#missing people

You: so...people are going in the caves and disappearing?

REVIEW

The Missing Ones by A.R. Torre

~ Missing, murdered, or did they make a break for it – Nobody knows what happened to David, Willow, and Roxanne – at least the police haven’t figured it out– Neighbors, secrets, lies, and suspicion dog the feet of those left behind – This is their story ~

What I liked: * The book blurb caught my eye and I have liked previous books  by this author

* The plot, pacing, setting, and writing

* The twists, turns, and red herrings that finally led to tying up mysteries at the end

* The surprises and finding out what actually happened to those that went missing

* Finding out, little by little, more about the people that disappeared and those that were close to them

* That it made me think…and ask, “What if?”

* That I got a sense of the characters and even though I didn’t like or fully understand their motivations, I felt I got to know them

* Finding I had some sympathy for one of the missing more than the others

* Knowing that I would NOT want to live as any of the characters in this book did and would not want any of them as friends

* Finishing the book and being able to move on

What I didn’t like: * The characters were not people I could relate to or care much about and that is not something that is easy to contend with when reading a book

* How easy it was to commit crimes and not get caught – though living with the suspicion and tension would have been a heavy load

* That this book wasn’t for me but that I have a feeling there are those that will love it

Did I like this book? Not so much

Would I read more b y this author? Not sure

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC – This is my honest review.

Star Rating:

2 – just okay for me

4 – on the NetGalley scale of should it be printed

3 – the average

BLURB

I had an online friend for almost a year and one day he just vanished. turned off all his social media accounts, told me he was planning on eloping due to the scare that gay marriage would be overturned a few days prior to the silence, and I never heard from him again.

all the accounts I followed him on (even Spotify!) have had no activity since. I hate to think this, but I’ve come to believe the worst. His phone number has been disconnected. I last heard from him on December 30th, 2024.

I miss you, Martin. wherever you are. hope you are alive and well and if not I hope you found peace.

Others have been lost in the woods...help bring Maureen Kelly home.

How to go missing:

Most of us will give no reason to abandon our daily lives, but there are always some. Some choose to go missing to escape the most dire of situations, others simply need to get out, escape. 

Everyday you come home to a home where you are not welcome, people see you like a creature, you feel like a stranger in a place that isn’t even home. Do you have a home? Do you belong to society if you cannot find a home? When you feel so isolated and yet the desire to be alive is strong within you as it is with others. Something sits with you, you’ll be alive past today and you can’t bear another minute here. 

One example is Dame Jasvinder Sanghera. She went missing when she was 15 after facing a forced marriage. Her home didn’t become her own, instead she was a prisoner of it, her parents locking her in her room until she agreed to the forced marriage. only being found after her parents reported her missing. All that stood between her being free or facing a forced marriage was the policeman that believed her and didn’t send her home. Had he sent her home, Jasvinder would’ve been likely subjected to more abuse, such as what her sister went through when she entered a forced marriage. Her sister, Robina, was being beaten regularly by her husband, unable to leave due to the shame it would bring her family and to herself, resulting in her tragically killing herself by self-immolation.