What do you think?
Rate this book
Brock & Kolla #8
No Trace
Within an unconventional artists' neighbourhood centred on Northcote Square in London, Detective Chief Inspector David Brock and Detective Sergeant Kathy Kolla engage in their most compelling case yet. They need to find missing six-year-old Tracey Rudd, the third child to be abducted in similar circumstances in recent weeks.
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
28 people are currently reading
351 people want to read
About the author
Barry Maitland
44 books185 followersBarry Maitland is the author of the acclaimed Brock and Kolla series of crime mystery novels, which are set in London, where Barry grew up after his family moved there.
His books have been described as whydunits as much as whodunits, concerned with the devious histories and motivations of their characters. Barry's background in architecture drew him to the structured character of the mystery novel, and his books are notable for their ingenious plots as well as for their atmospheric settings, each in a different intriguing corner of London.
Barry studied architecture at Cambridge University, and went on to work as an architect in the UK, then took a PhD in urban design at the University of Sheffield, where he also taught and wrote a number of books on architecture and urban design. In 1984 he moved to Australia to head the architecture school at the University of Newcastle in New South Wales, and held that position until 2000. He now writes fiction full time, and lives in the Hunter Valley, Australia.
His books have been described as whydunits as much as whodunits, concerned with the devious histories and motivations of their characters. Barry's background in architecture drew him to the structured character of the mystery novel, and his books are notable for their ingenious plots as well as for their atmospheric settings, each in a different intriguing corner of London.
Barry studied architecture at Cambridge University, and went on to work as an architect in the UK, then took a PhD in urban design at the University of Sheffield, where he also taught and wrote a number of books on architecture and urban design. In 1984 he moved to Australia to head the architecture school at the University of Newcastle in New South Wales, and held that position until 2000. He now writes fiction full time, and lives in the Hunter Valley, Australia.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
October 28, 2013
Barry Maitland simultaneously explores and sends up London’s post-modern art world in No Trace, his eighth Kathy Kolla-David Brock mystery and a finalist for Australia’s Ned Kelly Award. In it, flamboyant artist Gabe Rudd’s daughter Tracy becomes the third girl in as many months to disappear from her bedroom in the middle of the night. Sergeant Kathy Kolla becomes uneasy when Rudd and his equally outré friends begin to benefit from the tragedy through performance art and sculptures.
Is Rudd merely a self-centered, immature, inattentive father? Or is there something more sinister going on with him and the rest of the artist community at Northcote Square, the scene of Tracy’s disappearance? The 6-year-old's disappearance proves to be the first of a string of crimes at Northcote Square.
No Trace has enough twists and turns to keep any reader guessing until nearly the last page. Unlike Babel, the seventh book in the series, brand-new readers will fare just fine if they begin with No Trace. Whether you’re new to Maitland’s London police procedurals or you’re a long-time fan, you’ll love No Trace.
A Goodreads friend recommended this series to me. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Is Rudd merely a self-centered, immature, inattentive father? Or is there something more sinister going on with him and the rest of the artist community at Northcote Square, the scene of Tracy’s disappearance? The 6-year-old's disappearance proves to be the first of a string of crimes at Northcote Square.
No Trace has enough twists and turns to keep any reader guessing until nearly the last page. Unlike Babel, the seventh book in the series, brand-new readers will fare just fine if they begin with No Trace. Whether you’re new to Maitland’s London police procedurals or you’re a long-time fan, you’ll love No Trace.
A Goodreads friend recommended this series to me. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
April 8, 2019
I'm still enjoying these, although I have realized that I love the first 75% of the story as the investigation develops and then the solution is always so unnecessarily complicated, that the ending is just exhausting.
My ebook includes a map of Northcote Square, which would have been extremely helpful if it had been inserted at the beginning, rather than as the penultimate page...
My ebook includes a map of Northcote Square, which would have been extremely helpful if it had been inserted at the beginning, rather than as the penultimate page...
March 29, 2019
I picked up this book from my English Teacher’s class library because I was drawn in by the cover. It had a sinister and mysterious feel to it. I wanted to find out “what is it that there is no trace of?”. Could it be kindness and compassion which is slowly draining from the modernized human being? Could it be genuine happiness? (due to the ever growing use of technology and social media possibly?). The fact that the cover was black and white further confirmed my speculations since we generally associate happy and positive feelings with colors, and the “absence” of colors could possibly signify the loss of those feelings. However, that was not what the book was about. The book was about a missing girl named “Tracey” of whom there had been no trace of.
I enjoyed the way this book was written because I hate nothing more than predictable endings, and this book was anything but predictable. I found myself confused at times due to the presence of numerous characters which weren’t introduced properly, and just as I was getting to know one character another one was thrown at me out of the blue. Consequently, I found myself retreating and “tracing” back my steps ( see what I did there?!) in order to remember who was who. My favorite character in the whole book was Kathy Kolla; her perseverance and intelligence were absolutely inspiring.
I have to give it to Barry Maitland for keeping the reader guessing until the very last page and keeping a suspenseful mood throughout. Personally, I was proven wrong every time I felt like I had it all figured out (which were quite a few times).
The last thing I’d like to point out was the ending and how it seemed a bit far fetched to me. Other than that, the book was a pleasant read from one of my favorite genres and a good distraction.
I enjoyed the way this book was written because I hate nothing more than predictable endings, and this book was anything but predictable. I found myself confused at times due to the presence of numerous characters which weren’t introduced properly, and just as I was getting to know one character another one was thrown at me out of the blue. Consequently, I found myself retreating and “tracing” back my steps ( see what I did there?!) in order to remember who was who. My favorite character in the whole book was Kathy Kolla; her perseverance and intelligence were absolutely inspiring.
I have to give it to Barry Maitland for keeping the reader guessing until the very last page and keeping a suspenseful mood throughout. Personally, I was proven wrong every time I felt like I had it all figured out (which were quite a few times).
The last thing I’d like to point out was the ending and how it seemed a bit far fetched to me. Other than that, the book was a pleasant read from one of my favorite genres and a good distraction.
October 23, 2012
I enjoy this series because the author keeps the same detectives but sends them into different environments, so the series stays fresh. Previous books described rare stamps, 19th-century mental hospitals, and the architecture of shopping malls. This one's about modern art.
March 16, 2015
FAirly straight forward thriller with two detectives on the case. Pedestrian structure. Slw moving and badly written. Otherwise a nice detective novel. But there are many other authors who outshine Maitland.
Read
June 4, 2019In a London neighborhood known for its artists and bohemian style, six year old Tracey Rudd is abducted from her home without any warning, or sign of violence. She is the third child abucted under similar circumstances in recent weeks. But this case is different. She is the daughter of notorious contemporary artist Gabriel Rudd, best known for the grotesque "Dead Puppies," a work centered around his wife's suicide five years earlier. While Rudd exploits Tracey's abduction as an inspiration for a major new work in his upcoming exhibit, D.C.I. David Brock and Detective Sergeant Kathy Kolla hunt for the missing girls' kidnapper, who is suspiciously connected to the eccentric community of artists, dealers, and collectors in the neighborhood
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 7, 2022
Barry Maitland has again produced an engrossing crime novel, with an intriguing plot centred on the abduction of children and the world of modern art. The author provides plenty of twists and turns before an unexpected and surprising ending.
The personal lives of the two main characters, Brock and Kolla, are always interesting but they only occupy fairly minor aspects of this story.
Reading these novels out of chronological sequence can make it difficult to keep up with Kathy's love life or lack thereof and with Brock's private life but there's enough information given to enable the reader to adjust.
Overall, it's a most enjoyable read.
The personal lives of the two main characters, Brock and Kolla, are always interesting but they only occupy fairly minor aspects of this story.
Reading these novels out of chronological sequence can make it difficult to keep up with Kathy's love life or lack thereof and with Brock's private life but there's enough information given to enable the reader to adjust.
Overall, it's a most enjoyable read.
February 27, 2018
Remind me to stick with my first instincts when trying to figure out the murderer in Barry Maitland books! I had the right person and the right motive, but I was seduced by the improbabilities littering the plot. Congratulations Mr. Maitland on a very intricate story, but shame on you for such gruesome events throughout. The murders and even worse, the molestation episodes, were sick, twisted and ultimately uncalled for, as a good writer can conjure up emotions and images without resorting to gut-wrenching details. I like my mysteries cerebral, not fraught with horrifying graphics.
March 21, 2018
Another excellent entry in this ongoing series. I've had to skip five books because the library doesn't have them, but so far I've only missed some events in DS Kolla's personal life that are unrelated to the crimes she's investigating. This entry is a clever, engaging police procedural that will challenge your analytical powers. The portrayal of modern art's status in society and the flash mob elements are a bit overblown, but they work within the internally logical plot. With that mild caveat, I highly recommend this mystery.
December 27, 2018
Tracey Rudd is kidnapped and seems to be the third such disappearance of young girls. Her father, Gabriel Rudd, uses this tragedy to create a unique piece of art. He is also surrounded by a group of strange artists and an art studio. Can Brock & Kolla unravel the mystery and save the girl?
Very well-written and interesting mystery.
Very well-written and interesting mystery.
November 28, 2017
Another ripping good yarn, with lots of twists and tangles. I was kept guessing right to the end. Loved it.
June 26, 2018
Suspenseful to the end. Good plot.
December 6, 2020
Unfortunately, this one did not capture me as much as I thought it might. On to the next....
March 22, 2021
Maitland is back on form with this one. Lots of complicated artistic types. To be honest, I rarely care about the whodunnit side - I just enjoy the process and the character studies.
January 28, 2023
This was the first Brock&Kolla novel that I read -- many, many years ago. I'm rereading it now and enjoying it the second time around.
October 8, 2023
Truly excellent tale. Great, distinctive characters. Engaging plot. Just enough gory detail to create indelible images. Satisfying conclusion. I need to look for more from this series.
November 22, 2023
This one was about arty stuff which is not that interesting to me, and the mystery was very complicated. I prefer more simple! I couldn't keep all the characters straight.
June 18, 2024
Once again a well plotted mystery. Enjoyed Kathy Kolla's involvement in the story. Felt the ending went a bit too long.
August 5, 2024
Unpredictable ending which I liked, but it was a little hard to follow all that happens and a little heavy on the art symbolism for me.
March 6, 2025
Best of the series so far. Grapples with questions about contemporary art and artist, stitched into the storytelling.
July 16, 2014
‘I think that if anyone’ll find Trace, it’ll be you.’
Six year old Tracey Rudd goes missing from home, the London flat and studio she shares with her father Gabriel Rudd in Northcote Square. Rudd is a contemporary and controversial artist well known for his love of the grotesque and ability to attract publicity. Rudd’s most famous work was based on his wife’s suicide five years ago. Tracey is the third little girl abducted in this area recently, and her disappearance attracts a lot of attention from the press. Perfect, really, for Gabriel Rudd to try to reinvigorate his fading career, using Tracey’s disappearance as inspiration.
Chief Inspector David Brock and Detective Sergeant Kathy Kolla have little to go on. There are no witnesses, and they can find no clues at the crime scene. Northcote Square, with its collection of eccentrics and bohemians, becomes a bizarre tourist attraction. And then, there’s a murder, closely followed by a second. Are they connected to the kidnappings? Who is doing the murdering and why? Will the girls be found alive? There’s a fine cast of characters peopling the pages, and few of them are above suspicion. While, for me, Gabriel Rudd is truly unlikeable, I would have liked to have seen a little more of Dave the badger.
I enjoyed this novel, especially the character of Kathy Kolla, and I was kept guessing until close to the end about who had done what to whom. The ending? You’ll have to decide for yourself whether it works for you. Barry Maitland’s novels were recommended to me some time ago, but this is the first one I’ve read. I’ll definitely be looking to read some more.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Six year old Tracey Rudd goes missing from home, the London flat and studio she shares with her father Gabriel Rudd in Northcote Square. Rudd is a contemporary and controversial artist well known for his love of the grotesque and ability to attract publicity. Rudd’s most famous work was based on his wife’s suicide five years ago. Tracey is the third little girl abducted in this area recently, and her disappearance attracts a lot of attention from the press. Perfect, really, for Gabriel Rudd to try to reinvigorate his fading career, using Tracey’s disappearance as inspiration.
Chief Inspector David Brock and Detective Sergeant Kathy Kolla have little to go on. There are no witnesses, and they can find no clues at the crime scene. Northcote Square, with its collection of eccentrics and bohemians, becomes a bizarre tourist attraction. And then, there’s a murder, closely followed by a second. Are they connected to the kidnappings? Who is doing the murdering and why? Will the girls be found alive? There’s a fine cast of characters peopling the pages, and few of them are above suspicion. While, for me, Gabriel Rudd is truly unlikeable, I would have liked to have seen a little more of Dave the badger.
I enjoyed this novel, especially the character of Kathy Kolla, and I was kept guessing until close to the end about who had done what to whom. The ending? You’ll have to decide for yourself whether it works for you. Barry Maitland’s novels were recommended to me some time ago, but this is the first one I’ve read. I’ll definitely be looking to read some more.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
June 25, 2013
Another family-dysfunction police procedural set in London, but I finished this one because the main characters in the series were doing their jobs.
The gist of the story is that the daughter of an experimental artist has disappeared in the middle of the night from the house where she lives with her father. He is an odd guy, and he immediately begins creating a new art series about her disappearance, encouraging the media circus to ramp up even more than it already is. The police are a bit at a loss, even though they manage to track down another missing girl and find the perpetrators of a serial kidnapping spree; unfortunately there is no trace of Tracy, and the one person who might have been able to tell them anything kills himself trying to evade capture.
Then neighbors of the family are murdered and things begin to spin out of control for the artist with no new clues to Tracy's disappearance. The whole thing looks like a personal vendetta when the artist is murdered, and then the puzzle pieces rearrange themselves and Brock and Kolla suddenly discover the pattern.
A missing child mystery with a surprisingly happy ending. It helps that most (not all, but most) of the people who are killed in the story are not very sympathetic, so it's rather a matter of just desserts when they go.
The gist of the story is that the daughter of an experimental artist has disappeared in the middle of the night from the house where she lives with her father. He is an odd guy, and he immediately begins creating a new art series about her disappearance, encouraging the media circus to ramp up even more than it already is. The police are a bit at a loss, even though they manage to track down another missing girl and find the perpetrators of a serial kidnapping spree; unfortunately there is no trace of Tracy, and the one person who might have been able to tell them anything kills himself trying to evade capture.
Then neighbors of the family are murdered and things begin to spin out of control for the artist with no new clues to Tracy's disappearance. The whole thing looks like a personal vendetta when the artist is murdered, and then the puzzle pieces rearrange themselves and Brock and Kolla suddenly discover the pattern.
A missing child mystery with a surprisingly happy ending. It helps that most (not all, but most) of the people who are killed in the story are not very sympathetic, so it's rather a matter of just desserts when they go.
April 16, 2011
A very unusual and dense mystery that centers on an outrageous contemporary artist, Gabriel Rudd, whose daughter, Tracey, has disappeared. This is as much about the sorry state of modern art as it is about detective work. As people in the small, inbred group of artists in the neighborhood suffer violent deaths, Rudd locks himself inside a glass cube and begins to create an elaborate series of artifacts called "No Trace," after his missing daughter.
Detectives Brock and Kolla are alternately disgusted and perplexed by the spectacle as they fight to get at the truth. This is definitely an above-average police procedural, not a fast read but worth the effort for its insight into the contemporary art scene in London.
Detectives Brock and Kolla are alternately disgusted and perplexed by the spectacle as they fight to get at the truth. This is definitely an above-average police procedural, not a fast read but worth the effort for its insight into the contemporary art scene in London.
August 3, 2011
This might be my favorite Brock & Kolla so far. I think I said that about Babel, and at the time I meant it, but this has taken the number one spot. It's got a secluded feeling because of the location and nature of the crime/s, so even though the story takes place in London, it feels so much more intimate. And, really, thinking about it now, Maitland does this a lot: he seems to insulate his locations, thus his stories and characters, which is the perfect kind of atmosphere for a nice mystery--cozy and menacing at the same time. His stories are intricate without being overly complicated, he throws in the right number of red herrings, and he develops his characters more and more with each action, scene, and book.
Read
January 28, 2012When contemporary artist Gabriel Rudd's young daughter, Tracey, goes missing from their London home, police suspect it might be the work of a serial killer. Soon the detective team of David Brock and Kathy Kolla find clues connected to Rudd and his bohemian neighborhood of artists and dealers. Could Rudd have exploited his daughter's disappearance to promote his own career? This most satisfying mystery is wonderfully atmospheric, with a scathing, very convincing send-up of the contemporary art scene, a devilishly intricate plot, memorably creepy characters, and an engaging investigative team. (Susan R., Reader's Services)
January 15, 2012
Six stars! This is one terrific mystery, or thriller, whatever you want to call it. Brock and Kolla on the hunt for the missing daughter of a very crazed, contemporary artist. The book takes you in and around a clique of artists and wannabies and a gallery that shows their work. Although this book is sort of a send-up of pretentious contemporary art, it rings true in many ways. Since I went to art school I can verify the soundness of the characterizations, as odd as they may seem to you. The book is fast paced and you'll enjoy trying to figure out where it will end.
September 11, 2014
I've never read a book by Barry Maitland and enjoyed what a taut thriller No Trace is. The author works characters, settings, plot and tension with a surgeon’s precision. Not a character is wasted, they all weave in and out until the surprising end. Minor complain was the lack of physical descriptions for the two main characters Brock and Kolla. His other characters were so vivid in my mind and they were not. I realize that this is part of a series, but for those of us picking up the thread here, it would have been helpful. Ordering his first book right now.
December 29, 2014
I hadn't read a Brock & Kolla mystery in years. I had remembered them being fantastic - drawing me in with intelligent, sensitive detectives embarking on unusual and interesting cases. This time around, I wasn't quite so smitten. It plodded a bit - although I had a lot on my plate in real life, and was less able than usual to concentrate on reading anything.
So I will not say for certain that I remembered the other novels wrongly, or am even assessing this for exactly what it's worth. Decent, nice complicated mystery, but rather stereotypical suspects.
So I will not say for certain that I remembered the other novels wrongly, or am even assessing this for exactly what it's worth. Decent, nice complicated mystery, but rather stereotypical suspects.
March 12, 2008
Just not my cup of tea. It was like an episode of law and order - which bore me a lot. It was dark and brooding and didn't really have anything to buoy you up and keep you reading. The mystery was okay and interesting through the last third of the book. It did have some interesting views on the morality and motivations of contemporary art, such as the discussion of what boundaries (if any) there are on contemporary art.
February 23, 2014
This book had me hooked until the very end; I was sure I knew who was responsible for the deaths of the two girls and the disappearance of Tracey Rudd, but the involvement of most of the characters, including Gabriel Rudd and Sir Jack Beaufort, turned out to be quite different. I was especially intrigued by the references to the work of the artist Fuseli in the context of the story, so this read turned out to be an "educational" one for me too.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews