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“Imran Mahmood is the only author writing about a missing person who deals with grief this well. I loved it.”—Gillian McAllister, New York Times bestselling author of Wrong Place Wrong Time
Someone is guilty.
For the last seventeen years, Harry and Zara King’s lives have revolved around their only daughter, Sophie. One day, Sophie leaves the house and doesn’t come home. Six weeks later, the police are no closer to finding her than when they started. Harry and Zara have questioned everyone who has ever had any connection to Sophie, to no avail. Except there’s one house on their block—number 210, across the street—whose occupant refuses to break his silence.
Someone knows what happened.
As the question mark over number 210 devolves into obsession, Harry and Zara are forced to examine their own lives. They realize they have grown apart, suffering in separate spheres of grief. And as they try to find their way back to each other, they must face the truth about their daughter: who she was, how she changed, and why she disappeared.
Someone will pay.
Told in the alternating perspectives of Harry and Zara, and in a dual timeline between the weeks after Sophie’s disappearance and a year later in the middle of a murder trial, Imran Mahmood’s taut yet profoundly moving novel explores how differently grief can be experienced even when shared by parents—and how hope triumphs when it springs from the kind of love that knows no bounds.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
March 5, 2024 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9780593723593
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9780593723593
- File size: 2882 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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October 1, 2023
Harry and Zara King are frantic; their only child, 17-year-old Sophie, is missing. As days turn into weeks, they become suspicious of a neighbor and dangerously take things into their own hands. A London-based criminal barrister, Mahmood makes his U.S. debut following the Theakston and CWA Gold Dagger Award long-listed You Don't Know Me. Prepub Alert.
Copyright 2023 Library Journal
Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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February 15, 2024
Harry and Zara King are struggling with the disappearance of their 17-year-old daughter, Sophie, who went missing six weeks ago. They have talked to all their South London neighbors except for one older man who is rarely seen. The couple has also received support from their fellow teachers, the school administration, and Sophie's classmates as they conduct their self-directed investigation. Discovering what they believe to be a critical clue, the Kings decide to take action. But were they correct in their assumptions, or was it grief that prompted their irrevocable actions? Told from Harry and Zara's points of view, Mahmood's novel immerses readers in the protagonists' inner turmoil and will induce them to seek justifications for even their most questionable decisions. Harry and Zara are not always likable, but they are increasingly sympathetic. Their legal maneuvering is complex and fascinating to puzzle out as the current storyline moves forward in contrast to reclaimed memories of the family's past. Dark, suspenseful, and smart, this will appeal to fans of Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn, or A Twisted Love Story, by Samantha Downing.COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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Starred review from January 15, 2024
Two South London parents take the search for their missing daughter into their own hands. Six weeks ago, 17-year-old Sophie King went missing. Her parents, Zara and Harry, have lost confidence in the police investigation, especially since one of their neighbors, Herman in number 210, has refused all questioning. The Kings begin their own separate investigations, each in their own way: Harry patrolling the area and quick to anger, Zara subtly infiltrating Sophie's social circle. Both are rash but make significant discoveries. Meanwhile, a year later, a murder trial is about to commence. As the novel jumps between the two timelines and Zara's and Harry's points of view, the truth of what happened to Sophie slowly comes into view. Though the novel is about a missing girl, the focus is less on the search for her than on how her disappearance affects her parents; it doesn't quite have the breakneck pace of a thriller but feels more like a slow unraveling. While having only so much information keeps the reader happily guessing, the switching between time periods and between days within those periods can become confusing when events that had seemed to take place on the same day suddenly diverge. The novel hits its stride in the back half, when the focus becomes the trial and the small tricks and maneuvering of the plaintiffs bring surprise after surprise. The last 30 pages have more to say than the first 80, perhaps, but it's worth it to get there. A slow but steady burn.COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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