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Missing Mark: Number 2 in series (Riley Spartz #2)
by Julie KramerWhen Riley Spartz sees a want ad reading 'Wedding Dress for Sale: Never Worn', her news instincts tell her that the backstory might make an intriguing television sweeps piece. The groom, Mark, last seen at the rehearsal dinner, never showed up for the wedding. His own mother, eager to spare him further embarrassment, waited weeks before filing a missing-person report. But when her missing-person's case leads to a murder investigation, Riley discovers a startling motive for Mark's disappearance - and a TV exclusive guaranteed to win the ratings - if she lives to report it...
Missing Marlene
by Evan Marshall"A PAGE-TURNER "-"Publishers Weekly" "This delightful new series introduces Jane Stuart, a widowed young mother and literary agent, and Winky, her tortoiseshell cat who has a nose for trouble. "The last thing a working mom like Jane needs is a call from her young sons school saying Marlene, his nanny, never arrived to pick him up. It looks as if the pretty, nineteen-year-old has left without giving notice, and no one seems to know where shes gone. Could the young nanny have met with foul play? "PURE ENJOYMENT, REFRESHING AND LIGHT, THIS IS JUST FUN. "-The Poisoned PenJuggling book deals, rival agents, and a rocky romance with a handsome author, Jane begins to uncover Marlenes shocking secret life. As she discovers more evidence that Marlenes innocence died long ago, Winky has a critical clue that could reveal if a killer came in on little cat feet. . . and if that same killer is getting ready to strike again. "Marshalls refreshing debut has all the trappings of a cozy. "-"KIRKUS REVIEWS""A fast-paced, solid whodunit full of nifty surprises and with a dandy twist at the end. "-I LOVE A MYSTERY"A must for cat-cozy lovers "-THE SNOOPER
Missing Max
by Karen YoungWhen baby Max is kidnapped during Mardi Gras, Jane and Kyle Madison's life falls apart. What their daughter, Melanie, does next is unthinkable. Max vanished into thin air while in the care of his teenage sister, Melanie. Six months later, the family is a shadow of its former self: Melanie blames herself and is acting out and rebellious; Jane is obsessed with finding Max; and Kyle, a lawyer, struggles to cope with his own grief--and a persistent suspicion that one of his cases is connected to Max's disappearance. With her family in turmoil and her marriage on the rocks, Jane thinks things can't get any worse. Then when an affair and an unexpected pregnancy threaten to tear the Madisons' lives apart, an anonymous caller leads to a break in the case. Can a second kidnapping bring their family back together?
The Missing McCullen
by Rita HerronA loner seeks redemption...a single mother seeks the truth Defense attorney BJ Alexander is crafty, brilliant, and deeply scarred by the loss of her husband and child. Hired by the McCullen family, who believe Cash Koker to be their lost brother, BJ commits to the case-and vows not to become entangled with her devastatingly handsome client. Unfortunately, Cash is no stranger to hardship, and their mutual attraction is overwhelming. But nothing can prepare him when charges are mistakenly brought against him. Cash insists he's being framed, and it's up to BJ to find the truth. Because not only is Cash's life at stake, but so is that of a missing little boy... The Heroes of Horseshoe Creek
Missing Memories: A Quilting Cozy (A\quilting Cozy Ser. #8)
by Carol Dean JonesAn amateur detective in a retirement community looks into a mysterious disappearance—includes instructions for a memory quilt! Moving into the Cunningham Village retirement community was an adjustment, but Sarah Miller is a survivor, and she&’s made a whole new life for herself there—new friends, new hobbies, and even new love after mourning the loss of her husband. She also seems to have acquired a new knack for solving crimes. Now, just as she plunges into a project making memory quilts for Alzheimer&’s patients, one of Sarah&’s friends has gone missing—and she&’s being told to leave the case to the professionals. But Sarah intends to put the pieces together and sew up this mystery…
The Missing Mitt
by Scott Burroughs Franklin W. DixonIn The Missing Mitt, the boys must help their teammate find his lucky mitt before the last game, or their Little League season is doomed!
The Missing Moose Mystery (Ghost Twins #4)
by Dian Curtis Regan[from the back cover] "Ghost Twins Robbie and Rebeka are twins. They have a St. Bernard. Fifty years ago they became ghosts! Now their house is a vacation rental. What do these ghosts do with their time? Haunt unsuspecting guests! The twins and Thatch are helping the new renter, Jamie, look for the Morty the Moose statue that was stolen from the town square fifty years ago. Jamie's grandmother is a famous artist and has been painting pictures and leaving clues about the missing moose in the paintings. It's up to her granddaughter, the twins, and of course, Thatch, to find the moose!" But they are being helped by another ghost and the twins are not sure they like that! There are Seven more books in this haunting, exciting but not too scary series about the young ghost twins Beka and Robbie and their ghost dog Thatch who must follow ghost rules listed in the back of each book. Look for #1 The Mystery at Kickingbird Lake, #2 The Mystery of One Wish Pond, #3 The Mystery on Walrus Mountain, #5 The Mystery of the Disappearing Dogs #6 The Haunted Campground Mystery, #7 The Mystery at Hanover School and #8 The Mystery of the Haunted Castle
Missing Mother-To-Be: An Intense Abduction Romantic Suspense
by Elle KennedyA mercenary just kidnapped the mother of his unborn child in a thrilling fan-favorite by New York Times bestselling author Elle Kennedy! Lana Kelley never imagined the magical night she shared with a stranger would result in pregnancy. But when she’s kidnapped, Lana is shocked to discover one of her captors is none other than the father of her unborn child. Mercenary Deacon Holt can’t understand Lana. She should hate him. Instead, she refuses to believe he’s coldhearted. Though Deacon tries to remain detached, he can’t deny he still wants Lana. And when Lana’s life is threatened, Deacon will risk all to help her escape… Originally published in 2011
The Missing Mummies: Jesperson & Lane Book 3 (Jesperson and Lane #3)
by Lisa TuttleShould you find yourself in need of a discreet investigation into any sort of mystery, call on Jesperson and Lane . . . 'Arthur Conan Doyle would have approved,' says George R.R. MartinMiss Lane is puzzled by Jasper Jesperson's interest in what seems a very minor theft -possibly even a prank - from the storerooms at the British Museum. But London in the 1890s is rife with secret organisations, cults and individuals eager to acquire some of the legendary magic of ancient Egypt. The deeper the two detectives dig, the more hidden crimes they uncover, and the higher the death toll mounts. And at the centre of it all is the 'Mystery Mummy' recently acquired by the museum. 'Tuttle does a lovely job of putting us back in the foggy streets of Victorian London' George R.R. Martin, author of The Game of ThronesAre the deaths and madness truly caused by a mummy's curse? Or is there a scheming, living villain to be apprehended? 'A most engaging detective duo' Mark Douglas Home, author of The Sea Detective and The Woman Who Walked Into The SeaJesperson and Lane, with their experience of past investigations involving psychic phenomena and supernatural events as well as ordinary human criminality, are surely best placed to find the truth.Jesperson and Lane, at your service.
The Missing Mummies: Jesperson & Lane Book 3 (Jesperson and Lane #3)
by Lisa TuttleBryant & May meets Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries in this charming Victorian adventure featuring shrieking pits, missing girls, witches and (maybe) a mummy's curse.Should you find yourself in need of a discreet investigation into any sort of mystery, call on Jesperson and Lane . . . 'Arthur Conan Doyle would have approved,' says George R.R. MartinMiss Lane is puzzled by Jasper Jesperson's interest in what seems a very minor theft -possibly even a prank - from the storerooms at the British Museum. But London in the 1890s is rife with secret organisations, cults and individuals eager to acquire some of the legendary magic of ancient Egypt. The deeper the two detectives dig, the more hidden crimes they uncover, and the higher the death toll mounts. And at the centre of it all is the 'Mystery Mummy' recently acquired by the museum.'Tuttle does a lovely job of putting us back in the foggy streets of Victorian London' George R.R. Martin, author of The Game of ThronesAre the deaths and madness truly caused by a mummy's curse? Or is there a scheming, living villain to be apprehended? 'A most engaging detective duo' Mark Douglas Home, author of The Sea Detective and The Woman Who Walked Into The SeaJesperson and Lane, with their experience of past investigations involving psychic phenomena and supernatural events as well as ordinary human criminality, are surely best placed to find the truth.Jesperson and Lane, at your service.(P)2024 Quercus Editions Limited
The Missing Newspaper Caper: A Wren House Mystery (Wren House Mysteries #4)
by Hilda StahlWren and Tim shivered in the early morning darkness. A flashlight beam bobbed across the grass--and stopped on the newspaper. Hardly daring to breathe, the two ten-year-olds peered from behind a bush. Was the thief about to strike again? Book 4 in The Wren House Mystery Series." Look for the first book in this series in the Bookshare library, #1. The Mystery of the Wheeler Place, with more on the way.
The Missing One
by Lucy AtkinsIn her gripping debut novel, Lucy Atkins takes us on one woman's journey to the beautiful and rugged Pacific Northwest to discover the dark secrets of her family's past so that she can understand and accept herself. Kal McKenzie was never close to her mother Elena, whose coldness towards her spoiled any chance of a good relationship. When Elena dies of cancer, Kal feels forlorn: how do you mourn a mother who, inexplicably, just didn't seem to love you? While clearing out Elena's art studio, Kal finds a drawer packed with postcards, each bearing an identical one-line message from a Canadian gallery owner named Susannah Gillespie: "Thinking of you." Who is this woman and might she hold the key to her ruined relationship with her mother? Conflicted by her grief and shaken up from recently seeing a covetous text from an old girlfriend on her husband's cell phone, Kal impulsively sets off with her toddler Finn to Susannah's home on a remote British Columbian island, a place of killer whales and storms. Soon Kal quickly realizes she has made a big mistake. The striking and enigmatic Susannah will only share a few scraps of information about Elena. Kal discovers that her mother was a pioneering orca researcher-an activist trying to save the powerful and dangerous creatures.cal lore of how orcas protect those who travel away from home, and guides them back safely, in The Missing One Lucy Atkins wrestles with the question of how the past influences the present, and who has the right to own one's history.
The Missing One: The unforgettable domestic thriller from the critically acclaimed author of MAGPIE LANE
by Lucy AtkinsAN UNFORGETTABLE DOMESTIC THRILLER FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF MAGPIE LANEThe loss of her mother has left Kali McKenzie with too many unanswered questions. But while clearing out Elena's art studio, she finds a drawer packed with postcard each bearing an identical one-line message from a Canadian gallery owner called Susannah Gillespie: thinking of you. Who is this woman and what does she know about Elena's hidden past? Desperate to find out, Kali travels with her toddler, Finn, to Susannah's isolated home on a remote British Columbian island, a place of killer whales and storms. But as bad weather closes in, Kali quickly realises she has made a big mistake. The enigmatic Susannah refuses to talk about the past, and as Kali struggles to piece together what happened back in the 1970s, Susannah's behaviour grows more and more erratic. Most worrying of all, Susannah is becoming increasingly preoccupied with little Finn . . .PRAISE FOR LUCY ATKINS'Gripping' Sunday Times'Taut, tense and beautifully written' Clare Mackintosh'Complex, creepy and insidious' Guardian'Horribly, horribly compulsive' Fiona Barton'Lucy Atkins is, quite frankly, a genius' Joanna Cannon'Fabulously dark' Woman & Home**Enjoyed The Missing One? Read the word-of-mouth lockdown hit, Magpie Lane, now**
The Missing One: The unforgettable domestic thriller from the critically acclaimed author of MAGPIE LANE
by Lucy AtkinsAN UNFORGETTABLE DOMESTIC THRILLER FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF MAGPIE LANEThe loss of her mother has left Kali McKenzie with too many unanswered questions. But while clearing out Elena's art studio, she finds a drawer packed with postcard each bearing an identical one-line message from a Canadian gallery owner called Susannah Gillespie: thinking of you. Who is this woman and what does she know about Elena's hidden past? Desperate to find out, Kali travels with her toddler, Finn, to Susannah's isolated home on a remote British Columbian island, a place of killer whales and storms. But as bad weather closes in, Kali quickly realises she has made a big mistake. The enigmatic Susannah refuses to talk about the past, and as Kali struggles to piece together what happened back in the 1970s, Susannah's behaviour grows more and more erratic. Most worrying of all, Susannah is becoming increasingly preoccupied with little Finn . . .PRAISE FOR LUCY ATKINS'Gripping' Sunday Times'Taut, tense and beautifully written' Clare Mackintosh'Complex, creepy and insidious' Guardian'Horribly, horribly compulsive' Fiona Barton'Lucy Atkins is, quite frankly, a genius' Joanna Cannon'Fabulously dark' Woman & Home**Enjoyed The Missing One? Read the word-of-mouth lockdown hit, Magpie Lane, now**
The Missing One: The unforgettable domestic thriller from the critically acclaimed author of THE NIGHT VISITOR
by Lucy AtkinsIn this gripping debut, The Missing One, Lucy Atkins takes us on one woman's terrifying journey to the beautiful and rugged Pacific Northwest to discover the dark secrets of her family's past so that she can understand and accept herself. Kal McKenzie was never close to her mother Elena, whose coldness towards her spoiled any chance of a good relationship. When Elena dies of cancer, Kal feels forlorn: how do you mourn a mother who, inexplicably, just didn't seem to love you? While clearing out Elena's art studio, Kal finds a drawer packed with postcards, each bearing an identical one-line message from a Canadian gallery owner named Susannah Gillespie: "Thinking of you." Who is this woman and what does she hold the key to her ruined relationship with her mother? Conflicted by her grief and shaken up from recently seeing a covetous text from an old girlfriend on her husband's cell phone, Kal impulsively sets off with her toddler Finn to Susannah's isolated home on a remote British Columbian island. A place of killer whales and storms. Soon Kal quickly realizes she has made a big mistake. The striking and enigmatic Susannah will only share a few scraps of information about Elena. Unbeknownst to her, she discovers that her mother was a pioneering orca researcher--an activist trying to save these powerful and dangerous creatures. As Kal struggles to piece together her mother's past and what happened between Elena and Susannah in the 1970s, Susannah's behavior grows more and more erratic. Most worrying of all, Susannah is becoming increasingly preoccupied with little Finn. Kal's uneasiness soon proves true and Kal must confront the biggest threat to her family she has ever experienced. Told in two competing narratives, The Missing One intermixes Kal's present day journey to with that of her mother's awakening as an independent woman, scientist, and activist. As these two narratives converge the novel transforms into a white-knuckle thriller where the secrets of the past imperil the lives of the present. Interweaving local lore of how orcas protect those who travel away from home, and guides them back safely, in The Missing One Lucy Atkins wrestles with the question of how the past influences the present, and who has the right to own one's history.(P)2014 WF Howes Ltd
The Missing Ones (A Hester Thursby Mystery #2)
by Edwin Hill&“Twists that&’ll just take your breath away. A salty, stormy and seductive read.&”—Mario Giordano, author of Auntie Poldi and the Vineyards of Etna Finisterre Island, off the coast of Maine, is beautiful and remote—the kind of place tourists love to visit. But not everyone is welcome. A dilapidated Victorian house has become home to a group of squatters and junkies, and strangers have a habit of bringing trouble. A young boy disappeared during the summer, and though he was found safely, the incident stirred suspicion among locals. Now another child is missing. Summoned to the island by a cryptic text, Hester Thursby discovers a community cleaning up from a devastating storm—and uncovers a murder. Soon Hester begins to connect the crime and the missing children. And as she untangles the secrets at the center of the small community, she finds grudges and loyalties that run deep, poised to converge with a force that will once again shake her convictions about the very nature of right and wrong . . . &“Intense. . . . Hill is adept at building compassion for his characters in a tight-knit social web while implicating them in dark thoughts and actions. He remains a writer to watch.&”—Publishers Weekly
The Missing Partners (Inspector Poole Series)
by Henry WadeCousins James and Charles Morden run a shipping company in Liverpool that is, in the wake of the Great War, struggling. It appears there have been financial irregularities, and then James Morden's body is washed up on a bank of the Mersey. Evidence points to Charles Morden, after burning a lot of papers, having fled to New York.It turns out there's an illicit side to the business - and that James Morden's wife, Lilith, is a major player.The strands of the plot seem past untangling, but the family solicitor, William Turnbull, grasps every thread and draws them all together . . .
The Missing Partners
by Henry WadeCousins James and Charles Morden run a shipping company in Liverpool that is, in the wake of the Great War, struggling. It appears there have been financial irregularities, and then James Morden's body is washed up on a bank of the Mersey. Evidence points to Charles Morden, after burning a lot of papers, having fled to New York.It turns out there's an illicit side to the business - and that James Morden's wife, Lilith, is a major player.The strands of the plot seem past untangling, but the family solicitor, William Turnbull, grasps every thread and draws them all together . . .
The Missing Passenger (Liars Ser. #2)
by Jack HeathJarli only narrowly escaped death after his world-shattering app made him infamous. Now there&’s a new foe afoot and Jarli is far from safe in this thrilling sequel to The Truth App.When a seemingly unoccupied plane crash lands in the middle of Kelton, Jarli&’s attempts to lay low and out of Viper&’s criminal crosshairs crash lands along with it.The cause of the accident is a mystery until his Truth App uncovers a dangerous secret at the crash site—a secret Viper will do anything to keep buried.Suddenly Jarli is a target again and on the run with his high school tormentor, Doug. There&’s no one he can trust, not even the police—and Jarli&’s starting to think Doug is hiding something, too. Constantly at odds and left with no other choice, they team up to conduct an investigation of their own. But when Doug&’s past comes back to haunt them, Jarli fears that there&’s little hope in getting out of this one alive.Kelton was supposed to be the perfect hiding place. But there&’s no hiding from the truth.
Missing People
by Brandon GrahamSix years after the traumatic disappearance of Etta Messenger, it's clear that none of the members of her middle-class family have finished mourning. Gaping emotional wounds have been poorly addressed. Etta's mother, Meg, anxious to find closure and make what she can of the rest of her life, has organized a memorial service to mark the painful anniversary. Newton, Etta's erstwhile high school sweetheart, a disabled Afghanistan veteran with anger issues, uses the impending anniversary as a convenient excuse to spin out of control. Charlie, Etta's earnest blue-collar father, takes stock of his life and is reminded how he failed to protect his daughter. Her younger brother, Townes, who was the last of them to see Etta and is convinced his emotional outburst drove his sister away, has his fragile hermetic cocoon threatened by the heightened emotions of the day. On the day of the memorial, a snowstorm threatens the city, and a chance observation on a commuter train entangles Townes in a dangerous situation that recall the events surrounding Etta's loss. The characters are shaken from their mournful routines by an unrelenting chain of events, including Newton's arrest, Townes' dangerous heroics, Charlie's recognition of his own shortcomings, and Meg's shocking discovery. The action moves from the seemingly serene suburbs to the heart of a dangerous Chicago neighborhood. Will this ensemble of damaged characters pull themselves together in time, or will new stresses rip their tattered lives to shreds...
Missing Person: 'I can feel sorry sometimes when a books ends. Missing Person was one of those books' - Stephen King
by Sarah Lotz'You know, I can feel sorry sometimes when a books ends . Missing Person by Sarah Lotz was one of those books. It marries a story about internet groups that search for missing persons and dead bodies to an Agatha Christie novel and it worked. I just love the characters. (...) I enjoyed that book very much' - Stephen King'The finest thriller I've read in years . . . completely unputdownable' - Sunday Times bestselling author Sarah Pinborough on The ThreeMissing-linc.com comprises a group of misfit sleuths scattered across the States. Their macabre passion is giving names to the unidentified dead. When Ellie Caine starts investigating the corpse known as the Boy in the Dress, the Boy's killer decides to join the group. The closer they get to the truth, the closer he will get to them. The Boy was Teddy Ryan. He was meant to have been killed in a car crash in the west of Ireland in 1989. Only he wasn't. There is no grave in Galway and Teddy was writing letters from New York a year after he supposedly died. But one night he met a man in a Minnesota bar and vanished off the face of the earth. Teddy's nephew, Shaun, is no hero, but he is determined to solve the thirty-year-old mystery. He joins forces with the disparate members of Missing-linc to hunt down the killer. The only problem: the killer will be with them every step of the way . . .*************Further praise for Sarah Lotz'Hard to put down and vastly entertaining' - Stephen King on The Three'A roller-coaster ride with intriguing psychological depth' - Crime Fiction Lover'Lotz excels at making you feel like you're there' - Publishers Weekly
Missing Person
by Sarah LotzFrom acclaimed thriller writer Sarah Lotz, hailed by Stephen King as "vastly entertaining," a new novel about a group of amateur detectives infiltrated by the sadistic killer whose crimes they're investigating.Reclusive bookseller Shaun Ryan has always believed that his uncle Teddy died in a car accident twenty years ago. Then he learns the truth: Teddy fled his home in Catholic, deeply conservative County Wicklow, Ireland, for New York and hasn't been heard from since. None of Shaun's relatives will reveal why they lied about his uncle's death or why they want Shaun to leave the whole affair alone. But Shaun has a burning need to find out the truth. His search is unsuccessful until he's contacted by Chris Guzman, a woman who runs a website dedicated to matching missing-persons cases with unidentified bodies. Chris and her team of cold-case obsessives suspect that Shaun is looking for the "Boy in the Dress," one victim in a series of gay men murdered by the same killer. But who are these internet fanatics really, and how do they know so much about a case that has stumped police for decades? Soon armchair sleuths and professional investigators are on a collision course with a sadistic serial killer who's gotten away with his crimes for far too long - and now they're in his sights.
Missing Person (Verba Mundi International Literature Series)
by Patrick ModianoAn amnesiac searches for his identity, from Polynesia to Rome, in this novel by the Nobel Prize–winning author of Dora Bruder.Guy Roland is in pursuit of the identity he lost in the murky days of the Paris Occupation. For ten years, he has lived without a past. His current life and name were given to him by his recently retired boss, Hutte, who welcomed him, a onetime client, into his detective agency. Guy makes full use of Hutte’s files—directories, yearbooks, and papers of all kinds going back half a century—but his leads are few. Could he really be the person in that photograph, a young man remembered by some as a South American attaché? Or was he someone else, perhaps the disappeared scion of a prominent local family? He interviews strangers and is tantalized by half-clues until, at last, he grasps a thread that leads him through the maze of his own repressed experience.Published in France as Rue des Boutiques obscures, this is both a detective mystery and a haunting meditation on the nature of the self, Patrick Modiano’s spare, hypnotic prose, superbly translated by Daniel Weissbort, draws readers into the intoxication of a rare literary experience.Praise for Missing Persons“[An] elliptical, engrossing rumination on the essence of identity and the search for self.” —Frank Sennet, Booklist“A fine introduction to his work. . . . Beautifully written and perfectly noirish, as though the world were being seen through a haze of Gauloise smoke. Be warned, though: after reading this, a sensitive soul may well seize up the next time a stranger waves.” —Kirkus Reviews
Missing Person
by Patrick Modiano Daniel WeissbortBy the 2014 Nobel Prize in Literature Winner! <P> In this strange, elegant novel, Modiano portrays a man in pursuit of the identity he lost in the murky days of the Paris Occupation, the black hole of French memory. On one level a detective thriller, Missing Person is also a haunting meditation on the nature of the self. For ten years Guy Roland has lived without a past. Even his name was given to him by his benefactor, C. M. Hutte, who had welcomed this lost soul - originally his client - into employment at his detective agency. Now in retirement in Nice, Hutte has left Guy his office full of directories, yearbooks, and files of all kinds going back fifty years - pages that list people, things, vanished worlds, to which they alone bear witness. Guy is on his own, and his leads are few. All that remains of the person he had once been is a dim shape in the minds of two acquaintances, both society bartenders. Could he really be that figure in a photograph, standing beside an ash-blonde woman that one of the bartenders says had green eyes? Or is he perhaps the French aristocrat whose entry disappeared from the social register years before? He has sifted through strangers' recollections for traces of himself and of his supposed sweetheart, a Russian ballerina from Megéve - a couple who left nothing but a blur behind them. Missing Person is an extraordinary evocation of Paris in the 1930s and 1940s - the curious, muffled network of loose contacts, smoky cafes, illegal passports, and insubstantial figures crossing bridges in the fog. Patrick Modiano's spare, hypnotic prose, superbly translated by Daniel Weissbort, draws his readers into the intoxication of a rare literary experience.
Missing Persons: A Buddy Steel Mystery
by Michael BrandmanMISSING PERSONS is the first book in the new Buddy Steel mystery series by New York Times best selling author, Michael Brandman. Steel... smart, aggressive, ironic, spare and cynical... has been content working homicide at the LAPD until his father, the legendary Sheriff Burton Steel, falls ill with Lou Gehrig's disease. Sheriff Steel is headquartered in Freedom, a privileged coastal community located a hundred miles north of Los Angeles. His health failing, he asks his son Buddy to come home to cover his back and to groom him to be his successor. Buddy reluctantly agrees. He returns to Freedom despite having outgrown its small town limits, wary of his father's authoritarianism. No sooner does he hit town than Buddy learns the wife of the high-flying star of a Freedom based world-renowned television ministry has gone missing. A visit to the woman's home leads to a hostile confrontation with her husband's family and Buddy's realization that something greater than simply a missing person is at stake. Allegiance between father and son provides the backdrop for Buddy's complex investigation of twisted families, avaricious con artists, violent gangs, drugs, corruption, and murder. And added to the mix is an enigmatic femme fatale who succeeds in upending Buddy's tenets regarding contemporary relationships. MISSING PERSONS is its own book, yet crime fiction fans will find it a joy to trace its literary lineage from Raymond Chandler and Robert B. Parker through to Sue Grafton and Michael Connelly.