a thoroughly enjoyable story.

Good, modern gothic tale. Scotland should be proud. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2752218642

Having enjoyed "The French Girl" Lexie Elliot's first novel, I was interested in her follow up "The Missing Years" and dove right in. The premise is intriguing - upon her mother's death, Ailsa inherits half of "The Manse", the house where she was born, but hasn't seen since she was 7 years old. The other half belongs to her father, who disappeared 27 years ago. As the chapters pass, we meet Ailsa and her half sister, Carrie, as they settle into the Manse and meet the locals; all the while, odd events are happening at the house. There are multiple mysteries involved (who left the newspaper about her father's disappearance on her doorstep? what happened to her father? why is Carrie lying?) and predicting the outcome is nigh on impossible.

Quick and entertaining, highly recommend especially for fans of psychological fiction by authors such as Chris Pavonne, Gillian Flynn and Mary Kubica

Ailsa has inherited an enormous house (the Manse) in Scotland, and must go there to get it ready for sale. The Manse is actually the house Ailsa lived in until she was seven, but her memories are vague and now she's searching for clues that might explain what happened to her father all those years ago. In fact, she only inherited half of the Manse because the other half legally belongs to her absentee father. But, as Ailsa tries to reconcile with her past and her memories, more disturbing things are happening in the present.

Recommended

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.
If you like rather creepy, keep you on the edge of your seat books, this one is for you. I really liked the French Girl and this books runs a close second. A plot that keeps one guessing and characters to whom one can relate combine to create a very readable book.