The Missing Family by Tim Weaver
Published by Michael Joseph: Random House
Publication date: 4 July, 2024

NO SPOILERS
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wow, I don’t know how Tim Weaver does it. The fiendishly clever plot blew my mind. And just when you think the penny has dropped, it surprises you yet again.
I love all of the the David Raker books and, just when I think surely there can’t be another story about missing people which is completely different to the last, I’m wrong again. This is the best I’ve read so far, absolutely loved it.

Thanks to the author, publisher and to NetGalley for providing me with this advance digital copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

I am really loving the David Raker series. For those who don't know, Raker is a missing persons investigator, a guy who seems to resolve the cases that the Police can't, or maybe even, on occasion, won't. In this case, Raker is hired by a woman whose family did an unbelievable disappearing act whilst they were out at a local quarry pool. She closed her eyes for just a moment, but it was long enough for tragedy to occur ... at least that is how it seems. No bodies are ever recovered and, for Raker and for the woman, Sarah, it is a mystery that needs to be solved. And for us too, as this is a book packed with mystery, tension, red herrings and so many twists and turns even and Alton Towers' rollercoaster cannot compare. And I loved it.

Now this is not just one mystery, or rather missing persons case, for Raker, as an old contact gets in touch asking him to seek out another missing person, only this one is not quite so innocent. This side case is laced with murder, theft, and the kind of locked room mystery that really gets the mind whirring. And it's also a case where the more we learn, the harder it is to feel sorry for the victim, but the more embroiled and engaged in the investigation I became. There is so much more to the story than meets the eye, and each new revelation set off a wave of revulsion but also the kind of niggling doubt and questioning that was absolutely reflected in Raker's own reaction to the case.

I can't lie - certain scenes within the book really did confuse me for a while. I wasn't quite sure how they fit into the heart of the story. You needn't worry though as Tim Weaver is a master storyteller and it doesn't take long for us, as readers and voyeurs, to understand the meaning behind their inclusion. Now we're privy to more information than Raker from the start, so I can feel only a very small amount of satisfaction from understanding where this was leading earlier than our favourite missing persons investigator did. That is not to say that this book is predictable - far from it - and knowing elements of the backstory did not lead me to guessing all of the whys and wherefores of what comes to pass.

There is a whole heap of misdirection in this book, lots of questions which remain unanswered until just the right moment in time, and more than the odd surprise which, if you are really, really, switched on to, you might pick up on earlier than the main reveal. Even when Raker calls in his friend and former cop, Healy, to assist him, the two of them take time to uncover the full extent of the cases they are investigating and it makes for some really compelling, often enraging, but even more often head scratching reading. Not because none of it makes sense, but because I really wanted to understand why. Now this is not a case that makes it feel easy for some of the victims. There is suspicion cast upon Raker's clients too which adds to the mystery, but all of it merged to make a story which had me absolutely riveted.

Raker is a brilliant character, and if you've not read any of the books before, I'd really urge you to. I am super late the series, have quite a bit to catch up on, but this is a stand alone case so can, if you wish, be read in isolation. There is a little backward look to other events from earlier in the lives of the main characters - that's inevitable in the case of a series - so if you really don't want to know any spoiler at all, start from the beginning. If anything, reading this has made me more determined to go and see what I've missed, especially as the ending looks set to throw a very large and pounce-ready cat amongst some barely settled pigeons.

An intense story, packed with mystery, misdirection and brilliantly intruging story telling, The Missing Family is definitely a recommended read.

A clever, complex and engaging thriller that brings two seemingly unrelated cases for missing person Investigator David Rakers latest book together. Set in south Devon and the US, the plot is fast paced and twisty requiring serious concentration from the reader but is an enjoyable read leaving plenty to think about and an ending to ponder whilst we wait for the next book in this series.

I haven’t read any of Tim Weavers books featuring Raker and I felt like this took something away from the story for me. I enjoyed this unique book, loved the missing persons idea, but I am going back to read the series from the beginning. I enjoyed Tim Weavers writing style. If you’re up to date with these books then The Missing Family is a cracking read.
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Tim Weaver is always a must read for me!

While you need to take the entire book with a grain of salt, it is always an enjoyable read

As always Tim Weaver does not disappoint this is the 13th instalment in the David Raker series. Such a gripping read, the plot line is fantastic. As the title suggests a family goes missing, a man his girlfriend and stepson go missing in the middle of a lake...of course we think that they will be found at the bottom of the lake...but no!! The idea that we can work out what happened is crucial. What a twisty novel...I loved it!!

Well another excellent read from this brilliant author and it did not disappoint. It takes the story of the Fowler family and how 3 of them went missing from a small boat in the middle of a quarry to an international search for killers. This book had so many twists and turns but I really didn’t see the story enfolding like it did. This book keeps David and Colm on their toes
My thanks as always to NetGalley and to Publishers Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House | Michael Joseph for the amazing early read.

Firstly, three members of the Fowler family disappear while they are on a dinghy in a middle of the lake in a secluded lake in the middle of Dartmoor. The distraught mother who was on the beach, had fallen asleep. She contacts Raker to find out where her family has disappeared to. How can someone go missing in sixty seconds?
When someone murders a high roller while they are in London’s Skyline Casino. The security team catch them and puts them in a cell. While waiting for the Police to arrive, the discover that the Killer has disappeared. Raker’s old allie from the Met rings him. She now works for the Casino. As Raker is already on a case he sends his pal Colm Healy to investigate.
The Missing family Is the 13th book in the Raker series although it is best to read the series from the start you can read this as a standalone. As I have personally read 7 books in the series and still get the gist of what is going on.
At first, I wondered how both these two these two storylines were linked as there were like each other, but as we delved further into this thriller it suddenly comes clear. This is another thriller with twists and turns and different timelines and quite a few characters, I did somewhat feel a little overwhelmed with it at times. but I still enjoyed it, nevertheless. 4 stars from me.

I hadn’t realised that this was book 13 in a series when I started reading, but for me, it didn’t spoil anything. Really enjoyed the storyline. It was well written with twists and turns that made a clever thriller read. I loved the authors style of writing and will be reading more of their books in the future. Thanks to Netgalley and Michael Joseph,Penguin Random House for the Arc

I always look forward to reading a new book in the David Raker series and yet again Weaver has excelled with another complex, intriguing and captivating mystery. He is a true master of the twisting plot and as the book progresses he brings together all the storylines to reveal the final twist. I found found myself reading faster while caught up in the suspense of the story and often thought how good a movie it would be.
I highly recommend this novel and indeed the complete excellent series.

This is the 13th book in the series which I didn’t realise until I had started the book. I think it would be beneficial to read all the books in the series but I still enjoyed the story. It was fast paced and thrilling with a few twists thrown in.
Thanks to NetGalley. Tim Weaver and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Weaver creates such clever storylines, with so many different threads that weave together at times you don't expect. This has some chapters that reference different past events that happened in the US, so you have to pay attention because there's little clues dropped in throughout. A great read and I look forward to the next one.

Brilliant read. I’m a real fan of this series and the plots are always clever and gripping. I’m already looking forward to the next one!

A sunny summer day at a lake in a remote area of Dartmoor, Devon. Three members of a family go out onto the lake in a boat while the mother and a toddler stay behind. Sixty seconds later the boat is empty and the people in it have vanished. There are no bodies in the lake and they cannot have left the area in that time. This certainly looks like an ideal case for Raker's 13th book. If you throw in a killer who seems to have walked away from the cell they were locked in without anyone seeing them there is plenty for Raker to deal with.

The first case is given to Raker over 6 months after the disappearance by the mother who was left behind. The second case is passed to him (again sometime later on) by Melanie Craw. She has now left the police (and had previously been in a sort of relationship with Raker) and asks Raker for his help. As he is busy with the Dartmoor disappearance he ask his long time friend and associate Colm Healy to look at Craw's case. This in itself is complicated by the fact that Healy and Craw have a "history" too.

The story follows both lines of investigation however I'm sure regular readers will have a sense of how that progresses! The Dartmoor investigation is focussed mainly in South Devon initially. The Craw investigation is at a very large casino in the UK. A friend of the owners was brutally killed and shortly after that, the perpetrator returned to the casino, is identified and put in a cell there. By the time the police arrive there is no sign of them despite the cell being extremely secure.

I'm a big fan of Tim Weaver's writing and have read all the Raker books. I'd argue that there are few better at pace and tension in their writing than this author and for me this book is no exception - it's very easy to read another chapter and hard to put down. However I confess to being less convinced by the story lines here. The "leaping to conclusions" about the investigations has been in Raker stories before however this time it jarred with me a little. I cannot honestly say I found it as credible as some of the previous ones.

I still love this series and I will keep reading it. Not for the first time Weaver drops a small bomb on his reader at the very end. The future may well be interesting! I will certainly be reading it.

I always look forward to the latest David Raker instalment from Tim Weaver and, this time, I was lucky to be given a review copy by NetGalley. The complexity of Tim Weaver's plotting is stunning and yet, he manages to tie up all the loose ends perfectly. For those unfamiliar with the series, David Raker helps to find missing people, often helped by his friend Colm Healey. This story centres on how a man, his stepson and stepson's girlfriend managed to go missing from the middle of a lake in about a minute whilst his wife briefly falls asleep. As Raker is investigating the disappearance, he receives a plea from an old acquaintance who is trying to discover how a murderer escaped from a locked room in a casino. As these two cases begin to merge, there are multiple twists which culminate in a shocking ending. Before the story concludes (as is sometimes the case with Tim Weaver's books) there is another, unrelated twist which is sure to play out in the next instalment. Personally I can't wait to read the next one to see what happens! This story works very well as a standalone - gaps are filled in stealthily - but once you read one, you are likely to be hooked and want to read the whole series from the beginning as well as Missing Pieces, the standalone which has an ending that still feeds into the series. These books are perfect for readers who like well-plotted, intelligently written mystery thrillers.

A new Tim Weaver is always a cause for celebration, consistently brilliant his protagonist David Raker is always a gripping read.
The Missing Family takes the search international, with disappearances and deaths across the globe this latest outing will grip you from start to finish. With delicate nuances regarding the devastation losing someone can leave and constant thrilling twists Tim Weaver continues to produce solid mysteries.

I have always loved Tim Weaver's books and this one is definate in my top 5. I couldn't put it down and read it in 5 days. Just when you think you know what happens there is a twist. I enjoyed this book I've already pre-ordered it as well. I would recommend this book to anybody.

I absolutely love the David Raker series which just seems to be getting better and better. Raker is contacted by Sarah Fowler, eight months after two members of her family disappear from a lake on Dartmoor. Raker is also contacted by one of his ex police contacts, now head of security at the Skyline casino in London after a murder suspect escapes. David teams up with his long time friend ex detective Colm Healy to solve the mysteries.
The Missing Family drew me in from the beginning and I raced through this over the course of 24 hours. Initially I had no idea how the two cases would come together and how these would fit in with seemingly random murder cases in the US. As usual, Weaver cleverly weaves the stories together to create a multi layered and gripping thriller. It helps if you’ve read the previous novels in the series, just to get the back stories of Raker and Healy but I think this works equally well as a standalone.
One of my favourite novels of the year so far and I’d highly recommend this compelling and clever thriller.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

This is the first Raker book I’ve read and although it did reference some history especially between him and Healy it was as easy to read as a standalone, that said I’d happily read the previous ones as this was a very well written story. There’s a lot of complexity to this with two seemingly unrelated instances of people literally vanishing, in one case three people from a canoe in the middle of a lake, the other a murder suspect from a locked cell in a casino. There’s a lot of action in this but it was not difficult to follow and keep up with and a lot of unlikeliness in this however it’s all very well explained as the book concludes with a couple of unexpected twists within it. The characters are intriguing and you can feel some sympathy for the protagonists and it ended with quite a hint of further trauma to come for Healy which I’d love to see how it plays out.

I was delighted to be approved for this novel from Netgalley. For those not familiar, this is the 13th books in the David Raker series, a missing persons expert. Although I strongly believe that some series should be brought to an end more quickly than they are (e.g., Jack Reacher), I definitely wouldn't say that about the Raker series. There is definitely more in the tank for this series.

What I enjoy most about this series is the development of the characters, both Raker and Colm Healy. Unlike other series, Raker and Healy have both developed fully over the course of these books. Whilst it would be difficult to go back and read the previous 12 books, you will definitely lose out in the nuances of the story and characters without the background. Not to the extent that you couldn't enjoy this book but you will not have the fully immersive experience.

In this novel, a family are enjoying a day on the beach. Later on, when the family is alone, Marc, his son Kyle and Kyle's girlfriend take a row boat out to see leaving Marc's wife and daughter on the beach. Looking away for only a minute, Marc's wife looks back and the boot is empty and the three of them are nowhere to be seen.

Separately, Raker receives a call from Melanie Craw, an ex-police officer who is now working security in casinos. After taking a potential murderer into custody within the casino security system, the Police arrived to find his cell completely empty and the murderer vanished into the air. Can Raker find out what happened to him? And are the two cases actually connected?

This one, like most others, is complicated. There are a number of narratives from the past and present all coming together. Anyone familiar with the series will understand, anyone not will soon be scratching their head (but in an enjoyable way). Like most missing person stories, to say much more would be giving away some plot twists but suffice to say Weaver delivers again.

Thanks to Netgalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House | Michael Joseph for an ARC in exchange for an honest review