Alternating chapters, good theme. Good plot.
But I felt like I was reading a newspaper.
Somehow some way I yearned to connect with this book like I have her other books.

I did love it, yet, there were reasons and some beyound me to express that I just wanted to feel more.
A child missing, murdered, other kids, parents anguish, yet I was numb and I wanted to FEEL something.

Other reviewers have loved this book others have not so, it comforts me to think I’m not alone.

Would I recommend it? Yes. Because others were thrilled by it.
I just wish that was me.

Sorry I was unable to finish this book, while the writing was great, it just was not for me storywise and I found it dragged on a little.

Wow - what a read this book was!

Focusing on the families of the victims, large chunks of the story are also told from the perspective of Leanne, a policewoman who is the Family Liaison Officer for one of the families in the case. I liked the fact that First One Missing takes a slightly different angle to many other books in the genre, by spending most of the story focusing on the impact the murders had on each member of the family, and how they were all struggling to come to terms with the horrifying reality of losing a daughter, a step-daughter, or a sister.

These are all things that you don't necessarily consider when reading thrillers - instead, the reader is usually drawn to the killer's motives and reasoning, the terror of the victim, or the detectives trying to piece the case together clue by clue. First One Missing takes this common trope and instead, thinks of the wider picture and how the murders would affect everyone involved in the case.

I was instantly hooked from the very beginning, despite the surprisingly slow pace of the storyline. The author is an expert in slow-building suspense, keeping you engaged while carefully laying the trail of breadcrumbs that eventually leads towards the end of the book. It's smart, it's unexpected, and it's very well thought out - all the best qualities of a top-quality psychological thriller.

First One Missing is my first Tammy Cohen novel, but I have no doubt that it won't be the last I read!

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

There are three things no-one can prepare you for when your daughter is murdered:

- You are haunted by her memory day and night
- Even close friends can't understand what you are going through.
- Only in a group with mothers of other victims can you find real comfort.

But as the bereaved parents gather to offer support in the wake of another killing, a crack appears in the group that threatens to rock their lives all over again.
Welcome to the club no one wants to join.

Let me begin by saying that I loved the plot, the characters and the conclusion. No doubt in my mind those things were sensational. So why only 3 stars? Well, let me tell you...

Do you know when you are travelling in a train, or the passenger in a car, and you watch out the window and see the world go by? Well, that's how this book felt to me. The whole story felt like it was happening at a distance, at a place I couldn't connect with. Everything that happened felt remote, like someone else was reading it for me...I don't know how to explain it any better than that but, the upshot of it was that I just didn't feel anything for the characters - whether they lived or died. I could tell that the plot was well-devised and written, that all the pieces that are needed to make a book complete were there...just not my connection.


Paul
ARH