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drupert's review against another edition
5.0
After reading and enjoying the Kate Waters Series, I wasn’t surprised at all to have enjoyed Local Gone Missing! Local Gone Missing has all the twists and turns with the female lead that can be expected from any Fiona Barton novel. I would highly recommend this to any mystery lover. I would love to read more of Detective Elise Kings Story in a sequel!
lollybee's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Slow to get going but on the whole a good murder mystery with plenty of twists and turns.
bookph1le's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars
This book was okay. It took a while to get off the ground, so I wasn't invested in it for a while. Even when I did become intrigued, there was a lot of stuff going on that felt extraneous to the narrative, so I didn't find it super compelling.
This book was okay. It took a while to get off the ground, so I wasn't invested in it for a while. Even when I did become intrigued, there was a lot of stuff going on that felt extraneous to the narrative, so I didn't find it super compelling.
old_crockern's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
babylumberjackbaby's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
thepagelady's review against another edition
4.0
Book Review…Local Gone Missing by Fiona Barton
Elise was a successful and ambitious detective before a medical leave left her unsure if she would return. Now she spends most of her days watching the tensions grow in the seaside town of Ebbing. The weekenders are renovating the old homes and the locals do not like the changes.
Everything comes to a head when a newcomer wants to have a giant music festival that will put the town on the map and two teenagers overdose. When a man disappears the first night of the festival it draws Elise back to work. But Ebbing I'd a town full of secrets and connections that run deeper and darker than Elise could have ever imagined.
Local Gone Missing was an intriguing mystery. When it first starts it seems like a straightforward mystery but when the lies, connections and twists come making it very complex. It's told from multiple points of views and the timeline moves from past to present. But the moving timeline just gives you a clearer picture of everyone involved. It has a lot of parts and a lot of characters but the author brings it together nicely. I like Elise's character. She's intelligent, strong and determined. And her neighbor Ronnie was a lot of fun. She added some humor to the story. The pace is one that speeds up as everything starts happening and coming together which leads to a satisfying ending!
Elise was a successful and ambitious detective before a medical leave left her unsure if she would return. Now she spends most of her days watching the tensions grow in the seaside town of Ebbing. The weekenders are renovating the old homes and the locals do not like the changes.
Everything comes to a head when a newcomer wants to have a giant music festival that will put the town on the map and two teenagers overdose. When a man disappears the first night of the festival it draws Elise back to work. But Ebbing I'd a town full of secrets and connections that run deeper and darker than Elise could have ever imagined.
Local Gone Missing was an intriguing mystery. When it first starts it seems like a straightforward mystery but when the lies, connections and twists come making it very complex. It's told from multiple points of views and the timeline moves from past to present. But the moving timeline just gives you a clearer picture of everyone involved. It has a lot of parts and a lot of characters but the author brings it together nicely. I like Elise's character. She's intelligent, strong and determined. And her neighbor Ronnie was a lot of fun. She added some humor to the story. The pace is one that speeds up as everything starts happening and coming together which leads to a satisfying ending!
thephdivabooks's review against another edition
3.0
Though it took me a bit to get into, the characters and setting are well-developed, the structure works, and the ending is satisfying. It's a different feel than Fiona Barton’s prior work because it is really more of a police procedural. I was sort of between 3 and 4 stars but went with 3 because it took so long to get into it and I really considered not finishing in the first third. The back half delivers and I'm glad I finished.
Setting and Structure
Local Gone Missing is set in the fictional seaside town of Ebbing. Ebbing isn’t exactly what I expected, which was a cozy town of locals divided against the more affluent visitors. Instead the town of Ebbing is full of some shady characters and local town gossip. It also has the affluent visitors but they aren’t as important to the story, which truly centers on the locals in Ebbing, many of whom are… well, shady characters, to say the least!
The structure is more typical for Barton’s work, with short chapter that alternate perspectives and timelines. Elise (who I would consider our main character) gets the bulk of the chapters, but we get a good amount from Dee (the town maid) and just enough from our missing character Charlie to keep things interesting. The past timeline starts seventeen days prior to the beginning of the present time and works towards it. There is quite a bit of backstory as well.
Plot and Characters
While Barton’s prior work centers around a journalist, Local Gone Missing centers largely around the town of Ebbing and DI Elise King who is on a medical leave recovering from breast cancer. Elise has always been passionate about her work as a detective, but her battle with cancer and a broken heart have left her rebuilding her life. Recuperating at her home in the aspiring resort town of Ebbing, Elise happens to find her skills needed sooner than expected when local man Charlie Percy goes missing. Though not officially a member of the local police, Elise begins to investigate on her own at the prompting of her next door neighbor Ronnie.
Charlie Percy is an interesting figure in the book. At first he seems like a saint for committing to care for his middle-aged daughter who was left blind and mentally handicapped after an attack when she was in her twenties. But all is not quite what it seems with Charlie. He is also married to ex-model Pauline (who is on her own a hilarious character in the novel) and she has dwindled his substantial income on a money pit of a house and the expensive care home he pays for his daughter to live in, Wadham Manor. We learn some from Charlie himself in the past before he goes missing, and we learn other things about him during Elise’s unofficial investigation after.
The other main character of the book (although she is sort of a side character who is featured like a main character) is Dee Eastwood. Dee is a housekeeper for many residents of Ebbing and she’s learned that the best way to keep herself employed is by keeping what she learns about the residents of the houses she cleans to herself. That doesn’t mean that Dee doesn’t pick up on things. In fact, she knows secrets and the truth about almost everyone in town.
Overall Thoughts
One thing I liked about Local Gone Missing was that the majority of the mystery and clues were based on conversations among characters rather than heavy procedural evidence. This benefited the circumstances where Elise isn’t exactly official investigating. However, this also mean the book is very dialogue heavy. In fact, it felt like very little was not based on dialogue and at times I did want a bit more internal thoughts from some of the characters.
At its core, this is a mystery about a small town full of gossip and a cast of characters who seem nice on the surface but who largely are not. It is a bit quirky and I enjoyed the way it wrapped up. It was a bit slow to get into and I almost put it aside but I’m glad I didn’t. The back half delivers!
Setting and Structure
Local Gone Missing is set in the fictional seaside town of Ebbing. Ebbing isn’t exactly what I expected, which was a cozy town of locals divided against the more affluent visitors. Instead the town of Ebbing is full of some shady characters and local town gossip. It also has the affluent visitors but they aren’t as important to the story, which truly centers on the locals in Ebbing, many of whom are… well, shady characters, to say the least!
The structure is more typical for Barton’s work, with short chapter that alternate perspectives and timelines. Elise (who I would consider our main character) gets the bulk of the chapters, but we get a good amount from Dee (the town maid) and just enough from our missing character Charlie to keep things interesting. The past timeline starts seventeen days prior to the beginning of the present time and works towards it. There is quite a bit of backstory as well.
Plot and Characters
While Barton’s prior work centers around a journalist, Local Gone Missing centers largely around the town of Ebbing and DI Elise King who is on a medical leave recovering from breast cancer. Elise has always been passionate about her work as a detective, but her battle with cancer and a broken heart have left her rebuilding her life. Recuperating at her home in the aspiring resort town of Ebbing, Elise happens to find her skills needed sooner than expected when local man Charlie Percy goes missing. Though not officially a member of the local police, Elise begins to investigate on her own at the prompting of her next door neighbor Ronnie.
Charlie Percy is an interesting figure in the book. At first he seems like a saint for committing to care for his middle-aged daughter who was left blind and mentally handicapped after an attack when she was in her twenties. But all is not quite what it seems with Charlie. He is also married to ex-model Pauline (who is on her own a hilarious character in the novel) and she has dwindled his substantial income on a money pit of a house and the expensive care home he pays for his daughter to live in, Wadham Manor. We learn some from Charlie himself in the past before he goes missing, and we learn other things about him during Elise’s unofficial investigation after.
The other main character of the book (although she is sort of a side character who is featured like a main character) is Dee Eastwood. Dee is a housekeeper for many residents of Ebbing and she’s learned that the best way to keep herself employed is by keeping what she learns about the residents of the houses she cleans to herself. That doesn’t mean that Dee doesn’t pick up on things. In fact, she knows secrets and the truth about almost everyone in town.
Overall Thoughts
One thing I liked about Local Gone Missing was that the majority of the mystery and clues were based on conversations among characters rather than heavy procedural evidence. This benefited the circumstances where Elise isn’t exactly official investigating. However, this also mean the book is very dialogue heavy. In fact, it felt like very little was not based on dialogue and at times I did want a bit more internal thoughts from some of the characters.
At its core, this is a mystery about a small town full of gossip and a cast of characters who seem nice on the surface but who largely are not. It is a bit quirky and I enjoyed the way it wrapped up. It was a bit slow to get into and I almost put it aside but I’m glad I didn’t. The back half delivers!
lynguy1's review against another edition
4.0
Fiona Barton brings readers a detective mystery in her novel Local Gone Missing. It’s set in the fictional seaside town of Ebbing, England and features Detective Inspector Elise King. Elise is recovering from surgery and chemotherapy when a local man, Charlie Perry, goes missing after the first night of a controversial music festival. Additionally, two local teenagers overdose on drugs during the festival. While Elise isn’t on the case, she and her neighbor Ronnie do some sleuthing. About halfway through the novel, it switches to a police procedural.
Elise is very relatable. She is strong, ambitious, determined, and intelligent, but is still feeling the effects of the chemotherapy treatments and wonders if she will be up to going back to work. There is a wide range of other characters’ viewpoints readers get to see. From the missing man, Charlie Perry, to the house cleaner Dee Eastwood who sees and hears more than her employers could ever guess to a variety of others. Using character point of views is effective because readers get to see how each character connects to and understands or misunderstands the others. This adds complexity and depth to the characters.
The author weaves a tale involving locals and weekenders as well as visitors with lots of secrets and hidden connections. Lies and misdirection are the rule, not the exception. While the story moves from person to person and back and forth in time, it worked reasonably well for me. With red herrings, twists, and turns, the story builds momentum until it culminates in an astonishing conclusion. This is a book about family, community, anger, change, lies, and most of all, relationships.
Overall, this was a fascinating read with a stunning and deeply involved plot. Will it become a series? If you enjoy mysteries, then I recommend that you check out this one.
Berkley Publishing Group and Fiona Barton provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently set for June 14, 2022.
---------------------------
Review coming soon.
Elise is very relatable. She is strong, ambitious, determined, and intelligent, but is still feeling the effects of the chemotherapy treatments and wonders if she will be up to going back to work. There is a wide range of other characters’ viewpoints readers get to see. From the missing man, Charlie Perry, to the house cleaner Dee Eastwood who sees and hears more than her employers could ever guess to a variety of others. Using character point of views is effective because readers get to see how each character connects to and understands or misunderstands the others. This adds complexity and depth to the characters.
The author weaves a tale involving locals and weekenders as well as visitors with lots of secrets and hidden connections. Lies and misdirection are the rule, not the exception. While the story moves from person to person and back and forth in time, it worked reasonably well for me. With red herrings, twists, and turns, the story builds momentum until it culminates in an astonishing conclusion. This is a book about family, community, anger, change, lies, and most of all, relationships.
Overall, this was a fascinating read with a stunning and deeply involved plot. Will it become a series? If you enjoy mysteries, then I recommend that you check out this one.
Berkley Publishing Group and Fiona Barton provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently set for June 14, 2022.
---------------------------
Review coming soon.
jaee_s's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0