Missing

by Barry Crowther

Revised Second collector Matt Spears isn't having a good day. He's being framed by the cops over an alleged assault and has inexplicably found himself indebted to the blind, but ruthless gangster, Vincent Barbour. When Barbour’s supposedly dead niece, Emma, surfaces in a graphic sexual video on a porn site, he asks Matt to find her in exchange for wiping the slate clean. Within a matter of hours, Matt is plunged into a world of sex, blackmail and murder. Trying to unravel the mysteries of a troubled young girl's disappearance, he discovers the dark side of the porn industry, complicated family secrets, government  corruption, sadistic gangsters, and narcissistic celebrities who all come together to find a girl who is simply ... missing.The sequel to 'Missing' is 'As the Sun turns Black' also available at Amazon and other good book sellers.BIOBarry Crowther has made his home in San Clemente Southern California. Originally from Manchester England. He has had short stories published, this is his first novel on the eBook platform. He continues to work and write on the follow up novel in the San Clemente sun with his three daughters, wife and chocolate lab Coney.REVIEW"Missing" is an amazing roller coaster ride! It kept me on my toes from the first page to the last! The more I read, the more entrenched I got in the intrigue of this tense murder mystery thriller. Rich in mystery, steeped in suspense, and laced with provocative sex, "Missing" is one read you don't want to miss!Deb Blythe, Writer, GracieMag/Choke MMAAUTHORS NOTEAlthough I live in Southern California this novel is set in the North West of England, where I'm from - Manchester. I think it's fair to warn potential readers that although a lot of British phraseology is used, this is a gritty crime drama and is closer to the work of Quentin Tarantino than Agatha Christie. I don't want people to buy this and be left feeling disappointed because there wasn't enough foggy moors, country pubs or old jags ... you've been warned.

Genres: Mystery, Thriller

314 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 20, 2011

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bravo! Barry, Missing is an informative and heart-stopping read.

I enjoyed this book. It is well written; It abruptly ends leaving you shocked and wanting more. Moments later you realize that there couldn't have been a more satisfying ending. I look forward to more Barry Crowther stories.
PRO: NO explicit sex or violence. Plenty of depth in character and situations. All together satisfying!

[Dana · Rating 2 out of 5]

the description of the characters is what made me keep reading, otherwise I found this too long and not that interesting .... Mr. spears should have given his love way more attention. I almost expected a fling between him and kendra fedora!

[Kaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this book. I am usually very good at guessing 'who done it' but didn't come close on this one. Plenty of humour along with the serious. Good characters. Highly recommend.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

A girl who went missing is sending messages. Matt, a debt collector, is persuaded to search for her through the complexities of Manchester's underworld.

[Rosemary Cantrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am on the fence a little bit with this novel. I like a good mystery and this certainly is a good one. The clues are all there, but they don't all make sense until the somewhat surprising ending. There are plenty of twists and turns and unexpected events, which are all good things in a mystery.

The main characters are fairly interesting, some better developed than others. They are quite a hodge-podge of personalities which does keep it interesting! However, too many of them were a little one-dimensional and never developed enough. Of course, there were quite a few characters and the length of the book probably discouraged too much development. I also had mixed feelings about the main character. There were some good attributes that drew me to him, but at other times he was what I would simply call stupid and I almost felt like he deserved some of the beatings he got.

I understand that in a mystery there will be some violence, but I felt that there was way too much in this novel. I don't like graphic descriptions, and quite honestly I thought it went a bit over the line to suit me.

So, bottom line, this was an interesting read, quick, interesting, unexpected, but not the top of my list.

I received a free copy of the book in exchange for doing a review.

[Mike Coe · Rating 5 out of 5]

An edgy mystery novel set in England and written by an Englishman. Crowther spins an interesting tale with enouth twist and turns to keep you thinking till the end. I read it as an e-book and found the formating and editing to be excellent. I would recommend it for those who would like to take a trip to the dark side--murder and mystery. Crowther really knows how to paint some creepy characters--something you would expect in the settings of this novel. Great Job Barry!

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I inadvertently gave Missing the acid test-I started reading it, then left it behind when I went on vacation. The story still managed to hold my attention and kept me guessing until the end. The main characters (Matt, Nathan, Hannah, and Trudy) were interesting, but I had a problem keeping some of the secondary characters straight, especially the gangsters. Definitely worth reading,though. I received a complimentary copy of this book in order to review it.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this suspense/thriller. It was actually a great book. At times I had gotten confused with all the characters names, but I eventually got through it, that being the reason for 4 stars instead of 5. 'Missing' has a great story. I liked the characters. A big web of deceit that was well written. A must read. Recommended

[Monique Lurry · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Missing" by Barry Crowther was chosen for our September 2012 book club. I was excited to read the book but that excitement was rapidly extinguished. Although the book was an extremely witty mystery, it was a very slow read. I gave it 2 stars for effort.

[Candice Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting book. There were little mini stories that led up to the ending. This kept me guessing all the time but who I thought was the villain ended up not being the person. I enjoyed reading the story.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars, baby! LOVE this book! It's so good!!!

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.