Another great read in the David Raker series. This is the 13th book of the series but it can be enjoyed as a standalone novel.
The pace never lets up and the seemingly unconnected narratives are skilfully woven together to create a gripping read and stunning conclusion.
Can't wait for the next book.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc. All opinions are my own.

The Missing Family is incredibly gripping and packed full of twists with a killer ending. Highly recommend.

This is the 13th book in the David Raker series, but it was a first for this reviewer, and stands very well on its own. The plot centres around two very different disappearances - one, of a family three who vanish whilst out on a lake on a family day out, and the second the disappearance of a fraudster from a locked holding cell in a casino. How the two cases could possibly be connected is a mystery in itself, but one which Tim Weaver solves with great skill and imagination, weaving the stories closer and closer together and turning the book into an absolutely gripping thriller, with a very fine and unexpected ending. It took a little while to get into the book at the start and to work out who was who, but this was followed by a story telling of the very highest order.

David Raker is back and this time he is searching for three members of a family who go missing whilst out on a lake. In the space of minutes they disappear, leaving Sarah and baby Mabel on the shore. As a specialist in missing persons, Sarah hopes Raker can find her relatives as the police have all but given up.
As well as this mammoth task, Raker’s ex, Melanie Craw, who is now head of security at a London casino, asks him to investigate a missing murderer who escaped from a cell beneath the casino whilst the police were en route. Raker asks his friend, ex cop, Healy to help out and they start to look into both mysteries, little realising that there is going to be a connection between the two.
Whilst all this is going on the reader is fed pieces of information about murders being investigated as far afield as America and as the two start to connect the dots they start to uncover some very nasty people who have a lot to hide.
I always love Tim Weaver’s Raker books- they are so clever and well plotted. As in the earlier ones I would never have guessed what had happened and how or even why the family went missing. I really liked the way Raker and Healy worked together and by the end of the book I realised that the title did not just refer to the family that disappeared on the lake. Healy is now making contact with his grown up children and some of the other protagonists have lost their families.
When I got to the final page which revealed a bomb shell event, I just didn’t know what to think except that I hope I don’t have to wait too long for the next David Raker novel.
I highly recommend the whole series which just seems to get better and better. This one would be a perfect beach read which will certainly keep you entertained as you enjoy your holiday. And the good news is it’s published at the beginning of July so happy reading!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy.

Those who enjoy Tim Weaver’s David Raker series are certainly not going to be disappointed with the latest addition, ‘The Missing Family’. In a magician-like flourish, Weaver presents us with two extraordinary disappearing acts and tasks Raker to solve them.
Three members of a close-knit family vanish off a boat in the middle of a lake within the space of a minute whilst a serial killer escapes a windowless locked cell. And, as we find out, these bizarre events are connected.
As Raker and his one-time policeman friend Healy work to find out what has happened to the missing people, we are also fed information about unsolved crimes both in the UK and the States which could have ties to the current cases. Weaver does a pretty good job of juggling all the timelines and connecting threads. However, some of the surrounding events don’t appear to add much other than to complicate things further. Sometimes less is more.
There’s no doubt that ‘The Missing Family’ is a page turner and the reader will come to appreciate that the title alludes to more than one familial group in the novel. What is it that makes a family and when is that tie irretrievably broken? Whilst there are a few too many incredible coincidences and improbable twists for my liking, the end of the novel poses some important questions about the lives of the central characters. Fans of the Raker series will no doubt be keen to find out what happens next.
My thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

If you're looking for a clever, well plotted series of books with great characters look no further than this series, you won't be disappointed.

The thirteenth in the series, missing persons investigator David Raker is called in when an idyllic family day out on Dartmoor ends with three of them vanishing without trace from a dingy in the middle of the lake.

A complex, well plotted thriller with great characters, it kept me guessing right up to its perfectly executed final chapter.

I don't know how I've missed Tim Weaver's books up until now. This is evidently number 13 in the Raker series ( I do love a good series) but the first I have read! This didn't detract from the enjoyment of reading The Missing Family in any way. The book was fiendishly well plotted. The characters were full bodied and could have jumped off the page and held a conversation with you. Something I find often happens with characters in a series of books. Although the story jumped about a bit initially whilst setting the back stories the reasons for this soon became clear and it continued to develop into a totally captivating, clever and exciting thriller that kept me enthralled to the very end. I now have the added enjoyment of going back to book one of this series and reading the lot! Bliss!!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

This was a fast paced thriller that took some truly unexpected twists and turns – I thoroughly enjoyed the character work and the entire reading experience. It more than lives up to that intriguing premise and then some.

*4.5 stars*

I doubt you’ll want to put this book down until you find out exactly what happened to ‘The Missing Family’.
Author Tim Weaver has such a talent for placing ordinary people in EXTRAordinary situations.

It’s a lovely September day at a secluded lake in Dartmoor, Devon, and the Fowler family are making the most of it. Husband Marc, stepson Kyle and Kyle’s girlfriend Clara decide to take a boat out on the lake, leaving Marc’s wife Sarah and toddler Mabel behind on the shore. Sixty seconds later the boat is empty - there’s no one on it. Three people can’t possibly disappear so quickly without Sarah seeing what happened to them, surely? But Sarah’s watch proves that they did indeed disappear in a ridiculously short amount of time! Months later the police investigation is going nowhere, so distraught Sarah employs missing persons investigator David Raker to discover what really happened on that lovely summer’s day.

Meanwhile, At the Skyline Casino in London, the security team have just made an arrest: they've spotted and detained a man suspected of murdering a high roller.

After locking him in one of their super secure holding cells, the team station themselves outside and wait for the police to arrive. But when the cops arrive, they find something impossible.
The killer is no longer inside the cell!

I won’t go into any more detail, but I will say that this is a complex, twisty, multi layered tale that will require your full attention. However, you will be richly rewarded with a compelling storyline that had this reader swiftly turning the pages, keen to find out what was going to happen next. Highly recommended.

This has become one of my favourite series. Each one a fast-paced, tightly plotted and complex story. Call backs to previous books and the character development arcs makes this an incredibly satisfying read - this series started strong and is only getting better.

Welcome back missing persons investigator David Raker, in another of his trademark “impossible” scenarios. Three members of the Fowler family, while enjoying a summer afternoon at a remote lake in Dartmoor, go out in a boat, leaving mum Sarah and baby Mable on shore. Sarah dozes off for just one minute- but when she stirs, the boat is empty, and there is no sign of her family. In a parallel story, a brutal murderer who stabbed a rich punter in a prestigious casino is apprehended by security and held in an impenetrable cell- but when the police arrive, the cell is inexplicably empty. Is it a coincidence that Raker is asked to look into these cases at the same time? With the help of his old ex-police colleague, Colm Healey, Raker determines to find out. A riveting and clever mystery, Raker meticulously pieces together what happened clue by tiny clue. The plotting is ingenious, if sometimes requiring the reader to suspend belief, and is difficult to put down. Raker is enormously likeable, sympathetic and relateable with a strong moral core, and Healey, although a character inviting much more ambivalence, adds depth and intrest to the story. A very enjoyable read from an author on top form.

Omg!! This was absolutely amazing!! This was everything you could ever want from a thriller. It's well written, the characters are brought to life perfectly. They're humanised with human problems and interactions. There are multiple aborigines running throughout the book, perfectly woven together and everything converges without any plot holes or anything so unbelievable that it takes you out the story. This is a book which sucks you in and let's you get completely lost in it!! It's the standard that other thrillers aspire to get to

A family disappears from a lake within 60 seconds while a mother looks on from the shore.... A murderer disappears into thin air from an iron clad holding cell.... What in the Harry Houdini is going on here??

This is the 13th book in the David Raker series, but my first. I feel like I missed a lot of interesting history, but this can be read as a standalone as the writer does try to give some history and backstory as far as possible.

I really enjoyed this book and regret that I didn't know about this series sooner. The plot was quite interesting and the characters are all quite interesting.

I did find the plot to be a bit over the top at times....with how everything kind of ties together and how everything comes to Raker, but I didn't mind, because I enjoyed the writing and the characters so much.

After reading the last chapter....I am so ready for the 14th book!

Another superb page turner from this excellent author.

The protagonist, Raker, finds missing people and the author’s series of books take you on a range of mysterious and thrilling adventures. Each can be read as a standalone wonderful drama, but, I’d encourage you to read them all, as, the character of Raker and his small circle of friends and family really add to the depth of the series.

This is a quality addition and ties some threads from earlier books as well as maintaining suspense and intrigue throughout.

I thoroughly enjoyed every chapter and am grateful to NetGalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for the opportunity to preview in exchange for this honest review. Also wishing the author deserved success on another cracking read.

The Missing Family is the latest heart pounding thriller in the David Raker Missing Persons series by Tim Weaver and I’ve read and thoroughly enjoyed every one.
In short, the story begins with Raker’s latest bizarre case of three missing people who seemingly disappear in less than 60 seconds on a dingy in a lake! His friend ex detective Healy is involved in another missing person case and it soon becomes clear that both men are in danger because buried in the shadows of both cases, is a deadly secret that was never meant to come out!
It’s another belter from Tim…I flipping love this series which are all so brilliantly imagined, with twists galore and high tension, it’s the perfect recipe for classic unpredictable reads. Already looking forward to the next missing person case.
Big thanks to Tim Weaver, Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House and NetGalley for this eARC which I chose to read in return of my honest review.

A fantastic story masterfully written and expertly executed!

Wow what an amazing book! But then I expect nothing less from Tim. He certainly knows how to spin a story based around impossible scenarios. And because of which, his Raker series just gets better and better.

What I love most about this series and Tim’s style, is that the crime is secondary to the question. In each of Tim Weaver’s novels he poses a seemingly un-answerable question and then as the question is slowly unraveled and the mystery revealed… we are then given the crime and the subsequent fallout of the discovery. Because nobody disappears for no good reason, and nothing is ever as it seems and for Raker everything is at stake!

Absolutely loved this book. For those that are daunted about starting a series so far along… you needn’t worry. This book can be read as a standalone novel but for those of you who are following the series this particular book ties up quite a few loose threads.

Thanks to NetGalley for my advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book has more threads than Savile Row ! .Just when I thought I had it sussed and knew what was happening another thread appeared and threw me completely. .This author is certainly not short of ideas ,I thought it was absolutely brilliant, and had no idea what was going to pop up next, you must have to have a very clever mind to work this plot out, cleverer than me for sure . I absolutely loved it from the first page to the last. Highly recommend it and think it is one of the best books I have read this year.

I loved it! This book was full of twists and turns and two interesting 'how did they do that?' cases of people vanishing. I kept trying to figure it out but the plot was so clever it kept me guessing all the way through.

I've read a couple of Tim's books before but not the whole series, I don't feel you need to in order to enjoy his books. This was my favourite of his books that I've read so far. It makes me want to track down his other books to add to my reading list.

This is the thirteenth book in the series featuring private investigator David Raker., who specialises in finding missing persons. This is, however, the first book by Tim Weaver I have read. Although there was obviously quite a bit of back-story to the characters, I never felt that I needed to have read the earlier books as everything was explained sufficiently to make sense. Therefore, I would have no hesitation in saying that this book could be read as a stand-alone novel.
In this story, Raker has been invited to investigate the improbable disappearance, 8 months earlier, of three members of a family. Alongside this investigation, other plot lines are running and inevitably they will link up at some point.
I thought the characterisation was very strong and the main character was professional and engaging. Initially I found the story a bit slow but once the investigation got going the pace really took off. The majority of the chapters ended on a twist or cliff hanger, which meant I just had to keep reading.
Overall, this was a truly thrilling and gripping read and I will definitely be going back to read Tim Weaver's earlier books.

I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

First off, why didn't I know about Tim Weaver before this and why didn't I know about this series!!! This book was so good. I was apprehensive at first as a little longer than what I normally read, but the pages flew by!

As the title suggests, 3 members of a family go missing and David Raker is called in to find out exactly what happened. The family disappear in a split second and the unexplained disappearance is confusing for those involved from the off. The plot is twisty and when you think you've been revealed the reason, another twist happens!

This is book 13 in the David Raker series and I will be going back to start with book 1!