Chris Mooney is an author I have wanted to read for a long time but for some reason I've just never got round to picking up one of his books. I then became a blogger, and a few weeks ago I realised that I was neglecting so many books that I wanted to read, and I want to try and get a balance of new reviews and reviews of older books on the blog. It's rather refreshing to read solely for enjoyment, rather than over thinking what I'm going to write and making notes while I read plus readers of my blog may discover a book that they missed when it was first released.The premise to The Missing doesn't stand out as the most original, though I was pleased to see that our main character, Darby McCormick, is a Crime Scene Investigator and not a police detective which did make this book a little different from other crime reads. As a huge fan of the CSI franchise I am aware that the role of CSIs in fiction is greatly exaggerated, and it did feel at times that Darby's actions and the work that she carried out was not representative of a real-life CSI but obviously for the purpose of the story this was needed (and this is the case with most crime fiction books, not just The Missing). I do find forensic science very interesting however, so I very much enjoyed reading a book where much of the focus was on obtaining evidence, processing it and ultimately trying to use it to capture a villain but on the other side of the coin it was fascinating watching how easily the killer was able to manipulate the police by falsifying and planting evidence.A horror movie style opening introduces Darby as a teenager narrowly escaping from a man attempting to kill her, but not before he kills one of her friends and kidnaps the other. The man is then apprehended and we travel to the present day where Darby as a CSI is called to a home where a teenage boy has been shot, and his girlfriend kidnapped. Meanwhile an emaciated woman is found hiding under the house and it soon becomes clear the kidnapper left her behind and Darby is soon hunting for the kidnapper's 'dungeon' and not only that but he could be the man that tried to kill her all those years ago, despite the fact he should be dead. The chase as they say is on. From the blurb and the cover I went into this hoping for something along the lines of Chris Carter (gruesome, bloody etc) as this is how I like my crime fiction and in places The Missing was exactly that we also follow the killer which is something I always enjoy, allowing us to get inside their head and see them (almost always) keep one step ahead of the police for much of the book. There are some brilliant twists in the book involving the killer, but obviously I can't say any more than that!At times the book moved a little slow for my liking, I wasn't bored but I did wish things would just move on a bit quicker than they were. This is the first book in a series, and so it's our first time meeting Darby and her history had to be relayed to us, and the various characters that make up her working life also had to be established. As the series progresses hopefully the author will fill in these introductory parts with the action that was at times missing in The Missing (no pun intended). Despite me mostly reading series when it comes to crime fiction, there's one thing about them I dislike and that is when the main character finds him or herself in the killer's sights, we all know that the main character is never going to be killed off, therefore almost all tension is lost and with the killer in this book having a close link to Darby herself, I didn't want the focus to be solely on the killer hunting Darby, as that would have soon become boring. I did work a couple of things out quite easily but Mooney did manage to keep one thing from me, and it was a twist that very much slapped me in the face, and it was brilliant! Overall this was an enjoyable read, and I'm definitely going to be continuing with this series (and I'll be starting the second book, The Secret Friend, very soon). 3.5/5
I came, I read, I didn't quite conquer.The novel kicked off with quite an action-packed first chapter which caught my attention from the start and only continued to progress at a good pace. I was sufficiently interested in the characters, the victims and the developments that would follow. My issue was solely with the writing style which was clunky, unsubtle and patronising. I am quite capable of reading and making connections, therefore when authors feel like they need to spell everything out to me - just in case I haven't spotted their little hints - it really bugs me. The nail in the coffin for me was page 95."...slipped his fingers around the lips of the plastic sandwich baggies holding the chloroform-soaked rags..." At this point, I am aware that he has chloroform-soaked rags and therefore he is our suspect as every victim has been chloroformed thus far. But do we stop there? No. "He always carried them in case he decided to abduct someone while he was on the road and he always carried a bag in each pocket since that night years ago when he grabbed a young girl at the home of the friend who had seen him in the woods..." A long, overly wordy and very clunky flashing sign to say, 'In case you missed the thing about the chloroform rags, this guy is the killer now AND twenty years ago.'I have already read one of the Darby McCormick books and thoroughly enjoyed it so I would definitely not stop reading the series based on 'The Missing' and would recommend later installments to fans of the genre.
Do You like book The Missing (2007)?
The Missing4 StarsSynopsisIn 1984, three young girls witness an attack on a young woman in the woods and become the target of a serial killer. Only one , Darby McCormick, survives. Years later, Darby is a forensic investigator called to the scene of a teenage abduction. As the evidence piles up, Darby finds herself tracking a psychopathic serial killer known only as the Traveler and soon comes face-to-face with the terror from her nightmares.ReviewA well-written, fast paced and intricate thriller.While the serial killer plot is not that original (reminiscent of Patterson's Kiss the Girls), there are some excellent twists that keep you turning the pages. There are also sufficient clues to figure out the killer's identity, and as such it is not that much of a surprise. There is, however, one more unexpected twist right at the end. The characters are well-developed and likeable, especially the heroine. So often, female investigators come across as cold and humorless but that is not the case for Darby McCormick. The forensic details are interesting and never become excessively technical. The story is well-crafted but not nearly as creepy as I though it would be. For a truly disturbing, lock all your doors read, I recommend Fear Itself by Jonathan Nasaw. There are also several glaring editing errors in the hardcover copy that tend to distract from the overall flow. All in all, an entertaining thriller and I will definitely be continuing with the series.
—Lauren
Ganhei este exemplar da coleção policial da editora Suma de Letras há tempos, mas sempre enrolava para lê-lo e acabava passando outros livros na frente. Mas, esta semana resolvi deixar de enrolação e gostei muito da narrativa do Chris Mooney, ainda que seu texto não atinja o nível de morbidez e o tom sombrio que o Dennis Lehane (autor no qual ele se inspirou, segundo as palavras do próprio autor) consegue imprimir aos seus assassinos, sua narrativa é clara e a trama é tão bem construída que te deixa na curiosidade para saber os acontecimentos futuros.Em 1984, Darby McCormick tinha 14 anos e juntamente com duas amigas presenciou um assassinato, o bandido se vingou e apesar de Darby ter escapado com vida, suas duas amigas não tiveram a mesma sorte. Vinte e cinco anos depois ela trabalha como investigadora no Departamento de Investigação de Cenas de Crimes (CSI) de Boston, sua função é procurar as minúcias das cenas de crimes e coletar todas as pistas possíveis, mesmo as mais insignificantes. A investigadora se vê envolvida em uma investigação de desaparecimento e na cena do crime ela encontra uma mulher à beira da morte, uma mulher que foi seqüestrada há cinco anos que parece ter sido vítima do mesmo bandido que seqüestrou Carol (o atual caso de Darby). Passamos a acompanhar o trabalho minucioso de Darby, a influência dos acontecimentos do passado sobre suas escolhas atuais e sua profissão, como são feitas as análises das provas e todos os interesses políticos que podem estar por trás de uma investigação. Para quem gosta de ler livros do gênero, ou curte assistir a seriados do estilo de CSI o livro não deixa nada a desejar, já que Mooney não economizou palavras ao descrever os procedimentos das análises.Leia mais em: http://feanari.wordpress.com/2011/05/...
—Blablabla Aleatório
First of all I have to say that I didn’t read this book, but listened to it in the German audio book version read by Iris Böhm.I bought this book years ago but never listened to it, I’m glad I finally did.“The Missing” is written in a fast pace. The plot is interesting and doesn’t get boring. However, the story actually misses some depth to it. It doesn’t get boring because it’s fast-paced, but it doesn’t really create images in your head while reading it either. The story is also not a very original one, not bad, but not original. It’s your typical investigator that’s on the trail of a serial killer who destroyed her childhood.Though there are a few surprises in the end of the story that make you go “wait, what?”, but that’s about it.All in all I have to admit I liked the book while I was listening to it, but when I was done I realized I was expecting a lot more.I also disliked the reader, Iris Böhm, she just didn’t read some situations in a way that would emphasize them and her use of voice was in some parts misleading.Though this was my first audio-book in a long time and I have to listen to more to see if maybe I’m just not cut out for audio-books.I’m giving this book 3 of 5 stars, because it was a good read. But there were a few disturbing points that made me not enjoy it as much as I could have.
—Gina
