Missing Rebecca by John Worsley Simpson

Title: Missing Rebecca
Author: John Worsley Simpson

Publisher: Gollancz
ISBN: 978-1475266603
Pages: 217
Series: N/A
Type: Adult Mystery
Source: Received for Review
Goodreads


After a whirlwind romance, Liam and Rebecca marry despite knowing barely anything about each other's backgrounds. A few short months after their wedding in the middle of an afternoon shopping trip Rebecca vanishes, seemingly abducted leaving a miriad of questions in her wake. Who would want to abduct Rebecca? Or did she willingly disappear? Was the marriage a sham? Is Liam a dupe?

This is one of those books which sounds really interesting and you can't wait to start reading. A whirlwind romance cut short when the girl suddenly disappears, leaving her heartbroken husband to discover why? It sounded exactly like the kind of book I'd love so I was disappointed when my enjoyment fell short. I really struggled with the author's writing style which has long sentences and chunks of dialogue where I had to keep checking who was who.

The character development was unusual in that it relied mostly on info-dumping their pasts while failing really tell you who the characters were. It was easy to see the facts of their life - the cop who joined the Marshals rather than continue on to law school - but it didn't really show their motivations. This meant I never really felt engaged with the characters and didn't feel connected enough to be more than a little interested in why Rebecca disappeared.

A big flaw in the book is that the romance between Rebecca and Liam, the supposed driving force behind his desperation to find his wife, is covered in a few paragraphs. A short while after her disappearance and he's already calming talking about the possibility he was conned. For a whirlwind romance I'd have expected his emotions to be a lot higher rather than the oddly unemotional way he acts after the first couple of chapters.

I did enjoy the mystery as it was cleverly written and packed with more twists and turns than I thought could fit in a single book. The author has deftly created layer upon layer of plot that undermines the reader's assumptions at every turn. The drug industry angle was well handled, creating a believable manipulative force underpining the central mystery. Unfortunately that was the only part I did enjoy.

All in all this was an okay read but I'm not sure I'd read anything else from this author.

Plot: 6/10
Characters: 4/10
Ending: 5/10
Enjoyment: 4/10
Cover: 5/10

Overall: 24/50