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The Missing
by
Jane Casey
Jenny Shepherd is twelve years old and missing...Her teacher, Sarah Finch, knows better than most that the chances of finding her alive are diminishing with every day she is gone. As a little girl her older brother had gone out to play one day and never returned. The strain of never knowing what has happened to Charlie had ripped Sarah's family apart. Now in her early twen...more
Paperback, 484 pages
Published
February 4th 2010
by Ebury Press (Fiction)
(first published January 1st 2010)
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Sarah Finch, English teacher, is about to start teaching her class of 12 year old girls when the father of Jenny Shepherd, one of the girls, talks to the class about his daughter who has gone missing. The man is clearly worried and distraught but the other girls have no idea where little Jenny could be.
Later that day, when Sarah is out running she finds Jenny's body in local woods.
This is not the first time Sarah has to deal with a missing child. 16 years earlier her older brother Charlie disapp...more
Later that day, when Sarah is out running she finds Jenny's body in local woods.
This is not the first time Sarah has to deal with a missing child. 16 years earlier her older brother Charlie disapp...more
I saw this crime/thriller on the library's new books shelf and found the blurb about the plot intriguing: Sarah Finch is a school teacher who has had the tragedy of living with the memory of an older brother missing since childhood, and caring for an alcoholic mother. A murder of one of her pupils occurs and she becomes embroiled in the mystery of who killed the girl and why.
The novel is in the first person and the narrative is written with sensitivity (at times a little bit overdone and some f...more
The novel is in the first person and the narrative is written with sensitivity (at times a little bit overdone and some f...more
I discovered this book by reading a review of one of British author Jane Casey's other novels, The Burning. Because I like to read authors (especially mystery authors) in chronological order, I sought out her first book. It needn't have mattered in this case, as it does not have the same protagonist.
Unfortunately, this book did not live up to my expectations. I found it to be very readable, but much of what happened seemed unrealistic and unlikely to happen. I also guessed who the murderer is l...more
Unfortunately, this book did not live up to my expectations. I found it to be very readable, but much of what happened seemed unrealistic and unlikely to happen. I also guessed who the murderer is l...more
It's hard talk about such a book without giving anything away. This definitely deserves 5 stars,i wanted to give it 4.5,and only because the main character,Sarah,annoyed me just a tiny bit half way through, for about a chapter..there is no halves so it had be the 5 stars.
The plot is great, the characters are well drawn and you easily associate with them,and they are all likeable characters, even Sarah's mum who is quite bitter but you can understand why..
The book flows,and it's very readable, i...more
The plot is great, the characters are well drawn and you easily associate with them,and they are all likeable characters, even Sarah's mum who is quite bitter but you can understand why..
The book flows,and it's very readable, i...more
I found this book on a second hand book sell here in Karachi. The story was really captivating. Sarah Finch is an emotionally vulnerable character. When her brother disappears, so does her mother's affection and attention and her parents are eventually divorced. Sarah is left with a drunk and depressed mother, who never overcomes her son's loss. Sarah starts working as a teacher and one finds her own student dead in the wood. The investigation somehow leads back to her brother's disappearance. A...more
This book is easy, and for the most part, pleasurable read. Although I did have a couple of issues with the story. The first being that the main character is written to be an extremely beautiful woman, and yet she lacks so much confidence that she has the backbone of a doormouse. Even with her painful past, I could not come to terms with her insecurity and passive personality. With beauty comes power and usually some degree of vanity. The other issue is that the ending is a little jarring, it's...more
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The Missing had something 'Missing' for me. At several points in the first half of the book I considered stopping reading. This was mainly due to the lack of connection with the main character Sarah and the literacy style. I felt that the descriptive writing was overdone. Whole paragraphs on the sound of tap water hitting a sink etc..was too much for me. However when it came to Sarah there almost wasn't anything written to make me care for her. I got tired of the constant depressive state she se...more
Pretty dreadful. I had read Casey's second novel, The Burning, and it wasn't half bad. She's clearly getting better as she goes because this was truly unimpressive. Clunky writing. Poor plotting. Heavy-handed foreshadowing that makes it pretty clear what's going to happen. All of it just felt remarkably amateurish. She's got a blurb from Sophie Hannah; I read one mystery by Hannah and it was even worse than this, so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.
Reading bad mysteries makes you realize that...more
Reading bad mysteries makes you realize that...more
A really good book by Jane Casey, the plot being about a school teacher whose brother disappeared from their street, without trace, when he was 14 years old and she was 8 years old. She has a difficult life thereafter with her mother, who hits the bottle and shuts everyone out, although Sarah, stays with her out of a sense of obligation. So, 15 years later, Sarah finds the body of one of he 12 year old students while she is out in the woods for a jog and a series of events lead her to be suspect...more
Two missing children sixteen years apart,and the only connection is Sarah Finch, an English Teacher at a private girls school.
In 1992, Sarah's brother Charlie goes missing which has a traumatic, devastating effect on her family, and life..
Sixteen years later, Jenny Shepherd, a twelve year old girl that Sarah teaches also goes missing, Sarah finds her body while out running in the woods, and once again Sarah's life is thrown into turmoil, as she finds herself, not through choice, at the centre of...more
In 1992, Sarah's brother Charlie goes missing which has a traumatic, devastating effect on her family, and life..
Sixteen years later, Jenny Shepherd, a twelve year old girl that Sarah teaches also goes missing, Sarah finds her body while out running in the woods, and once again Sarah's life is thrown into turmoil, as she finds herself, not through choice, at the centre of...more
I'm half inclined to start a new shelf - 'Novels with stupid, neurotic, busybody women as the protagonists'.
I would have given this one four stars because it's a very good story, very well put together. But the 'heroine' is absolutely unbearable. If there is a wrong or stupid decision to make, she will make it. I found myself getting very annoyed when things turned out well for her. This was especially true at the end which is really so unlikely as to be ridiculous; I can't envisage a police Ins...more
I would have given this one four stars because it's a very good story, very well put together. But the 'heroine' is absolutely unbearable. If there is a wrong or stupid decision to make, she will make it. I found myself getting very annoyed when things turned out well for her. This was especially true at the end which is really so unlikely as to be ridiculous; I can't envisage a police Ins...more
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On the whole, this is a readable and undemanding psychological thriller based on an interesting premise - what happens when the family at the centre of one tragedy becomes caught up, years later, in another. My main criticism would be that the plot occasionally stretches plausibility to breaking point, relying too much on coincidence and characters behaving in ways that defy logic. The narrator, Sarah Finch, is also, I thought, irritatingly passive and cold. All that said, I zipped through it in...more
I really enjoyed both of Casey’s books in the Maeve Kerrigan series, so though this book is not out Stateside, I ordered it from the UK - excited and curious to see Casey’s debut novel. And I was not disappointed at all! I enjoyed this book immensely! The characters all sprang to life and though the plot took a few familiar turns, Casey still managed to fit in a few surprises. And the author really displayed her knack of weaving in romance into the plot without it feeling extraneous or forced. S...more
This novel had amazing pace and it is fair to say that I couldn’t put it down but there was just too much going on. I felt that Jane Casey had perhaps got some flipchart of plot ideas and actually decided to include everything. I’m sure this is just inexperience, and that subsequent novels will be worth reading.
There was much to admire here in terms of pace, although methinks Casey has not yet found her own groove and is heavily influenced by Gillan Flynn. I would read her next novel though, jus...more
There was much to admire here in terms of pace, although methinks Casey has not yet found her own groove and is heavily influenced by Gillan Flynn. I would read her next novel though, jus...more
WOW! What an amazing debut book for this author.
I could NOT put this down. I started this today lunch time at work and have not long finished it now, so quite literally could not put it down.
The story is of 2 different missing children, one case sixteen years previously the other one most recent.
Sarah is a very good character, she has a lot of problems, a lot of them down to the disappearance of her brother Charlie and how it affected her parents relationship and her relationship with them. Tbh...more
I could NOT put this down. I started this today lunch time at work and have not long finished it now, so quite literally could not put it down.
The story is of 2 different missing children, one case sixteen years previously the other one most recent.
Sarah is a very good character, she has a lot of problems, a lot of them down to the disappearance of her brother Charlie and how it affected her parents relationship and her relationship with them. Tbh...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Sarah's brother Charlie went missing sixteen years ago when he was twelve and now one of her pupil's, Jenny, has disappeared. Sarah is even more involved when she discovers Jenny's body and soon finds herself at the centre of the police investigation.
The plot is exciting, the characters well described and Jane Casey writes in an easy-to-read snappy style. And I liked the hint of romance.
Overall it's an excellent book and I think the one I enjoyed most out of these first three books. Highly recom...more
The plot is exciting, the characters well described and Jane Casey writes in an easy-to-read snappy style. And I liked the hint of romance.
Overall it's an excellent book and I think the one I enjoyed most out of these first three books. Highly recom...more
My mom gave me this book to read, she really liked it and I thought it was okay. The biggest problem I had with it was the main character Sarah, she wasn't likable or relatable enough for me to really care about her. Also I skimmed or skipped basically all the chapters about her missing brother because they were boring and pointless after awhile. I did like the twists though, some things were predictable but otherwise kept you guessing.
I liked this, although I thought one of the plot strands was implausible and probably not necessary. Overall the plot drew me in and I was interested right up to the end. Jane Casey had created a really complex main character and although I didn't warm to her initially, as the plot developed and I found out more about her I got more interested in her. I'll definitely read Jane Casey's next book.
Certain aspects of this novel were very affecting, particularly the relationship sketched between the main character, Sarah, and her alcoholic mother. But I pretty quickly became irritated with Sarah, who leaves no wrong decision unmade, and I saw the solution to the crime (if not how the book actually ends) coming from miles away. This is Casey's first novel. Her later ones are better.
Jul 31, 2011
Lara
added it
I really quite enjoyed this book. I liked the way there were two interwoven stories. However, some aspects were a little unbelievable, especially the last couple of chapters - the final twist. I felt the incident in the kitchen was unnecessary, but on the whole a great read.
Loved it. There is everything - places that make you smile (not grin or laugh) and places which force tears in your eyes. One of the few crime stories written in the first person - with a good reason. Victims of crimes are too often forgotten! Highly recommended.
content pretty disturbing....well written. love the narrator, a sort of damaged girl who still lives with her mother. i can't quite believe that the yg girl who crime happens too....would allow what happened to happen. sort of a weak link.
good tho.
good tho.
Since I cant give this 3.5 stars, it gets four. A pretty good murder-mystery that has two storylines that coincide qute nicely. I saw other reviewers talk about how bubble-headed our heroine is, and while that is true, shes...likable, I should say. On another front, I DO think it couldve kept up a better pace.
Very gripping thriller about a teacher who finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. One of her pupils has been killed, and there seem to be a lot of similarities between this murder & the disappearance of her brother, almost 20 years ago...
This was okay but I wouldn't read it again. The ending wasn't exactly what I was expecting which was good. I thought the whole Geoff plot was irrelevant. Her relationship with her mum couldn't really be explained although the author tried. It was just a bit too much misery to happen to one character.
Aug 01, 2011
Gail Burns
added it
This is going to be good and I'm only into the second chapter. I love the way Jane writes with such clarity - she describes lying on the grass on a warm summer day and falling asleep with the smell of the wool blanket in her nose. So familiar!
A sad story about an unfortunate young lady and events that happened both in her past and present and how they affect her. Although the author moved between past and present continually, the story flowedI was pleased with the ending!
Badly written, although the author knows how to depict a mood or atmosphere. But the story was farfetched and the characters mostly rang false and were superficial. The heroine was a total bore and I knew 'whodunnit' halfway through... Pff! Life is too short to read mediocre novels!
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She studied English at Jesus College, Oxford, followed by an mPhil in Anglo-Irish Literature at Trinity College, Dublin
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“There are two things that cannot be taken back- the sped arrow and the spoken word.”
—
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