TLC Book Tour: The Missing

I love a good suspense novel, and this one was a great one to curl up with this cold, rainy weekend.  Strangely enough, I read another novel also set in Bristol, England, that dealt with a missing teen this weekend.  It has been fun comparing the two since I read them one right after the other.

Claire Wilkerson's son, Billy, a fifteen-year old disappeared from their home one night.  Now, as the novel begins, six months have passed.  The family is struggling to move on, each person having their own ineffective ways of dealing with Billy's disappearance.

At a hearing they must attend to find more information on Billy, things seem to hit a low point and begin to unravel.  

There are secrets that begin to surface, and Claire especially is intent on finding her son who she believes is still alive, looking in rough and seedy areas of Bristol.

There is a lot of buildup to finding Billy and a quick resolution.  I liked the twists and turns of the story, although I wish the ending wouldn't have felt so rushed.  I also appreciated how Taylor really got into the minds of her characters and was able to portray Claire as a desperate mother who would do anything for her child.

This novel will appeal to the many suspense/psychological thriller readers out there.  It's a quick read, and although I finished it in an afternoon, have thought about it several times since then.

Thanks to TLC Book Tours for providing a copy of this book for my review.  All opinions expressed are, as always, my own.

For more information, visit the HarperCollins website.