Local Gone Missing

April 25, 2022
In the prologue of this suspenseful crime novel from bestseller Barton (The Widow), set in the small British seaside community of Ebbing, an unidentified man strains to spit out the gag in his mouth just as someone enters the room where he’s being held. In the main narrative, cleaning woman Dee Eastwood, whose clientele includes 73-year-old Charlie Perry and his “some years” younger wife, Pauline, arrives one morning at the Perrys’ caravan and discovers Charlie is missing. Pauline later admits she hadn’t noticed his absence until Dee woke her. Flash back 17 days to Charlie’s visit to his brain-damaged daughter, Birdie, in a residential care facility. Birdie’s injuries were ostensibly caused by a drug addict who tortured her 20 years earlier during a burglary to get her to reveal where her valuables were. Another flashback introduces Det. Insp. Elise King, who also employs Dee. When Elise returns to active duty after being treated for breast cancer, she’s assigned to the search for Charlie, an inquiry that reveals multiple secrets about him, including why he lied about the real cause of Birdie’s injuries. Barton’s facility at creating plausible characters makes emotional involvement with them easy. Minette Walters fans will be pleased. Agent: Madeleine Milburn, Madeleine Milburn Literary (U.K.).

June 10, 2024

Barton's (The Suspect) latest traces Charlie Perry's unexplained disappearance from a music festival. Where could he have gone, in this cozy and safe town? Detective Elise King just wants to put her cancer diagnosis aside and return to work. Will she be able to shake off the chemo to solve a mystery in her new hometown? The list of suspects is intriguing. Dee Eastwood's life has not been easy, but she and her family have made a home for themselves, despite their mounting bills. Then there is Pauline Perry, Charlie's wife. Is she having an affair right under Charlie's nose? All of these people seem innocent, but listeners learn that they all have reasons to want Charlie to stay missing. Primary narrator Jayne Entwistle illuminates Dee's side of the story, with Gabrielle Glaister giving voice to Elise, and Nicholas Guy Smith leading listeners through Charlie's story. All three effectively communicate the characters' grief, anger, and growing worries. Despite the changing points of view, each narrator's performance is well matched and distinctive enough to allow listeners to easily distinguish among them. VERDICT Barton has a following, and libraries will want to add this to their collection to appease British mystery fans.--Stephanie Charlefour

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