Priorities Clash in Gillian McAllister’s Just Another Missing Person

Detective Chief Inspector Julia Day loves her job as a police officer in Portishead, England. But she loves her daughter Genevieve more. Julia does what she never thought she would do – covers up a crime to protect her daughter. That one act will have a domino effect, placing Julia’s job on the line and her freedom, as well as Genevieve’s, in jeopardy.

Mother and daughter are in a parking garage when Julia pauses to take a call. Genevieve is paying the ticket when she’s approached by a young man who tries to snatch her phone. Taking her keys between her knuckles, Genevieve stabs him in the neck, hitting his jugular. Genevieve’s action is understandable but beyond a reasonable response and could result in her being convicted of a crime. Julia ’s protective mother mode kicks in and she does three things. First, she tells Zac, as he’s bleeding and barely conscious, that if he ever reports the attack she will have him sent down on drug charges. Second, she breaks into the CCTV cupboard and takes the tape. And, third, after calling an ambulance, she and Genevieve flee. 

Julia presumes that Zac will die, but he survives after an operation and blood transfusions. He shows up at the police station after being released from the hospital, threatening to lodge a complaint. He never has the chance, dying later from a sepsis infection. While Zac didn’t die directly from being stabbed by Genevieve, to have what happened in that garage revealed now would certainly mean prison time for both Julia and her daughter. 

Gillian McAllister

Gillian McAllister’s Just Another Missing Person is not just another mystery novel. The author has created multi-dimensional characters caught up in a labyrinth of good intentions as well as lies and bad decisions. Julia is at the center of the plot and, not being able to share with anyone her dilemma, leaves her isolated. Since her husband, Art, confessed he had a one night stand, with a woman – someone who was a family friend, no less – he’s been sleeping in the guest room and the closeness the couple once enjoyed has evaporated. 

Despite the secret between mother and daughter and the rift in Julia and Art’s marriage, the three carry on as a family. During a dinner at a chicken restaurant, Julia receives a call about a high-risk missing person case and leaves to lead her squad. Olivia Johnson was reported missing by her roommate. Julia, and her right hand detective, Jonathan, know only too well that missing women may never be found. Last spring, a woman named Sadie, was walking home when she disappeared. After months with no progress finding Sadie, Julia was forced to withdraw from the case and move on. But moving on is never possible when the thought that the woman might still be alive weighs on Julia’s mind. 

Getting into her car after leaving Olivia’s apartment, Julia is threatened by an unknown man who is hiding in her backseat. Unless she does what he says, he will reveal what happened in that garage. Julia is sure she destroyed the CCTV, but what if he somehow found a copy? She can’t take the risk. He leaves with her two items, a glass and cigarette stub of a cigarette, that she must leave in Olivia’s apartment. Julia knows both will be tested for DNA and someone may be made a suspect in the young woman’s disappearance. Julia must redouble her efforts to find Olivia, knowing that the investigation has been compromised by her illegal act.

The story is told from different points of view. Besides Julia, we hear from Emma, whose son may have known one of the missing women, Lewis, the missing woman’s father, and read excerpts from Olivia’s social media posts. Price, a confidential informant who often works with Julia, turns out to be a valuable resource on all things criminal and a skilled operative who can follow orders without asking questions. Every time she enlists Price, however, Julia risks going even further down the rabbit hole. 

McAllister is adept at doling out bread crumbs, some of them leading to dead ends. That makes Just Another Missing Person a real page turner, but one that can be frustrating at times. Think you’ve figured things out? Another clue drops like a brick. 

Julia is not an easy character to love. While she expects those around her to excuse her shortcomings, she judges others harshly. Art, her husband, would be at the top of that list. Her long hours and tendency to place her job over her marriage, was a major factor in Art’s affair. And while Art’s infidelity is a hurtful blow, she refuses to work things out, even though she longs for those comforting texts and emails Art frequently sent her. That she has kept from him what she did to save their daughter speaks volumes about the state of her marriage.

Genevieve is a complex character. She’s a teenager who is haunted by Zac’s death, but she’s also self absorbed and somewhat cavalier about the sacrifices her mother has made for her. Yet as the glue holding her family together, she’s perhaps more mature than her parents

Parental love is a sub theme with all the characters – Julia, Art, Lewis, Emma, even Jonathan, Julia’s long time work partner. Protecting children, never giving up on them, whether they are missing or have committed a crime, is what parents do. That deep emotion will resonate with readers who may have been faced with difficult decisions involving their own children. 

Just Another Missing Person
Gillian McAllister

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