When a woman turns up purporting to be David Raker’s wife, it sets of a chain of events which becomes a fast, thrilling roller coaster of emotion, danger and terror.
The woman looks identical to Darryl (Raker’s wife) however she died several years ago, and he becomes caught up in a world of confusion and suspicion as he investigates what has happened, almost believing he is losing his mind.
This is a fast-paced, well-researched book which I found compelling and gripping, a real page turner which I was unable to put down. On the downside, there were several instances where Raker’s evidence could have been substantiated, but the book doesn't explore these avenues.
The story is complex and descriptive, totally absorbing, with well-drawn characters, and many twists and turns. As a reader, one minute you’re convinced where the story is heading, then realise you’re completely wrong.
A real page turner. Recommended.

⭐️⭐️ I’m obviously in the minority here however this was a 2 star for me.

I found the writing to be a tad slow going and repetitive and by 50% in I realised what a long book this was going to be.

It didn’t grab me or hook me in and maybe I’d have benefited from reading previous Raker books.

I really enjoyed this book. It is unusual, it is a crime novel but with a difference and there are several twists as the end approaches. I felt that it was like a jigsaw, as the reader pieces together the evidence veering from one opinion to the next. There is doubt thrown on the narrator as the story begins. Then as the evidence builds, the doubt reduces before increasing again. The story is complex addressing mental illness and post traumatic stress syndrome.
I thoroughly recommend it for readers who enjoy psychological thrillers.

First book I've read by the author. Didn't initially realise that it was part of a series but it can be read as a standalone. Good read

What a corker of a book to read for my 100th review. I don't know how this has happened but I am new to Tim Weaver books, with this being my first and what a blinder it was to start with.
David Raker is a PI for missing people, who as it seems using some pretty spectacular ways to find answers he wants. He buried his wife eight years ago, however now he is getting a phone call telling him his wife is at the police station and wants to talk to him. How can this possibly be happening? Why is this woman who looks like David wife lying? All questions David must have answered and what an adventure he has finding them.
This book is faced paced and action galore, with a cover that just say's 'You need to pick me up and read me now" David is a likeable character you want to see succeed. You were gone, being the 9th in the series and I didn't feel I was missing out in anyway having not read the other books, it has just fuelled my need to read more of Tim Weavers books. There are little parts of back ground from some characters I would understand more having read the other books.
I'm so pleased I got a chance to read this book and find a new series to keep me hooked.

I'd heard such great things about this series that i was greatly looking forward to reading it. However my expectations could have been too high as i found it just okay.

I didn't realise at first this was a series but it didn't matter. Raker is faced with a woman who says she's his wife... his dead wife! Mystery, intrigue, this book has it all and the ending was totally unexpected!!!

This is an unusual plot,well written and full of surprises. It starts with an event designed to make the lead character question his sanity and posing real questions over his version of events. The story is perhaps unlikely but that is much of its interest. The ending is certainly not what I had guessed. That's good too!

Private investigator David Raker buried his wife 8 years ago. Suddenly a woman looking and sounding like her shows up at a police station saying she is his wife and has been missing for 8 years. Follow David as he tries to work out what an earth is going on in this exciting complex story.

I really enjoyed this read. Its number 9 in the David Raker series but the first one I have red and didn't find that I had needed to have read any previous stories. Recommended read.

Where to start!!
You lose your wife to cancer 8 years ago.....you grieve and are still grieving....you are away at family for Christmas when you receive a call.....your wife has just stumbled into Charing Cross Police Station saying who she is and asking to see you.........you drive there, mind everywhere, emotions on full throttle as well as the car.....you are placed in a room where you are shown a cctv camera of your wife in the next room......you fully expect to see someone you don’t know...a bad ‘joke’ a cruel thing that someone has done to you as payback for your years as a Private Investigator....you look, you feel faint, you look again...and sitting there is your wife, the woman you buried.....or is it her?.......
There you go, thats enough to make you pre order this book!
Seriously though that is the start of a fascinating, in depth, thrilling and non stop action book, its a cliche to say ‘I was on the edge of my seat’ but literally I was as this wonderful piece of fiction continues in the vane it started
The characters are all brilliant and I would find it impossible for anyone to say they were not totally gripped by this tale
The only bad thing I can say is that I have missed 9 previous books by this author and I will be looking them up pronto
A really fabulous book that makes you pleased you love reading
10/10 5 stars

I’ve never read this author before but the title and synopsis of this book really intrigued me. What an amazing read. There was sadness throughout, a few chuckles and most of all fear and intrigue. There were so many possible outcomes to this that the guesses were coming thick and fast. A fantastic read that I couldn’t put down.

High octane, twist a minute, descent into emotional nightmare. The construction cleverly straddles a police procedural and a lone detective with skeletons and war stories a-plenty to share from previous cases.

It some ways reminded me of James Lee Burke - although the setting is obviously completely different. Not just for the hero, iconoclastic detective David Raker. But also the almost everyone gets put through the wringer here in this taut thriller.

I’m grateful to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me my first glimpse into David Raker’s world.

I have read one Tim Weaver book before - Vanished, and I found it quite gruesome and not to my taste. However, the description of this one intrigued me, so I gave it a go. Tim Weaver has written a whole string of books featuring David Raker, who investigates missing people cases. However, in this one it is a found person in the shape of his deceased wife who turns up, making him doubt his sanity. As usual, he clashes with the police. Spike turns up again as his very convenient tame hacker, and there is another person called Harrison who he has hidden away down south somewhere. This character must have been in a previous novel, but we are not given much background. He also hinted at past events in Vanished, which is a little puzzling for the reader who just picks one at random. The plot relies very little on action and much on explanations, and is extremely convoluted, Churning out books in quick succession always means lack of quality. Tim Weaver has a lot of fans, and there are some good aspects to his work, so good luck to him, but i prefer more considered work.

I have read a few of Tim weaver’s books so when I saw this on NetGalley and jumped at the chance to read it. The first thing I like about David Raker series as, even though it’s part of a series you can still read it as a standalone.
David Raker is a Missing Persons Investigator, quite an unorthodox one, but a good one. He never got over the death of his wife who died 8 years previously with cancer. So when David gets a call 3 days after Christmas that a woman has turned up at a Police station claiming to be the dead wife Derryn. David rushes down to the station to see what the hell is going on. David claims she’s dead but the police doesn’t believe him as she says that David Has been ill and he has been treated by a Doctor Erik McMillian, when the police investigate the doctor backs up the story. Is he losing his mind. Or she lying, who is telling the truth? Even in some instances David sometimes thinks that Derryn is still alive.
All I can say is that I loved this book. I couldn’t put it down from start to finish. It was very well planned out, great characters and good twists and turns in this book. I highly recommend.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Michael Joseph for an ARC of this book.

This is the first David Raker book that I've read and I absolutely loved it. Can't wait to read the rest of them as well! It kept me guessing, made me impatient to know what happens next and really just pulled me in. I found the characters easy to get comfortable with and the story line was something I haven't come across before. I would recommend this book whether you're already familiar with Tim Weaver's work or, like me, have only just discovered him.

While spending some time away with his daughter missing persons investigator David Raker gets a phone call from the police to say his wife has come into the station in a distressed state. She's claiming she's been missing for eight years. Apart from a piece of paper with his name on she had no ID or anything else to back up her claim that she's who she says she is. The trouble is, David's wife died eight years ago. When he sees her he's confused as she certainly looks like his beloved wife Derryn. She says he's been ill and has been treated by a doctor called Erik McMillan, who when the police make inquires backs up her story.
Is he really ill or is this woman an imposter? As both the police and David look for answers, lives are at stake. There's loads of twists and turns along the way in this thriller and an outcome I didn't see coming at all. Through most of the book I kept changing my mind, yes she's an imposter, then no it's David who's ill. What a fabulous read and one I have no hesitation in recommending. It gets a full five stars from me. Many thanks to Penguin UK for my ARC copy via NetGalley. This is my honest and unbiased review

Having read a previous David Raker book and enjoyed it, when Netgalley asked me to review this latest one, I was happy to do so. A woman turns up at a police station claiming to be David Rakers wife, he turns up at the police station saying that his wife died 8 years previously, although he has to admit that she does look like his wife. She tells the police that she has been living with him during this time, that he has had a breakdown, mistreats her and she tells the police so many details of their life together that they are inclined to believe her. Incredibly, Raker can’t prove that his wife died as her death certificate has gone missing - really?? How about checking the electoral register, or questioning his neighbours and friends, family, or the family doctor all of whom will know the truth and will confirm that his wife did die and that he’s lived alone ever since.
I’m sorry, that is just too far fetched. The book gets ever more fanciful and is too wordy and descriptive in what seems like an attempt to pad the book out.
There wasn’t a character in the book to like, which I think you really need, and if I hadn’t said that I’d review it, I certainly wouldn’t have finished it.

Another great book from Tim Weaver, A bit of a shock for anyone when your partner in this case Dave Rakers wife turns up at a Police Station 8years after she has been buried. How do you do with that, had he gone mad well a renown Doctor says yes he is mad. Sure there is a pc way to put that but it's the words Mr Raker uses so feel safe on this occasion.
This is one of those books I could not put down till the end, it has twists and turns that you won't see coming, in fact I love the way Tim takes you on a road you think I know what's coming but then he turns in a completely different direction. I do recommend this book i don't think you will be disappointed.
I have given a free copy of this book from NetGalley in return for a honest review.

Gosh. This is total high intensity, page-turning stuff that had me gripped from the start. I am new to David Raker so I wasn't sure how much of a reliable narrator he was, but the book worked fine as a stand-alone. I find that thrillers either grip me from the start or I spend the entire book thinking why would you do that? that really wouldn't happen in real life. This one had me in its spell and I happily suspended all reality to enjoy the ride. Its a really intriguing plot-line - the woman Raker loved, cherished and was married to for years had died a horrid death from cancer 8 years ago but someone who looked, spoke and moved just like her had turned up at a police station claiming to be his wife. The plot thickened as Raker felt the evidence stacking up against him that he was severely mentally ill and was keeping Derryn prisoner in his home. Tim Weaver is a literary Houdini - get out of that one if you can. Thoroughly entertaining read, sit back and enjoy. There is plenty of time afterwards to pick holes in the plot if you want to.