Goodreads summary of Just Another Missing Person by Gillian McAllister (review below): From the author of Reese’s Book Club Pick and the New York Times bestseller Wrong Place Wrong Time comes a new heart-stopping thriller in which a missing-person case unravels deeper, darker secrets that lead a detective to an impossible moral choice.
22-year-old Olivia has been missing for one day…and counting. She was last seen on CCTV entering a dead-end alley. And not coming back out again.
Julia, the detective heading up the search for Olivia, thinks she knows what to expect. A desperate family, a ticking clock, and long hours away from her husband and daughter. But she has no idea just how close to home this case is going to get.
Because the criminal at the heart of the disappearance has something she never expected. His weapon isn’t a gun or a knife: it’s a secret. Her worst one. And her family’s safety depends on one thing: Julia must NOT find out what happened to Olivia – and must frame somebody else for her murder.
If you find her, you will lose everything. What would you do?
This clever and endlessly surprising thriller is laced with a smart look at family and motherhood and cements Gillian McAllister as a major talent in the world of suspense and a master of creating ethical dilemmas that show just how murky the distinction between right and wrong can be.
Just Another Missing Person By Gillian Mcallister- Review Disclaimer
Here I go again. This is a disclaimer that I seem to be the lone wolf in my disdain for Gillian McAllister’s latest, Just Another Missing Person. So, go into this knowing that there are many who LOVED this book.
#1 and #2 Just Another Missing Person There Are Multiple Identities, And Then There Is Utter Confusion
Aaaand… #2- There Are Twists, And Then There Are Migraines.
My post my rules. Reasons 1 and 2 go hand in hand, so they are together.
Let me get this out of the way. I’m trash for books that have so many identities I’m not sure who I am by the end. Just as I love books that bank hard to the right when you think it is going left. For instance, see my review of The First to Lie by Hank Phillippi Ryan for proof. I love books where you might have bits and pieces figured out, but the big picture twists? They slap you in the face and, most importantly, fit into the confines of the story. To be fair, Just Another Missing Person’s twists all fit within the story. They make sense. I won’t argue that piece.
Here’s what I will argue. At some point, this book became so completely convoluted that I couldn’t keep up with the identities or twists. It isn’t the audiobook’s fault. It is labeled by POV and narrated well. This is all about the story. Whether it is the structure and how it is laid out or how the reveals are, well, revealed, it caused me mass confusion.
See, I wasn’t even here because I didn’t know the equations to figure out.
And when the answers to the equations that I didn’t even know existed were revealed? I didn’t know what they answered.
Dually, within the story, banking so hard to the left that I drove off a cliff, the character identities piled up into a mess. And again, I love identities within identities. So, for me to complain about characters having a multitude of identities and motives (known and unknown)? There is a serious problem. I was with the story for the first half, and then I just… lost. Completely lost. I even tried relistening to chapters, but nope. I couldn’t tell why the reveals mattered or connected (most of them, anyway). Part of me thinks there was just too much story in this story. Gillian McAllister just tried too hard.
I guess if you want to think of this positively, it made the book a complete surprise. You won’t guess anything. But, to me, this was not in a good way.
#3 That’s The Cherry On The Parfait- Just Another Missing Person by Gillian McAllister
Here’s what I do understand. Without going into spoiler territory, let’s just say that Just Another Missing Person wraps up so nicely, so conveniently, that it might as well have been a half-hour sitcom. As I got towards the end, well, at least something has to not work out for someone. Yet, it is all so perfect that it is saccharine. I wish I could say more, but spoilers and all. Plus, some plot lines and characters ended up never getting a real payoff. Blek.
Thank you to William Morrow and HarperCollins Audio for an advanced audio of Just Another Person by Gillian McAllister- published August 1st, 2023.
#4 If It Acts Like A Sitcom And Talks Like I Sitcom
Remember how I just said it could have been a half-hour sitcom? Truly that isn’t just because of how the book ended. It should have been a half-hour sitcom because it was so repetitive. And repetitive is always bad, but repetitive confusion? If that isn’t the saltiest salt in the biggest of wounds. Cut down the repetition, and this book would have benefited from being shorter. Hell, maybe it would have been less confusing.
#5 The Pacing… What Even Is Pacing?
This plays into the repetitive part of Just Another Missing Person. The first 60% or so plod along like a tortoise. And a lot of that is due to the repetitive nature of the background information given. Then, and here is the kicker, Gillian McAllister goes into ludicrous speed after that first 60% or so. Reveal after reveal starts flying (those that I even recognized as reveals) to the point that, going back to #3, the ending is lackluster at best.
The pacing isn’t helped by how the POVs repeat/mimic each other rather than playoff each other.
There are my reasons to keep you from reading Just Another Person by Gillian McAllister. Have you read it? Do you agree? Disagree? Bring it on.
I like how you made this post and you’ve convinced me…I won’t read it. But it kind of did make me curious about the book lol. Great post!
Thank you so much! I’m thrilled to save you the trouble. There are too many good books in the world.
I have 6 hours and 40 minutes left on audio and I just can’t do it anymore. People on Goodreads are way too generous with their 5 star reviews for everything! The main detective, Julia, talks ad nauseum about how dedicated and moral she is. She is a terrible detective and not very bright. She was scaredsomeone she loves being charged with murder and a 10 year sentence, but the charge would have never been made. It was self-defense. I’m done with Gillian McAllister. I might have read 1 or 2 decent books by her, but the ones lately are just vomited up from the remains of her prior novels.
Omg you should completely write reviews.. I love how you expressed what you thought. And I couldn’t agree more! Vomited up… you are going to see that in a review (when I find a book worth reviewing-been hard to find anything not meh). Just know I stole it from you. Thank you so much for adding another voice to my site… and for following! I hope you continue stopping by my little corner of the world
Hi
Potential spoiler. How did Julia betray Price?
Yeah that is a spoiler that I definitely dont want to post publicly. Plus, truth of it is.. did SHE really cross HIM? Lol
I’m also curious about this. Because I read almost the whole book in a night. Meaning I didn’t have time to like… forget it. I don’t know.
It has been a while for me now, lol. But you can always email me at novellives@gmail.com for spoiler conversations
I am on page 228 and I now have no idea what the hell is going on! Who is Matthew? Is he Andrew? Who is Sadie? Is she really Olivia? I do like curious, hard to figure out novels, but I am nonplussed. I now do not know who anybody actually is. This is the most confusing novel ever. I have gone back and reread passages but I am still confused. I may just go online a read a summary to find the conclusion. Seriously. I may finish this book but NEVER read another book by this author. Completely convoluted up to page 228.
Elle. I feel you. I hear you. And I know this pain. It is such a convoluted nightmare, I started wondering if I murdered someone. Thanks for stopping by!
I really do not understand what is so confusing about it. It’s all clearly explained in the novel.
How is it possible that people find this novel confusing? I found everything perfectly clear, I think the author made it quite easy to follow. I listened while driving and was never lost…
It’s a good book, not confusing whatsoever, don’t know how anyone could get confused.
That is why there are so many books. Everyone has their own loves and hates! I completely respect your opinion and understand. There are many books I loved that others hated.
I barely made it through 1/4 of the book. She scrubs the security cam that would’ve proved her daughter was attacked and acted in self defense?
And I agree about the character being dense and without morals.
She is convinced to do something immoral and illegal. How? Because a mystery person threatens to reveal the daughter’s ‘crime’. How would her mom being exposed as a crooked cop who covered up and committed crimes help? Couldn’t finish it.
Hi Paula! Thank you for visiting my site. I hope you return! I’m so sorry you dragged through the first quarter of the book. There are SO MANY unbelievable parts of this book. I love the responses, like yours, that see it.
Thank you, I thought I was the only one. Two words for this novel-convoluted and repetitive. If I have to read that she is ‘doing this for her daughter’ one more time I am going to vomit. I can only assume her earlier novels are better otherwise why would this one have ever been published. Just to add, I started reading this because Lisa Jewell, whom I love, commented positively on it. I’m disappointed in you Lisa!