The Missing

by Karl Vadaszffy

John Simmons is en route to London with his girlfriend, Jennie Michaels, whom he intends to propose to that evening. He pulls into the London Gateway Services, leaving Jennie in the car. But when he returns, she has disappeared. Frantic with worry, he turns to the police for help. The police doubt that Jennie there is no trace that she ever existed.

John, convinced Jennie was not a figment of his imagination, sets out in a desperate attempt to find the woman he fell in love with. He has the help of Detective Sergeant Kate Nielsen, herself haunted by a botched undercover operation that led to her being raped four years earlier.

Everything he can remember of Jennie – where she worked, where she lived – turns out to be untrue. Nielsen, following John as he lurches from one lead to another, begins to wonder if Jennie could be the eleventh victim of a serial killer. Their investigation becomes increasingly urgent and threatens to bring back dark and murky images from Nielsen’s past.


Praise for The

“Karl Vadaszffy’s The Missing is a terrifying and perplexing debut mystery, spare and fast-paced with a terrific ending. I wouldn’t be surprised if it spawns a DS Kate Nielsen series.”
 Glenn Cooper (Library of the Dead and Book of Souls)

“A thriller to make your pulse race. Desperation and frustration stain the pages – a cracking good read.”
 James Becker (The First Apostle and The Moses Stone)

“Karl Vadaszffy delivers a real treat in The Missing, a thriller written with the passion and intensity of a master storyteller. Mystery, action, a flawed but determined protagonist, this book has it all. I’m a fan of Karl’s skill.”
 Matt Hilton (Dead Men’s Dust and Judgement and Wrath)

“A mystery that grips, provokes and most definitely causes the spine to tingle. Nothing is as it seems in this suspense-laden tale, the pith darkening on each exquisitely written page. The Missing moves at a relentless pace, taking the reader on a journey into the twisted mind of a very dark soul. A spellbinding thriller.”
 C. M. Palov (The Templar’s Quest and The Templar’s Code)

“The Missing plunges you into a nightmare scenario worthy of Harlan Coben at his best. However, this is more than a suspense novel, it is a perceptive and intriguing human drama. All the interactions ring true and the characters – even the monsters – are always believable.” Elly Griffiths (The Crossing Places and The Janus Stone)


“The Missing is a fast and compelling book, by turns tender and brutal, with a pounding sense of approaching crisis. The author’s command of the scenes is impressive.” Patrick Lennon (Corn Dolls and Steel Witches)

“The Missing is a nightmare of a book, triggering a reader’s darkest fears and keeping him in a state of tension from the first page until the last.” Thomas Perry (Strip and Silence)

"Karl Vadaszffy's 'The Missing' is a superior thriller, at once an exercise in vicarious paranoia and a horrifyingly convincing look into the mind of a killer. It's a shame Hitchcock isn't around to film it, it's exactly the kind of story he did best." Scott Phillips (The Ice Harvest and The Walkaway)

“Karl Vadaszffy is just the sort of writer we should encourage – young, ambitious and creative.” Michael Dobbs (House of Cards and Winston’s War)

Visit karlvad.com for Karl's official website.

Genres: Thriller, Amazon, Fiction, Mystery, Crime

ebook

First published June 7, 2012

About the author

Praise for Karl Vadaszffy, acclaimed by internationally bestselling authors:

'Terrifying and perplexing' Glenn Cooper on THE MISSING
'A nightmare scenario worthy of Harlan Coben at his best' Elly Griffiths on THE MISSING
'A shame Hitchcock isn't around to film it, it's exactly the kind of story he did best' Scott Phillips on THE MISSING

'Masterful and thrilling, this is a book to devour' Elizabeth Haynes on SINS OF THE FATHER
'A real page-turner. Takes you to the edge and beyond' Damien Lewis on SINS OF THE FATHER
'Skilfully lunges towards its shattering climax' C.M. Palov on SINS OF THE FATHER

'A great study in warped psychology and its roots' Sophie Hannah on FULL OF SIN
'A strong, passionate voice' Cathy Kelly on FULL OF SIN
'A remarkable achievement reminiscent of early James Ellroy' Robert Ellis on FULL OF SIN

About Karl:
After studying literature, linguistics and Spanish at university, Karl Vadaszffy trained as an English teacher and actor. He has edited magazines, taught English as a foreign language in Poland and taught English, Media Studies and Drama in secondary schools in England.

Working in schools in Hertfordshire, UK, he became Head of Year when he was only 25 and a Head of English at 26. He is currently the Head of English, Drama and Media Studies at an Ofsted outstanding-rated Catholic school in Hertfordshire.

Karl currently juggles his teaching responsibilities with work as a freelance journalist. His articles regularly appear in ten industry-leading magazines that cover the automotive, aerospace, technology and travel sectors. His articles are read by over 12,000 subscribers in print, and more online.

While in a previous teaching role, Karl established The Astley Cooper School’s author visits programme, which saw a number of authors, many internationally bestselling, visit the school to give talks, sign books and host workshops. These included Frederick Forsyth, Jodi Picoult, Sophie Hannah, Peter James, Darren Shan, Joanne Harris, Michael Marshall, Deborah Moggach and Elizabeth Buchan. The programme ran for three successful years until he left the school.

Karl was a competitive fencer for seven years. Fencing is in his blood; his father was Hungarian Foil Champion and three-time British Epee Champion, coached the under-21s British Olympic foil team and was the personal coach of Bruce Dickinson, lead singer of Iron Maiden, for almost thirty years. He also coached actors, including Ralph Fiennes and Robson Green, to prepare them for screen roles.

Similarly, Karl’s passion for drama was inherited from his father, who also trained as an actor. Zsolt Vadaszffy trained at RADA before having a successful film and television career in the 1960s, working with actors such as Michael Caine, Sean Connery, Anthony Hopkins and Alec Guinness. Karl followed in his father’s footsteps by training at the London Centre for Theatre Studies.

Karl can be contacted at: karl@karlvad.com.

Reviews

[K J Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well this is a book with a mixed bag of reviews on Amazon UK: some slate it, some praise it: some are downright insulting to the author.

I rather liked it.

Be under no illusions: this is not a pleasant book; it is about a serial killer who focuses on women. They tend to be nasty characters that do nasty things to women. I had to laugh at one reviewer who decries the violation of women as portrayed in this book, and another who criticises the lack of loving sex. Hmm, if only twisted serial killers converted to indulging in loving sex: they’d all be cured.

OK, the police procedure is not realistic, but then who believes that Morse, Frost or many other fictional detectives are realistic? This is a work of fiction. Live with it.

In reality, there would be a specialist squad investigating the killings but, as with those other top ’tecs, DS Kate Neilson is on her own. Did the elusive Jennie ever exist, or is the sadly lovelorn John Simmons deluded about her existence and killing all these women? Or is the killer a fellow detective (the DCI has issues)? What is the involvement of the Wongs?

The first half of the book moved at a reasonable pace, the second half thundered along. Not all of it was to my taste, but I did enjoy it overall.

I don’t disbelieve the earlier reviews that mention many typos and errors, but I didn’t notice more than a couple, which means either I’m half blind, the story was good enough to make me not notice them, or they’ve been corrected.

Overall, a very worthy 4 stars.

[Gillian Metcalfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, it was completely different to his other book which I like. It had me gripped from the first page until the last one, I found the characters believable especially John Simmons and DS Kate Nielson. I can't wait to read his next novel. For this reason I give it 5* and highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys a suspense thriller.

[Sue Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this as an arc from the book club (tbc) in exchange for an honest review.
John simmons is en route to london with his girlfriend, Jennie michaels, whom he intends to propose to that evening. He pulls into the london gateway services, leaving Jennie in the car. But when he returns she has dissappeared. Frantic with worry he turns to the police for help. The police doubt that Jennie excists. There is no trace that she ever excisted.
Wow. Absolutely fantastic read. I loved the story and characters. I wasn't sure of John at first i thought he was mad but kate was fab. She didn't give up on him. She was such a strong character. And what a twist in the story. wow. Didn't see that coming. I would highly recommend this book.

[Amanda Gorry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book may have received mixed reviews but I enjoyed it. The story follows a tired and overworked cop as she tries to hunt a serial killer even though she is still recovering from a very harrowing experience. There's also the guy who was all excited to be treating his new girlfriend - all set to propose even though it had only been a few weeks. But things aren't quite what they seem with that - There were lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing all the way through. Don't bother with the mixed reviews - have a read yourself and make your own mind up :-)

[Jackie Roche · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank Tracy of TBC and the author, Karl Vadaszffy, for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest and open review.
This is one of the best debut novels I've ever read.
The tension starts at the beginning and never lets up.
It is an excellent fast-paced thriller that is both spine-tingling and chilling.
The twist at the end was amazing!
I'll certainly look out for more of Karl's novels and look forward to reading more about Kate.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new author to me, picked up solely because I needed an author beginning with V for one of my 101 things in 1001 days challenge. As ever with a Kindle freebie I didn't know what to expect from this. I was pleasantly surprised as this is a really well written, tight thriller that hooked me in very quickly.

John Simmons and his girlfriend Jennie Michaels are on their way to London for a trip to the theatre. They've not known each other very long but they are in love and John is about to propose. They stop off at a motorway services as John needs the loo, and he buys some coffee. When he gets back to the car Jennie has gone. Worse, when he contacts the police they threaten to charge him with wasting police time because the phone number he has for Jennie doesn't exist. In fact, it seems Jennie herself doesn't exist - she doesn't live or work where she says she does, and no one seems to know her.

Fortunately for John a sympathetic police officer, Kate Nielsen, decides to look for Jennie. Despite all the evidence to the contrary, she believes Jennie exists and could be in trouble. The investigation would be so much easier if John didn't keep getting involved though ...

Running alongside the story of the missing girl, a vicious serial rapist and killer is on the prowl. Has Jennie become one of his victims?

The story progresses at a fast pace, but the author also manages to portray the characters in a very effective way, so you get a real feel for who they are and how they will react to situations. Strangely the character I felt was least well developed was John though - at times I found myself wondering about his life and what he did for a living, which was never really explained.

This is a real page turner with lots of twists and a few unpleasant moments. At times it felt a little unrealistic - John's behaviour becomes more and more irrational as time goes by, but then again who knows how they would respond when the person they love has disappeared? I felt the ending was a bit rushed - the explanation seemed to be almost an afterthought - but overall this was a thrilling read and I'll definitely look out for this author again.

[Vika Ryabova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Джон Симмонс, житель небольшого городка под Лондоном, едет в столичный театр со своей девушкой Дженни Майклс. Они познакомились не так давно – всего три недели назад, но Джон уверен, что Дженни – его вторая половинка, и собирается после спектакля сделать ей предложение.

По дороге они останавливаются на заправке – Джону нужно в туалет, - Дженни ждет его в машине. Когда он возвращается, Дженни нет. Джон в растерянности. Он звонит в полицию. Что-то не так: телефон Дженни «не существует», по указанному Джоном адресу такая женщина не проживает. Ну и на стоянке никто ее не видел.

Джон запаниковал по-настоящему. И надо сказать, что боится он не зря – в Лондоне и окрестностях в последнее время похищают молодых женщин, чьи трупы потом находят со следами побоев и изнасилования.

Динамичный, интересный триллер. Частично написан от первого лица – от лица Джона. Действия остальных героев преподносятся от третьего лица. Это дает интересный эффект: Джон очень эмоциональный, импульсивный и нервный, поэтому его поведение трудно поддается оценке. Когда говорит (и действует) Джон, мы не можем понять – особенно поначалу – можно ли верить в реальность происходящего? Возможно, действительно его подружка Дженни ему примерещилась? Читателю кажется, что Джон как-то излишне истерит на пустом месте, всех подозревает – настоящий параноик…

Вопрос – кто же убийца? – остается открытым практически до конца.

Язык у автора «быстрый» - не знаю, как бы это объяснить… Читаешь – и тебе кажется, что надо быстрее, быстрее перевернуть следующую страницу, а то вдруг не успеешь, вдруг маньяк ударит опять? Книга состоит из небольших глав – и это также добавляет «скорости» рассказу. Удивительно, насколько убедительными оказались портреты нескольких жертв – собственно, это же декорации, от них не требовалось особой жизненности, но у автора получилось в паре коротких главок нарисовать образы молодых женщин, чьи жизни жестоко оборваны. Очень печальные истории.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never heard of this author but someone recommended the book on a facebook kindle page, so I thought I would give it a go. I like to try different authors. I was not disappointed.

The story is about John and his girlfriend Jennie. He is taking her to London to the theatre as he plans to propose to her. He has not been with her long but he knows she's the one. They travel down by car and he pulls into the service station to use the bathroom. Jennie decides to stay in the car. When he gets back to the car she has gone. Thinking she may have changed her mind and gone to the bathroom he waits and waits..... Then he goes into the service station but she is nowhere to be found. She has disappeared into thin air. He rings the police who attend but don't believe him for different reasons. They tell him he is wasting police time.

He goes home and sets about looking for Jennie himself, but it's as if she never existed, hence why the police think he's making her up.

This is an intriguing novel and you felt frustrated along with John, in that he couldn't trace her and no-one would believe him. Every dead end, frustrated you more, and you really empathised with his character. It did add to the suspense and intrigue and make you want to keep reading. At no stage did the book give away where it would all end, and it was literally right at the end of the book where it all started coming together.

I really enjoyed the book as it kept you guessing, and I like the way it made you empathise with John all the way through. A good read and a bargain price, especially on the kindle.

[Ellis Shuman · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are quite a number of novels available on Amazon enticing readers with the title "The Missing" and there is probably no shortage of plots that feature a mysterious disappearance not only of a main character, but of that character's very identity as well. So, what sets "The Missing" by Karl Vadaszffy apart from all the rest?
This book is a well-plotted, gripping read, that leads the reader on parallel tracks heading on an inevitable collision course. There is John Simmons, an estate agent who has just lost the woman to whom he was about to propose and whose very existence is now questioned by others. There is Detective Sergeant Kate Nielsen, still suffering from a traumatic past but who is willing to believe John's story, even when he begins taking matters into his own hands, awakening suspicions that he is responsible for his girlfriend's disappearance. And then there is the as yet unnamed villain, for whom taking the lives of beautiful women is just a game to be played out until its horrific conclusion.
Readers will become more than a bit frustrated with John's actions, but then, if you were in his shoes, would you hesitate to do everything possible to find a missing loved one? Kate comes across as the star of the book, one whose motives, moves, and anxieties are readily understood and accepted. Everything comes together in the end, with no loose ends or unanswered questions. Well, there is one unanswered question. When will we read Karl Vadaszffy's next novel featuring DS Kate Nielsen?

[Karla · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a little tough for me to get through, but I was determined to not give up on it~ There were alot of characters and the writing tended to get a little jumbled when switching between characters, one chapter through John (the main character), the next through the seriel killer, and then all of a sudden there were no chapters from the seriel killers point of view. This seemed weird to me until I realized that HE (the seriel killer) may have felt the police were getting close to catching him and he stopped. The ending wasn't what I expected at all, so that was surprising.

All in all this was OKAY, the language and disregard for women could have been left out but most came from a particular character in the book (Morgan) who clearly hated women.

There seemed to be alot of spelling errors in the book which was weird to me. Maybe it was because it took place in London and some of the spellings were in French~

SPOILER ALERT~

The seriel killer is Mr. Wong...which I didn't find believable at ALL! Although there have been Asian/Chinese American seriel killers in history it tends to be about 1% of the population. Also, the age profile was all wrong this man was much too old be fit the typical profile. However, some seriel killer do fit outside the mold.

[Lesley Keddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this as an ARC from TBC. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and read it in 2 days. The story centres around John whose girlfriend goes missing when he stops at a Service Station on their way to London. He reports her missing to the police but they don't believe him especially when it appears she didn't live where she said she did and also did not work at the solicitor's office where she told John she worked. Running parallel to this is the story of a serial killer and the two stories become intertwined. It was a bit confusing at times as it was not always clear whose perspective you were reading the story from as it sometimes changed within a chapter. Like others I found it a little rushed at the end too. I felt the story could have been made a bit more interesting if they could have said more about John, what his job was etc. Too many unanswered questions. Nonetheless I thought it was a good read.

[Lynda Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not one of my favourites. It was a little repetitive in places although some of that became clearer near the end but it still made it annoying as I was reading it. There are some careless editing errors in it as well which always get my back up !!
A guy is travelling to a theatre in London with his girlfriend and stops off at a service station and she disappears into thin air while he's inside. A few times I got so frustrated as he had her photo on his phone but didn't show it to people, he just kept describing her. He's helped by a police officer called Kate who has a violent past but we're left to know nothing of this till we're a long way into the story yet it was referred to in the description of the book itself.
I got bored with it 78% in but had to persist having invested that much time into it.

[Fiona · Rating 4 out of 5]

John is travelling to London with his girlfriend Jennie who he is planning on proposing to when he stops at the services. Returning to the car, Jennie has gone and the police don't want to help find her.

I really enjoyed this book, written in three perspectives. First is John and the style is quite disjointed, really getting across his confusion in losing his beloved Jennie. Secondly is Kate Neilson investigating while fighting her own demons and finally the killer.

Absolutely loved this book, kept you guessing until the very end.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Francene Stanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The plot in this book messes with your head. It starts out in a way you understand, albeit distressed followed by gruesome, murderous. You observe various characters, get involved in a heart-wrenching event, and before you know it, the plot twists. You're not sure of what happened before. Which character is good and which deceives? Who is the killer?

The writing style draws you along until you find a web surrounding you. Each thought entangles you more.

Okay, it's gory, it's horrible. Nobody should feel safe in their home. But you go on reading until the end reveals … Well, you'd better read the book.

[Nina · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good well paced thriller - 3.5 stars. I think some of the characters, mainly the rather desperate main character were a little unlikely, but a good story. The violence and victim's perspective of violence was extremely well-crafted in my opinion and is a real strength of this writer who leads you to inhabit the vicious mind of the killer and the terrifying feelings of the victims. I'd definitely read more especially with the female detective and her 'compadre'.

[Grammar*Kitten · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to confess I had a vague inkling where the plot of this story was going, as it had echoes of a horror film I watched many years ago; this did not spoil the story however, as it was written exceptionally well, dragging you through the plot and leaving you unable to put down the book (whether you wanted to or not) until you reached the climatic conclusion. Very enjoyable - would most definitely recommend it!

[Sandy Miller · Rating 2 out of 5]

A clunky writing style that has yet to get me to care about the character's.
The storyline is weak, the lead character has never been to her home, neither of them have met any of their friends or any member of family, (not even said "Hi" on the phone) he doesn't even know where she works. All quite possible on a whirlwind holiday romance in a remote part of the world. But these 2 are living and working in London. Oh, yes and he plans to propose. Yeah, right!

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite the previous mixed reviews I have since read, I thought the book was excellent. I found it exciting and gripping and it was a real 'edge of the seat' one for me. Loved the main characters, although John got a bit annoying at times - I did wonder at times if I would have done some of the things he did in trying to find the 'love of his life' but it becomes clear that he is a very intense person so perhaps it would be 'normal' behaviour for him. Another great book, Karl.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. It really was a whirlwind moving from one character to the next, the speed really keeping pace with the panic that John is feeling when his girlfriend goes missing and then appears to not exist. I didn't guess who the murderer was at all, which is always good in keeping you anticipating throughout. It's also great to read a book which although it feels like the fast pace of a US writer's detective novel, it's actually set in the UK.

[Gemma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book but, for me, it wasnt an "on the edge of your seat" thriller. Dont get me wrong the story is good and it is written well but it just didnt have that 'edge' that I was expecting after reading the reviews.
The story line is good, it does jump around a bit but you soon get used to it.
I would recommend this book although I wouldnt say it's a 'must'

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first I thought it was going to be a rip of off The Vanishing, the movie with Kiefer Sutherland. But it turned out to be a frantic, twisty-turny thriller. I don't know if I liked the central character or not. He seemed a little on the autistic spectrum so his feelings were conveyed in a somewhat matter of fact childlike manner. But I did enjoy reading this book on holiday.

[Leonie Hinch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite an enjoyable and relatively short story. A great little mystery that kept you guessing till the end. The only bad point I would say is just how annoying the character John Simmons actually was I don't know if any other readers felt the same but he really drove me mad! I felt at times I wanted to jump into the story and punch him on the nose! Anyway other than that a very enjoyable read!

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Missing by Karl Vadaszffy

Kate Neilson is getting deeper into the puzzle of John & ? Whoever she may be...what happened & why, & just who is she?
The cover up & lies, kidnappings, murders, violent past of Kate then getting a partner to 'watch' her, fast paced & intriguing.
At 1st it reminded me of a movie I'd seen then as things started picking up the book took off, a great read

[Quentin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not what I had expected – but I wasn't sure what to expect from an unknown writer. The book has its flaws (have you read many without a flaw or two?), but the story barrels along at a great pace and it makes some gripping reading.
This is someone to watch out for.

[Sammy Dawes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed how this booked left a lot to your imagination. It allowed you to form your own view of what was going on which then changed as you read new developments. Didn't quite grab me like Gone Girl did but it was definitely an enjoyable read!

[Craig Black · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read but...

The story was a ripper and I didn't see the end coming but some of the character behaviors were a let down. The male character, John, behaved like a goose. If you get past his irrationality you will love it.

[Gini Batey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic five star read. A great fast paced story with lots of twists and turns bought to a fantastic well explained conclusion. Great characters some more disturbing than others this story gets into your head and keeps you guessing . I would highly recommend this book to all

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing book!!!

[Michelle Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book, I'm not usually a crime reader but the plot had intrigued me and sounded interesting.