DCI Crowe and his Sergeant, Rolly Burke, are investigating the disappearance of three-year-old Evie Mortimer from her home in the village of Brightworthy. Despite intensive searches and house-to-house inquiries, they’re unable to discover a single clue to the girl’s whereabouts until one of Evie’s pink shoes, the ones she was wearing the day she disappeared, is discovered in the alley behind the Mortimer’s house, an area that’s been searched and cleared more than once, and area that is under constant police surveillance. That can mean only one thing, or so it would seem. But, just when Crowe and Burke think they’ve figured out what happened to Evie, the sequence of events and evidence takes a strange and disturbing turn. The clock is ticking on little Evie Mortimer and if Crowe and Burke can’t find her, she may never be seen again … alive.
JM Reinbold is an award-winning author and editor. She is the author of the DCI Rylan Crowe Mysteries series. She lives in Delaware. Her work has appeared in numerous anthologies and magazines, and on blogs and websites, as well as being nominated and selected for awards, grants, and literary fellowships.
This is the first in what I hope is a long series of short stories and novels involving Deputy Chief Inspector Rylan Crowe. In this tale, the UK detective is called to a small English village which has rallied to search for a missing young girl. He has little to go on until a missing shoe appears, seemingly out of nowhere but it is enough to send Crowe into the seamy underbelly of this quaint town. Where it leads him is a real surprise.
A good short read and I look forward to many more from Reinbold.
If you enjoy mysteries with a British flair, you're sure to enjoy Reinbold's "Missing." Reinbold's writing is crisp and direct, wholly maintains the voice of an English mystery, and has sharply drawn, believable characters throughout. Oh, and let's not forget the twisting plot. Although the story originally appeared in "Someone Wicked: A Written Remains Anthology," it works incredibly well as a stand-alone publication. I look forward to other Rylan Crowe tales!
If you enjoy detective stories, then “Missing” is right up your alley. The interaction between Burke and Crowe is very film noir, and the ending of the story simply horrifying. Give it a read!
Somerset County, England: where July’s ocean breezes grace the southwest coast. But for some of the locals fun-in-the-sun isn’t on their agendas ... toddler Evie Mortimer is missing—
Grid searches are underway. But the only sign of the three-year-old is her lone pink shoe … discovered by a volunteer outside the Mortimer family’s gated garden wall. The bright pink shoe shines like a beacon, yet offers no clues. Lead investigator Detective Chief Inspector Rylan Crowe immediately intuits that the shoe’s been left by someone during the morning search. Frustrated and sickened, Crowe sadly tells his sergeant, “A missing child brings on the helpful and unhelpful in droves.”
Hope and fear clash non-stop when a child is missing. And time proves a cold companion for anyone involved. We meet some likely suspects early. But strange under currents swirl around the missing Evie.
Missing is a short book, but accordingly-priced. As both an editor and the Director of the Written Remains Writers Guild, author JM Reinbold proves herself well-acquainted and well-skilled with mysteries. She’s also a bit of a mystery herself. While she lives in Wilmington, Delaware, her bio gives no clues as to whether she’s ever lived in England or not. Intriguing since Missing is identified as Book 1 in The Rylan Crowe Mystery Series—and also contains a preview for Book 2—entitled Rag and Bone.
Any book involving a missing child is naturally dark. Providing a topic like this won’t cause you to suffer emotionally, I recommend Missing.
Cracking little mystery about a missing girl in a small English village. The coppers are well-defined, the locals pop and crackle, and the finale is grim and grimly funny. The book is short, so you’ll finish it in a day. Enjoyed it.