This was a great page turner with interesting characters and so many twists and secrets to be unveiled. It hooked me from the beginning and I had made my own theories after a few chapters, but something was always completely wrong in what I thought it will happen next. As Merrit, I wondered why Lydia hadn’t gone to the police first, but everything made sense in the end.

Addictive, twisted and great narrative of this suspenseful story.

Whoa! Unmissing, by Minka Kent, is the kind of suspense novel that I love. Not only are the main characters well fleshed out but the author manages to make them all interesting in different ways. While there were some hints dropped, along the way, I didn't find the story predictable. The story just brings you along slowly. I also thought going from alternating povs made it all the more interesting in how the story came together, overall.
Luca and Merritt Coletto are living a life that they always wanted. They own a beautiful house, a thriving business and their second child is on their way. But one night Luca's first wife shows up at their door.
Lydia has been gone, presumed dead, for over a decade but she's back and anxious to tell her harrowing story. She's been held captive and tortured since the day she was kidnapped but she was miraculously able to escape. Merritt decides to make nice and to try and help her husband's first wife out, financially. But just enough to get her to go away.
The more Merritt learns about Lydia, the more she needs to know. Lydia's not exactly forthcoming and that leaves Merritt feeling especially wary of her. She knows that Lydia wants something but for now she's not telling.

This was so entertaining!

The story has a great premise! The writing was easy and the pace consistent throughout. It was hard to put down. The characters are well layered, interesting and some just plain evil. I adored Delphine! She’s not a big part of the story (and for a psychic she doesn’t seem to have great powers of deduction) but she just struck a chord with me. The twists were good, so fun! Was this story a bit farfetched? You betcha! But I’m ok with that. Sometimes the most outrageous of conclusions are the most satisfying and give the biggest payouts.

I won’t rehash the storyline, there’s plenty of that available already. This was a fun read and I’d recommend it. I will look forward to the next by this author!

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Thomas & Mercer for a copy in exchange for a review.

This is my first read by Minka Kent and I am definitely a fan!! One of the few books I’ve read where I did not see the twists coming, and boy, did I enjoy them.The story is like an intricate puzzle you can’t put down until the last piece is placed. Fast-paced with a satisfying ending. Highly recommended for those who love suspense/thrillers.

Thank you NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and Minka Kent. This book is called the book of twist and turns. My Gosh. How can you have two wives, my dude? This book seemed so predictable..but oh you are so wrong. As you thought you figured a part out, bam a new twist. Enjoy the read because it is a ride.

I was very excited about this premise and that carried the narrative for a while but then I got a little lost in the action with some of the out of the blue actions the characters took. In fact, I felt misled and manipulated which I don’t enjoy. I have not read this author before but fans of psychological thrillers will like this, maybe more than I did.

3 stars

Imagine that you are a young mother married to, and business partners with, a man named Luc Colleto with whom you own a chain of coffee shops and the kind of upscale restaurant that charges thirty-nine dollars for a salad. You own a beautiful home, have one perfect child, and a second one on the way. You know you’re living the good life and are more than a bit smug. Merritt Coletto is exactly that kind of woman.

Now, imagine being Lydia, a young woman who went missing nine years ago and was legally declared dead after having never been found. Imagine that during those nine years on a daily basis you were raped, physically and emotionally tortured, and held captive by a sadistic monster who finally shot you and left you for dead. But unbeknownst to the man who held you captive, you didn’t die.

Instead, Lydia, disheveled and dressed in rags, shows up at Merritt’s door, claiming to be Merritt’s husband’s first wife, the one he had declared dead nine years ago. And from there, the story really takes off.

There, you have the beginning of Minka Kent’s electrifying new novel. Having read and thoroughly enjoyed all of Ms. Kent’s earlier novels, I thought it was impossible for her to write a book that would be even better than the books on her backlist. After reading Unmissing, her newest novel, I have to confess that I was completely and absolutely wrong.

Ms. Kent is a master writer of psychological suspense using domestic settings. Although her plots and settings are very different, her novels remind me of Mary Higgins Clark’s early books, such as Where are the Children. I’m not exaggerating. They’re that good. And in Unmissing, she really outdoes herself.

I’m one of those people who prides myself at generally figuring out the ending at least two or three chapters before the ending. I have to admit that with all the twists and turns in Unmissing, I never saw the ending coming. And when it came, it was with a major punch.

What a trip Unmissing was! Merritt & Luca have the perfect life going. They are happy & seem to have everything until....Luca's first wife who went missing 10 years ago shows up. Lydia is back & wants her life back. Luca & Merritt try to help her with that but throw in a couple of twists & not everything is as it seems to be. Lydia isn't the only one with secrets. I really enjoyed this book & cant' wait to see what Minka Kent comes up with next.

Since I loved Minka Kent's The Stillwater Girls so much, I couldn't wait to read her latest. Unmissing is another fast-paced thriller that is full of tension and surprises, but also has some disturbing elements.

Merritt Coletto's husband is travelling for business and one night, there's a knock on the door. Merritt opens the door and is shocked by what she sees - her husband's first wife Lydia who was declared dead several years ago! Merritt starts to panic when Lydia makes it clear she isn't going away. Everyone in the book seems to be keeping secrets, so you're not sure who can be trusted.

I read a lot of thrillers, but this one has an absolutely shocking plot twist I never would have predicted. I love it when an author can surprise me with something unique. If you don't mind a little darkness in your thrillers and can suspend disbelief on a few details, you will love this engaging, sometimes creepy, thriller as much as I did.

I received this ebook from NetGalley through the courtesy of Thomas and Mercer. An advance copy was provided to me at no cost, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

Yup: <i>that happened!!!!</i> The very decent series of twists and a good, flowing writing style kept my attention right to the very end of this dramatic thriller. I didn't know who to believe - until the very well tied together ending.

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While I did suspect ONE of the characters, I certainly didn't guess the entire convoluted "sh*t sh*w" that was Lydia's lot in life! That woman never seemed to catch a break!

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One plot element that had me chuckling repeatedly involved my own old, evil nemesis: INSURANCE COMPANIES. How they mess with your life, make you have to go through hoops and force you to downright alter your behaviour sometimes! No spoilers here but as I said, I found this aspect of the plot so, so interesting, if not downright ironic.

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My philosophy concerning this iniquitous fixture in our human lives has evolved from a youthful, naive belief that <i> "Of course we need insurance to guard against the vagaries of life/the unknown future"</i> to <i>"Why are we allowing these multi-billion dollar corporations to gain so much power over our lives in almost every conceivable way?"</i> In Uni, one of my profs was downright rabid about this subject, but the storyline in this novel tends to vindicate his socialistic abhorrence of these corporate swindlers: insurance is a damnable thing in the wrong hands.

Lydia, Luca and Merritt: what a trio of misfit, unreliable characters! Who to believe?!!!

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While this was a fairly enjoyable, fast-paced read, you occasionally had to suspend your disbelief for some portions of it. But, to be fair, if the conveniently "omitted facts" were known to the reader any earlier, the first "twist" wouldn't have been as effective.

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This author writes very well: just enough introspection, flashback and description to ignite your interest, but not so much that it slows the action down. With a bit of tightening up in the plotting area of her writing, she could be churning out epic thrillers with jaw-dropping twists that result in movie offers.

I'm rating this one a 4 out of 5 because I really liked how smoothly and quickly I got from the beginning to the end of this story, despite the multiple points of view.

My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. This book is a psycho-thriller told from both wives pov.
Lydia has been missing for ten years and presumed dead. But she was actually kidnapped and held captive by "The Monster". She has finally escaped and the only person she wants to see is her husband Luca. When she finally finds him he has moved in with a new wife and a family now. Luca and Merritt decide to help Lydia get back on her feet in hopes she will leave their perfect little family alone.
Just when you think you know the story another twist shows up and then another until your mind is just completely blown.

TWO WIVES TOO MANY IN ONE MARRIAGE

“I was simply missing, and now I’m unmissing.”
“I thought she was dead … she was as good as dead.”

Real monsters aren’t the ones under the bed … they’re in plain sight. You won’t truly know these characters before the truth is fully exposed. Unmissing is a slow-burn domestic thriller that gains traction from escalating tension and spine-tingling momentum so gradually and artfully that the eventual plot twists and revelations snatch the rug right out from under the reader. It’s clear that something isn’t quite right with this picture but you won’t know what to believe or who to trust, and the smallest detail will cause a major undoing. And there’s always the possibility of an unreliable narrator in the mix. Some clues spark half-formed, niggling suspicions and doubts that never fully take shape, but eventually explode in a virtual poker game of shocking reveals. Sick, twisted, devious and soulless. There’s a subliminal suspicion of one twist, but not the other. Smart and manipulative throughout, the story thrives on misperception and underestimation of characters, and a reader’s lack of omniscience that kept me intrigued and guessing.

Nothing is as it seems when 1st wife Lydia Coletto (29) suddenly appears homeless and bedraggled on the doorstep of ex-hubby Luca (35) and 2nd wifey Merritt (40) -- 10 years after newlywed Lydia’s abduction, captivity, and torture at the hands of a psychopath she nicknames “The Monster” who carved his name in her skin. Declared missing and dead years ago, the case went cold, but Lydia recently escaped her tormentor and has come to the town where Luca lives. Luca and his wife are now rich restaurateurs with a cute kid and another on the way, but Luca’s drowning in debt just as Lydia’s sudden reappearance as an “unmissing” person threatens it all. What happened to Lydia those 10 years, what does she want now from Luca, and why hasn’t she contacted the police?

It’s more than just getting her stolen life back, but to what end? Jazzed-up Luca is nothing like the once-docile man she knew. He avoids her like the plague, while his vapid, beautiful, and very pregnant wife makes Lydia her pet project -- befriending and helping Lydia get back on her feet so she’ll leave town. There’s a sense of the characters withholding things we need to know, or even outright lying in dual POVs of both wives. The devil’s in the details, truths and secrets are buried deep, deception is key, and evil comes in many forms. Their behaviors will keep you guessing about the story direction and that bombshell ending. Long before the end, these characters hit their snapping point, and it’s game on.

What happened to Lydia is beyond grisly. Merritt’s jealousy and obsessive interest in Lydia borders on stalkerish desperation. And Luca’s an enigmatic mystery. But, be careful because nothing is as it seems. Delve into this absorbing, clever, and manipulative thriller and learn what it means to get played.

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for an advance copy of the book.

Wow! The Story Sucks You In From The First Page & Keeps You Guessing Until The Very End. Merritt’s Refusal To Let Her Marriage Crumble Matches Lydia’s Determination To Get Her Life Back. The Suspense Will Blow You Away As The Women Tell Their Stories.


Lydia Coletto, twenty, was a happy newlywed with dreams of a bright future with her husband. She had met Luca when they both worked at a diner in Greenbrook, Washington. It had been a whirlwind romance. They married quickly and relocated to the idyllic coastal tourist town of Bent Creek, Oregon, where they hoped to go to community college and one day open their own restaurant.

Lydia never knew her father and lost her mother a couple of years earlier. It had not been much of a loss, though, as her mom had never really been a mother to her. Lydia was nothing like her. She was strong and independent and in love with her husband, and she would make something of her life.

Her future plans were all destroyed, however, in a single afternoon. The Monster had taken her.

Ten years later, Lydia is free. She has every intention of reclaiming her life, but a decade is a long time to be missing. There are a few surprises in store for her when she returns to Bent Creek.

Lydia arrives in Bent Creek with nothing but the determination to finally see her husband again. Dirty and malnourished, she needs a job and a place to stay while she establishes herself. She lucks out when the lonely shop owner of The Blessed Alchemist takes her in. Delphine is a little different, and Lydia doesn’t buy into what she sells, but meeting her had been her one stroke of good luck.

Merritt Coletto, forty-one, has worked hard for her marriage and the picture-perfect life she lives. She and her husband Luca own several restaurants in the booming tourist town. They live in their dream home - a gorgeous seaside house that offers the privacy they enjoy. She may be five years older than Luca, but she still qualifies as arm candy. They had struggled for years to start their family, but even that had finally fallen into place. They have little Elsie, and their second child is due in March, just one month away.

But their perfect life is on the brink of collapse if Luca cannot secure a franchise deal soon. Their finances have taken a turn in recent months following several new restaurants popping up across the town. With the baby on the way, the timing could not be worse.

But things somehow take an unexpected nosedive when Luca’s supposedly deceased wife shows up at the door out of the blue, very much alive.

As Luca’s wives come face to face, things are obviously awkward. Lydia’s reappearance causes all sorts of insecurities for a very pregnant Merritt despite her picture-perfect marriage. Lydia may look emaciated, and she may pale in comparison to Merritt’s beauty, but she nevertheless poses a real threat.

Lydia has been waiting for the day that she can speak directly to her husband and share the good news of her survival. That is the first step to taking back her life – but certainly not the last. She has yet to go to the police since escaping her evil captor, but that will come, too.

As Lydia’s and Merritt’s stories unfold, their different points of view of a very tragic situation highlight the fact that there can be no real winner in their unprecedented circumstances. The women and their husband must muddle through a highly emotional situation with no good answers. Merritt’s pregnancy lends sympathy for her plight, but Lydia’s lost decade, and the horrors she endured, are unimaginable. Luca’s loss for words does nothing to ease the tension. As the past is laid out and the dust settles, things only get more complicated. The twisted truth, when revealed, will surprise you.

Wow! The suspense will blow you away as Merritt and Lydia tell their stories. Merritt is a spoiled housewife who loves shopping and date nights with her husband. She is very organized and regimented, so Lydia’s presence does not fit well into her life. Still, she sees the merit of helping Lydia get a new start in life and sets about to make that happen, even if Luca remains tongue-tied on the matter. Lydia is not the same woman that disappeared ten years ago. Her struggles have made her stronger, bolder. She refuses to leave town, despite Merritt’s wishes.

The story sucks you in from the first page and keeps you guessing until the very end. Merritt’s refusal to let her marriage crumble matches Lydia’s determination to get her life back. The story is very well-written. The plot is complex. It is revealed in layers, building the suspense as everything is in question. The characters are carefully crafted and well-defined. They are complex. Nobody can be believed here, and suspicion is scattered wide. The characters, despite any underlying issues, come across as real. Good and bad become hard to identify unless and until motives are revealed. The story is told in first person. The POV alternates between Lydia and Merritt. I rate this book five full stars.

I received an advance copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Just when I thought I had this book figured out, it completely turned on me. I found myself flying through this book, eager to see what was printed on the next page. Unmissing comes from alternating points of view, which is something I love in a book. I love to see what each side is thinking, and it's fast-paced, which is something I also love in a book. Unmissing had a great storyline, and the characters were developed perfectly. I think it's an excellent psychological thriller, and would recommend this book to readers who are fans of this genre.

This is the fourth book I've read by this author, and I count her as one of my favorite authors for this genre. I think it's mostly because I really like her writing style, and most of the time I'm able to like her protagonists. Which is something I find very hard to do in this genre. This time I didn't find any of the characters particularly likable, but the writing pulled me in anyway.

Like all books of this genre, there were twists and turns. I found this one to be pretty predictable, even though the last twist surprised me. I mean I thought it was a possibility early on, but then dismissed it because of the way the book was written. So, by the time I got to the end, I had completely forgotten that theory. I think this actually speaks a lot to how implausible this book is at times. And that's my main issue with it. The characters didn't seem consistent enough throughout the book; meaning there was too big of a personality change at the end for some of them. I think it's incredibly hard to write characters like this when writing them in first person. The goal is to show the reader who the characters are, but without giving too much away, while still having the twists seem believable. Throughout the book, I didn't think the characters acted in ways that real people would have acted in the same situations. And a lot of things the characters did just didn't make sense for the situations they were in.

While reading other reviews for this book, I came across another reviewer that said a lot of the same things I feel about this book and author in general, and as she put it, this author's writing bolstered a plot that wasn't so great. I completely agree with that. And while I found flaws in this story, I still love reading this author's books. They are entertaining and hard to put down.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I had been seeing many mixed reviews on this book, but I was absolutely hooked from the Prologue. I devoured every page and was desperate to find out what happened to Lydia Coletto (1st wife) and what Merritt Coletto (2nd wife) was hiding. This was a perfectly crafted, well-plotted book. It was twisty, tense, and had my mind racing. Minka Kent's style of writing was stunning. This is the first book I've read of hers. I loved the alternating chapters from Merritt's POV to Lydia's POV. I also loved the small town setting in Bent Creek, OR. This was such a gripping, domestic thriller that kept me guessing until the very end!!

Highly recommend!!

I will post my review to Instagram: @thrillersandcoffee

Lydia went missing ten years ago while on a solo hike. Though her body was never found, she was declared legally dead, leaving her husband Luca free to move on with his life. A decade later, he is a successful restauranteur and living a charmed life with his beautiful wife Merritt and their growing young family, when their picture-perfect life is shockingly disrupted by Lydia turning up on their doorstep. Where has she been all this time? And what does she want?

What follows in a fast-paced twisty ride of a domestic thriller that’s hard to put down. Told in alternating perspectives between Lydia and Merritt, this novel kept me guessing the entire time. This is the type of book that’s hard to review without giving away the plot, but suffice it to say that each time I thought I had things figured out, surprise! Another curveball! The pacing is pure perfection. A few of the plot points may be a little over the top, but that just adds to the fun of this well-crafted thriller.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing me an advance copy of this book.

With an intriguing title, Unmissing was an engrossing page turner that I flew through!

Synopsis -

Merritt and Luca Coletto have everything they have ever dreamed of – a burgeoning life in their beautiful coastal mansion and the imminent arrival of their second child. But when Luca’s first wife Lydia, who had been missing for ten years, presumed dead comes knocking on their door late at night, their life as they know it begins collapsing.

Review -

The narrative alternates between Merritt and Lydia’s POVs and the book starts off great, giving us the backgrounds of the Colettos and Lydia’s reemergence.

The writing is fast paced, revealing very little initially from Lydia’s years of captivity and the picture perfect marriage of Merritt and Luca - increasing our curiosity, about what it is that Lydia really wants from her husband and how she plans on getting it.

I loved how the author throws us off scent from making the right guesses by creating a unique dynamic between Merritt and Lydia. Though it soon becomes clear, that there is more to them all, than what is being said, the author does a great job of maintaining suspense and hiding their secrets.

Working with unlikeable characters, the plot is smartly built and well thought out. The big reveal is so casually effected, that it’s just hard to accept without raised eyebrows and dropped jaws.

Towards the end, it was truly shocking how we’d been double crossed and to even digest the dark secrets kept by everyone. I found a few circumstances a bit to unrealistic to believe, but nonetheless it didn’t hamper the thrill or the enjoyment.

Overall, this was a compelling, riveting read that kept me guessing all the way.

A treat for domestic thriller fans!

Thanks NetGalley, Thomas and Mercer for providing this ARC in exchange of an honest review!

Wow. As a fan of psychological and crime thrillers I didn’t think there was much left to surprise me. Wrong. I was sucker punched at every twist this book took and there were several twists. I did not see any of them coming.

The concept was brilliant. First wife disappears, husband moves on with successful business, beautiful new wife and young family. First wife reappears having been held captive for years. I must admit I found it hard to empathise with Lydia despite her terrible ordeal but that was good because I had no idea what her motives were or what she intended. Had she been a nicer character you would expect her to go away quietly but that was not her aim. My sympathies were with Merrick, the second wife. How would you feel if you were heavily pregnant and your husband’s first wife, who has been declared dead, makes an appearance. And that’s when the fun starts. It is difficult to say more because of spoilers but I enjoyed the plot, the twists and the build up to a shocking climax.

It's been ten years since Luca Colletto's wife Lydia disappeared while taking a hike. The only clues left behind were her backpack with her GPS signal and cell phone still inside. He has since remarried to Merritt, who's pregnant with their second child. The couple started a chain of restaurants and are living a comfortable life. But the restaurants are now struggling and Luca is away trying to find someone to buy their restaurant brand. One dark night, a woman comes knocking on the door...a woman that looks exactly like Lydia. All she claims to want is help to get back on her feet, but as time goes on, Merritt starts to question her motives. Why didn't she go to the police? Does she want Luca back? What exactly is she expecting them to do? And the more stress Luca is under, the more he starts to pull away. Can she keep her family together and keep her dream life or is it all starting to fall apart?
Told from the alternating perspective of both wives, the mystery starts to come together and I was totally shocked by the end. What a plot twist! I've never read any of the previous books by this author, but I plan on adding them to my TBR list!
I received a complimentary advance reader copy of this book. The views and opinions expressed in this