I was gripped from the very first page. The story opens with a court case, but we don't yet know who is in the dock or what they have been accused of.

The story is told by each parent in turn, interspersed with scenes from the courtroom. The time difference between the court and the search for Sophie steadily builds the tension, as the reader knows that something conclusive has happened, but not exactly what. As Harry and Zara continue their endless quest into Sophie's disappearance, they slowly find out details about what she has been up to that comes as a huge shock and learn more about their part in it.

This is a tale of parental love and devotion and the ends that Harry and Zara will go to to find their beloved 17 year old daughter Sophie. Its also about Zara and Harry learning to adapt their preconceptions as they find out that their beloved child isn't necessarily the person that they thought she was & slowly realising that their actions might be partly to blame for her decisions.

The courtroom scenes were the highlight for me. They are compelling reading and it is clear that this is where the author’s expertise comes in; the way that a court case can succeed or fail on a single word or detail, and the expertise of the lawyers on both sides in shaping the case and convincing the jury was fascinating.

3.5* Finding Sophie - Imran Mahmood is an immersive look into the confusion and grief of Harry and Zara, parents whose teenage daughter is missing with no clues as to where she might be.

Sophie is missing. Harry and Zara are unravelling. They have no idea where their daughter is and the Police have no warms lead to chase. Harry has spoke to everyone in a half mile radius, save for the reclusive occupant of number 210, who won’t come to the door. The more Harry pounds on the gate, the more obsessed he becomes that there must be a connection with the disappearance.

Told over 3 POV (Harry, Zara and someone who is in the dock for a crime), the disappearance and the ramifications slowly unravel to reveal the story, as it happened.

I have mixed feelings about this book. It was hugely enjoyable. However I never really connected with any of the main characters, even when their grief was very raw. The first two thirds were engaging but slow but then the pace flipped up 3 gears and there was a bit of a jarring between the two. The conclusion is a page turner, but feels like a very different book. There were also some plot devices which I struggled to reconcile (notably the disposal of the pistol).

Overall an enjoyable and satisfying read, with the last 3rd being really rip roaring.

Thanks to Netgalley and and Raven for an ARC.

One of Imran Mahmood's greatest skills as a writer is that he effortlessly creates that slow build up by drip, drip, dripping twists, turns, red herrings, and misdirections throughout the narrative. Using the court scenes as an anchor to the premise of the ongoing police and private investigation is inspired as it leaves the reader off balance from the start as we have no idea who is in the dock or precisely what their alleged crime is.
Suspenseful with heart breaking representations of two parents struggling independently to come to terms to the disappearance of their daughter and their guilt at some of their own responses and actions.
A very human story that is very thought provoking and emotional

This is the second novel I’ve read by the author and it did not disappoint.
When Harry and Zara’s 17 year old daughter Sophie goes missing neither the police investigation or Harry and Zara’s attempts to find her provide any clues to her whereabouts. When Harry begins to suspect a neighbour the police believe there is only circumstantial evidence.
Finding Sophie is told from the points of view of Harry and Zara as they cope with loss and uncertainty and their differing responses to their daughter’s disappearance. A third strand of the narrative is set in a court room where an unnamed suspect is on trial.
This is a beautifully written exploration of every parent’s nightmare and how we respond differently to such a trauma. It’s a slow burn, emotional and very cleverly plotted thriller that completely drew me in. A satisfying read with an ending I did not anticipate.
Recommended.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

I have read and enjoyed all of the books I have read by this author so was looking forward to reading this new one. I know I can expect something a little different, with regard to the storyline and the way the characters make me feel.
It is a dual narrative novel with Harry and Zara both describing their feelings after their daughter Sophie has disappeared. They are both understandably devastated, feeling guilty over their treatment of her in the days leading up to her disappearance and both suspicious of the same neighbour who refused to answer their questions or even open his door to them. They felt they have little support from the police officer who was investigating their daughter’s disappearance so decided to deal with their situation themselves. They coped, or otherwise in completely different ways, unable to help each other, each becoming more insular. All believable.
Another thread in this novel takes place a year later during a murder trial. It is unclear initially how is on trial, you are just aware that it is either Harry or Zara. What is clear is the devotion they feel to each other and the lengths they are prepared to go to to protect what they have left.
Sometimes I can work out which way a storyline is going but Imran Mahmood is an author who defeats me every time. For most of the novel I was convinced I knew what happened to Sophie and who had committed the murder but I was completely wrong.
The parts of the novel that concerned the trial is where he shows his experience as a criminal lawyer but it was the other side to the novel that had me gripped. Showing how a close knit family, despite the struggle with teenage angst were destroyed by not having an answer.
A superb novel.

I’m not biased BUT Imran Mahmood is one of my favourite people in the literary world. He’s an absolute GENTLEMAN and the ideal pizza partner, so when I saw he had a new book out in March, I begged, pleaded and bribed his publishers to let me organise his blogtour and share the #ImranIdolization.

If you haven’t read any of Imran’s books before or watched the brilliant BBC adaptation of his first book, then you are in for a literary treat.

Each book is a standalone crime thriller with a large dollop of legal expertise thrown in and incredible well developed characters, slick plots and thought-provoking themes and Finding Sophie is no exception.

17 year old Sophie King is missing. Harry and Zara King are distraught and living every parent’s worst nightmare. Sophie is their only child, their lives revolve around their daughter and six weeks later the police still have no clues, she has disappeared off the face of the earth, but the King’s won’t give up and need answers at whatever cost.

Having spent weeks posting Missing Persons leaflets through every door, canvassing the entire neighbourhood, only one house remains silent. Number 210. The occupant refuses to open the door and this only confirms Harry and Zara’s suspicions that he knows what happened to Sophie.

The book is told through both Zara and Harry’s points of view and the reader follows their individual feelings of grief and helplessness together with intense guilt as slowly we find out what happened in the lead up to Sophie’s disappearance.

Whilst this is every parent’s nightmare, the author delivers two very opposing reactions to this tragic situation. Harry and Zara’s coping mechanisms are almost polar opposites yet both are totally relatable and understandable.

Finding Sophie is a slow burner of a story which skilfully takes the reader on an emotional journey and forces us to ask ourselves what would we do in these circumstances?

⭐⭐⭐⭐

An emotionally powerful, beautifully written and technically clever novel, from an author who knows the theatre of the courtroom and the heart of a parent. As the title suggests, the aim of the story is the hunt for a couple's missing teenage daughter as they feel frustrated by the lack of progress by the police.

Ultimately they take things into their own hands. They are suspicious of a local man who appears odd and never opens his front door, and are convinced that he has something to do with their daughter's disappearance somehow. The distraught parents attempts to access him become more desperate. This isn't going to end well.

The story opens with a scene at the Old Bailey, so we know that someone ends up in the court that deals with the most serious of crimes. The other chapters alternate between the mother and the father, showing how they attempt to cope with the situation, their despair, their nightmarish state of mind.

​However, the real thriller aspect appears towards the end when the location is solely the Old Bailey. The intricacies of the legal process, the smart barristers and the cultivated plotting by the protagonists, lead to an exciting and unpredictable ending. Complex and human, this is a very talented author whose work is exemplary. Recommended.

I was swept up by Imran Mahmood’s writing and could absolutely relate to the two devasted parents, Zara and Harry King, whose teenage daughter, Sophie, has gone missing. The story is cleverly told from both their points of view, as well as in narrative chapters strategically positioned to make the reader wonder what is happening. For example, the first (as well as other, later chapters) takes place in a courtroom in the Old Bailey but it is not until much later that we find out who exactly is on trial, and for what. The story is full of subtle misdirection. Zara and Harry grow increasingly apart and inexorably become dysfunctional themselves. The drama builds slowly and relentlessly. This is a cleverly plotted, beautifully readable book. Highly recommended.

When their teenage daughter goes missing, her parents Harry and Zara begin conducting their own investigations around the neighbourhood. Dissatisfied with the way the police are handling the case, Harry decides to canvass every house within a certain radius of their own home and ask the residents for any information they might have. This doesn't bring them any closer to finding Sophie, but they both become fixated on one particular property. The only house in fact, where the owner refuses to even acknowledge their presence and open the door. They come to the conclusion that he must know something about their daughter and will stop at nothing to get him to confess.

This is my first time reading a book by Imran Mahmood and I was blown away by it to be honest. It's what I would describe as a 'classic crime thriller' with a story so tense that it almost takes your breath away.

The thing that really made Finding Sophie stand out to me was the characterisation. It's been a while since I was a teenager but I thought that the depiction of a 17-year-old girl was spot on - a brutally realistic picture of a girl who is struggling to find her own place in the world and escape the suffocation of her parents. On top of this, his portrayal of grieving parents was just heartbreaking. I could feel the desperation and dread exploding off the page as I read and as the pair struggled to deal with their situation in very different ways, you could see them beginning to drift apart and lose faith in each other at the same time as they lose faith in the possibility of Sophie being found alive.

The dual timeframe structure of the story was really successful. I love stories like this where you know that certain events have taken place right from the beginning, and then flashbacks help you to build up the picture of what happened to lead the characters to this point. The trial scenes themselves felt incredibly realistic and I loved the fact that they were just short, snappy chapters giving just enough away to grab your attention before being pulled back into the 'past' narrative.

I genuinely can't fault this book. It was emotional, punchy and harrowing to read. A beautifully written, intelligent crime thriller and an easy 5 stars from me!

They’re prepared to do whatever it takes, as long as it means finding Sophie.

Harry and Zara adore their teenage daughter Sophie so when she doesn’t return home one day they are desperate to find her. Despite all attempts they are no nearer to discovering exactly what’s happened but they begin to find things out about Sophie and how does this link to the strange house on their street.

This book was a little slow for me and I had to check my notes when writing this as it hadn’t stuck with me in the few days since I finished it. I did enjoy the friendships the parents made with people on the journey to try and find their daughter and how these played an important part at the end. Thanks to @netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

#FindingSophie
#ImranMahmood

A fabulously dark thriller focusing on the disappearance of a child. The author has such a way with words that you are inextricably drawn into the situation that the parents face. I am a parent. I felt every emotion reading this book.

Seventeen year old Sophie King is missing. Her parents, Harry & Zara, are beside themselves with worry &, deciding they know better than the police, undertake their own investigations. One neighbour refuses to talk to them or the police; understandably the parents become fixated with house no. 210 & its inexplicably high fences. This becomes their downfall.

Told from the POVs of Harry & Zara together with some riveting courtroom scenes (not surprising given the author’s profession), this is a slow starter which still pulls you in wanting to know more. Multiple timelines move relentlessly to the shocking denouement. A brilliant read.

As I read and enjoyed all other Imran Mahmood’s books and legal thrillers are my preferred genre, I was eagerly anticipating his new book Finding Sophie. However, I must confess that it fell short of my expectations and left me feeling somewhat disappointed.
Whilst I enjoyed the courtroom scenes, the surrounding plot failed to hold my interest. It seemed as though the author tried to weave a narrative around the intriguing and original legal case, but the execution fell flat, resulting in a dull and repetitive storyline.
Although it’s meant to be told in two POVs, without the characters’ names at the beginning of each chapter it would have been impossible to identify who is telling the story as both Harry and Zara sounded the same. The resolution was rushed and implausible and I just skimmed the last chapters as reading became a chore.
Overall, while Finding Sophie had its moments, particularly within the courtroom setting, it ultimately failed to deliver the gripping and engaging narrative I had come to expect from Imran Mahmood's previous works.

A story told very much in this author’s particular style. So if you like his writing it’s definitely for you but I didn’t relate to the characters and found the change in POV chapters slipping into each other with very little distinction.

This is a he said she said kind of a book. Which drags you in, chews you up and spits you out with your head spinning!!!

It follows Harry and Zara who are distraught. Because 6weeks ago, their daughter Sophie went out didn’t return. They ring all Sophie’s friend’s and families but no one knows anything and the police have no leads,

They start to suspect they neighbour John Herman and take matters into their own hands, as the police don’t seem to be doing much which is frustrating for them.

This was fast paced and pulls you right in , the twists just keep coming and i couldn’t keep up 😂

A seriously good book for 2024.

How far would you go to find the person you love most of all in the whole world? Especially when that person is your own daughter? Seventeen-year-old Sophie King has gone missing. Has she been abducted or is she already dead?

The book is written alternatively from the point of view of Harry King, Sophie’s father, and from her mother Zara. Both are desperate to discover the truth, but the way they go about it is driving a wedge between them. Neither of them will talk to the other, and their relationship is on rocky ground.

Then we have the court case – at first we are not even sure who is in court and what they are being charged with. As the story progresses, we learn there is far more to it than we could have imagined. The court scenes are written by someone who either has huge experience of criminal trials or has done some major research. We know of course that the author is a practising criminal barrister, so it’s obviously the former.

I did guess a tiny part of the outcome, though I think you were probably meant to. Everything else is a surprise. There are some very unusual twists. And some brilliant characters. The man at number 210, Herman, is about as vile as you can get.

The writing is so good, the use of language and metaphors, the build up and suspense. It’s very clever and brilliantly plotted.

Many thanks to @Tr4cyF3nt0n for inviting me to be part of the #CompulsiveReaders #blogtour and to NetGalley for an ARC.

When Zara and Harry's young daughter Sophie goes missing, they both do everything they can to find her.
The book is told from the point of view of the 2 parents, interspersed with some courtroom scenes, so you know early on something has happened.
This is a slow burn, but it has to be, to really build the tension, the family dynamics and stories that build up to the final conclusion.
The love for her daughter comes off the page in waves from Zara, and equally the love for his wife comes from Harry.
The grief of losing a child, of not knowing what's happened, and the way the two parents deal with it felt very raw, and powerfully written. I felt their pain as if it was my own family, which is particularly impressive as I don't have children.
The last third focuses more on the court scenes, and they way everything pans out is so clever. I had no clue how it would end. Even when I thought I did, I was so wrong! Imran takes the reader on a proper twisty turny road, and it's done to perfection.
An addictive read, one that I've finished in almost one sitting. Heart poundingly tense.

‘Finding Sophie’ is a gripping psychological thriller that is heart-wrenching and full of heightened emotions and tension radiating off every page. Despite my owning every book Imran has released this is the first that I have managed to read. Yes, I know I am late to the party! I have heard so many good things and this book didn't disappoint! It was full of emotions and empathy, an in-depth look into the grief around a missing child and a legal thriller at the same time. I devoured this one in quick time and couldn't put it down. It was so engaging and thought-provoking.

Sophie is missing. Harry and Zara are her parents and they are falling apart. Zara walks around in a daze, whilst Harry is spending every waking moment either looking after Zara or searching for Sophie. He has canvassed the whole neighbourhood and has talked to everyone apart from the neighbour at number 210. Harry becomes obsessed with getting answers from them and starts to take matters into his own hands. Will he succeed where the police have failed?

Interspersed between Harry and Zara’s viewpoints there are court scenes and to begin with, you don't know who is on trial and why. It was these scenes that I was obsessed with and I gasped a few times during them. Imran’s daytime job really imbues them with authenticity and I felt these really helped pull the book together.

Imran is a brilliant writer and I was blown away by the depth of emotion he managed to put into the scenes with Harry and particularly Zara. I can't even begin to imagine what that situation would feel like as I don't have children but it felt as if Imran covered the whole breadth of emotions and reactions. As he explores the grief, that is bordering on madness, he delves into how religion and faith may help and how family and relationships can be stretched, if we really know our closest family.

Let me know if you pick this one up!

Thanks to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for ARC.
Harry and Zara King are unravelling after their 17 year old daughter's disappearance. The more they find out, separately and together, the less they feel they know, the more their imagined version of Sophie seems to be slipping away. The police don't seem to be taking it seriously enough.
Enough about plot for fear of spoilers - this is a tense, queasy story of love, loss, coercion and betrayal, expertly told from two points of view. Terrifying and all too real. This is the first of Mahmood's books I have read and it won't be the last. Stayed with me for days after i stayed up late to finish it.

I was already a fan of Mahmood's books and this is another engrossing read, a multi-layered story that had me utterly absorbed.

Harry and Zara suffer every parent’s nightmare when their 17 year old daughter Sophie goes missing and in their desparate attempts to find her they uncover some surprising truths about their daughter.

Told from alternating points of view, it is heartwrenching as we see their relationship unravel as whilst both wishing for the same outcome they deal with her disappearance in very different ways. Interwoven through the story is a murder trial a year later - initially the details are kept deliberately vague but as the story unfolds we learn how we have got to that point and who is on trial.

Zara and Harry are both fascinating characters, sympathetic and frustrating in equal measure. You feel their pain and, as they start to realise alll they didn’t know about their own daughter, the guilt that ensues. What follows is heartwrenching as desperation becomes obsession as they search for answers. And the answers they eventually find are shockingly unexpected.

The perfect blend of family tale with courtroom drama, expertly told by barrister Mahmood, it is a book full of tension that keeps the reader guessing throughout, at the same time providing much food for thought as to how far any of us would go for our children.

I loved this book. It’s so cleverly constructed and emotionally heart-rending that you can’t help feel for these parents.

Harry and Zara are both teachers. They have one daughter, Sophie, who is in her teens and at that wilful stage where her parents can do no right. Because they know the kinds of harm that can befall teenage girls, they are quite strict with her, even to the extent of forbidding her to work in a local pub because she is under age.

After she has stretched their patience way too thin, Harry takes action and one night padlocks her in her bedroom to teach her a lesson. Not long after she disappears.

These parents live for their daughter. She is their pride and joy and they are devastated and concerned when she fails to come home. The police are called in but make no progress, so they set about trying to do what they can to find their daughter. They leaflet all the neighbours and neighbourhood. They have a questionnaire for the neighbours to fill in and check off their answers as they come in. These produce no results, but they do notice that there is one neighbour, further up the road, who will neither answer his door nor return the questionnaire that has been sent to him.

In fact, neither Harry nor Zara can ever remember actually seeing or talking to him. He becomes the object of their attention and as they focus in on him, they become obsessed with him to the point of craziness. When the police visit, they tell Harry and Zara that there is nothing they can do. Failing to answer your door is not a criminal offense.

This neighbour becomes an obsession for them both. Meantime, Imran Mahmood is showing us a marriage imploding. The strain is taking its toll on both parents. Harry can no longer say Sophie’s name, referring to her only as ‘S’; Zara is taking anti-depressants in ever increasing doses.

Not wanting to heap their own grief on each other, Harry and Zara are internalising their pain and it is making their communication difficult and pushing them further away from each other. Zara does a quite clever thing to get the chance of talking to her neighbour, but while it doesn’t work, it does leave her with more questions.

Harry decides to take a closer look at this man, but though he does turn up something, he makes a botch of the whole affair and is at risk of being charged for his actions. None of this deters either parent from their obsessive interest in this man.

Imran Mahmood tells this story from both Harry and Zara’s perspective which allows us to see the gulf between them, but also the love they have for each other and for Sophie. When Harry moves out, things get even bleaker, especially for Zara. It’s impossible not to feel their heartbreak.

As each parent’s desperation rises, so they are individually tempted to do more extreme things until, eventually they stand trial. The trial narrative is so suspenseful and so cleverly written that it kept me on tenterhooks all the way through. Here is where Imran Mahmood uses his legal and trial knowledge to nail-biting effect, writing some tense scenes that crackle with suspense.

Verdict: Beautifully crafted and emotive, with great characters and a stunning and compelling narrative arc, culminating in a superb and unexpected ending.