Missing Maria

by Ryan Souter, Riley Martin (Illustrator), Lisa Saunders (Photographer)

Aspiring novelist Dalia Comb lives a luxurious life complete with a loving family and professional husband until the fateful night their teenage daughter, Maria, doesn't return.

Thrust into more drama she could ever produce on the page, Dalia turns detective and, aided by her detective brother, investigates a shadowy world of mental trauma, mean streets, and people close to her who are not always what they seem.

The search uncovers twists and trysts, and leads her down rabbit holes into worlds she has never known before. Her fight to bring Maria home ultimately tests her sanity and her marriage.

In MISSING MARIA, Ryan Souter has penned a psychological thriller of a mother’s desperate search for her only child, and how one’s painful past can come back to haunt.

406 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 26, 2023

About the author

Ryan Souter began his storytelling career writing and directing independent features.

Ryan Souter is the author of four suspense-thriller novels: Little Devil Inside, Missing Maria, Hope Rises, and his more recent, Hope Unites.

He specializes in immersive, character-driven stories that he hopes will keep you turning the pages. You can follow him on social media and at his website—www.ryansouter.ca

Reviews

[Lisa Saunders · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ryan Souter definitely hits his writing stride with newest novel, Missing Maria. One part suspenseful thriller, one part family drama, Ryan delves into the dynamics of raising a teen daughter during a truly challenging time. The reader feels the challenges faced by parents Dalia and Roland, who strive to maintain a connection with their daughter, Maria, while she struggles to maintain her independence and transition to adulthood. When a life-changing event happens to Maria, the reader truly has no idea who is behind the situation. That is the best part of Missing Maria, the ambiguity of culprits: trying to discover and ascertain what has transpired and who is behind it. Childhood friends, parents, family, community members, unsavory characters with rocky pasts, everyone is suspect with a potential reason for being involved. Souter even weaves in characters from his first novel, Little Devil Inside, to add to the mystery. When the reader finally gets clued into what happened, the pace of the novel only increases substantially. You simply must read to the end to discover how the situation is resolved. To the novelist: well done on an incredible read, Ryan Souter.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Missing Maria is an entertaining, quickly paced read showing the lengths parents will go for their children. It delves into the dark sides of humanity, and how you don't always truly know others, even those closest to you. Inspired by some real events and linking briefly back to another of Souter's earlier works, the book will be enjoyed by anyone into thrillers and mysteries.