Book giveaway: The Missing Hours. Post your feedback by 9 May for chance to win £100 Love2Shop Voucher!

[SorchaMumsnet]

This month we bring you Emma Kavanagh, author of Hidden, Falling and her latest psychological thriller, The Missing Hours. To find out more about Emma, read her Q&A, and to apply for one of 50 free copies, go to the giveaway page.

One day Selena Cole mysteriously vanishes but reappears twenty hours later, safe and well but with no memory of what took place. What happened in those missing hours and are they linked to a nearby murder?

We've got 50 copies of The Missing Hours to give away to Mumsnetters to read and share their thoughts about it on this discussion thread. Go to the giveaway page to find out more and apply for a free copy.

You don't have to win a free copy to take part in the discussion. Anyone who has read The Missing Hours can post their feedback here, and all who post before 9 May will be entered into a prize draw to win a £100 Love2shop voucher.

Don't worry if you haven't finished reading. Feel free to drop in at whatever point you've got up to and give your fellow readers your first impressions about the story, characters, writing style.

This giveaway is sponsored by Cornerstone, Penguin Random House

Finished it last night. Well-written and intriguing, but I did find the revelation of the identity of the murderer a bit disappointing, it needed one or two earlier clues to be believable for me. Not sure about the ending either, but on the whole this was an enjoyable read.

Just finished it here and really enjoyed it. Usually with this kind of book I spend all my mental thoughts trying to work out who was the murdered but here for the first 2/3 of the book I was more into the journey of where the story was taking me and the murderer in that respect was a little irrelevant.

I had no idea the k & r industry even existed (it seems I'm very naive) so that was an eye opener to think about the workings of it.

SPOILER MENTIONED WARNING. The twist of the murderer at the end had me by surprise and I was left feeling sad that a victim in so many ways who murdered someone would be imprisoned and probably start her drug addiction again after fighting the battle so much with it. It was a sad ending for that character but a nice neat ending for the book.

Really pleased I won this as I'm a big fan of Emma Kavanagh. Very good opening part. The chapter where they find Selena is interesting. Good part about ptsd being suffered by soldiers. Builds up more in later chapters, very exciting bit at the end. I'm now going to pass it on to my brother.

I've just started this and am already hooked and wondering how it will progress. My only gripe is over taking the kids to the park at 7.45 in the morning. Maybe I'm a particularly lazy mum and I admit I don't have a park across the street but it still seems a strange time and it made me question the realism of the story from the get go.

I'll post more when I'm further in.

About a third of the way through this and am really enjoying it. I always like good thrillers but it's not just about plot, the writing has to be good too, and this one is. I am really enjoying the different voices we're getting the story through. Unusual and effective. Can't wait to find out the ending.

I've just finished this and quite enjoyed it. I found it a bit slow in the first half but then it definitely got going in the second. I found all the kidnap and ransom stuff really interesting and the book gave a fascinating insight into this murky world!
I thought Selena was a strong character. Not sure about the ending (a bit abrupt?) but don't want to spoil it for others by saying more.

I've really struggled with this book. I just can't get into it. It feels too much about the procedure and not enough about the characters. I'm 25% in and just don't think I'm going to make it to the end. 😕

Still reading this but a great start so far, couldn't put it down and read until late last night as it had me hooked. will update when I get to the end. Thanks for the copy :)

Only 1/3 of a way through, am making notes as I go along. The first 5 pages were interesting enough to pull me and I'm enjoying the switch between characters storylines.

Thanks for my copy, which I've just finished. The book drew me in immediately and had an intriguing plot - a gripping story full of twists and turns, which provided a fascinating insight into the world of kidnapping and ransom.

I enjoyed the way that the story was told from the points of view of different characters, although did struggle at times to remember which character was telling the story as the viewpoints switched so quickly. I also liked the way in which the two stories (the disappearance of Selena and the murder of the local solicitor) were interwoven.

My only gripe would be that I found the ending a little unsatisfying as it seemed a bit rushed once the identity of the murderer had been revealed, but on the whole it was a very enjoyable read.

I've just finished reading this and really enjoyed it, despite it not panning out as I envisaged. Although I thought the focus would be entirely on the 'missing', the other dramas involved made it enthralling. I'll even excuse the spelling mistakes I found! Can't wait to read more by Emma Kavanagh.

Finished!

Really liked each chapter from a different view point. Clear and easy to read.

I also knew nothing about K&R, I found that interesting aswell as the ptsd storylines after returning from war.

It took me a while to warm to Selena, she seemed aloof. I understood her more as the story unfolded.

I liked the ending - it leaves you to fill in how you imagine it would have gone...

Will look out for other titles from this author.

Thank you

I've found this to be an enjoyable read, loved the switching between the present cases (missing person and murder) and the K&R Cole Group case files and articles and stories - it gave the story an extra edge.
I found DS Finn Hale and DC Leah Mackay were likeable, but I felt we didn't learn very much about them apart from Mackay's marital issues.
I had a feeling everyone was mixed up in one big web but it was interesting seeing how it unraveled for the characters involved as the storyline progressed.

The last couple of chapters were surprise and the ending seemed a little abrupt (solving the murder case and the spin off resolution to the missing person (Selena) arc.

Enjoyable though and I'll recommend it to my fellow UK crime/detective genre lovers.

Just finished it and loved it. Posted reviews on Goodreads and amazon.

Received a free copy of this. Fast paced thriller with believable characters you care about. Loved the emphasis on the psychology rather than blood and gore. Narration swapping between characters worked well for me, giving different viewpoints on the progressing story line. I'll be looking out for more books by this author.

Thank you for the free copy. A quick, fairly enjoyable read. I found the K&R bits interesting although the reports didn't feel very realistic/professional.
I'm not sure that it needed a sibling detective double act and found the sudden changes in tense distracting. As others have said, the ending was rather abrupt and disappointing.
However, it did keep my attention - I liked the short chapters- and I stayed up late to finish it. Won't go out of my way to read more of her books though

Thank you for my copy. I adored this book! Quite a short book , the increasing tension and character formation kept my attention throughout.

I am finished the book now. In the beginning I was not sure I enjoyed the writing style but it grew on me and I really enjoyed the read. I guessed the ending quite early on but could not see how all the pieces would come together cohesively so it was really enjoyable to follow the journey through and see things slot into place as it went.
I did find it difficult to remember which narrative I was reading at times, the voices of Finn and Leah were quite similar. but mostly the changing viewpoints were enjoyable.
I would probably read another book by this author.

Thanks for my copy. I didn't love this and nearly gave up, and found the ending a bit disappointing. But I liked the style - the different ransom reports. And some of the writing was really descriptive and just worked exactly for what she was trying to say - I just found myself thinking YES that's it exactly. But for some reason it just didn't click for me and overall I found it a bit "meh".

Finally underway. With the holiday weekend I expect I will get through it quickly. 60 pages in and I am intrigued by the disappearance/murder which presumably are connected and the back history of the missing woman. Can't wait.

Thank you for my free copy. I enjoyed reading this book. The main character, Selena, was an interesting one and I fluctuated between liking and loathing her. The whole K and R business was nothing like I had ever read before and I was intrigued by the fact that so many livelihoods are made in this way. The different viewpoints allowed the reader to see into the minds of varied characters and their weaknesses, and this worked well for me, even though I did sometimes get a little confused about who was who and the timescale. The ending was not what I had expected at all! It did seem that the murder of Dominic was a little forced and could perhaps have been thought through more clearly in order for at least some sort of earlier clue to be given, which would mean that the reader might be more satisfied. All in all, a good read which kept me wanting to find out the truth.

I haven't read any other comments yet because I've not finished the book yet - I'm about ⅔ of the way through.

I'm finding this quite an easy read and I am enjoying it although it doesn't keep me coming back for more.

I like the short chapters and I've got used to the changing points of view now although it took a while. I find I like Finn a lot more than Lea. I don't need to know quite so much about her background (unless it turns out to be vital to the end of the story). I feel that it detracts from the main plot. For me, she's not a strong character whereas Finn, even though we don't know as much about his background, is.

I have to admit that I didn't like the interspersed K&R reports and couldn't see the point. Yes, it's a way of explaining the activities and development of Selena's company but I just want to know who the murderer is and what the connection is to the Coles. This may well all fall into place when I get to the end of the book so I'll hold judgement on that bit.

So, over all - yes, I'm enjoying the book; it's a quick, easy read but it doesn't grip me as much as I feel it ought to.

Thank you for my copy - not what I was expecting at all - a great read. Thought provoking - things happen around you which seem un-important until you find out major incidents have been going on without your knowledge. A great book to share - as there is enough emotion but with hard hitting drama to keep both sexes entertained - my husband has started reading it (I would get him to post a review but he takes forever!!). Will look in to her other titles.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review “The Missing Hours”.

I was surprised that the dust jacket states Selena re-appeared the day after she went missing, as I think the suspense would have been greater if I had not known she would pop up unscathed.
I found this an intriguing and gripping thriller though not one of the best books I have ever read. At first I was confused by the case history reports inserted at random between chapters, though as I made progress I began to fathom their purpose, even gaining an inkling of the twist in the tale at page 312.
I rather liked the brother and sister relationship of the investigating officers, and fully empathised with her anguish as a mother over the disappearance of another mother.
The plot kept me guessing until close to the end, but I did feel the discovery of the murderer was a bit scrappy and secondary to the initial question of why Dr Cole had deserted her children in the park.

Thank you for my copy of The Missing Hours by Emma Kavanagh which I have just finished.
I did enjoy this book but must admit that at first I found the multiple narratives quite confusing.
The story centres around the disappearance of Selena and kidnap to ransom.
The detectives involved were brother and sister which added an interesting dimension to the story.
Overall I would say this is a good thriller which I enjoyed although I did find the ending a bit abrupt. I would like to see another book featuring the same detectives.
Thanks again for my copy. I am just about to start Falling by the same author.