That news puts Josie on red alert; after all, her daughter with ex-husband Terry is Jimmy's age when he died and Samuel once had a "thing" for Josie. If that weren't enough, his mother Maggie seems to be stalking her. But balancing her need to be extra-watchful of Ivy and keep an eagle eye on her fledgling business, Delicious Desserts, proves almost impossible, even with friend Fiona there to be Ivy's caregiver when needed - which these days, is a good bit of the time. By the time the inevitable happens - Ivy does indeed go missing - just about every character is a suspect. Josie, though, has no doubt whatsoever: the culprit is the same man who murdered her little brother. Absolutely brilliant! I sat and read the book in a day and did not want to put it down!… I even text my mum when I was halfway through telling her it was a book she NEEDED to read!!… Without a doubt 5 stars – I LOVED it!!!’ Donna's Book Blog, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Her then 8-year-old brother went missing. He was grabbed in the bushes and smothered to death. Rose has always felt guilty about his death ... about bringing this human monster into all their lives. I've tried to be a good person all my life. I made one mistake, many years ago, but it wasn't my fault. Truly, I would never wish to harm another person.

Missing by K.L. Slater | Goodreads Missing by K.L. Slater | Goodreads

Sixteen years ago, Rose’s eight-year-old brother Billy went missing. His body was found two days later. After all this time, Rose still blames herself for his death and her failure to protect him. Someone was ultimately convicted of Billy’s murder but was it the right person? Rose thought she knew the truth but when she finds something in her neighbour’s house, doubts creep in and her world is turned upside down once again. Now, sixteen years after Billy's death, Rose is living a quiet, mundane, not-so-happy life. She has little fun and no friends - except for her elderly, next-door-neighbor Ronnie.Grace’s mom Lucie is beside herself. If only Lucie hadn’t said yes when her daughter insisted. Blake, Grace’s dad is a Councilman. Could his job be the reason Grace is missing? Turns out he’s been keeping secrets. Lucie has a few secrets of her own, things her husband knows nothing about. We all know what secrets can do to a family.. The question is, where is little Grace? Rose’s story is told through the past and present and we learn of “The Mistake” she made and the guilt she carries. We could feel the weight of guilt and the loss that she carried allowing us to question “The Mistake” for ourselves. We recommend this with caution as some readers could find it upsetting. I was kinda sure I had it worked out but was wrong, the author has the ability to make you think you know…..only to realise you don’t The theme of a missing child has been done before a lot but what sets Finding Grace apart from the rest is the engaging writing style and the clever plot twists. The story pulls you right in and simply does not let go. Years later Josie is a single mom raising her daughter Ivy. Petrified of the inevitable release date of Samuel. Heads up Josie, that dreaded day is today!

Missing by K. L. Slater - Book Review - Rachel Bustin Missing by K. L. Slater - Book Review - Rachel Bustin

Rose has never fully recovered from the trauma, and one of the few people she trusts is her neighbour Ronnie, who she has known all her life. But one day Ronnie falls ill, and Rose goes next door to help him… and what she finds in his attic room turns her world upside down. But Rose has found something .... and what she found will change her entire life and everything she ever believed. Samuel had been obsessed with Josie…always watching from afar, and didn’t like sharing her with her little brother. Josie's brother was killed 26 years ago by Samuel Barlow who was imprisoned for his murder - Now he's been released and Josie's daughter Ivy is missing. Is it a coincidence or has he taken/killed her.The story is told both in the past and in the present day. As the story unfolds we learn about the events leading up to Billy's disappearance and death. We meet all the players, we see how easily Rose was manipulated and controlled, we see how this affected her relationships and her self esteem, then we see Billy go missing. In the present day, we see Rose as an unmarried single woman. Her parents are dead and she is basically on her own. The the discovery turns her life upside down. I really enjoyed this psychological thriller from beginning to end. It definitely keeps you guessing and wanting more! I really like this author, but for me, this book fell flat. It was good, fine, adequate, etc., but it didn’t blow me away like some of their other books did. Even with an ending I didn’t see coming, I just found this to be a very average mystery/thriller.

Missing by K L Slater | Waterstones

However, a lot of the novel is from Josie‘s point of view and I can’t get to grips with her and in all honesty she drives me mad! There’s a lot of overexplaining and biscuit baking which gets in the way of the plot and there is repetition between the different points of view which isn’t required either. It starts well and gets a bit lost along the way, it should’ve been riveting reading but it loses its power. The leaping about in time doesn’t help either nor do the reveals at the end which you could describe as creative but I find them unconvincing. This was the first KL Slater book I’ve read in some time. And for the most part I was mostly engaged through it felt a bit too long. Maybe too detailed-oriented for this type of book? K.L. slater is becoming one of my favourite authors. I have read LIAR and THE MISTAKE is my second novel by her. Both of these are exemplary mystery/thriller books. The pacing was fast and the twists and turns kept me guessing right the way through. Now, years later, Samuel was free. And Josie’s eight-year-old daughter, Ivy is missing. Josie knows that Samuel has taken her daughter, for ruining his life.Rose has looked in on her elderly neighbor, Ronnie since his wife passed away. He has been a good friend to her for many years and now he has taken ill. She finds him sprawled out on the floor in his house one day and has to call for an ambulance. Funny thing is he asks her Not to go upstairs! Is Ronnie hiding something or is he just embarrassed by an unkempt room? Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and KL Slater for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. This is another fast read (about 86k words, if that many), but it was not as gripping as her previous books. And as the search for Grace reaches fever pitch, Lucie receives a terrifying message. If she is ever to see Grace again, Lucie has no choice but to face the past she tried hard to bury forever. And she must do it alone. Set between now and sixteen years prior, when Rose was a young 17/18 year old teenager, this is a gripping tale, and often uncomfortable, as it's hard reading of Rose being emotionally abused by Gareth, Rose really hasn't had an easy life and seems too sensitive and broken for such a cruel world, but Rose is an interesting character, and this time she's determined to find the truth.