Olivia Johnson has gone missing, last seen entering an alley which has a dead end and no doors or windows. It is up to DCI Julia Day to investigate the mysterious disappearance of the young woman.
A story featuring the disappearance of a young woman sounds pretty run-of-the-mill, however, Gillian McAllister has worked her magic and put a very unusual twist on it in Just Another Missing Person. This starts off as a missing person case, although it is along the lines of a locked room mystery with the introduction of an alleyway that the missing woman was seen entering and never leaving. As the story progresses many other elements are introduced, taking this tale beyond the mundane police hunt for a missing person or murderer.
The heart of the story is about parents and the lengths they will go to for their children. Unconditional love results in some people being willing to break the law to protect a child, and others refusing to accept a child is dead. The novel also questions what you would do if you thought your child had committed a serious crime. Gillian McAllister has pitched the parents perfectly in the story; they are human, vulnerable, tenacious and full of turmoil, you cannot help but feel sympathetic towards each one.
The twist at the halfway point really does bring you up short, but even then the author puts even more spin on this. As you read on you realise that you have been making quite a few assumptions and as these are shown to be wrong the story takes on a new slant. As the novel moves from one missing young woman to two, then three, then possibly four you really do have your doubts about one character in particular. And the conclusion, well I'm loath to say too much as I want this to be a spoiler-free zone, but it's unexpected in quite a few ways.
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