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Writer's pictureKirsty Whitlock

'One Girl Missing' by Carla Kovach


Book: ONE GIRL MISSING

Author: Carla Kovach

Pub Day: March 9th 2022


About the Book:

Five-year-old Cally waits in her pretty pink bedroom for the sound of the front door opening and her mother’s sweet voice in the hall. But when the doorbell finally rings, and Cally creeps out of bed to peer through the banister, a large man in uniform is all she sees. Her mother is missing... Teacher Annabel Braddock was last seen drinking at the local pub with her best friend, Jennifer. Witnesses saw tears running down her cheeks, and friends say she was having problems with a colleague at work, and that her marriage had broken down. But as the two women hugged goodbye, neither noticed the car speeding towards them. As the dust settled, Jennifer lay unconscious on the ground and Annabel was nowhere to be seen. She’d never abandon her little girl, so did someone snatch her? As family crowd around Jennifer’s hospital bed, hoping she’ll wake up, police visit Annabel’s home and her inconsolable daughter, Cally, tells them she had seen a man outside staring into her room as she climbed into bed that evening. Was it her childish imagination, or had someone been watching Annabel’s home? When Jennifer finally opens her eyes and tells the police what happened that night, it’s clear there are plenty of people with a reason to harm Annabel. With an unpredictable husband, a colleague who denies harassing her and a neighbour who seems to know her every move, could she be in imminent danger? As the hours turn to days, will little Cally ever see her precious mother again? Or will she be next? If you love fast-paced, gripping crime thrillers that keep you up all night, you’ll be completely addicted to One Girl Missing. Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Cara Hunter and Clare Mackintosh.


BLOG TOUR REVIEW


Review for 'One Girl Missing' by Carla Kovach.


Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Carla Kovach, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous


Publication date 9th March 2022.


This is the fifth book I have read by this author. It is also the eleventh book in the 'Detective Gina Harte' series but can be read as a standalone. I have previously read 'Their Silent Graves' which is the seventh book in the 'Detective Gina Harte' series, 'The Broken Ones' which is the eighth book, 'One Left Behind' which is the ninth in the 'Detective Gina Harte' series and 'Her Dying Wish' which is the tenth book in the 'Detective Gina Harte' series and I would recommend them all.



I was originally drawn to this book by its beautiful eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that 'If you love fast-paced, gripping crime thrillers that keep you up all night, you’ll be completely addicted to One Girl Missing. Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Cara Hunter and Clare Mackintosh' I am a huge fan of Angela Marsons so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I am also a huge fan of Carla Kovach and if this is half as good as 'The Broken Ones', 'One Left Behind', Their Silent Graves' and 'Her Dying Wish' it is sure to be an epic read. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).


This novel consists of a prologue, 68 chapters and an epilogue. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!


This book is based in England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 , UK 🇬🇧 . I always enjoy when books are set in the UK as I'm from Wales and have sometimes visited areas mentioned in the book. This makes it easier to picture where the scenes are set at times. I have in fact visited England on many occasions including going there on holiday last and this year so am looking forward to possibly recognising name places.


This book is written in a mix of third and first person perspective and the protagonists are Annabel Braddock, Detective Gina Harte, Omar Abidar and Jacob. The benefits of books written in first person perspective are as long as they are well written it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them. If there are several protagonists you also get to see more of what is going on. The benefits of third person perspective with multiple protagonists are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything. To have the benefit of both first and third person perspective ensures you don't miss out on anything.


'One Girl Missing' discusses some topics that may trigger some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Carla discusses/includes stalking, secual assault l, domestic abuse and rape.


WELL, WELL, WELL CARLA DOES IT AGAIN!!!! YET ANOTHER EXPLOSIVE PAGE TURNER BY AN EXTREMELY TALENTED AUTHOR!!


This book is yet another riveting installment in this gripping and addictive series. Filled with vivid descriptions it is easy to get lost in the pages for hours. The cover and synopsis work perfectly with the storyline. This book hit every possible emotion and I loved every part of it.


The storyline was unique, very fast paced, realistic and filled with suspense, tension, secrets, action and lots red herrings to throw you off the scent. I was completely invested in the storyline and completely shocked by who the killer turned out to be and never expected them in the slightest!!! I always love it when I'm shocked as there's nothing worse than working out the killer and your not even half way through the book yet. The plot has so many layers and so many twists, turns and mini plots there is always something to keep you on the edge of your seat!!! I love that several chapters are from the perspective of several different people including a victim which gives an excellent insight to how they are feeling and what they are going through. This book discusses domestic abuse, stalking and rape and I am a huge believer that all of these should be discussed more often to help victims of either realise there is help available out there and they are not alone. As always Carla has done an immense amount of research and it shines throughout the book. It also highlights what a parent would do for their child. An extremely well written and thought provoking action packed crime thriller. The descriptions were so vivid I could feel the freezing cold water in some pages and the hair raising on my arms. It is filled with loss, crime, suspense, tension and is a rollercoaster ride of emotions. The ending had me choked up as did several events in the book so I would have the tissues at the ready!! As always this book has left me wanting more in the Gina Harte series!!


CLEAR YOUR SCHEDULES BEFORE STARTING THIS AS YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PUT IT DOWN!!!


Although this is the eleventh book in the series I had absolutely no problems reading it without the others. Any details or events that have previously happened are mentioned in just the right amount of detail to let a new reader know what has happened and yet not too much to bore a previous reader.


I love Gina and the fact that she is a strong female role model who has got a history herself makes it even better. I enjoyed meeting all the previous characters along with many new ones who all had their own personalities and were STRONG characters, well maybe not all!! A certain character, a few actually I could not stand but I'm extremely pleased that particular characters got their comeuppance, I won't say more than that as I don't want to spoil it for others but once you've read it I'm sure you'll know who I mean. I love the dynamics in Gina's team and the fact they all work so well together. Each of her team has their own unique traits and personalities and I love meeting them in each new storyline that Carla brings out. My heart particularly went out to Jacob and Gina in this book, I won't say anymore than that as not to spoilt it for future readers. It also broke for Omar and his mum, you will see why when you have read this amazing book!! I am looking forward to meeting them all again when I read more of the fabulous Carla's books.


If you have never read this series I highly recommend starting now. It is always great if you can start at the beginning of a series but the brilliant thing with Carla's books is that it really doesn't matter where you start as they can be read in any order.


THIS IS A MUST READ, ACTION PACKED, UNPUTDOWNABLE PAGE TURNER THAT WOULD MAKE A BLOCKBUSTER MOVIE/TV SERIES. I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THAT HAPPEN!!


CONGRATULATIONS CARLA ON YET ANOTHER EXPLOSIVE INSTALLMENT IN AN EPIC SERIES!!! This is exactly why you are in my top 3 crime authors and series list!!


Overall a page turning, psychological thriller that will leave you shocked and wanting to read more of this incredible series


Genres covered in this novel include Psychological Fiction, Crime Fiction, Thriller, Police Procedural, Mystery and Psychological Thriller amongst others.


I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Angela Marsons, Carol Wyer, C. L Taylor, Tess Gerritsen and anyone looking for an addictive and explosive series.



359 pages.


This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!


Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.


Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews


@CarlaKovach @Bookouture @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86









Author Bio


Carla started writing more seriously ten years ago after having flirted with musical theatre and occasional writing in her youth. Since then she has written & produced several stage plays, has four self-published books, has acted in several independent films and is currently in the final stages of production of her feature horror film, Penny for the Guy. She now writes full time as well as co-owning a film, photography & video production company located in the heart of Redditch town centre.


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