This is the first book I have read by Tim Weaver and it most definitely won't be my last. This really is a book that had me guessing and intrigued throughout, written in a very engaging way. We are first introduced to our main character Rebekah Murphy, as she finds herself alone on an island off the East coast of America, with a cut to her face. As she gets her bearings of her surroundings, so we too find ourselves as a reader working out where she is and wondering why she is there in this way. The book jumps forwards and back, with Rebekah recalling past events involving her husband and brother that eventually lead up to how she arrived on the island of 'Crow' in this way in the present time. Rebekah begins to try and piece events and information together to try and make sense of what happened to her and her brother on the island, and as a reader we find ourselves too trying to make sense of such things to find the 'missing pieces' to explain what has happened. Whilst the book had me wondering of the motives behind various characters and trying to make sense of the plot and what the final reveal may be, I have to say the end did leave me somewhat disappointed. I had been completely gripped with all the characters and events throughout the novel, however, the end did seem somewhat unbelievable; as the motive behind events in the plot were finally revealed, for me they did not seem to match the complexity of the main events of the book. This was such a shame after having read and thoroughly enjoyed the main part of the book. This may not seem such an issue to others, and it is a most enjoyable and gripping book to read that I would recommend, but would perhaps leave it to others to make their own opinion of the end. My thanks go out to netgalley and Penguin Michael Joseph UK publishers for allowing me to read and review an ARC of this.

Missing Pieces is a tightly plotted read with lots of twists, and is perfectly paced, which makes for addictive reading. Although not part of his well-known David Raker series (which I have actually only read a few books from and really want to read more as they were brilliant), this novel is just as addictive - it's a standalone novel that has plenty of atmosphere.

The characters in this novel are likeable and interesting - I was rooting for Rebekah and her brother Johnny, and I wanted to know why Rebekah was in the situation she was in when we find her at the start of the novel.

The plot switches between 'before' and the present-day storyline. In the 'before' scenes we see Rebekah's life before she ends up on the abandoned island, and we find out a lot about her family life in the lead-up. However, what exactly got her into the situation she's in remains a mystery for a lot of the book, though as the reader we slowly start to find out more. As always, Tim Weaver drip-feeds us nuggets of information slowly, keeping me intrigued and completely absorbed in the story. We also see some developments from the perspective of about-to-retire Detective Frank Travis, who is investigating the disappearance of a different woman. This adds an extra sense of mystery to the story, as we wonder who this woman is and exactly how she is (or isn't?) connected to Rebekah.

Although this story is quite slowly paced overall, there are plenty of action-packed parts that move along quickly, and it always feels like we're finding out more as the novel goes on. David Raker also makes a little cameo, which is nicely satisfying! Definitely recommended for crime/ mystery lovers, whether you're a big Tim Weaver fan or have never before picked up any of his novels!

It took me some time to get into this book. There are initially a lot of different threads, a woman and her brother go missing, a detective is nearing retirement with an unsolved case hanging over him and a dialogue between other characters. In addition the main plot flits back between the present time and the past. At times confusing but all the time interesting. It’s a long read too and all that being said its very very clever and when everything is pulled ttogether it turns into a cracking good read

Rebekah goes on a day trip with her brother to remote Crow Island where he has arranged to interview an archaeologist as part of the research for the book he was writing. Little does she suspect that she will end up the victim of an attempted murder, her brother will disappear and she will end up alone on the island trying to survive while it is closed for the winter. Trying to make sense of what has happened, she questions everything- was her brother involved in something deadly, are her husband and/or trying to get rid of her and take her young daughters, or is there some other reason she has become a target? I really expected to enjoy this book more as I am a big fan of Weaver’s David Raker novels, but it just didn’t work for me. It lacked the tight plot structure of the Raker series, probably because it didn’t follow the style of clues unfolding as part of an investigation, and I felt the narrative was too complex and the timelines switched back and forth too much. Several stories were included which came to nothing much and were a distraction from the main plot, such as the background stories of Rebekah’s family, Travis the former cop and Rebekah’s friend Kirsty. There were some interesting ideas but too much was thrown in, with chunks of information coming thick and fast towards the conclusion in rather clunky fashion, including the unlikely confession that ties up the loose ends. It all rather lacked credibility, which I have never felt about the Raker books despite them often including very elaborate and detailed plots. I am sure Weaver has it in him to write a fantastic non- Raker book, but I feel this was not it, and he should follow the less is more route next time- he is an excellent writer but just over-egged it a bit here.

After the breakdown of her marriage Rebekah goes out for a drink with her friends and ends up in a stranger's bed , not knowing how she got there . Around the same time a girl ,Louise , goes missing. Detective Frank Travis , working missing persons tries to discover what has happened to her . There is a clue with her seen talking to a man the night she disappeared but nobody recognises him. Rebekah and her brother Johnny who happened to be Louise's boyfriend but had been cleared of any involvement in her going missing , go to visit an Island on a ferry from Long Island to see an archaeologist for some details for a book Johnny is about to write .
This is on the day the island closes down after the summer season and the last ferry is back that night.
They go to the dig site to see the archaeologist and are attacked and shot at and become separated as they try to escape the attacker . Rebekah becomes stranded on the bleak island for 5 months until the ferry will return. , she breaks into a Hostel which has been shut down and finds food to help her survive , she also finds the archaeologist's dog Roxie which had run away after the shootings and suffering a facial wound. Roxie becomes her only companion for the 5 months she is there , time she spends trying to work out why she and Johnny were targeted . Frank Travis is still trying to find Louise and decides to interview Johnny again but finds out that he and his sister are now missing , which throws up further complications as he tries to find out where they disappeared from Cell phone records. He finds out that the phones were on the island shortly before being taken back to the mainland , which he regards as being suspicious . He decides to go out on the first ferry as the season opens up again , but the attackers are also on the way out to hide what they suspect will be Rebekah's body and recover her car to the mainland for disposal . Can Frank discover Rebekah before the attackers or is it too late ? An exciting , well written story with unexpected twists along the way .

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

i love this guys work and normally cant wait to get right into one of his books but this one i struggled with, the actual main event of the storyline i enjoyed but the rest there was just to much of and not the actual storyline that you wanted to know about

looking forward to the next book by this author though

It’s been a while since I read any of Tim’s books, but when I saw the synopsis for Missing Pieces I knew I needed to read this one. I absolutely loved it. It is intricate, nuanced and gripping, while being utterly cinematic in its presentation. I found myself hooked early on, and racing towards the ending. Weaver has woven a supremely intricate web in Missing Pieces. I genuinely couldn’t piece (pardon the pun) it together, couldn’t see how everything was linked. Actual gasps towards the end of the book. Absolutely brilliant standalone thriller from Tim, unputdownable even. Highly recommended!

This is a gripping standalone thriller from Tim Weaver, the author of the David Raker series. Rebekah has travelled to the remote Crow Island with her brother, Johnny, an aspiring writer who is wanting to do some research. Inexplicably, they find themselves the target of two killers. Johnny goes missing and with no hope of imminent rescue, Rebekah has to fend for herself with limited resources and only, Roxie, the dog for company.
Detective Frank Travis is close to retirement but he is eager to solve the case of a missing artist, Louise Mason. He now finds himself also involved in the search for Rebekah and Johnny. Is it possible that the cases are linked?

There is an awful lot going on in this compelling and addictive novel. It is an intriguing mystery that moves back and forth in time. There is a great pace and it is full of tension. The plot is very well constructed with a clever complexity.

Rebekah and Travis are really well drawn characters with real depth. The description of the island and the freezing winter weather really add to the atmosphere.

I thoroughly recommend this excellent page turner.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Not a book I enjoyed at all. Because it continued to jump back and forth continually it was easy to forget where you were in the story - perhaps if it had been written in chronological order it might have been better and captivated you instead of turning you off the book.

Sorry to say that I found this book very hard going and it seemed the more that I read the harder the going. Even the lead character, Bek, is two dimensional, in fact all of the characters were "flat". The only character in the whole book with more than two dimensions was Roxie, the dog. I had a really hard time trying to make this in any way a positive review and am sorry that I failed.

Another fast-paced and twisty read from Tim Weaver. It's a different read to his Raker series but also about someone going missing and I loved the little cameo played by David Raker.
Rebekah decides to accompany her brother to Crow Island but little does she know that this will turn into her biggest nightmare. She finds herself abandoned and hurt, with her brother missing and some really bad guys trying to kill her on an island that has closed down for a couple of months. As a reader, you feel like you are spiralling out of control together with Rebekah. With hardly enough food, no way of getting off the island and also no way of contacting anyone to let them know where she is she soon starts losing hope. Will her children think she just abandoned them?
Then we have detective Frank Travis. He has a few days left before he retires and is desperate to close the case of the missing Louise Mason. A woman who went missing a few months before. Are these cases linked and will Rebekah survive her ordeal?

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin UK Michael Joseph for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

TW: Death, Sexual Assault.
It’s no secret that Tim Weaver is my favourite author, so I jumped at the chance to read this before it is published on April 15th.
Someone is trying to kill Rebekah; she has no idea who is responsible or why they want to kill her. When her brother gets an interview on Crow Island for a novel he is writing, Rebekah sees it as an escape from her complicated family dynamics.
Missing person Louise Mason has been gone for month and there are no real leads on the case. Detective Frank Travis who is investigating her disappearance is due to retire in less than a week, he is Louise’s only hope of being found.
Weaver’s newest thriller is addictive and will leave you with a chill.
A massive thank you to NetGalley, Tim Weaver and Michael Joseph Books for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rebekah has been alone, with just a dog for company on an island with no escape for five months. She went there with her brother the day it closed for winter. She doesn't know where her brother is but she knows that two men know she was there and are hoping she is dead
Detective Frank Travis is looking for a missing girl called Louise. This is his last case before he retires and he wants to solve it. Who was she talking to last and why has she just vanished.
Neither know the other but is there a connection and can Frank solve it before its to late?
However, could the answer be closer to home than he realises?
Couldn't put this down. Fast paced, page turner which twists and turns.

I really enjoyed this book and stayed up till 3am to read it because I was desperate to see what happened next. I loved the plot of being stranded on a desert island that closes for the summer and having to survive. I also loved Travis and identified with Rebekah’s resilience. In fact I loved the book right to the last chapter. For me the motivé wasnt strong enough and I couldn’t understand why Beck’s mother was introduced, nor captain Walker. In fact I thought they were linked in some way. None the less ce à real page Turner

This book opened at a fast pace and kept my attention for most of the time. It slowed down when the main character Bek, was on the island, and I began to get a bit impatient for the ending. it was well written with good descriptive passages, but the plot was implausible, there were too many characters and overall, just an ok read. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Wow, lots of jumbled pieces at the start and I struggled to make sense of them but as the story picked up pace I was totally gripped. It wasn't until the last page that the final piece fell in to place like a completed jigsaw.
I would love to see this book made in to a drama on the television.
At the heart is a brother and sisters relationship and the repercussions of friendship.
Enjoy I did

I always associate Tim Weaver books with holidays. I save books that I know will add to the enjoyment of the holiday and I know I can rely on Tim Weaver to provide me with a good, solid, realistic, well-written mystery that won’t irritate me because it’s implausible or badly written.
So I was disappointed to begin with that this book wasn’t a David Raker ‘missing persons’ mystery. I enjoyed the tenth novel in the series, No One Home, so much, as it had such an intriguing premise: nine neighbours who disappear without a trace after a dinner party. Also, the novel was set near where I live and the geographical details were accurate. Tim Weaver obviously does his research properly.
However, once I got into this book I forgot my misapprehensions and found myself turning the pages, racing through to the end and neglecting the housework.
I like the fact that Tim Weaver has created a strong female protagonist in Rebekah, who is able to survive for 5 months on an uninhabited island. He’s good at multilayered plots and his description of family relationships always makes his work more complex than your average thriller.
But I think Tim Weaver is better at UK backgrounds, as some of the characters here seem a bit clichéd - you can recognise the types, such as Frank Travis, from American cop shows - and the villains are a bit one-dimensional. So 4 stars rather than 5 - but still, a good holiday read if you’re lucky enough to get away.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph Publishing for this ARC.

Why is this my first book by this author? Absolutely brilliant. I cannot wait to read more. The characters were amazing and relatable and I just could not put this book down. Highly recommended.

Rebeka’s brother Johnny is mixed up in something but what? Is he responsible for his girlfriend Louise,s disappearance? Rebeka goes on a day trip with her brother from which her life will never be the same. A race to solve the mystery could save Rebekas life. This book is a really good mystery and thriller.

I wanted to like this more that I did as I love a good thriller, especially with a deserted island thrown in. Sadly though I found this one overly long and convoluted with an unsatisfying ending. I didn't buy the motive at all or the tenuous connection between suspects. I also felt there was some unnecessary characters included such as Mike and Bek's mother who added nothing to the plot for me. Overall I found the whole thing a bit flat and the characters hard to relate to.