First of all apologies, I thought I'd given feedback on this audiobook months ago but on looking at my to do list I noticed I hadn't.

I've always found that audiobooks are at a disadvantage to physical or digital reading books. When you begin a new book/series/adventure it's almost impossible to make sense of the first few chapters as so much is going on and you really have to concentrate - or restart the audiobook numerous times to make sense of it all. This is nothing against One of Our Ministers is Missing or the narrator Richard Attlee but restart it I did.

The second novel from Alan Johnson, of the two he has published I have to admit I preferred The Late Train to Gipsy Hill but that should not take anything away from this one. The story is well thought out, the narration spot on and the balance of time spent between London and Crete well imagined. I really loved the flavour of Crete in this novel.

While on holiday in Crete, Lord Bellingham, a minister in the Foreign Office, goes missing whilst trekking in the White Mountains - cue Louise Mangan, Assistant Commissioner at the Met is sent to Crete to envestigate. I really loved Louise as a character and good to see her return from the first novel. Very strong audiobook, do stick with it at the beginning, it's well worth it! Excellent.

Alan Johnson’s memoir ‘This Boy’ was a great read, but this was disappointing and slow. The mystery set in London and Crete has flat characters and a plot that failed to hold my attention. Thanks to Net Galley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

A junior government minister goes missing on Crete, and Assistant Police Commissioner Louise Mangan is sent to investigate, working with local Greek police. Alan Johnson brings in lots of characters, in England and Greece, and lots of modern day concerns including drug and people trafficking. While some of the characters were interesting, such as the gun for hire, I didn’t care enough about any of the them to be that interested in what happened to them. OK as a light beach read. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for a review copy of the audio book.

A well written crime and politically based story that runs at a steady pace with a few little twists along the way as the side stories begin to draw together into the main plot. Set in Crete, with beautiful descriptions of the landscape and ambience, so that I could almost feel the warmth of the sun on my skin, and in dull and dreary London. The usual crime and corruption you would expect from a mystery based around a government minister, so no big shockers and overall an enjoyable listen to a well narrated book.

3 star. Thanks to Netgalley, Alan Johnson and Headline for an ARC in return for my honest review.

I was lucky to receive an audio review copy of this interesting book. The reader's skills added to the characters and the incidental music really gave a nice flavour to the Greek mystery.
Louise, although a high ranking Metropolitan police woman is also very human. Who wouldn't share her views on thick black tights at a sunny seaside spot?
Interwoven with all of this is a really good mystery concerning the respected former minister.
It moves at a steady pace and is just as good when describing the UK underworld or Greek police hierarchy. I thoroughly enjoyed it and wholeheartedly recommend it.

This was an excellent audiobook, lots of great characters and wonderful scenery as well as a who dun it / was it a who dun it. I really enjoyed listening to this book and all the inside politics knowledge.
Thank you for the opportunity to read/listen to this book.

A government minister has vanished while on holiday in Crete. He is a known walker and he seems to have vanished without a trace except for his mobile which is found on a cliff's edge. The Met sends Assistant Commissioner Louise Mangan to assist the Greek Police, but she soon realises that there's more to this disappearance that meets the eye. His wife becoming more and more hostile, a scandal from the minister's past about to come out in the tabloids and something is brewing, but is this linked to the minister or something entirely different...?

I don't know how to write this as I am in two minds over this.

On the one hand, this was something really addictive about it. The chapters were short, the plot had twists and was engaging. But, at the same time, it felt a bit muddled with time jumps (I have no idea if this book took place over the course of a week, month or several), the almost two-dimensional characters and the beats of the story.

It feels like a James Patterson novel: fast and fun, almost a book you buy at the airport but when you finish and come away from it, it didn't leave an impression. Fun while reading/listening, meh when you step away and think about it...

A complex yet cosy mystery thriller, with a mix of political drama and police proceedings I found this to have unique viewpoints and an interesting read. I didn't feel like I was on the edge of my seat as this was more of a slow revealing mystery however it makes a nice easy read so I would recommend.

One Of Our Ministers Is Missing By Alan Johnson

It took a couple of chapters for this romp to gather momentum but once it got up steam it was full speed ahead for this pleasing and very twisting cosy thriller.

Our Government minister is Lord Bellingham and yes he goes missing whilst on a walk in rural Crete. The story twists more than his trek and you will be left breathless as if you were along for the walk; a walk made very pleasurable by great descriptive writing.

Lord Bellingham is an easy character to dislike as is his wife so when we meet Louise Mangan, a met officer sent in to assist in the investigation into our missing minister, I was on her side straight away and as she mimics a police officer version of Shirley Valentine the love angle of the story appears.

As you would expect the side plots are a plenty and will distract you like a magicians sleight of hand. Sit back and enjoy the journey.

I was lucky enough to have a free copy of the audio book and the narration by Richard Attlee was so good I nearly had to apply sunscreen!

Thank you Headline Audio and NetGalley for my free copy of the audio book which I can wholeheartedly recommend for fans of a good twisty, cosy thriller.

A surprisingly good book. This is the first book I have read/listened to by Johnson and it was a pleasant surprise. There are lots of twists and turns some less believable than others but I really enjoyed it. I will certainly look out for more of his books.
I really like the narrator as it was easy to identify the characters without being made into caricatures.

This is an honest review of a complementary copy.

UK Government Minister, Lord Edward Bellingham, is reported missing on Crete by his wife. This unleashes a high profile, high level search to which Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Louise Mangan is sent as a liaison officer. This takes her away from her regular work in London leading the security detail for high profile overseas visitors while a hitman works though his commissions.

This is a complex mystery that is well told. The setting in particular, London and Crete, feel well drawn and convincing. The reader feels the heat of the Greek sunshine and the breeze through the mountains, hears the lap of the waves contrasting with the bustle and diverse languages on the streets of Stoke Newington. As one would expect in a novel written by a former Home Secretary, there is plenty of high level politics and diplomacy, but this never detracts from the more mundane police procedural work at play.

Some of the characters are well developed, but others feel rather stereotyped - the obese and alcoholic journalist Christopher Finch, Brady the Belfast-born hitman, the naive Geordie nanny, Dimitri the restaurateur. And in the audio-book version, the narrator (Richard Attlee) rather ill-advisedly chooses affect each accent for the dialogue sections. It does help to delineate the characters but at times it feels a bit music hall.

As a whodunnit, the dastardly scheme is pretty obvious quite early in the piece. This is not actually a bad thing. Often crime novels spend way too much time creating convoluted red herrings and cryptic references that it confuses the reader. This one does not confuse, instead leaving the reader to enjoy watching it all unfold. There are a couple of twist-ettes, perhaps, as the strands are brought together, but nothing that will tax the brain too much.

Essentially, this is a good summer read that will entertain and, perhaps, give a glimpse into a lifestyle (peerages, chief commissioners, millionaires, Greek islands) that most of us find aspirational. Jolly good fun all round.

One of Our Ministers Is Missing By: Alan Johnson Narrated by: Richard Attlee was a good audiobook Sadly it didn't have me hooked like his other books by Alan. But a cosy audiobook to pass the time. It was easy to follow and work out the last few chapters. The narrator Richard Attlee was good.

This was an average listen the storyline was good with a few twists but it just didn't make the thriller mark for me so a fair murder mystery but not an edge of your seat read

I went in to this book totally blind, I don't think I even read the blurb, and therefore had absolutely no expectations. What I discovered was a thoroughly enjoyable, well written, captivating mystery story. I loved that most of the action took place in Crete and there was a wonderful sense of escapism. I am not really a political drama reader but this book had a great mix of police procedural, mystery, politics and a teeny hint of romance too! I listened on audiobook and the narrator was fantastic, immediately engaging. He managed a myriad of accents brilliantly and I was transfixed throughout. This book featured lots of likeable characters, particularly Louise Mangan. I also really liked Brady, although the reader probably isn't supposed to! He just sounded so charismatic and mysterious!

I've not read any of Alan Johnson's books before but I would definitely read more after enjoying One of Our Ministers is Missing. I recommend this engaging, well paced book.

This is a very nicely set out mystery, with different strands that dovetail in a satisfying way.

The novel opens with Brady, who isn’t what he seems. He is in fact a professional hitman and his wife doesn’t have a clue about what he does. How will he fit into the main story of Lord Bellingham, redoubtable peer of the realm and – as it transpires – sleaze bag, who seems to have gone missing on the island of Crete? Then there is Bellingham’s glamorous wife on the island, settled in their house in Agia Galini, together with their nanny, who has been entertaining a local young man when the the Lord and Lady are out for the evening.

In London, assistant Met Commissioner, Louise Mangan is tasked with going to Crete – an island she knows very well – to liaise with the local police and help with the search for this important man.

Lord B has been a keen hiker and could perhaps have fallen to his death in the White Mountains. A newspaper reporter is sent out to feed back on the investigations, but gets himself into deep water. And Lady B seems to have been having an extra marital affair. Where do the police officers Louise and Petros Diamontopolis even start with all these threads? Has a crime been committed or is there more to the story because In London an exposé of the lordship’s proclivities are about to be revealed, and thereby strengthen the notion that he might just have chosen to disappear….

The author pens a traditional crime mystery and has a fluid writing style that makes for a very engaging read, all with a good mix of intrigue, death and romance. The setting of Crete is colourfully conveyed and you could almost be sitting in the local taverna, drinking retsina with the locals.

I listened to this on Netgalley audio and I thoroughly enjoyed it. At first glance, it can appear like a gentle, cosy police procedural but the story is intricate with deep, excellently woven threads and a fascinating roster of characters.

Loved the whole thing, the concept, the author, the plot. The characters are great and the twists along the way kept me thoroughly entertained!

A competent mystery set in Britain and Crete. Red herrings are scattered and there are several sub plots detailing wrong doing by the great and the good. Johnson doesn’t manage to build tension but the story rolls along to a satisfactory conclusion. A good holiday read - especially in Crete.

An interesting crime procedural novel. When a minister of the House of Lords disappears a series of other interlinked crimes are uncovered in both the UK and Greece, with the police trying to get to the truth. Corruption, drug smuggling and murder are afoot! It was reasonably paced and the narrator was good. Overall I found it somehow lacking, good but not great.

This was a fun read/listen. The narrator is excellent managing a range of voices and accents. One of the best I've heard.
As usual I will not be retelling the plot as the professional blurb writers do a better job.
The pace is good, with strong characters and enough twists and varied storyline to keep up the interest. It is not a particularly long book and therefore you are never bored and it keeps an interest throughout.