This is the latest book from Charlie Gallagher and he just keeps improving. Up with the best writers of police procedural, this one did not disappoint me. I always feel like I have lost a friend when i reach the last page! Another roller coaster ride with a believable plot and real characters who have their own faults. George Elms is back, along with Shaun Carter, whose wife and son have been kidnapped. Very well written, with a touch of gore, a sure fire winner from this author. Many thanks to Joffe Books and Net Galley for my ARC. I reviewed on Goodreads.

4 and 1 / 2 stars

A car careens through a busy street ending up crashed into a shop window. A man jumps out and kidnaps a woman and her young son at gunpoint.

Sergeant Shaun Carter gets a call out on a Sunday to a repeat jumper. He knows the man from before. The man tells him that his ex-wife and ten-year old son have been taken and all he has to do is “some things” for the kidnappers and then they’ll let his wife and son go free.

Jess Norris who is Shaun’s girlfriend is in charge of the port. The kidnappers want her to let a certain lorry through the port without an inspection. Shaun is to call her and tell her without telling her anything else.

Shaun is surprised and devastated to learn that the woman and boy who were rescued at an abandoned farmhouse were not his relatives. So where are they? He goes to the morgue to examine the suicide’s body, he finds listening devices. He also meets George Elms. He calls George later in the evening and asks for his help. They meet and Shaun tells all. George convinces Shaun to go with him to meet Sergeant Emily Ryker who is currently assigned to the drugs task force and is an old friend of George’s.

We meet a murderous drug dealer. One of his victims escapes and later is arrested by the police. Upon questioning him, they learn that he was smuggled into the country on a lorry carrying tomatoes. Connections are made.

Shaun finally gets contacted by the people who have his family. He is directed to a seedy hotel to pick up a package and go to a certain room. He is directed to do something awful. He is then directed to locate a certain person and deliver him to the man who is directing this whole nightmare.

We speed toward the denouement with action and much emotion.

I was so pleased to see George’s return to this novel. I really like him. He’s all too human, kind and generous to those who know him. He’s a wonderful character who has a rather unconventional approach to policing. This novel is extremely well written and plotted, as are all of Charlie Gallagher’s books. The suspense starts out immediately and continues to build throughout the book. Mr. Gallagher has a way with the creation of his characters. They are so real. I felt like I was there at every scene described in brilliant detail.

I want to thank NetGalley and Joffe Books for forwarding to me a copy of this great book to read and enjoy.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy of Missing, the fifth novel in the Langthorne series of police procedurals.

Sergeant Sean Carter is called out to talk a suicide down but things don't go as planned. Bobby Leonard tells Sean that his wife and son have been kidnapped and to get them back he'll have to carry out some tasks, starting with getting his girlfriend to let a lorry pass through customs unchecked. Looking for a plan B in case it all goes wrong he consults the only man with experience in this sort of thing, DS George Elms.

Wow! What a high octane read. There is action aplenty and some serious twists, especially at the end, I defy anyone to see coming. I was glued to the pages from start to finish. Mr Gallagher is a serving police officer so the detail on procedure is excellent even if George doesn't stick too it too often but I sincerely hope that Missing is a work of imagination and not based on his real life experiences because it is violent and the criminals very smart.

As this is very much a plot driven novel the characterisation doesn't need to be more developed than the plot requires so it isn't. Having read the first four novels in the series, which are basically about George's trials and tribulations it makes a refreshing change to see him able to act without pressure or danger.

I like the banter between him and his colleagues as it is amusing, natural and a relief from the tension of Sean's predicament and the resulting action.

Missing is an exciting read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

Such a great read by Charlie Gallagher! Missing will evoke feelings of fear, sadness, and will tear your heart to shreds! It's a must read.

What wouldn't you do to get your family back?

In a busy town centre.a woman and young boy are snatched from the street.

A few miles away,a man is standing on the edge of a viaduct ready to throw himself off.Police negotiator Shaun Carter is trying to talk him down,but he dare not get too close,this man is the only person who has the answers needed to find the missing.

These two events will have consequences for everyone they touch.And Shaun Carter is forced to make heartbreaking choices as he faces a vicious criminal network.

As the situation spirals out of control,Shaun finds he has to ask for help from his maverick police colleague George Elms.

This gripping thriller is voiced by Shaun,George,Emily Ryker and a number of other characters who are secondary characters but still very important to the story.Although the story is voiced by a number of characters it is easy to follow and flows along nicely.

I really liked George and his colleague Emily,they worked well together and the banter between them was very funny at times.I also liked Shaun despite some of his actions,he was a desperate,scared man who found himself caught up in a situation that he had no control over.The characters in this story where believable and realistic,the main villain really was a twisted,evil,nasty person.

This gripping,fast paced,twist packed thriller opens with a action paced abduction scene that is so intense and shocking it's takes your breath away.The pacing of the story is perfect,you have the breath taking opening,the urgent intensity of George and Emily's investigations,Shaun`s desperate quest to get his ex wife and ten year old son back safely,all of which lead up too a very intense satisfying conclusion.

Although this book is part of a series and there are references to events from the previous books,it can be read and enjoyed as a stand alone.I haven't read any of the previous books but that didn't affect my enjoyment of this fast paced,gripping thriller.

A car speeds up, masked men jump out, a woman and her young son are forced into their car.

Shaun Carter, a Sergeant and police negotiator is trying to talk a man off the edge of a viaduct. Carter knows this guy, he's talked to him before. He's depressed and has been diagnosed with a life-changing disease.

And then he starts to talk to Carter. He says that 'someone' has his ex-wife and son and they will be killed unless he follows exactly what the rules are. When he has finished telling Carter what 'they' want him to know, he turns around and jumps.

At the same time, he's listening to his radio, and its scratchy voice is talking about a woman and her son who have called. She tells police they were abducted and now the men have turned them loose.

Only ... this woman and son are not his ex-wife and son.

Carter has been warned ... do not tell anyone what they have asked him to do. He must not report to the police or his family will be killed.

So ask yourself .... to what lengths would you go to save your family ... provided they aren't already dead.

Carter is about to find out.

This is an extremely satisfying police thriller. Twists along the way are surprisingly scary and can turn the reader inside out with suspense. Carter is a solid guy, on the side of justice, until he's asked to act outside his moral principles in order to save his family.

Many thanks to the author / Joffee Books / Netgalley for the advance digital copy of MISSING. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

A cracking new book from Charlie Gallagher. This had my attention right from the first page and kept me engaged all the way through to the end of the book;. Full of twists and turns and interesting characters. I loved it a good solid 5 stars.

A lot of interesting twists and turns and connections between characters that you may not expect led to a suspenseful read