Tense and twisty - you may guess some, but not all of what's going on. Surprises at every turn that will suck you in. Kirk does a great job with detail and strong characters and plot, and although a little different genre than usual, definitely a winner.

I have read all JD Kirks crime books, but this one just wasn't for me, it was unrealistic and far fetched. I didn't engage with the characters altho enjoyed the setting of the book.

Awesome book, lately few books have held my attention to keep me reading but this kept me wanting to know more. I had to know more about the missing little girl and the Mom is just such an interesting character. FANTASTIC read!!!

This is the first book I've read by this author and it's a pretty standard suspenseful thriller. It's not really breaking new ground. I figured out one of the "plot twists" fairly early on but it was an enjoyable read. I like reading books set in my home town. Overall, I'd recommend this book for anyone who wants something easy to read.

Elizabeth is manning the snacks table at her daughter’s school Halloween party when this book begins. She’s trying to ignore Mabel, the insufferable head of the PTA, and trying to forget the argument she and her daughter Hollie had before they left the house. When Hollie comes around, smiling at her and wearing the butterfly costume she made, all is well though. Until it isn’t…

Once the party is over, Hollie is nowhere to be found. Teachers help her search the building, but they come up with nothing. The odd thing is that the snacks table was right by the door - Hollie couldn’t have left the school without Elizabeth seeing her in her big and bright costume. When the head teacher says they should call the police, Elizabeth panics. She knows bringing the police into her life will only lead to problems, so she makes up a story about her partner, Clive, picking Hollie up early.

When Elizabeth gets home, Hollie isn’t there either, and Clive wants to know where she is. Elizabeth makes up a story about a sleepover, then begins her quest to find her daughter. If they don’t show up to school on Monday after her making a big deal of Hollie being missing, the school will definitely be suspicious and call the police. Elizabeth has 60 hours to find her child, or lose her forever.

This kind of plot has been written many times, with a child missing and/or someone with secrets who is unable to turn to the police about anything without risking being caught in their past lies. I figured out one of the twists before the halfway mark, but it was so obvious, I’m not 100% sure that it was a twist. The ending was a big surprise though; there were several things that could have happened to Hollie, but I didn’t see that one coming. Overall, this was an enjoyable page turner, despite the slightly tired plot. Four stars.

(Thank you to Bookouture, JD Kirk and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be published on April 16, 2025.)

This accomplised thriller is a wild romp that has you wrong-footed from page one and keeps you off balance right through the book.
Be warned – this is no ordinary ‘missing girl’ thriller, although that’s what the author skilfully suggests you’re reading from the outset.
But it’s unsettling from the start – because when nine-year-old Hollie goes missing from a school event, her mother is reluctant to call the police or even tell her partner.
And that’s when we know something isn’t quite right – but the truth remains tantalisingly out of reach until the end.
I liked that this book was a true psychological thriller, in that there is a major psychological element to the narrative which – without giving away spoilers – you begin to suspect fairly early on.
But Kirk skilfully manages to keep ramping up the tension and the suspense right up until the explosive end.
It’s one of those books that will have you thinking back over what you’ve read long after you’ve finished, questioning everything you thought you knew.
My only criticism would be that we never really got the chance to know the missing girl, Hollie, and so my sympathy for the ordeal she was being put through was curtailed.
Otherwise a great, fast-paced read with a brilliant whodunnit at its core.

A heart-stopping page-turner that I couldn’t put down!

When Elizabeth’s daughter, Hollie, fails to come out from the school disco, Elizabeth goes into a blind panic. As the school is searched and the police are about to be called, Elizabeth tells the school staff that she has suddenly remembered that her partner picked Hollie up. But that’s a lie, because whatever has happened, she absolutely cannot have the police involved.

Elizabeth was a great character; a dedicated mother and I loved how she refused to be pushed into anything by the pushy school mums! The writing is completely immersive and there’s a really sinister undertone running through every chapter that just made me want to keep reading - and so I did! I had to know who had taken Hollie and why, and why Elizabeth couldn’t involve the police.

The twists were stunning and the big, BIG one literally took my breath away - WOW!

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, JD Kirk and Bookouture, for an ARC in return for an honest review.

JD Kirk delivers a pulse-pounding psychological thriller with My Daughter is Missing, a gripping tale of secrets, fear, and a mother’s relentless fight to save her child. With a jaw-dropping twist at its core, this novel keeps readers hooked from the first page to the shocking conclusion. For any parent, the nightmare of losing a child is unimaginable. For the protagonist of this story, it’s even worse—because she can’t tell anyone.When nine-year-old Hollie vanishes from school, her mother is plunged into a desperate search. Every instinct tells her Hollie has been taken, but she refuses to involve the police. Why? Because her past holds dangerous secrets, ones that could jeopardize everything. As suspicion builds and the clock ticks, she must navigate a terrifying maze of lies, threats, and hidden truths to bring her daughter home.
Likes and Dislikes :-
Likes:-
1 Compelling Hook: The idea that a mother can’t report her missing child immediately adds intense intrigue. What is she hiding? Who can she trust?
2 Relentless Suspense: Every chapter raises the stakes, making it nearly impossible to put the book down.
3 Emotional Depth: The mother-daughter bond is powerfully portrayed, making the protagonist’s desperation feel raw and real.
Dislikes :-
None.
Overall :- My Daughter is Missing is a gripping thriller packed with secrets, high stakes, and a shocking twist that will leave readers reeling. If you love thrillers with dark family secrets and relentless tension, this book is a must-read.
My Rating :- 5/5.

This was a solid read and I really enjoyed it! Only rating it 4 stars instead of 5 because I guessed part of the ending halfway through, but the other part was a big suprise.

I’ve never ready anything by this author before. I must say I was surprised and enjoyed the flow and story. It was mysterious yet hopeful and with a bittersweet ending.

3.75-4⭐️

I had both the ebook and the audiobook performed by Cathleen mcCarron who does a good job, the Scottish accent is subtle making it accessible for a wide audience.

Holly goes missing at a school Halloween disco, how did she get past her mom Elizabeth at the tuck shop, and why won’t she alert the police?

A departure from Kirk’s very popular Scottish crime series with this Scottish based Psychological thriller. It keeps the same short snappy fast paced chapters as his crime series. It has an easy going chatty style.

There’s a lot going on, it gets quite dark, but I found after a high tension start that for much of the book the tension levels were much lower. There was the constant wondering about the lack of action in one regard of the mother. It utilises one of the tropes that isn’t a favourite for me, as it also uses several other tropes, so it worked ok for me.

For a first delve into psychological thriller I feel that it’s accomplished, it’s a wild entertaining ride, but still managed to lag in the mid section for me with everything coming to a head at the end. I hope that he pursues in this genre.

The premise sounded promising for My Daughter is Missing. I persevered with the book hoping I could get to grips with it. I don't want to give any spoilers . I suspected the ending that was coming but it didn't save the book fir me.

Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for this arc!

This was a pretty fast read about a missing child and soon the bodies start showing up. My only complaint is I did figure out the big tell pretty early. But overall it’s a good read!

If you love a really good suspense thriller then give this one a whirl. The fact that Elizabeth acts so strangely when Hollie goes missing excited me from the very beginning. Here was the potential for a really good read and it didn't let me down. The story was fast paced and full of tension as Elizabeth's actions in trying to find her daughter become more and more bizarre. The identity of the abductor shocked me to the core, this was someone I hadn't even considered as a suspect. This author is entirely new to me but I was delighted to see that he has an extensive back catalogue which I will be checking out in the future.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

When Hollie disappears after the school disco her mother Elizabeth is frantic. She does not want to involve the police because she has too much to hide. There are lots of characers keeping secrets in this multi-layered plot. This is a fast-paced thriller with plenty of twists and a touch of humour.
A very enjoyable read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

JD Kirk has written so many books and I have read them all so I guess you would say I am a long term fan of his work.

Elizabeth is a single mum and the love of her life is her daughter Hollie. Hollie attends the local school Halloween disco night, a night that Hollie was extremely excited about but one that ends up turning into Elizabeth’s worst nightmare. Hollie is now missing and even though Elizabeth should immediately call the police she does not so we are immediately given a clue that there is more to Elizabeth than meets the eye.

The portrayal of Elizabeth’s character is well executed, you feel every emotion a parent would feel if your child had disappeared, pure fear, anxiety and a huge sense of helplessness, a loss as to what to do except to try to find out what on earth has happened, and in Elizabeth’s case on her own terms.

We are thrown a cast of well developed characters that enhance the story and Elizabeth’s wacky sister really takes the cake. JD Kirk often incorporates some dark humour into his work and this book was no exception. In regard to the plot I did think I had an idea where it was going but we kept being sent curve balls that soon had me questioning myself although. I was along the right path in some ways. There was one more surprise at the end that I did not see and demonstrates the value in this authors work.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book, all options expressed are my own.

Super fast paced but had me hooked. I read it in 2 sessions across 2 days. Some of the narrative felt like I was guessing what had happened but I loved the pace of it. Overall a good read.

Elizabeth is helping out in the tuck shop at the school Halloween disco. When she goes to collect her nine-year-old daughter, Hollie, she’s shocked to find her missing. How did her daughter manage to get past her?
With the teachers wanting to call the police, she has to lie and say she’s forgotten that she was being picked up early by her partner. Why is Elizabeth lying? What is she hiding?

We follow Elizabeth in her desperate search for her daughter. Who would have taken Hollie?

This psychological thriller is based in Scotland. I found it to be a dark and violent read, it was graphic at times.

I didn’t see the ending of the story coming at all, it left me gobsmacked.

A story that held my attention from start to finish.

My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Elizabeth is working the tuck shop at her 9 year old daughter Hollie's Halloween disco. at the end of the night her daughter is missing The staff look for her within the school and suggest calling the police but Elizabeth has something in her last that stops her from involving the police.

She receives a mystery text and later calls from the kidnapper. The messages suggest the kidnapper knows her secret, but which one? Elizabeth calls on her sister Sasha to help her find her daughter but this does not stop Elizabeth chasing around to find her.

The fast pace of this book draws the reader in. I could not put thisbook down. Whilst I figured out some of the clues it still had a final surprise that I did not see coming.
I loved this book. A complete contrast to the dark and highly amusing DCI Logan series by this author which I have read, loved and highly recommend too.

Thanks to Netgalley UK for an arc copy of the book in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

I have read every DCI Logan novel so I was thrilled to be granted a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book did not disappoint, it had me gripped from the start and I couldn’t put it down. I really enjoyed the ending, it was a trip!