Missing You by Harlan Corben

Whenever I see Harlan Corben is releasing a new novel, I immediately pre-order the book as he is one of my favorite authors.  I started Missing You by Harlan Corben Saturday afternoon and finished it later that night.  His novels usually hook me by the first two pages - this one took a couple of chapters.  Missing You is one of my least favorite books he has written - it is a stand alone novel.

I did like the main character NYPD Detective Kat Donovan - feel like Mr. Corben could do a series of books with her.  I did feel like the plot of this novel based on an online dating profile that revealed an old love, her father's murder, and kidnappings was really far-fetched. I did not understand Kat's long-term attachment to her old love Jeff.  I never got an emotional attachment to Jeff.

What I did like was a fleeting mention of one of my favorite character's in Mr. Corben's novels of Win as they visited his offices - made me go back and start reading a Myron Boliter novel again -  best series ever!  Love those books!

Even though Missing You is not one of my favorites - I'd still recommend it and give it 4 1/2 stars.  Can't wait for the next Harlan Corben book!

P.S.  I'm trying to keep track of how many books I read this year - after finishing Missing You, I immediately started rereading the last Myron Boliter book - Live Wire - to refresh my memory on why Win had disappeared.  I hope Mr. Corben gives us more on Myron Boliter besides his books on Mickey Boliter (which are good also!).  This series is full of drama, irreverent humor, and smart plotting - just love them - need to start from the beginning again!


From Amazon:
It's a profile, like all the others on the online dating site. But as NYPD Detective Kat Donovan focuses on the accompanying picture, she feels her whole world explode, as emotions she’s ignored for decades come crashing down on her. Staring back at her is her ex-fiancé Jeff, the man who shattered her heart—and who she hasn’t seen in 18 years.

Kat feels a spark, wondering if this might be the moment when past tragedies recede and a new world opens up to her. But when she reaches out to the man in the profile, her reawakened hope quickly darkens into suspicion and then terror as an unspeakable conspiracy comes to light, in which monsters prey upon the most vulnerable. 

As the body count mounts and Kat's hope for a second chance with Jeff grows more and more elusive, she is consumed by an investigation that challenges her feelings about everyone she ever loved—her former fiancé, her mother, and even her father, whose cruel murder so long ago has never been fully explained. With lives on the line, including her own, Kat must venture deeper into the darkness than she ever has before, and discover if she has the strength to survive what she finds there.