Gripping book that grabs you from the first page. Unexpected twists and turns that keep you guessing until the end. Not what I expected. Complex characters and intense story. Really enjoyed the journey this book offered. Couldn't put it down

Winter is the BEST time for reading twisty, suspenseful stories, and Woman Last Seen was definitely one of those!
Here’s the scoop:

HAPPY. MARRIED. MISSING.

Leigh Fletcher: happily married stepmum to two gorgeous boys goes missing on Monday. Her husband Mark says he knows nothing of her whereabouts. She simply went to work and just never came home. Their family is shattered.

Kai Janssen: married to wealthy Dutch businessman, Daan, vanishes the same week. Kai left their luxurious penthouse and glamourous world without a backward glance. She seemingly evaporated into thin air. Daan is distraught.

DC Clements knows that people disappear all the time – far too frequently. Most run away from things, some run towards, others are taken but find their way back. A sad few never return. These two women are from very different worlds, their disappearances are unlikely to be connected. And yet, at a gut level, the DC believes they might be.

How could these women walk away from their families, husbands and homes willingly? Clements is determined to unearth the truth, no matter how shocking and devastating it may be.


Every time I thought I had everything figured out, it shifted and I was wrong. And that ending!

Definitely this is not one to miss if you enjoy this genre.


Adele Parks, Hon Grad, photographed at home in Guildford for The Graduate magazine
Author Bio:

Adele Parks was born in Teesside, North-East England. Her first novel, Playing Away, was published in 2000 and since then she’s had 20 international bestsellers, translated into twenty-six languages. She’s been an Ambassador for The Reading Agency and a judge for the Costa. She’s lived in Italy, Botswana and London, and is now settled in Guildford, Surrey, with her husband, teenage son and cat.

Thank you for my review copy and for letting me be part of the tour!

It took me a little while to get intoWoman Last Seen. Sure, Leigh's story is interesting. She's a married mother of two who has kind of been "the other woman" in her completely normal relationship the whole times she's been in it. Thing is, her husband's first wife (and biological mother to their boys) died of cancer. She was a saint that everyone loved and now Leigh doesn't quite fit, no matter what.

Kai lives a totally different kind of life. She's gorgeous and was successful before she got married, but decided to give it all up to cater to her gorgeous, rich husband. She is away a lot taking care of her elderly mother, but she really has given up a lot of her identity for her husband. Still, she seems okay with it.

And that was okay, but I have to tell you that somewhere in the first third of the book, things got really interesting. And from that point forward, I hated putting Women Last Seendown. I can't tell you much, just that this one is a keeper. If you love all thingsThe Woman In the Window, Gone Girl, Girl On a Train>and the thousands of books that followed,Woman Last Seen rises to the top in the category.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an advanced e-galley in exchange for my honest review. This one is available now!

Woman Last Seen by Adelen Parks is a fantastic psychological thriller.
This author never disappoints. The setting is so well described.
The characters were complex and well written, and the twists kept coming.

Woman Last Seen is the latest novel written by Adele Parks, a thriller author I generally really enjoy. Truth be told, I expected Woman Last Seen to come up in the latest BOTM round of choices. Guess I was wrong on that front!

Two women disappear without warning. Did they leave of their own volition, or were they taken? That is up to Detective Clements to uncover. The first woman, Leigh Fletcher, was supposedly happily married and a good stepmother. The second, Kai Janssen, married a man and then disappeared in the same week.

Neither woman appear to have left much evidence behind, though both husbands are grieving at the loss. They have no idea where the women went and can't understand what has happened. Are they connected? Or is it a horrible coincidence?

“I think that’s the hardest lesson I have had to learn as a parent; no matter how much I try, I am not able to guarantee my sons’ happiness and success.”

Woman Last Seen is another solid thriller/mystery novel by Adele Parks. I wouldn't go so far as to say it was my favorite – but it was enjoyable. It has a lot of classic thriller vibes and tropes, which can be fun.

Naturally, the most significant plot of Woman Last Seen revolves around the two women who disappeared without a trace. If you love sleuthing your way through a missing-person novel, then this is arguably going to be an enjoyable experience for you.

I'll admit that the first third of this book (give or take) is a bit on the slow side. Thankfully, when things do pick up, they do so quickly. The transition is borderline jarring, but it wasn't off-putting. And it came just in time to make readers become reinvested in the story.

Woman Last Seen was a dark, gripping, and easily binged book. Sometimes those are the best types of thrillers, at least as far as I am concerned.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Woman Last Seen by Adele Parks.

This was ok as far as suspense/thrillers go. I had a hard time with the overall premise, and especially the believability of it all. It's a story about two women, both happy and complete in their marriages, but suddenly they both go missing.

This is a solid three stars for me. Not bad for a quick easy beach read.

I really enjoyed this fast-paced thriller! The story centers on Leigh, a seemingly happily married mom of 2 who goes missing. Then we learn about Kai, a woman in a completely different walk of life who goes missing the same day. These seem unconnected but the detective follows her gut which tells her there is more to the story..

There was a lot of action in this book but the characterization was also really well done. I could empathize with both men as well as the other characters, even when their decisions were suspect. I did peg the villain, but I questioned whether I was right many times, and the first big twist caught me fully by surprise. I did think the ending was a little abrupt and lacked the detail that the rest of the story provided. Loose ends were tied up well, though.

Overall, I thought this was a great book and I’d definitely recommend for those that like mysteries and thrillers. I’m looking forward to the next book by this author. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Fabulous book! My first by this author. But it won't be my last! Looking forward to another book with these characters. It can't stop here, I need to know what happens next. It was such a good story. Kept me wondering the whole time! What an interesting premise this book introduces. Could a woman really get away with living two separate lives? This is definitely one of my top reads of 2022.

An interesting read that had me hooked from the beginning. Two women, seemingly happy in their lives with their husbands and families, just up and disappear. Both their husbands are distraught and want answers. Where did their wives go, and why did they suddenly disappear?

I enjoyed reading about both Leigh and Kai and their lives with their families. Some parts of their life was similar but there were also many differences, so it was fun to compare the two and learn about who they are and whats makes them who they are.

There were many twists and turns in this novel, some I figured out and some kept me guessing which I really enjoyed. I was hooked to the very end, when I flipped the last page. An enjoyable read that I would definitely recommend.

This one is a bit tough for me to review. I liked it. I wanted to love it. I thought I would love it up until the ending when it felt like it just rushed through and there didn't seem to be enough of a conclusion to the story. It felt like there should have been an epilogue at the very least. This book had such a great buildup of suspense and some HUGE twists and turns that literally had my mouth dropping open and me telling multiple other people that the book just blew my mind. The ending was shocking but just fell a bit flat for me in comparison to the buildup and incredible story-telling up until that point. With a bit more details to the ending, or even a follow-up epilogue or something, this would have been a solid 5-star read. I did still like this and am glad I read it. I would definitely read more by this author.

I bought this book to read for book club. My opinions are my own and are not influenced in any way.

Thank you NegGalley and Harlequin for an early copy of Woman Last Seen. This was a sick read!!!!! I was so surprised at the end, I usually can figure it out but Not this time!!! WOW, WOW, WOW, Crazy story, Great plot!!!! You who start reading this are so lucky to be reading it because you will never want it to end. FANTASTIC!!!

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Ooohhh Adele Parks. She is an author who always goes there! This is one of those books where's it's best to know very little going in. A woman wakes up to find herself tied up and held hostage in a nondescript guest room. She has no memory of why she's there- or who could have put her there. We come to find out that she's been keeping a very big secret, and someone is trying to show her a lesson. I loved this page turner and the ending gave me a thriller. She's an auto read author for me!!

Two women are reported missing by their husbands. Leigh hasn’t been heard from for a few days and her husband and sons are concerned. Kai is reported missing by her husband and he is distraught. This book was well written and it was interesting learning about Leigh and Kai and their lives. I figured out some of the twists but not all as little things kept arising throughout the story. I enjoyed this book and I was definitely curious to find out how it would end. The book was fast paced and well written with the little reveals along the way!

🤫 BOOK / REVIEW 🤫

I loved this book! I was in the mood for a twistyyyy #domesticthriller and @adele_parks delivered and then some. There were many times that I thought I had this book figured out, but the twist at the end was super satisfying!! Lots of lies, secrets and deciet fill the pages of this book. This was my first book by this author and will not be my last.

And the question begs ... Mark or Dan ⁉️ You'll have to find out for yourself!

Woman Last Seen was a let down for me. I had really enjoyed Parks’ Just My Luck in 2021 and looked forward to this release. This novel was much more of a domestic fiction novel with an underlying sprinkle of intrigue than an actual thriller/mystery. I found the overall storyline to be a bit weird, although definitely some points for going down a lane that hasn’t been done before (although now I know why!) The underlying “twist” was definitely unexpected and although I didn’t enjoy it.. I read on in hopes of it wrapping up in a satisfying way. Unfortunately I found the ending a bit sloppy and missed there being a tie-up of some points throughout the course of the book that might’ve lead to a more “suspenseful” execution. Parks consistently writes well, this one was mainly a bummer because of the storyline.
Overall it was “OK” but definitely not one I would rush to recommend.
Nonetheless, thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the copy of this ARC!
2.5/5

Thank you so much #Netgalley for the arc.
This was almost like a slow build up. Then there is a awesome twist and then a strange ending that I sort of saw coming.
Two women, both married but not leading the same lives, disappear suddenly. Are these disappearances related to each other? Did these woman walk away from their families on purpose or did something happen?

Like I said, it started off a little slow. It wasn't boring at all, but the beginning was what was setting it all up. The twist was surprising to be honest. The end though, it sort of fell flat otherwise this was a good read with well fleshed out characters.

Two women from different worlds disappear. Detective Clements believes they are connected.
Leigh Fletcher has the family she always wanted, the family she thought she’d never have. When Leigh met Mark he was recently widowed left to raise two young boys. It had only been five months since his wife died, but Mark needed a stepmother for the boys. Leigh’s life revolves around the boys. She’s a sensible mom that solves everything, looks after everyone, and always knows where the next after school activity is being played. For ten years Leigh has been the boys stepmom.
Kai Janssen is married to a Daan. They met in London while Daan visited for work. Kai’s life is filled with privilege and social parties. She’s a career oriented woman. She also takes care of her mother so she’s away from home a few days of each week.

Adele leaves a trail of suspicious activity giving readers plenty to speculate. This was not one of those on the nose investigations. DC Clements had a few chapters dedicated with her point of view but she mostly got as far as questioning family and friends.
Starts off a missing persons case becomes a domestic thriller and finishes up with twist after twist. The concept was unique very original. However, I struggled with the execution in the beginning, but once I gained my footing the story flourished.
I hadn’t given it much thought when I read the premise of a missing persons case. After reading other peoples reviews it seems some people consider missing people a type of trope. I suppose it’s a recognizable theme. I on the other hand don’t put much thought into that concept being a trope. Tropes have a tendency of opening the door to preconceived ideas. I don’t like projecting my ideas into a story. I rather let the the author give her writing voice an opportunity to guide the reader.
This is my first reading experience by Adele Parks. I’ve learned she has written 21 novels and is one of the bestselling authors in the United Kingdom. I have to admit I was drawn to the cover, the title, and the premise. Although, It was a rocky beginning for me having been unfamiliar with her writing voice. I’m a sucker for intriguing storyline’s and with the caption “a gripping story of greed, lies, and dark secrets” I couldn’t wait to delve in. It took some time to warm to the idea of what was happening. Sure Adele needed to develop the characters and get readers acclimated to the concept. Just when I grew impatient having skimmed along I found the golden hidden secret that unlocked the entire premise of the story. Once that was revealed the story blossomed.

I imagine it must of been challenging to write this type of story trying to hide what was happening. It’s understandable that mistakes can be made. That’s why it’s surprising to find an incorrect name used. Using a name incorrectly in this type of context changes the outcome. Hopefully the author is aware of the mistake.
This was a compelling story one that will linger long after having finished reading. That ending alone has me thinking long and hard.
Adele built the story with multiple points of view toggling between the past and present. It’s easy to read despite the numerous characters. There are a few twists but for the most part this was predictable and easy to sort out. Overall, it was the secrets that defined these characters.

Sloooooooooow predictable burn. Did I like this? Yes!! Did I love it? No. I do love missing persons stories and the captor gives the captee notes from a typewriter slid under the door to her holding "cell". Ok - I'm intrigued - let's get THRILLERY.
Unlikeable characters, I love to hate them. But there was so much internal dialogue and going back to the past that it made the story run a bit slow for me. This is also very light on the thriller. I did see one twisty twist coming from a mile away but another one snuck up on me and pinched me on the ass.

Detective Clements is determined to figure out what happened and if these disappearances are related in any manner... and we all know they are because we're reading about it. *wink* But really, I feel like if this part had been left out, it wouldn't have made much of a difference in the story itself. So this is definitely less "procedural" than you may think at first.

I don't know, y'all. I do love this author and will absolutely continue to read her. The ass pinch I mentioned earlier is at the end of the book and I'm just not sure I bought it all. I absolutely have no issue suspending belief but sometimes I just have to head tilt and brow furrow at some things. I need answers.

I was hooked from the very beginning with this book by Adele Parks. It’s a domestic thriller that does include a subject that might be too taboo for many.
However, if you know me…I thrive on thrillers that are filled with disturbing taboo subjects and if you need to put TW I’m all about it 😁!

Lee, whom is socially awkward and infertile, is having lunch with her BFF in the park, happens to see a man with two young boys. When the younger boy falls from the top of the slide she rushes over and the dad is in shock and she takes over. His wife recently died of cancer, but it wasn't long until they were married.

She worked away from the home during the week and life was great for many years. That is until that dreadful Thursday, she didn't return home. Mark and the boys are beside themselves and they call the coppers.

This isn't an ordinary missing wife case as the DC realizes, especially when another wife is reported missing also.

What happened to Lee and how are the two missing wives connected? You will be blown away when you find out.

Definitely for those who love juicy twisted domestic thrillers, where the gender stereotypes are reversed!

Thank you #HTP and #NetGalley for my gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.