I Am Missing: David Raker Missing Persons by Tim Weaver
| I Am Missing: David Raker Missing Persons by Tim Weaver | |
|
| |
| Category: Crime | |
| |
Reviewer: Louise Jones
 | |
| Summary: A man with amnesia struggles to discover his real identity and calls on a private investigator for help. | |
| Buy? yes | Borrow? yes |
| Pages: 544 | Date: July 2017 |
| Publisher: Penguin | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 9781405917841 | |
|
Share on: | |
|
| |
David Raker is an investigator, specialising in missing persons cases. Over the course of his work, he's seen plenty of unusual things, but he’s never encountered a case quite like this one. A man, Richard Kite, has approached him for help, but explains that his request is quite unusual. You see, Richard Kite isn't trying to locate a missing person. He IS the missing person. Found unconscious at the mouth of Southampton Water 10 months previously, Richard is now suffering from dissociative amnesia, which means that he can't remember anything about his life. He's not even sure that his real name is Richard Kite. Richard is frustrated because he cannot move on with his life. Nobody seems to know who he is, despite news and press coverage of his case, and without a National Insurance number, he is basically 'off the grid,' unable to get a job, pay tax or own a home. This desperate and confused man needs Raker's help to discover the truth. But the truth can be a dangerous thing.
This is the first book I've read in the popular Dave Raker series by Tim Weaver. It was the premise of the book that drew me in; the idea of a missing person case where the person knew nothing about his own life. I was really intrigued about the path that the story would take. Would Richard turn out to be a hero or a villain? What secrets would be unearthed during the investigation? The story did not disappoint, and was fast-paced with plenty of twists and turns.
I enjoyed the fact that there was another narrative running parallel to the main story: the story of two sisters who are curious about a fenced-off area near their home. Their parents have warned them to stay away from the fence, but they are desperate to know what is being hidden up there. I realised that at some point, the two stories would converge, but couldn’t work out how they were linked. The way that the author drip-feeds the information as the story progresses ensures that the reader keeps on turning the pages. I found myself reading well into the night, utterly absorbed with the story and where it would take me next.
The story itself is engrossing enough, but its the little details that make it all the more enjoyable. Weaver has a real gift for setting the scene, with some beautifully crafted descriptive prose that set the backdrop perfectly. We are not just reading about a scene. We are a part of it; and that is the difference between a piece of writing being good or great. The characters were well written and believable; we feel an emotional connection and there was a part near the end of the book that almost had me in tears, the characters were so real to me.
I am Missing is an exciting, edge-of-the seat thriller which will delight readers. Clear your diary, because once you have picked this book up, you wont want to put it down again.
Bookbag also enjoyed The Dead Tracks, another Raker adventure in which the investigator is searching for a middle-class teenage girl who has suddenly disappeared from home.
Please share on: 
Facebook, 
Twitter and
Instagram
You can read more book reviews or buy I Am Missing: David Raker Missing Persons by Tim Weaver at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy I Am Missing: David Raker Missing Persons by Tim Weaver at Amazon.com.
Comments
Like to comment on this review?
Just send us an email and we'll put the best up on the site.
