Publication Date: 28th June from Simon and Schuster
Source: Netgalley
It s been ten years since Nicolette Farrell left her rural hometown after her best friend, Corinne, disappeared from Cooley Ridge without a trace. Back again to tie up loose ends and care for her ailing father, Nic is soon plunged into a shocking drama that reawakens Corinne s case and breaks open old wounds long since stitched.
The decade-old investigation focused on Nic, her brother Daniel, boyfriend Tyler, and Corinne s boyfriend Jackson. Since then, only Nic has left Cooley Ridge. Daniel and his wife, Laura, are expecting a baby; Jackson works at the town bar; and Tyler is dating Annaleise Carter, Nic s younger neighbor and the group s alibi the night Corinne disappeared. Then, within days of Nic s return, Annaleise goes missing.
Told backwards Day 15 to Day 1 from the time Annaleise goes missing, Nic works to unravel the truth about her younger neighbor s disappearance, revealing shocking truths about her friends, her family, and what “really “happened to Corinne that night ten years ago.
“Tic Toc Nic”
That is the phrase that will stay with me from “All The Missing Girls” – a really intense and extraordinarily clever novel, taking that entirely popular premise of a missing person and turning it on its head. Nic hears this in her head all the time, and time is everything in this book…
Before I get to that though, I should point out that this novel isn’t just a twist on an old favourite or a blatant attention grabber (although it certainly grabbed mine) but is beautifully written throughout. Haunting, evocative, capturing that small town vibe and teenage friendship dynamic perfectly, using personal history and present events to paint a picture, a twisted and addictive picture one small step at a time. You will be hooked all the way through, my advice would be to read this in a few sittings, one if at all possible because as things unfold it is brilliantly done.
Nic returns home and we see day one of her journey back to her childhood home, her memories unfolding, her very real emotional pull towards this place and the events that defined her. Then another girl goes missing and POP forward we jump to day 15. Day by day we move backwards towards that very first day, realising why decisions have been made, understanding slowly the consequences of each action, the hidden secrets inside each conversation, by the time you get back to day one it looks VERY different. The subtle clues, the ingenious layers of plot, the character development, all of it intelligently done, personally I loved every minute.
Megan Miranda unravels her characters as much as she does her mystery, adding definition, fleshing them out with every day that has passed but you see all that in reverse, I really did think it was very inventive. With a touch of class in the writing, a hint of magic in the setting and a realistic outcome that did not require an end run around – meticulously plotted from first page to last, or should that be from last page to first. Whatever. It was great!
If you love your psychological thrillers but would like to see a new take then I would highly recommend All the Missing Girls. In fact if you are a fan of great writing, great storytelling and can appreciate subtleties of plot and character then I would highly recommend All The Missing Girls no matter your preferred reading genre.
Give it a go. Its a real barn stormer.
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Happy Reading!
