I think the book started off really good with the older daughter Heather discovering her little sister Tara all alone and their mom has vanished. It was a thrilling and brilliant way to capture the reader's attention. What happened to Selena, did she just leave the children or was she taken? DC Leah Mackay is assigned the case and she has to deal with the little girl and Selena's sisters-in-law. Meanwhile, her brother DS Finn Hale is investigating the murder of a lawyer and it turns out that it's a very small world since the man killed had connections to Selena Cole and her family.

I was a bit confused in the beginning. Had a hard time figure out if the police was a woman or man, but then I realized that I had glanced over the name that stood after the chapter title and that actually something I had a tendency all through the book to do and since this book has a first-person perspective was that a bit of a problem now and then. But, since it mostly shifted between Leah and Finn wasn't it so hard to figure out who was in charge. However, I must admit that I was not that fond of the first person perspective, it just didn't work well for me while I read the book. It disturbed my reading and I have a feeling that I would have enjoyed it better if it had been written without the first person perspective.

The story I think was the best in the beginning when everything was a big mystery. When Selena was missing and the period when she was found and Leah had to figure out if she was lying or not. I liked the connections between the cases and the conclusions. But, I was never really engrossed with the story, despite its interesting and unusual story. As I wrote before the first person perspective is probably one of the big reasons for the book failing to grab my interest. Also, I can't say that either Finn or Leah really grabbed my interested either. I was perplexed that two siblings could work on the same police team. But, it's perhaps a married couple that is more a big no-no. Anyway, I just didn't find either of the main characters life that interesting to read about. Or their life, I should say Leah life since it was more about Leah and her troubled married life. In many ways, it felt like Leah was more the main character than Finn. And, neither one of them managed to make an impression on me.

So, it was an OK book, nothing that rocked my little boat, but not necessarily a bad book. It felt a bit different and I liked the interluding chapters with case files from Selena and Ed's "kidnap and ransom" cases. Why anyone wants to travel to South America is beyond me. It's like asking to be kidnapped!

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy for an honest review! ( )

4.5 stars.

The Missing Hours by Emma Kavanagh is a clever police procedural about two perplexing mysteries that occur simultaneously yet appear unconnected.

Detective Constable Leah Mackay is assigned to the missing persons case involving Dr. Selena Cole who disappeared without a trace from the playground where her two daughters are playing. Serena's sister-in-law Orla Britten has no idea where she could be but she is quite concerned since Selena has been grief-stricken since the tragic death of her husband Cole. With scant clues to follow, Leah is concerned about the future of the case when local defense solicitor Dominic Newell's murder investigation takes precedence.

Leah's brother, newly promoted Detective Sergeant Finn Hale is leading the Dominic's murder enquiry. Newell has been stabbed to death and all personnel are needed for the investigation. Finn heads to the victim's law practice where he is surprised to learn Dominic and his law partner, Bronwyn Hartley, were once romantically involved although they are now just friends. Finn then questions Dominic's boyfriend, Isaac Fletcher, but the grieving man does not set off any alarms. The next line of inquiry leads to one of the victim's clients, Beck Chambers, who quickly becomes their chief suspect once Finn learns more of Beck's run-ins with the law.

Just as Leah turns her attention to Dominic's case, Selena is found unharmed, yet, inexplicably, she has no memory of what happened during her disappearance. Despite Selena's safe return, Leah's curiosity about what happened to her nags at her. After she and Finn discover that a suspect has ties to both Selena and Dominic, Leah can no longer ignore her conviction that the two cases somehow linked. Leah is also certain that Selena is not being completely honest with her but trying to figure out the reason for her deception is virtually impossible.

Finn is putting in long hours as he investigates Dominic's murder but he is frustrated by his dearth of viable leads or suspects. He is skeptical of Leah's assertion that Selena's disappearance and Dominic's murder are somehow linked, but he nonetheless joins her as she follows each piece of evidence she unearths. Certain they are on the right path, Leah and Finn painstakingly put together their disparate pieces of evidence but will they figure out the truth before it is too late?

With the chapters alternating between Leah and Finns perspectives and interspersed with case studies of Selena and her husband's kidnap and rescue cases, The Missing Hours is an incredibly intriguing mystery that is multi-layered and complex. Both Leah and Finn have excellent instincts yet they each find they let their own personal situations cloud their judgment at different times during the investigation. The plot is quite unique with the shadowy world of kidnap and rescue figuring prominently throughout the unfolding story. With unexpected twists and exciting turns, Emma Kavanagh brings the novel to a shocking and somewhat dramatic conclusion that completely wraps up both of these baffling mysteries. ( )

A good plot and interesting characters ( )

This is a mystery/thriller and a police procedural rolled into one. I really enjoyed this book and could not wait to find out how this all linked together.

Dr. Selena Cole disappears from a playground one day while watching her two children. DC Leah McKay is called in to check it out. Before she is able to solve the mystery, Selena is found wandering on the river bank with now memories of where she had been or what she had done. In a parallel investigation, Leah's brother DI Finn Hale is investigating the death of a local solicitor.

I was a bit confused at the beginning of this book trying to figure out how all this fit together. There were also case files from the business that Selena and her husband Ed Cole started. It was a company that negotiated kidnap for ransom releases as well as teach companies how to protect themselves. The number one suspect in the death of the solicitor was a previous employee and friend of Ed Cole. Ed died in a bombing in Brazil the previous year and his brother-in-law, who now runs the company fired Beck. Leah can not let go of the suspicion that the disappearance of Dr. Cole and the death of the solicitor are linked.

This was a twisting and turning plot with different chapters being told from various perspectives of the characters in the book. A great read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Cornerstone Digital for the opportunity to read and review this book. This is my unbiased review. ( )

A great read about a fascinating industry. A compelling tale with some great characters.

Read my complete review at

http://onerightword.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/the-missing-hours-emma-kavanagh.html

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