An investigative journalist by trade, a woman driven to never stop searching for her missing sister, missing for 20 years. This is Emma Hunter. Emma has recently become famous as an author as her investigations led to the discovery of decades of abuse at an orphanage. Her drive, her purpose in life, is to protect children and find her sister. MA Hunter has developed a pretty amazing character and set her into the middle of a community that desperately needed her.

RANSOMED has an extraordinary story line that will hold your attention as you wait to see what Emma will discover next. There are only a few recurring characters but they are so well developed, it's clear they've been living in the author's mind for awhile. This is the first book in a series written so well that you will be searching for the next book as soon as you finish this one.

Emma Hunter has become quite the hit with her debut novel that brought light to an old child abuse case. This new fame has lead a wealthy, well-known man to approach her about helping to figure out what has happened to his missing granddaughter. The case hits home with her and she teams up with a detective to try to solve it. Emma has got her hands full with this one.

I did not want to put this book down. It is the first book of a new series that can't continue soon enough. If you enjoy the logic of solving crimes then this is for you. Emma knows how to get into the mind of the suspects and I want more.

This is the first book in a new series and it’s a brilliant start.
Emma is celebrating the success of a book she’s had published but doesn’t really like the limelight. The subject of the book has attracted a lot of attention as it resulted in people being imprisoned for their crimes in a children’s home.
At a PR event Emma is approached and asked to help find a missing girl. Her grandfather is desparate for her help, but Emma is reluctant to agree.
Soon it’s taken out of her hands as her publicist tells her it’s going to be the subject of her next book so Emma has no choice.
It’s a bit close to home as her own sister was abducted and Emma can’t help but be reminded of this through the investigation.
Emma works with Jack to go through the Police files and you can tell it’s the start of a great friendship, and maybe something more....
The last few chapters had me on the edge of my seat and I loved the ending.
I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read more in the series.
Thanks to Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Initially I was reading this book and wondered what the title of the book had to do with the story. Then bam. Your into it. The author has really developed the character of Emma Hunter. An author who has tragically got a sister who was taken in childhood. We also meet Jack and Rachel. The story was told in a really great way. I was so pleased to read at the end that this is going to be the first in a six book series. Such a shame the second book was available as it left me wanting to reading more.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc in return for an honest review

Ransomed is the first in M.A Hunter's The Missing Children Case Files; a series that follows Emma Hunter, an investigative journalist who is so much more than she seems. Emma is an incredible introvert with an unassuming manner that hides a woman with a compassionate nature and bloodhound's tenacity to tracking down the truth of the matter.

Fresh off the successful launch of her book exposing the decades of sexual abuses at a children's home that led to convictions of the perpetrators, all Emma wants is to focus on the case that weighs heaviest on her mind. Anna, Emma's sister has been missing for 20 years now. But her agent is dismissive, as the case is so old and points her to Lord Fitzhume's missing granddaughter, Cassie. Cassie's only been missing a year, and while the Metropolitan Police have closed the case, Lord Fitzhume is insistent that Cassie is alive and out there.

Told in chapters that alternate with what actually happened during Cassie's abduction (Then) and Emma's hunt for what happened (Now), Ransomed is a book that is keeps you on the edge of your seat. The lives of the rich and privileged is no happier, and often much less than those of other people. As Emma digs deeper into the reason why Cassie was taken, she uncovers family secrets that brought about the very reason they are grieving their loss.

Richly detailed characters, delicate topics broached with compassion and empathy, and complex villains,  M.A. Hunter's writing builds a world that reads like a particularly riveting serial drama show. I honestly was completely blown away by the ending and left mourning the fact that I need to wait to read the next book!

Wow what a gripping read a really page turner loved all twists and turns great character I was hooked from the first page great plot did not want the story to end love it I recommend to you all a great read you will love it so well written

A new author for me and I wasn't disappointed. Read this book in two sittings, it grabbed me from the start. It's a thrilling read and I can't wait for the next book in this series.
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Set mainly in Weymouth although there are references to Hertfordshire and London, the reader is faced with loss, manipulation, family & relationships, betrayal, greed, questions & uncertainty, and a search for the truth to name but a few of the common strands throughout this novel.
Eeeek! I just LOVE a new series and this was was one I had been waiting for! Under the clever pseudonym M.A. Hunter (check out the MC's name!) the author starts the book with an intriguing opening that had me hooked and desperate to know the answers.  Told in a dual timeline and multiple POV's we see a slow build of suspense, with a clever storyline and I am very keen to see where he will be taking the reader next as this is billed as The Missing Children Case File History series! More mystery than thriller, I was certainly keen to gather the clues as I turned the pages.
There was a curious cast of characters in Ransomed - starting with Emma Hunter (the MC) herself! She is a bestselling author who finds herself involved in solving crimes after exposing child abusers in her debut novel! First and foremost, she is a journalist so she has a nose for digging and is relentless in her pursuit. I did laugh when she commented about criticising cliches when she in fact is a total cliche - but that's what I loved about her and this book. I am a sucker for flawed characters, common tropes, cliches - you name it, I love them!
Fitzhume and his family had my red flags flying. I just didn't know what to make of any of them. Wealthy and greedy, come across as false but also emotional at times - they were just a whirlwind but kept me wanting to know more. So many fabulous characters to call upon - I am looking to find out more about Rachel Leeming (Emma's BFF!)
Would I recommend this read? You bet your backside I would! Murder-she-wrote-esque, full of suspense and quite a compelling storyline, I can't wait to see what happens next! 4.5 stars - link will be added when published on my blog (publication day)

A great start for a new series: well written, fast paced and gripping.
I loved the excellent storytelling, the well developed characters and the tight knitted plot that kept me hooked.
It's full of twists and turns, a story that kept me guessing till the end.
It's strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Some secrets are too big to bury…
Investigative journalist Emma Hunter never thought she’d be a bestselling author. Especially not for a blistering exposé of the brutal horrors committed at an orphanage.

Some secrets breed in the dark…

All she wants is to return home to the anchoring salt air and solitude of Weymouth where questions still fester unanswered and a twenty-year-old secret binds her to the beach.

And some of them always escape…

But then she finds herself sucked into the chaos of another cold case and soon realises the search for the missing girl will not only unearth the rot ravaging the safety of children across the south of England, but could even solve the mystery that has tortured her since she was seven years old…

I loved this book. The characters were well developed and the story flowed easily.
I especially liked the relationship between the two main characters and I’m excited to see how it evolves.
I will definitely be recommending this book.

Emma is an investigative journalist and recently became the best selling author due to her report of cover up abuse at an orphanage. Meanwhile, in London, a little girl has been kidnapped and missing for a year. Her grandfather does not believe that she is dead. He hired Emma to find his granddaughter.

It's the M.A Hunter first book and it was a gripping thriller. Fast read with elements of surprise with each page. Emma is quite captivating. Perhaps because she is a journalist instead of a detective, her method is different. Therefore, give the story a distinct feel and element to the story that makes it unique to this thriller. It's more relatable and believable. The author's style of leaving out answers to important questions that readers usually have while reading the book, add another layer to the mystery. I can't wait for the next book Isolated.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for letting me read this fabulous ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After becoming famous for a child abuse expose, all Emma wants to do is go back to trying to track down her long-missing sister. Instead, her publisher requires her to take on a more recent, and supposedly solved, disappearance. This mystery and the hunt to figure out what happened, if little Cassie is actually still alive and if so, where she is, was a good one. There were some very interesting characters and back stories. However, I never came to like Emma. She has a solid self-esteem issue. Instead of adding to the story line and giving her some character, it felt like a distraction and annoyance. So while I enjoyed reading this particular story, I am not sure how interested I am in continuing to follow Emma.

i so very enjoyed this story so cant wait for next one Emma helps grown men get justice from when they was in a children s home she becomes a bestselling author . but Emma has always wanted to know what happened to her sister she wants to write that next but a man comes to see her wants her to find out what happened to his granddaughter its just brilliant read

Emma has had great success as a journalist in exposing the horrors of child exploitation. She's also spent the last 20 years looking for her sister Anna, whose disappearance has haunted her. She's surprised when she's approached by Lord Fitzhume, who wants her help finding his grand daughter Cassie, who was kidnapped a year ago but not returned even after he paid ransom. Emma discovers there are more twisty secrets about Cassie's family than Lord Fitzhume knew, as well as some in her own family. DC Jack Saavitz, who has the police investigation of Cassie's case becomes an ally, even if there's a little push between them at first. No spoilers from me but this has good twists. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A page turner.

Emma Hunter, investigative journalist turned best-selling author finds that celebrity opens many doors but not always the ones you would wish to open.

Following the success of her expose' novel, Emma decides to move forward with a book detailing the still-unsolved disappearance of her sisters when she was 7. Her plans are derailed and not just because the case has grown beyond cold. Her agent tells her there will no interest in the case as there hasn't been a single new development in the 2 decades since it happened.

When Lord Fitzhume approaches Emma to do an expose' into the police departments' mishandling of his granddaughter's disappearance, Emma finds herself reluctantly agreeing to review the case.

Although I enjoy mysteries and thrillers, this was not the book for me. I found the pacing to be excruciatingly slow, the characters flat and mostly unlikeable. The ending was a little too tidy, the twist a little too predictable and the purposeful loose end setting the book up to one in a series were all things that added up to be disappointing to me.

The author several times referred to Jessica Fletcher of Murder, She Wrote, which was a series that also did not appeal to me, so I may have just been the wrong audience for this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A shy but determined journalist is asked to look into the case of a missing child. Intricate with many layers,her determination brings some unexpected results. A good read.

I may have just found a new favourite author to stalk - I mean follow! M A Hunter kicks off this new series with a humdinger of a crime thriller and I'm sure there can only be more great stories ahead.

Emma Hunter has been thrust into the limelight after exposing a paedophile ring working out of an orphanage. As an investigative journalist, she had to earn the trust of the victims in order to bring the perpetrators to justice. Now, her book is a best-seller and everyone knows her name. Including Lord Fitzhume whose granddaughter was abducted a year ago. The case has gone cold, but the grandfather is convinced she (Cassie) is still alive.

Emma is reluctant to get involved. She'd rather retreat to Weymouth and pursue her own case - which is that of her sister who has been missing for over twenty years - but her agent insists that Fitzhume's case carries greater weight with the publishers, who, after all, will be paying her a substantial amount for her next book.  And so it is that she finds herself teaming up with PC Jack Serrovitz, ready to embark on another investigation. However, the more she digs into the case, the more she realises that something went badly wrong. Is Cassie still alive, and more to the point, will they find her?

Emma is a likeable character and very dedicated to the investigation. The story behinds Cassie's abduction throws up lots of twists and turns, however the ending is not all tied up neatly. Granted, this is the first in a series, and so I expect the next story to pick up where this one ends. It just means I'll have to wait a bit longer ... but I'm fine with that. Good stories are worth waiting for. 

A compulsive page-turner (or screen-swiper) with plenty of promise for an outstanding series.

I’d like to thank HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Ransomed’ by M A Hunter in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Emma Hunter is an investigative journalist whose best-selling book ‘Monsters Under The Bed’ brings to light the cruelty experienced by boys in St Francis Home for Wayward Boys. Lord Fitzhume asks Emma to investigate the abduction of his six-year-old granddaughter Cassie Hilliard that took place a year ago and that the police were unable to solve. Against her better judgment Emma agrees to look at the old police records and soon gets involved as it reminds her of her own sister Anna who disappeared twenty years ago at the same age.

I found ‘Ransomed’ slow to start and it wasn’t until I’d read about a third of the book that the plot started to pick up pace and get interesting. The chapters move between Emma in her home town of Weymouth, to London where her agent Maddie and friend Rachel are, to Chalfont St Giles where Lord Fitzhume resides. The plot is intriguing, the characters engaging, and the further I read the more I wanted Emma to get to the truth. This is the first in the Missing Children Case Files and I look forward to seeing how Emma’s character develops in book two.

Investigative journalist, Emma Hunter never thought that she would be a bestselling author. Especially not for a blistering exposé of the brutal horrors committed at a childrens home.

This is the first book on a new crime series. Emma Hunter is an investigative journalist who has just written a book about a sex abuse scandal at a boys home. She has been asked to investigate the kidnapping and disappearance of Cassie Hillard by her grandfather, Lord Fitzhume. Cassie has been missing for a year. She had been kidnapped on her way home from a friends birthday party. The story is told in the tgen and now format. I was quickly pulled into this storyline. It's well written, believable with plenty of twists. On looking forward to reading the next book in this series. Loved this one.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #HarperFiction #OneMoreChapter and the author #MAHunter for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Emma has recently become a bestselling author after researching and writing a historical book about abuse in a children's home. She struggles a little with the fame that came after. She is contacted by a grandfather who needs her help in locating his missing granddaughter. She is a bit reluctant at first since her own sister vanished 20 years ago. Can Emma find the missing girl, Cassie?
I have read a few books recently that involved missing children either in the past or present. At times I felt a little bit of overkill on the subject, but that is due to the previous books and a not a reflection on this book. I enjoyed the characters and it was engaging throughout. This was the first book in a series and I am looking forward to the next book.

Thanks to netgalley, One More Chapter and M> A. Hunter for the arc