A suspected killer appears to have magically disappeared from a locked cell at the Skyline casino.

Five people go for an outing to the beautiful Dartmoor lake, but soon three of them vanish into thin air.
Sarah Fowler's husband, son, and his girlfriend went out on their dinghy. She dozed off for two minutes, and when her two-year-old wakes her up, her life has changed forever. The dinghy is floating on the lake, empty.
How can three people vanish from a boat in the middle of a lake in a minute or two without a trace since no bodies have been found? Was Sarah perhaps mistaken about how long she was asleep, as the police suspect? How thorough was the police investigation? To Raker, it seems like they did not put a lot of effort into the case. Why would this be?

Then, Raker gets a call from an old friend, Melanie Craw, who left the police service and is now running security for the Skyline casino.
She needs his help finding "The Whaler," who robbed and killed one of their high rollers in the penthouse suite and then mysteriously disappeared. The guy is a ghost who left no trace behind, and Melanie needs his help to find out what happened.
David Raker has his work cut out for him this time.
Will he be able to find the answers to these mysteries?

"Sometimes answers didn't bring relief. Sometimes they were the thing that hurt most of all."
Thank you to NetGalley and Michael Joseph for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

I really do like this series. They're always entertaining, but they can also be infuriating as well. I like a good mystery and will try to work it out. But the conclusions almost always require a huge suspension sof disbelief. I don't mind that too much, it is fiction after all. But there are so many coincidences to tie up the plot. So many. So rather than an 'Oh I get it' moment you end up with a 'Really? Come on!' reaction instead. But somehow it's still really enjoyable. It's like a moody Father Brown mystery but without cakes and priests...and set in the modern day. OK it's nothing like Father Brown except in that everything is just a bit too neat. But I still like this series.

If you can figure it out let me know....no convenient coincidences allowed though.

You really need your reading wits about you with a Tim Weaver book as there are so many twists and turns.
It can sound quite fantastical at times, yet equally as plausible and could happen in real life.
Raker and Healey are up against it and although a great team, sometimes you wonder if they want to achieve the same goal...
These books just get better and better.

This is the 13th book in the David Raker series and I have only read one other. This one works so well as a standalone thriller and is intense and complex, but it flows so well that it is not confusing during the reading.

Raker has been asked to investigate a case that sees a father, son and son's girlfriend have gone missing. Sarah is wife and mother and only dropped off to sleep for a moment and when she suddenly woke she discovered her family missing from the kayak they were in on a lake in Dartmoor National Park. The police have not really learned anything and Sarah is now wanting to see if there is anything that has been missed. Hence the reason for hiring Raker.

While Raker is working on this case, he gets a call from a security advisor at a casino complex. A man they had detained has gone missing from secure cells and they don't know how. Raker has a reputation for looking into cases such as this but while he cannot investigate directly he has decided to call on ex-police officer Healy to help.

Having two cases is one thing but then there is another case, or series of cases that are also included in this story. The deaths of people over several years in the US, there is a tenuous link as one of the casinos where one of the people disappeared is also owned by the same people as the one in London. What, if and how these cases may be connected is unknown but my goodness the author does weave a wonderful plot throughout this story.

as I mentioned this is a complex case, but not while I was reading the story. The author managed to keep his storylines clear and not showing any links until much later on. The synopsis hints at there being secrets, and yes there are several and they are not at all obvious until the author allows you to start to see them emerging. This keeps the story tense and tight and leans towards the dramatic as things are revealed.

I adored this book and I did enjoy the flitting from one case to another and also across the Atlantic as well. The US section does have a little of going back and forth in time. See... I told you it was complex, but there was such a good flow between all the different aspects that it made for fabulous reading.

This is a story that has so many different things and themes that it makes for addictive reading. I did read this over a couple of days simply because I had work, if not fo that I think I could or would have read it happily in one sitting.

Even though this is part of a series there is enough information given about characters that have appeared in pervious books (at least I am assuming they have) that I didn't feel I was missing out on anything.

An intense crime, mystery thriller and one that involves several crimes. Brilliant book and one I would definitely recommend.

David Raker investigates missing people, so when Sarah’s family go missing from the middle of a lake in the space of 60 seconds, he is called in to try figure out what had happened. Just as David is working through this case, an old acquaintance also needs his help as a thief and murderer manage to escape from a locked cell.

The intricate and complicated plot is exceptional, and executed to perfection. A fantastic book, that went in directions I was not anticipating. Compelling read, with so many twists and threads to follow.

Highly recommend.

5 stars.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Michael Joseph and Penguin Random House for a advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I always look forward to a Tim Weaver book but have to say this one left me a little disappointed. I was hooked for the first half but then the plot became somewhat convoluted and a little too coincidental even allowing for poetic license. It maybe that circumstance meant I couldn’t read as quickly as I like so don’t let me put you off giving it a try because this author is very talented.

I have read several of Tim Weaver's books and enjoyed them all, so I was looking forward to reading this one.
It started off in a brilliant fashion and really hooked me in. However I found the story got so convoluted that I had trouble keeping up with it, so in the end I felt rather disappointed. I think it is me rather than the book, I read at bedtime and am possibly too tired to really engage with the plot.

The only thing that is predictable about Tim Weaver’s books is now good they are. Honestly, they are so good. David Raker is a leading investigator that just feels so real, he is full of real emotions that you just can’t help liking him. He is not perfect, and that makes him all the more relatable. This story is fast paced, and very clever, and pulls several different events and timelines together brilliantly. Now I just have to wait for the next one!

It's always an absolute treat to read a new Raker novel & this one did not disappoint!

Impossible to predict.
Impossible to put down.
Impossibly clever!

If you are a thriller fan, you won't want to miss this one!

📖 BOOK REVIEW 📖
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#TheMissingFamily by @timweaverbooks @michaeljbooks

➡️synopsis

Book 13 and this series shows no sign of slowing down (thank goodness!)

You know I am a MASSIVE FAN of this series but I wanted to do more than a fan review here cause actually I was really impressed with this book. Weaver completely changed up the format; using multiple points of view, back histories, changing locations and timelines to make up the plot and for the most part it read like a murder mystery which I absolutely loved.

Each part was considered, complete and interesting. The characters were complex with enough emotions to relate but kept at a distance so that the trust was always just out of reach. It played out beautifully; all the parts came together in an exciting chase and all in all was just perfection.

As a fan of the series I love how David’s and Healys relationship keeps evolving with all the history between them and this books ending that evokes another exciting mystery I just cannot wait for more.

P.S I’m sure you could enjoy this one as a standalone but I’d definitely recommend reading the whole series to get the full experience, you won’t regret it 😜

With thanks to author #TimWeaver #michaeljosephbooks and @netgalley for allowing us to read this one!

OUT TOMORROW!

-EMILY

@the_book_girls_1

I have read many Tim Weaver books and I love the Raker series. However, with this book, I liked it rather than loved it. I found it quite lengthy with scenes that didn’t need to be there. The chapters moved to different situations quite often which confused me and I found the plot a little unbelievable even for the world of fiction. Too many coincidences in there.

I have read all of the David Raker series and really loved them, so I was very excited to read this new one. It certainly didn't disappoint!! David is asked by Sarah to investigate the disappearance of 3 family members who vanished without trace from a boat in the middle of a reservoir on Dartmoor. When he is also asked to look in to a mysterious disappearance at a casino complex near London he has no idea that these 2 cases will be linked. This is a fast paced roller coaster of a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat to the end!
Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

The Master of missing persons thrillers strikes again!

"The Missing Family," the thirteenth book in Tim Weaver's exceptional David Raker series, continues to showcase Weaver's expertise for crafting intricate and gripping missing persons mysteries. The story revolves around two seemingly impossible cases: a family vanishing from a boat on a Dartmoor lake in under a minute and a murder suspect disappearing from a locked cell in London's Skyline Casino.

Weaver's impeccable pacing and detailed plotting kept me eagerly page turning throughout, while the dynamic between investigator David Raker and ex-detective Colm Healy adds a tantalising depth to the narrative. The disappearance of the Fowler family, and the casino case provide layers of intrigue that converge seamlessly.

Though the multitude of characters can be overwhelming at times, Weaver's skill ensures all the threads come together in a satisfying and surprising conclusion. This book, part of a series, can be read as a standalone but I would implore readers to delve into the rest of the Raker series as no one does missing persons thrillers as good as Tim Weaver.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed racing through this ‘just one more chapter’ thriller and as always, desperate to get my hands on the next book!

On a sunny afternoon a family go off for a picnic near a quarry on Dartmoor. It is a favourite spot & they have enjoyed taking a small boat onto the lake. Before they leave, teen Kyle & his girlfriend Clara want one last trip in the boat & as Clara has hurt her shoulder Dad, Marc, takes the oars. Mum stays with toddler Mable. As she sits on the edge of the lake she glances at her watch. A minute or so later she looks out & the boat is empty- where can her family have gone to? David Raker is an finder of missing persons but this one looks to be even more complicated than usual.
An old acquaintance of David who is in charge of a London casino asks him to investigate how a person can escape from their high security room. Being already embroiled in the missing family case he asks friend Healy to help him. Little thinking there could be any connection.

This is a very convoluted story, stitched together expertly from the Nevada desert to Dartmoor, to Luxury hotels in London. This is a long story but it keeps the interest. This is the thirteenth in the series although it doesn't really matter if you haven't read them all. I really enjoyed it. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

Another missing persons investigation with David Raker is just as complicated as previous adventures but fascinating and entertaining. Three people go missing from the centre of a lake on Dartmoor eventually leads to a case of mass murder on the other side of the Atlantic. With characters from previous episodes especially ex detective Healy this is a great read with a twist in the tail that leaves an opening for more revelations.

Having not read any of this author's previous books, thought I would try this to slightly different subject matter to my usual genre.
To be honest I did find it a little tricky to 'get into', but once I did I was hooked and thoroughly enjoyed getting to the conclusion and discovering the outcome of the main character Raker's search. Pleased I have discovered another new author.

I was really looking forward to this book but sadly I didn't get to read it as it didn't have an archive date on it, until the date of archive.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity.

This is the thirteenth book in the David Raker series by author Tim Weaver. The series follows David Raker who is a missing persons investigator who is often sought out when the police have all but given up hope.

This is an excellent series that is a little different from the normal detective series. Tim Weaver paces his novels perfectly and the plots are intricate and well thought out. “The Missing Family” is about two seemingly unconnected cases that are both baffling cases that will be a challenge even for the expertise of a seasoned investigator like David Raker.

The story begins on a remote lake in Dartmoor. Sarah Fowler watches as her husband and two children take a dinghy out onto the lake. Less than a minute later, she looks back to see the boat drifting aimlessly, completely empty. Her family has vanished without a trace, leaving Sarah in a state of utter despair and confusion. This haunting disappearance sets the stage for a gripping mystery that defies explanation.

Simultaneously, in the heart of London at the Skyline Casino, the security team makes a dramatic arrest of a man suspected of murdering a high roller. They secure him in a holding cell, only to find, moments later, that he has vanished into thin air. The seemingly impossible escape from a locked cell adds another layer of intrigue to the unfolding drama.

David Raker, known for his relentless pursuit of the truth and is drawn into the case of the missing Fowler family. Raker will need all his skills to navigate through this maze of clues and red herrings as he delves into this conundrum Raker also asks his trusted friend ex-detective Colm Healy to look into the mysterious disappearance of the casino killer. The two cases are told simultaneously while building up the suspense.

Tim Weaver is very good at developing solid well developed characters but I have to admit that I struggled to keep up at times due to the amount of characters in this one. I particularly enjoy the dynamics between the two central characters, the meticulous David Raker and the loose cannon Colm Healy.

This is well written with an intricate plot that makes perfect sense eventually but had me guessing throughout the story.

This is a very good read that was almost a 5 star rating for me with its compelling characters, intricate plot, and expertly crafted tension that will keep you turning the pages. Another successful addition to this very enjoyable series leaving me eager for the next one.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Penguin Random House for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I have read a few of the David Raker books now and it’s a series I definitely want to go back to fill in the gaps. It can also be read as a standalone but I think the way it is written will make you want to read the full series.

Two seemingly impossible disappearance need the expertise of private investigator David Rake lr to solve. One involves three members of a family who disappear from a boat in the middle of a body of water. Only one minute separates when they were last seen and when they are discovered missing. The other is a murderer who is apprehended at a casino and locked in a secure room and then vanishes into thin air.

David Raker with the help of his friend and colleague Healy dig into both investigations to try and discover the truth.

The plot is very complicated and must have been difficult to write but the author pulls it off and the reveal at the end is great and not one I was expecting. The character of Raker is one I really like to read about and I like how his personal life is weaved into the stories. Healy is another great character and they work really well together.

Great plot, fast paced and great reveal.

David Raker is asked to find who disappeared in the middle of a lake right months before. A riveting read full of twists and turns and a lot of threads that Tim Weaver expertly weaves to a satisfying conclusion. I could not put this book down, a exceptional read. Thanks to Penguin books and Netgalley for this review copy.