‘Unmissing’ by Minka Kent

Author : Minka Kent
Title : Unmissing
Pages : 250
Publisher : Thomas & Mercer
Publication date : February 15, 2022

| ABOUT THE BOOK |

Merritt Coletto and her husband, Luca, have the life they dreamed of: a coastal home, a promising future, and a growing family. That dream ends with a late-night knock on the door.

Weak, broken, and emaciated, it’s Luca’s first wife, Lydia. Missing for ten years, presumed dead, and very much alive, she has quite a story. Her kidnapping. A torturous confinement that should’ve ended with her dead. And finally, escape. Racked with guilt over the beautiful life they’ve built, Merritt and Luca agree to help get Lydia back on her feet—it’s the least they can do.

But the more enmeshed Lydia becomes in Merritt’s family, the more questions Merritt has. What is it about Lydia that’s especially unnerving? Why hasn’t she gone to the police with her harrowing tale? What does she really want of them? The answers, when they come, are terrifying.

Because Lydia isn’t the only one with secrets. 

| MY THOUGHTS |

Sometimes your brain is so completely overwhelmed you need a little something that doesn’t require too much effort to keep up with. This book does what it says on the tin. I don’t mean for that to sound condescending because ‘Unmissing‘ is actually good fun and I will definitely check out more of Minka Kent’s work.

Ten years ago, Luca’s wife Lydia went missing while on a hike. With Lydia presumed dead, Luca moves on with his life. He marries another woman, becomes a dad and runs a string of restaurants and other businesses. Life has been rather good for Luca and wife number two. Until … wife number one suddenly reappears on his doorstep. Not dead, in fact, but very much alive and obviously struggling to pick up the pieces since she was declared dead. Worried that this return will ruin her marriage, wife number two sets out to befriend wife number one and help her out. As you do, right?

Cue a whole lot of secrets and skeletons tumbling from the closets. These characters, ugh. Apart from a lovely lady in town called Delphine, each and every one of these characters was unlikeable. Yes, even Lydia. You’d think I would have been able to muster up some kind of sympathy for her, right? After all, she’s been through hell for almost a decade. But no, there was something incredibly off-putting about her. Don’t even get me started on the rest of the cast or I may never stop.

As for the plot, I thought at times it was pretty far-fetched, somewhat over the top, almost teetering over into sheer ridiculousness. Yet, I didn’t care about any of that because ‘Unmissing‘ was enjoyable and entertaining and exactly what my poor brain needed. Some things I figured out rather easily, others took me by surprise. With short and snappy chapters, switching between the two wives, this is one of those books you refuse to put down before you know the outcome.

It’s incredibly hard to talk about this book without giving anything away so I’ll leave things here. ‘Unmissing‘ is a cleverly written, fast-paced, twisty and addictive psychological thriller that will have you glued to the pages.

My thanks to the publisher for the advanced review copy!

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