The Missing by C.L. Taylor
Are you loving your family? Do you feel secure around them? Do you believe them?
‘A psychological thriller with twists and turns. Well-written, fast-paced, and compelling Fabulous
The Missing by C.L. Taylor
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Billy Wilkinson, 15, vanished from his family’s house six months ago. In an effort to trigger someone’s recollection, his mother, Claire, is getting ready to hold another broadcast appeal. While her husband and oldest son share Claire’s optimism, she senses a sense of defeat permeating the confines of her home. A mother can never give up on trying to find her kid, can she? Who is to blame for the disappearance, she wonders? Was there a way she might have been able to stop it? Claire realizes there’s a potential that someone has been lying to her when her mind begins to play tricks on her and she starts waking up in unusual places with no recall of how she got there. Will it be too late if she finds out who is impeding her quest for her son?
The third psychological suspense novel by C.L. Taylor, author of The Accident and The Lie, tackles every parent’s worst nightmare: the disappearance of a kid. Billy is still her baby even though he is fifteen years old and bigger than his mother. Claire’s pain, uncertainty, dread, and empty places in her daily life are all clearly felt. The deflation of her husband, Mark, who appears resigned to the possibility of never seeing his kid again, creates a problem in the Wilkinson household.
Jake, the older brother, struggles to regulate his emotions and uses alcohol to dull his suffering. Kira, his roommate, is powerless to stop his steady descent into sadness. Overall the atmosphere of the novel is dark. There are Snapchat messages throughout the book and it is left to the reader to decide who the users are. This is a clever way to identify with the situation, outside of the household, adding a new perspective. When Claire begins to literally lose parts of her day and finds herself with more questions than possible answers, the darkness seems to extend beyond the scope of grief or stress. The mind is a funny thing, and hers seems to be telling her something.
When you begin reading this book, so many high-profile missing children cases come to mind. names like Natascha, Ben, Madeline, and JonBenét. Some of these lost kids are discovered alive, while others are discovered too late. This book examines what transpires when you are uncertain. How can you go about your daily activities while that agonizing ache is pressing in? Do you halt your search based on recommendations from professionals? Do you believe your gut or do you start to question it? In this “grip-lit” book, the author raises all of these issues and more.
It’s a slow-burning novel with a strong female protagonist, and just when you think you know how it ends, a new chapter causes you to reconsider. Exactly what a psychological suspense novel should do. One of the best genre authors in the UK has produced another excellent book.
