Missing cover art

Missing

A Novel

 Preview

Audible Standard 1-month free trial

Auto-renews at $8.99/mo + applicable tax after 30-day trial. Cancel Anytime
Try for $0.00
More purchase options

Missing

Written by: E.A. Jackson
Narrated by: Nicola Walker
Try for $0.00

$8.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $28.64

Buy Now for $28.64

“Utterly gripping, intelligent, and haunting....A TRIUMPH.” —Will Dean, award-winning author of Adrift

A detective returns to a thirty-year-old case—an infamous disappearance in London—that has haunted her entire career and now may jeopardize her future in this “brilliant, pacy, gut-punch of a novel” (Matthew Blake, #1 internationally bestselling author), perfect for fans of Tana French.

In August 1990, London is suffering through an unprecedented heatwave when baby Bella Carpenter is snatched through the open window of her hotel room. Detective Inspector Martha Allen is assigned the high-profile case and, knowing that it could make or break her career, is determined to find Bella.

When a young woman named Nell Beatty walks into the police station with a baby who appears to be Bella, and whom Nell claims she found on a park bench, it seems that the mystery is solved, and her family is overjoyed. But DI Allen isn’t convinced, something about Nell’s story doesn’t ring true. As much as she wants to continue, however, now that the baby is safe, she’s ordered to close the investigation.

Thirty years later, Nell Beatty is found murdered. Now a superintendent, Allen has never really gotten over her doubts about the Carpenter case and can’t resist doing a little digging, eager to find out what happened to Nell, and her involvement in the baby’s disappearance all those years ago. But will her efforts uncover something darker than she could have ever imagined? And what is she risking as she tries once and for all to reveal the truth? Crime Thrillers Mystery Suspense Thriller & Suspense Disappearance Detective England
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1

What the critics say

"An engaging story with a shocking ending and narration that beautifully conveys suspense and tension."
"British actress Nicola Walker's measured pace and restrained tone pair perfectly with protagonist DI Martha Allen. In 1990, baby Bella Carpenter disappeared from a London hotel room while her parents slept. Allen had her suspicions about the parents, but she couldn't prove anything. After days of searching and a public plea, a young woman, Nell Beatty, walks into the police station claiming to have found the baby in a park. Her story doesn't quite add up, but Allen's superior halts the investigation. Thirty years later, Nell has been murdered, and Allen is now a superintendent; doubts about the Carpenter case have never left her."
All stars
Most Relevant
Most novels that shift time periods are confusing and hard to follow but not The Missing. It is complex but the shifts from 1990 to 2020 are clear and easy to follow. The story itself is excellent and had me on the edge of my seat. Martha Allen, the main character, is a police officer in the UK and her experiences and observations of male incompetence and misogyny over a 30 year period are so perceptive and infuriating and ring quite true. Nicola Walker is an amazing actor and narrator and but it was hard to differentiate some of the male characters - the voices were not distinct enough for me to know which character was speaking some of the time. Other than that, this really is one of the best stories I've listened to in a long time and Ms. Jackson's grasp of police procedures seems very accurate. I thought she might have been a former police officer - that's how good the details are.

This is fascinating and well-written

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Excellent story with a nice twist. Best book I have listened to in a very long time

Captivating

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.