★★★☆☆
This gripping thriller by Gillian McAllister delves into the complexities of a missing person investigation. Detective Julia Day is assigned to the missing person case of Olivia Johnson, a young woman who mysteriously vanished after being seen on CCTV entering a dead-end alley. As Julia pursues the case, she discovers a web of secrets and lies threatening to unravel her life.
“But, the thing is, she wouldn’t love anything else. Not like she loves this. And nobody can have a balanced relationship with something they love.”
The novel turns suspenseful when Julia realizes the perpetrator has a personal connection to her. The criminal knows a dark secret from Julia’s past, and their hold over her forces her to make a devastating moral choice. To protect her family, Julia must frame an innocent person for Olivia’s disappearance.
As the tension mounts, Julia finds herself torn between her duty as a detective and her desire to protect her loved ones. McAllister’s intricate plot twists and well-developed characters keep readers on the edge until the shocking conclusion.
The novel is told from multiple perspectives, adding to the mystery and confusion. In Julia’s chapters, the reader spends a lot of time in her head as she contemplates ethical boundaries and the consequences of her actions. I enjoyed the writing style and the questions the book made me consider, although I’ll admit it took me way too long to figure out that “misper” stands for missing person.
This was my second read by McAllister. Though the settings are different, Just Another Missing Person and Wrong Place, Wrong Time have some similarities. Both novels feature a strong female protagonist and explore the depths a mother will go to protect her child. While I enjoyed Just Another Missing Person, it had moments where it came across as just another thriller. Wrong Place, Wrong Time had a more unique plot, making it a more interesting read.
Favorite line: “Can we only be truly honest with ourselves when things are going well?”
My review of Wrong Place, Wrong Time is available here.