A foreboding, empty Scottish Manse that captivated me from the first page.

There was a lot to like about the opening of The Missing Years. The main protagonist Ailsa has clearly faced some challenges and as she opens up the old family home she fled from her initial memories begin to summon up question for the reader. Her Father disappeared many years ago and I liked how the author wrote brief interludes between chapters to tell give us a sense of what her father is doing now and why he disappeared - I want to know more about the past now. I enjoyed reading the potential dysfunctional relationship of Ailsa and her half sister Carrie. This relationship offers potential for further problems as 'the missing years' of Ailsa resurface. I was gripped immediately.

The jacket is well designed. It shares the typical conventions of a modern thriller which caters to the right audience. It's eye catching and I think the contrast of colours make it more visible on shelf of books. The image harks to the story straight away.