Just Another Missing Person by Gillian McAllister – Book review

Just Another Missing Person was a highly anticipated summer read for me and it didn’t let me down! Gillian McAllister is so good at writing emotionally driven psychological thrillers with inventive curveballs. Just Another Missing Person does, in fact, centre around a missing person storyline, but it’s a clever, engaging take on the genre that puts a moral focus at its core.

Opening sentence: Julia knew from the way Genevieve rushed towards her that something was wrong.

Missing: Olivia and Sadie

Set in Portishead, Somerset, we meet Julia Day who is a devoted mother to her teenage daughter, Genevieve. She is also devoted to her career as a detective. She loves the thrill and satisfaction of helping people and solving crimes. This obviously means she is called to work at crazy hours and finds herself in both dangerous and emotionally draining situations. It takes its toll on her home-life.

She’s having dinner with her daughter and husband when a missing person is called in – Olivia Johnson. As she starts the case, Julia notices one too many things that don’t add up and she sees similarities to a missing person case from the previous year. Sadie was never found…

God, the plates she’s spinning. One is sure to drop, soon, and shatter; she only hopes it isn’t the one that’s made of glass.

Things then take a very difficult turn for Julia when she is forced into a situation that breaks all her personal morals but she has no choice as the one person she would do anything for is under threat: her daughter.

Blackmail, lies, twists, emotion all come together at the perfect pace to reveal just how the two cases are linked.

A mother’s love

The lengths a parent will go to to protect their child is a key theme explored in Just Another Missing Person. It’s also one that featured in Gillian McAllister’s previous book, Wrong Place, Wrong Time (one of my favourite reads from last year).

She shivers with it. She’s done a deal with the devil. And, someday soon, she will pay.

It’s this emotive layer that gives Gillian McAllister’s thrillers a deeper feel that really resonated with me. It meant I connected strongly with both the characters and the story.

Also, when you add in the moral decision that Julia faces – that’s where the heart of this book comes from and what makes it stand out from the crowd.

This is a brilliant read – enjoyed every page!

• Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC;
• Get your copy of Just Another Missing Person here;
• Published by Michael Joseph 3rd August 2023;
• 384 pages;
• My rating: