Much like her last novel, Just My Luck, Adele Parks latest novel, Woman Last Seen, has twists and turns that the reader may not see coming, even if she is an experienced domestic suspense novel reader.

Leigh is a young woman who sees a handsome man with his young sons at a park. When the younger son falls off a slide, Leigh rushes to his aid when it appears the father is unable to render help. Leigh accompanies the family to the hospital and soon she and Mark, the father, begin dating.

Flash forward, Leigh and Mark have been married for years, and Leigh is a loving stepmum to the two boys. She works out of town three days a week, returning for four days to care for her family. They have a comfortable, happy family life until the older son, Oli, has become surly and angry with Leigh. Is it just typical teenage behavior or something more?

After Mark and Leigh have a fight, she heads off out of town for work. When she doesn't return on Thursday, and the family can't reach her by phone, they call the police. DCI Clements and her eager partner come to investigate, but get nowhere.

Soon another man, a wealthy Dutch businessman living in London, calls the police to say that his wife Kai has disappeared. DCI Clements handles this case as well, and begins to believe that there may be a connection with Leigh's disappearance, although her boss thinks both women just ran away from their lives, and tells Clements not to waste any more time.

The reader is drawn into this mystery of the two missing women- is there a connection? Both women have secrets they are keeping from the their husbands- is that the connection? The police usually suspect the husband, did either of these men have anything to do with their missing wives either separately or together?

As the story unfolds, there are several red herrings, and the reader will try and put the pieces together even after a big twist in the middle of the story, and a surprise ending that some may find jarring. If you're a fan of the shows on the ID Channel, or a dedicated Dateline watcher, Woman Last Seen is a page-turner of a novel that you will find irresistable. (Note- contains graphic sex scenes and explicit language.)

Thanks to Harlequin Books for putting me on their Winter 2022 Winter Reads Blog Tour.

Two happily married women go missing the same week 🔍 And a detective is convinced there’s a link between the two …

Thank you to the publishers for my gifted eARC of “Woman Last Seen” by Adele Parks. I had high hopes for this one; I enjoy thrillers with a missing-person premise, especially domestic thrillers, and I love when a detective’s perspective is a key part of the plot.

The beginning of this book really grabbed me, but then it settled into a lot of scene-setting and the backstories of how the missing women met their husbands. By the 30 percent mark, the second woman still hadn’t gone missing, and I knew I had to call it quits. It pained me to quit this one — it’s very readable and I was enjoying the writing. But ultimately, I was getting bored, so it’s a DNF for me. But if you don’t mind a slower burn and lots of background, you’ll probably really enjoy it.

Something is happening, Leigh Fletcher didn’t come home on Thursday morning as was expected to her family. Leigh works as a consultant her job requires her to be away from home from her family Monday to Thursday, it is hard leaving her sons for work but she does it to help support her family.

Kai’s Janssen's husband contacts the police as he believes his wife is missing too. Dan is beginning to wonder if the messages he received from Kai while she was away are actually from his wife.

Detective Clement is assigned to work on Leigh’s case and begins to work on putting the pieces together it appears that two women are missing who live within 5km of each other. Two husbands are dealing with their wives disappearance.

I haven’t read a many thrillers so I don’t have them broken into sub-genres in my mind yet. There were some good twists to this; it was different from other thriller books I have read. I definitely enjoyed it and kept reading it until it was done. I had come up with two potential theories for the story but in the end I did figure it out so I wasn’t completely blindsided about where the story went. It was a great distraction for the weekend and kept me motivated to finish the book to the end. I would recommend it to others and I would read more books by this author.

Adel Parks is an amazing writer! This story focuses on two woman who go missing from their families. What happened to them? DC Clements is determined to find out.

This is a multiple POV book, which I love. Parks keeps you in suspense the entire book concluding with a twist I did not see coming. I really enjoyed the mystery and trying to figure out the end result. If you like surprises and shocking twists, you will love this book!

Leigh Fletcher is reported missing by her loving husband. She is a step mother to two young boys who lost their mother to cancer. DC Clements and Cst. Tanner are called to investigate. A few days pass into the investigation when another woman, Kai Janssen, is reported missing by her wealthy husband in another part of the city. DC Clements wonders if the two cases could be connected and decides to take both on.

There is very little I can say about this story without entering the danger zone of spoilers. This is not your typical police procedural and deals more with the marriages and their qualities. There is some pondering that goes on which slows the plot down but I didn’t mind that. The commentary was reflective and novel and I enjoyed the points put forth.

The ending wasn’t a total surprise but I still looked forward to the details of it. I would have loved an epilogue for one year down the road. I enjoyed how the author took a topic that we often see in one light as not surprising and flipped the script.

Overall, I enjoyed Woman Last Seen and would love to read more by Adele Parks. I’d love to say more but every extra sentence that I have written I have deleted as I am worried about hints.

Thank you to @netgalley, @_mira_books_ and @harlequinbooks for an ARC in exchange for my very vague but honest opinions. Woman Last Seen publishes February 1, 2022.

Solid read, I liked it but didn't love it.

The beginning was kind of a slow build up, but at 37% there was a "wow" twist. Then it kind of went around in circles for a long time, finally ending in a very ambiguous open ended way that wasn't entirely believable, yet was predictable at the same time.

This story has one of my favorite catnip tropes: people missing without a trace. Two women disappear and their husbands report them missing. The police detective starts to work on these cases knowing that people disappear all the time, and the more she uncovers about the cases, it seems like these women might have walked away on their own accord. But did they?

In the end, I didn't have complete buy-in with the explanation for everything. Yet overall, there's still something compulsively readable about this book, so I'm glad I read it even though I didn't love it.

Kai and Leigh are very different women- or are they? Both of them went missing in the same week and DC Clements, a determined investigator, believes there's a connection. Readers of this genre know that there will be but what is it? No spoilers from me but frankly it wasn't a big surprise given the clues dropped early on. This is reminiscent of several other recent novels making it less interesting for me than I'd hoped. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. A meh from me.

Woman Last Seen
Adele Parks
February 01, 2022

Parks' story begins with a hint at her finale. We find Leigh kidnapped and chained to the wall. She has no memory of her arrival in the dark room. She is thirsty, hungry and confused. From this point we head onward into the lives of Leigh, her husband, Mark and his sons, Oli and Seb in the past years. She talks of her guys being out for the day. She has to come up with something to fill the void other than work or house chores. Perhaps a luncheon with her best friend, Fiona. They had been confidants for years before her life with Mark. The novel gives us a path of pleasant domesticity. When the reader recalls chapter one, it was as if my Kindle had shifted to another book. Carry on I did yet I knew that some sort of struggle was inevitable.
Woman Last Seen will be published on February 01, 2022 by Mira of Canada. I appreciate their allowing me to read and review Parks latest publication. I am certain they will understand that little about the story can be told. It was extremely interesting how she pulled the strings to establish Leigh’s journey. My mind was constantly searching for a hint of a clue to the consequences in her tale. I suggest those who appreciate a really good suspense novel to get a copy of Woman Last Seen. It is very well written. It is one of Brenda Novak’s reads for 2022, the feature selection for February.
Do read this chronicle of Leigh’s happy life in her marriage to Mark. She loved her stepsons, and remained friends with Fiona throughout. This is an excellent choice.

This was a really quick read, it had plenty of twists, and alternating POVs kept it moving and also brought on some surprises, although it ended up not being a favorite for me. Thanks to @netgalley and @_mira_books_ for an early copy of this! 
*
Synopsis: Stepmom to two teenage boys, Leigh Fletcher is reported missing by her husband, when she doesn't return after traveling for work. Several days later Kai Jensson is reported missing by her husband when she doesn't return from taking care of her ailing mother. The two women are from very different worlds, but are their disappearances connected? 
*
Ok, I want to give this the benefit of the doubt, because I think this could potentially be really exciting and suspenseful. The first twist surprised me, but that was revealed really early on, and I immediately figured out the final twist as a result, which took away a lot of the drama. It did a good job of setting up some believable red herrings though, so I wouldn't say that it's necessarily predictable.  
*
Unrelated to that though, I expected the pandemic to play a bit more of a role, since they made a big deal out of setting this in mid-March 2020, but that ended up being unnecessary. Also some of the timelines alternated between Thursday and Friday of the same week, and that was confusing and also unnecessary. And finally, the POV of the detective didn't add anything, so I feel like that could have been edited out easily. 
*
Ultimately, I think this has potential, and I could see others really enjoying it, but I didn't completely love it.

You want to go in blind with this book. So I don’t want to give away too many details! This book is a slow burn, and I found it to be an entertaining thriller that kept me guessing. I really enjoyed reading The Woman Last Seen, I could not put it down, and the ending was mind blowing!

Two women go missing, could they be somehow connected? Kai Janssen is married to Daan, a rich businessman. She enjoys the finer things in life and leads an extravagant life. On the other hand, Leigh Fletcher is a down to earth stepmother of two married to Mark. When they both seem to vanish into thin air Detective Clements trusts her instincts and follows the truth down a twisty road.

This is my 4th book I’ve read by Adele Parks and I’ve loved every one of them. This twisty domestic thriller had me guessing and even when I thought I knew how the book would end it threw a curve ball at me.

Leigh is married to Mark and a loving stepmother to his two sons. Mark's first wife died tragically when the boys were incredibly young, and Leigh feels like they are her boys. They are getting older, and Leigh is struggling with the fear that they are pushing her away. Her husband seems distant too, but these are just little bumps in the road, aren't they? When she disappears, something terrible must have happened to her. Leigh would never just walk away from her life, or would she?
Kai is married to Daan, a wealthy businessperson. They live an enviable life, one that only money can provide. Their relationship is solid, isn't it? When she goes missing, her distraught husband knows something bad must have happened. You never know what goes on behind closed doors though, and maybe Kai's life was not as picture-perfect as it seemed. After all, it's always the husband, right?
Detective Clements is trying to find both women, and as secrets and lies are revealed, the question is what could these two women from vastly different worlds have in common? What could each of them have done and can they be found before it is too late?
This is one twisty tale and when the first revelation connecting Leigh and Kai was revealed, I was like “what”! That certainly wasn't the end of the twists as the whodunnit and why was tickling my Spidey senses, but I was sure I was wrong (I wasn't). At first, I was not a fan of how this ended, but when I considered the story, there didn't seem to be a better alternative.3.5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley for my advance copy ! The cover is fabulous and I love all the pink and purple!

Unfortunately for me, that is the best part. I did think the premise was a good one and it was extremely interesting. However, there was so much internal monologues, repetition and unlikeable characters (not in a good way) for me to really enjoy it and frankly, I just wanted it to end. There was also no real “thrill or suspense” I really think that Adele had the right idea and that the whole premise could have turned out fantastic but for me, it was a dud. She is a talented author so of course that won’t stop me from reading more of her work. I am striking out lately! On to the next!

Definitely one year keeps you guessing. 2 women missing what will the outcome be.
Was a solid read didn't draw me in as much as I thought ...a little far fetched.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

What a book! Be prepared for trying to guess what the outcome will be. However, you won't. Leigh, mother to two boys when she adopted them after marrying their blue-collar widowed father, Mark, disappears. It takes almost four days to notice she's missing. Not so unusual since she travels for her job but all communication ended four days ago. Detective Clements is surprised it took so long. Her boss has the idea that it's just a runaway wife and mother and doesn't want a lot of time or resources on the search. She however has a feeling it's not that. Then she's called to another disappearance of a woman Kai, an affluent woman married to Daan, a Dutch millionaire. She also has been missing days before her disappearance is called in. Something isn't adding up and Detective Clemons is sure something has happened that isn't good.
Mark and the boys struggle with the loss and what they learned since Leigh has been missing. Daan is also struggling with all he has found out about Lia since she's been missing.
This is a great book but I hope there is a sequel I want it to continue! This cannot be the end.
I recommend this book but be ready for the unusual.
Thank you, NetGalley, Publishers Weekly Harlequin Book S. A. and I will definitely be on the lookout for Adele Parks for future books.

Two women, of very different backgrounds, go missing in the same week. Leigh Fletcher has been happily married for 10 years with two step boys. She left for work and never returned. Kai Janssen, is married to a wealthy Dutch business man who seems to have just vanished. Both husbands are distraught and both are the top suspect in their own right. But Detective Clements has a gut feeling these two disappearances are connected and will stop at nothing to find out where these women went.

This is one of those thrillers you need to just go in blind to so I won’t say to much about the plot. While this is an easy thriller to read, it’s not my favorite. It started off strong but quickly fizzled about halfway through the book. The big reveal was a bit predictable but still the premise of the story was enough to keep me entertained. Most of our characters are pretty unlikable, and the only person I really enjoyed hearing from was Detective Clements. I wouldn’t mind a story just from her perspective, but she’s really a minor character in the grand scheme of the story.

That ending though. It was completely unsatisfying, and while I guess it could make sense it seems a little out there for me. There were plenty of red herrings to distract from it, but getting to that point was a bit of a uphill battle. I either need more after it or I needed a totally different ending.

If you don’t read a ton of thrillers than you’ll probably enjoy this one, but if thrillers are your bread & butter, better skip.

Sidenote, while the story takes place at the onset of the Pandemic and it’s really never a big part of the story, it still blows my mind that it started 2 years ago and is already making an appearance in new releases.


Woman Last Seen comes out February 1, 2022. Huge thank you to MIRA for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof_books.

Normally this author for me is often a miss, but this particular one though in parts I struggled I did find myself enjoying the book. This is possible because this is one of my favorite tropes. I have always liked reading about people living double lives as it fascinates me the amount of detail, they have to go to keep everything separated so that they don't overlap etc. Woman Last Seen starts by introducing us to Leigh who is married to Mark and has two stepsons Oli and Seb. Lately, Leigh has felt distant from her husband and her stepson Oli as six months ago, he started to turn cold towards her and called her Leigh instead of Mum. Mark says it's a phase but Leigh knows there must be a deeper reason. One day Leigh doesn't come home and turns out she has been kidnapped. Meanwhile, we learn another husband Daan Jaansen has also called to say his wife Kai is missing. Imagine the surprises when it turns out that the wives are identical and soon Woman Last Seen spills the secret that Leigh/ Kai was hiding and we also learn why Leigh's son Oli was mad at her. This was quite a twisted story as you have so many possibilities as to who the kidnapper might be as everyone has a motive and I have to admit when the kidnapper was revealed and then with the ending, it did disappoint me a little as in a way I didn't feel like I got closure with the story yet I know it is a stand-alone. Overall, though Woman Last Seen was a good read and great to see Bigamy from a Woman's perspective as normally it is the Men's view in books.

Two women go missing from different backgrounds and different type lives; one a happily married stepmom and one a wealthy businessman’s wife. Detective Clements doubts they are related but her instincts say different.

This is the type of book you’ll want to go into blind so id avoid reading any potential spoilers! Once you read it you’ll want to go back and reread to see if you missed any clues or hints. It definitely kept my attention and I wanted to see how it ended. I had a feeling all was not as it seemed! It was pretty far-fetched, but sometimes that’s just how entertaining thrillers are.

“Be nice. Be good. Even when you have been abducted and chained. Especially then.”

Woman Last Seen comes out 2/1.

Wow, wow, and wow!
In this taut, mind-blowing thriller, the woman last seen is Leigh. Or is it Kai? Maybe Fiona? Who really knows? What does “Woman Last Seen” really mean?
That’s what reading this book does to you. The author does a fantastic job of keeping the reader off-balance.
The premise is simple enough. We start with a woman who is being held captive and then switch to Leigh’s point of view a few days prior.
Let me break in here and say that it is vital, and I mean seriously important, that you read the headers of the chapters, so you know what day it is and whose perspective you are reading.
If you do this, it will not be confusing. If you don’t, good luck to ya!
But back to the actual review.
What follows is a good amount of Leigh’s story, including some background on her marriage to Mark. And just when you think you have a handle on the story and where the author may be going with it…
…Kai is introduced.
It’s a jolt. It feels like the author is saying, “Oh no, that’s not the story you need to know. THIS one is!” And the more you read, the more you realize that is absolutely true.
But I guarantee you will not know why it is important to know Kai’s story in addition to Leigh’s.
Furthermore, you probably will not know how the two fit together (kudos to you if you figure it out).
Because this is one of the biggest mind-screw twists I have ever read in a book. And it occurs at only about one-third of the way through!
The rest of the story is filled with red-herrings, twists, assumptions, and produces more questions than you know are possible. Honestly, at one point or another I expected pretty much every character in the book of being in on the plot.
There are two other notable things that need to be mentioned:
1) There is a lot of exposition and characters “thinking” about things. This makes for some long and drawn-out passages that drag the action. I think it is actually okay to skim some of them if you are pressed for time.
However, you will definitely be missing character development and hidden clues that give you an idea of who is doing what and why they are doing it. So, you will sacrifice detail for speed. Just be warned.
2) The action is set in March of 2020. Nobody needs to be told what occurred in the real world around this time. I know there has been much conversation in the book world about whether authors should use the pandemic in stories or if people would prefer to read plots that ignore it. I could go either way.
But the author uses the pending lockdowns as an excellent plot point. She doesn’t hit the reader over the head with “The pandemic is coming! The pandemic is coming!” Instead, she offhandedly mentions it, and it plays a bit part in the action toward the end.
As to the end, I feel that the police are left hanging out to dry. However, when you get to the very last page, you understand why the author chose to leave things as they are, and it all makes sense.
And frankly, you probably won’t see the end coming either.
By far, Woman Last Seen is one of the best thrillers I have read in a long time. And it should be straight to the top of your TBR list!

Are you still drawn to missing persons stories or are you over them? I’m somehow still interested in them so as soon as I saw that this one was about I was in 👇🏻

From the synopsis: 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. Kai Janssen and Leigh Fletcher are from very different worlds, their disappearances are unlikely to be connected. 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.

The first thing you need to know about this one is that it’s a super slow burn. There is a lot of inner monologue rambling type stuff until almost the halfway point. Then things shift and I was sucked into the story but THEN it went predictable for me and I never got fully invested. The ending truly lost me leaving me just feeling underwhelmed about the whole thing. This is an author I’ve read and enjoyed in the past, this one was just a miss for me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️