Book Review: Local Girl Missing by J.A. Baker

I am so pleased to be welcoming J.A. Baker to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her novel, Local Girl Missing

Missing without trace…

When local woman Deborah goes missing, her colleagues Adrian, Yvonne and Merriel are all left in shock. Gossip around the office begins to swirl – what could have happened to Deborah? Is she dead or alive? And who could be responsible for her disappearance?

Everyone is terrified that they could be next…except the one person who has all the answers. The last person people expect.

Because Deborah is being held captive by a monster, a psychopath. But not a stranger… it’s someone she knows all too well…

*****

Deborah is being held against her will by a monster. However, this monster isn’t a stranger, it’s someone she knows well.

Whilst her work colleagues are reeling from her disappearance, someone knows the truth.

This was the first novel I’d read by this author. The premise of this book really caught my attention so I was happy to be invited onto the blog tour for Local Girl Missing.

Seriously, I know this term is banded about a lot but this book had me hooked from page one. I had to know more. I needed to know what becomes of these characters so one more page became one more chapter and before I knew it, I’d read it in one sitting.

The characters are a puzzle to solve. Each one of them gave me the feeling that they were hiding something so, at some point in the story, I suspected all of them and I couldn’t figure out how the story and the characters all slotted together. It was driving me crazy and therefore I got completely immersed in the book.

Suspense and tension is present throughout and it gradually builds to create an heated atmosphere.

This is such a hard review to write as I am not sure what else I can say about this book without giving too much away and I REALLY hope this is a book you’ll add to your lists and read.

If you’re a fan of psychological thrillers/crime fiction that grip you from beginning to end, this book is perfect.

I have become a huge fan of J.A. Baker and look forward to reading whatever comes next.

Thank you to Boldwood and Rachel’s Random Resources for the advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

About J.A. Baker

J.A. Baker is a successful psychological thriller writer of numerous books, previously published by Bloodhound.

Born and brought up in Middlesbrough, she still lives in the North East, which inspires the settings for her books.

Her first title for Boldwood, Local Girl Missing was published on 7th December 2022. Click to buy on Amazon UK and Waterstones.

Say hello via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Bookbub.

by

Laura

I'm Laura. I started Novel Kicks back in 2009 as I wanted a place to discuss books and writing - two loves of my life. As someone who has anxiety, these two things give me, and I am sure countless others, a much needed escape.
There is a monthly book club, writing exercises, prompts, reviews, author interviews, competitions and guest posts. I cover many genres and I hope there is something for everyone.
I grew up by the sea in Dorset and currently live in Poole with my husband, Chris and three cats. I love writing and have a BA (Hons) in Creative Writing from Falmouth University. I am writing my first book. If only I could stop pressing delete. Chris has threatened to stop it from working. Haha.
I have always loved creative writing since I was in first school and would very much like to meet my teacher, Miss Sayers, to say thank you for all the encouragement she gave me then.
When not writing, I love reading, cats, Disney, singing (I can't sing but this doesn't stop me,) and falling into a good TV show or film. If I could step into any fictional world, it would be amongst the characters in ABC's Once Upon a Time.
I love reading many genres and discovering new authors.