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A review by mj_reads
All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda
5.0
All The Missing Girls is one of the best thrillers/books I’ve read this year. It has a unique presentation, interesting characters, and so many twists and turns that I honestly was unsure of what to expect throughout the entire book.
The presentation of this book is its biggest asset. The investigation told in this story is told backwards, readers start on the final day when the police are pulling up to the house of our MC, Nicolette, and she asks the haunting question What did you do?
On our journey back through the investigation we see answers to questions that we have not yet thought to ask. We see people making judgements based off of evidence that we have not yet seen. We see results before we see actions. While this can be a bit confusing at times, it lets the readers pay close attention to small details that we may have not thought to focus on. We see how devastating rumors can be in these situations, considering that we see the consequences of these rumors before we see why they were started, we are able to better understand why things happen and how ridiculous it is for people to assume something else. The backwards story lets us, as readers, view the evidence presented in a way different from the norm which allows us to make conclusions that are different from those that the investigators quickly come too.
While this story focuses on the investigation of a missing girl, Annaliese, it allows our characters to revisit the investigation that took place years earlier of their mutual friend, Corinne. The investigation of Corinne’s disappearance was left inconclusive, there was no clear explanation as to what happened the night that she disappeared, so naturally when a second girl goes missing from the town, who also has ties to the same friend group, questions of the Corinne’s disappearance are brought back into light. This is really interesting because it just adds more depth to the story rather than just being about one investigation. I can’t really go into this anymore without starting down a slippery slope full of spoilers but it’s just really interesting to see the similarities of the two disappearances and trying to figure out what the link is between the two disappearances (or if there is one at all).
Along with the unique presentation of this story we have some pretty great characters. They are all presented in a way that suggests that they have something to hide, but as the story develops and we travel back these things are slowly explained to us and we are left to decide if (and how) they are important to the investigations or not. Some things are minor and unimportant, other things feel minor but end up being super significant, and of course others feel super significant and end up being not at all important. I can say that without giving anything away because there is so much revealed throughout the story that I don’t think any of that gives anything away.
Individually the characters are interesting and deep, but together their dynamic is electric. I love watching these relationships be explored and explained. I love watching them grow and deteriorate, sometimes at the same time since the characters relieve their past throughout the current investigation. It’s just so amazing to see not only how the details of the investigation are important but also how the characters interactions with one another are important.
Everything about this story is incredible. There are so many layers to be explored, so many details that need to be picked up on, and somehow everything falls into place so perfectly. It all seems to make sense in so many different ways, it feels like there are so many different explanations to this story, that when the ending is finally revealed it is equal parts messy and satisfying. This book was everything I could have hoped for, and then some.
The presentation of this book is its biggest asset. The investigation told in this story is told backwards, readers start on the final day when the police are pulling up to the house of our MC, Nicolette, and she asks the haunting question What did you do?
On our journey back through the investigation we see answers to questions that we have not yet thought to ask. We see people making judgements based off of evidence that we have not yet seen. We see results before we see actions. While this can be a bit confusing at times, it lets the readers pay close attention to small details that we may have not thought to focus on. We see how devastating rumors can be in these situations, considering that we see the consequences of these rumors before we see why they were started, we are able to better understand why things happen and how ridiculous it is for people to assume something else. The backwards story lets us, as readers, view the evidence presented in a way different from the norm which allows us to make conclusions that are different from those that the investigators quickly come too.
While this story focuses on the investigation of a missing girl, Annaliese, it allows our characters to revisit the investigation that took place years earlier of their mutual friend, Corinne. The investigation of Corinne’s disappearance was left inconclusive, there was no clear explanation as to what happened the night that she disappeared, so naturally when a second girl goes missing from the town, who also has ties to the same friend group, questions of the Corinne’s disappearance are brought back into light. This is really interesting because it just adds more depth to the story rather than just being about one investigation. I can’t really go into this anymore without starting down a slippery slope full of spoilers but it’s just really interesting to see the similarities of the two disappearances and trying to figure out what the link is between the two disappearances (or if there is one at all).
Along with the unique presentation of this story we have some pretty great characters. They are all presented in a way that suggests that they have something to hide, but as the story develops and we travel back these things are slowly explained to us and we are left to decide if (and how) they are important to the investigations or not. Some things are minor and unimportant, other things feel minor but end up being super significant, and of course others feel super significant and end up being not at all important. I can say that without giving anything away because there is so much revealed throughout the story that I don’t think any of that gives anything away.
Individually the characters are interesting and deep, but together their dynamic is electric. I love watching these relationships be explored and explained. I love watching them grow and deteriorate, sometimes at the same time since the characters relieve their past throughout the current investigation. It’s just so amazing to see not only how the details of the investigation are important but also how the characters interactions with one another are important.
Everything about this story is incredible. There are so many layers to be explored, so many details that need to be picked up on, and somehow everything falls into place so perfectly. It all seems to make sense in so many different ways, it feels like there are so many different explanations to this story, that when the ending is finally revealed it is equal parts messy and satisfying. This book was everything I could have hoped for, and then some.