Spurlos Verschwunden (Detective Paul Cullen 1)

DCI Paul Cullen Mysteries #1

by Paul Pilkington

Ein vermisstes Mädchen…


Natalie Long wird vermisst. Kurz bevor sie in einen Hochgeschwindigkeitszug vom Londoner Bahnhof Paddington einsteigen sollte, ist sie spurlos verschwunden.

Für Detective Paul Cullen von der britischen Transportpolizei ist dieser Fall persönlich. Natalie ist eng mit seiner Tochter Amy befreundet, die überzeugt ist, dass Natalie in großer Gefahr schwebt.

Detective Cullen schwört, sie zu finden.

Doch kann er die Wahrheit ans Licht bringen, bevor es zu spät ist?


Neue und überarbeitete Übersetzung.

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Thriller, Ebooks, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook

438 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 27, 2025

About the author

Paul Pilkington is a British author of mystery, suspense and thriller novels.

He is best known for his Emma Holden Suspense Mystery series, which follows the story of a young actress named Emma Holden who is thrown into a world of danger and intrigue after the sudden disappearance of her boyfriend. The three novels of the trilogy - The One You Love, The One You Fear, and The One You Trust - have gained thousands of five star reviews worldwide.

Pilkington has also written several best-selling standalone novels, including For Your Own Protection and the Kindle Number One Someone to Save You.

His highly rated Detective Paul Cullen mystery series, featuring a dedicated and determined british transport police detective, is currently at Book 4.

Paul's new novel, You Must Remember Everything, is a psychological thriller about a woman who wakes up in a sealed room, unable to remember who she is or how she got there. To escape, she must face her darkest memories and fears.

Paul Pilkington's writing style is fast-paced, suspenseful, and character-driven. His novels explore the most human of themes and issues, such as love, loss, family, and redemption, in a way that keeps those pages turning.

Reviews

[Dun's · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this novel - a British Transport Police investigation of a young woman who goes missing after a company-sponsored recruitment weekend in London. The story is quick-paced, and it fits with what I need at the time of my reading. It has good character development and an interesting plot line. The transport police angle is unique, and also earns a plus from me as someone who used to travel a lot on the UK railway systems.

It's my first Paul Pilkington's book and I am glad I came across his work. I'll definitely check out his other books including those in the DCI Paul Cullen series.

[Natalie M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great premise but lacked a little in execution.

A little strange reading a novel when the protagonist has the same name as me...also quite strange to see a few errors (at one stage a character changes from Diane to Diana). A bit of a hodgepodge of ideas which worked in places and failed in others.

Good potential and I’d give the author another go.

[Lynda Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm SO mad with this author !!! This was a 5* read without a doubt, I whizzed through it in a day BUT he did THAT thing where in all good consciousness I have to dock a star, and that is spelling your own character's name wrong. I almost went against my own rules and was going to award 5* anyway, but I've knocked other great books down to 4* for doing just the same, so it's with a heavy heart I give this 4*. Though, in fairness, it isn't MY fault this happened. If I noticed it, then someone proofreading for him ought to have spotted it, so he needs to blame them !!
The story was very interesting and really holds your interest. Great characters, too. I look forward to seeing more of Paul Cullen and how things go for him. I did think that Natalie did have some godawful luck running into 3 sexpests in a matter of weeks ! There were also a surfeit of bean-to-cup coffee machines......surely somebody in the place drank instant or filtered coffee !!
Other notations I made was where he mentioned someone was going to "have a feel" whereas I've always heard it referred to as "cop a feel".....and again when he writes cause for thought when it's usually pause for thought. He kept writing ticks and not tics and referred to Lowry as DS and not LS, which wasn't good, either. Neither was one person leaving the interview process and one of the competitors said "One down, eight to go," when there were eight to begin with. Ouch !! Then of course THAT mistake where Diana was suddenly altered to Diane......sigh.....oh....he also wrote Babysham and not Babycham and then complimenting and not complementing.
Then he wrote this passage: "I know of her, but I don't know her. We never met."
"You've never met," Cullen said, correcting the tense........I saw nothing wrong with what she had said and didn't think she needed correction !! Yet a few pages further in and he wrote spent and not spend so got his own tenses wrong !
There are quite a few missed off apostrophes and speechmarks and I noticed Yvonne Pearson was mentioned twice in his mentions at the end on those who pre-ordered the book. I only spotted this because one of the Yorkshire Ripper's victims was also Yvonne Pearson.....
Let's hope the editing improves in the next instalment and he gets his 5* !!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

DCI Paul Cullen of the British Transport Police in London is asked by his daughter Amy, at Bristol University, for help. Her flatmate Natalie Long was one of eight candidates for a job at Brand New and the process would last the weekend. But now she has gone missing. Due to a tragedy that morning Cullin is on unofficial leave and so investigates.
An entertaining modern crime story. A good start to a new series.

[Nina Mintzer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much of everything and none of it good.

What a mish mash of abundance of mystery, violence, drugs, death, lewd and stupid behavior by people who all seemed crazy. I don't think the author set out to make this a farce, but it ended that way. A waste of time.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Paul Cullen is with the British Transport Police’s Central Division, where he works alongside his colleague DCI Harper and her team in the Leeds northern office. He gets a week's suspension after a chase went wrong and the perp winds up dead.

Natalie Long has been invited to a recruitment event at Brand New, an international marketing and branding company in London owned by a man named Sir Kenneth New.

Back in the hotel where the participants are staying, Natalie watches the induction video outlining some rules such as no devices or guests allowed; no intimate relations between participants.

When Natalie does not return, Natalie’s roommate Amy is frantic with worry. So she calls her father Paul Cullen to share her concerns.

According to Amy Natalie was due back the night before and she didn’t. Moreover, her phone is still switched off

[Ted Tayler · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Timely thriller"

I suppose it was inevitable writers would jump on the #metoo bandwagon. I read for enjoyment and there can be little pleasure gained from a story based on a pair of serial manipulators. As for the constant time changes, they merely allowed the story to be stretched to over 400 pages which meant I was bored by two-thirds of the way through. I should have quit, but I ploughed on and was rewarded with an ending that gave me the biggest laugh I'd had in weeks.

[Andy Angel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was ok but not brilliant. Detective with the railway police just happens to be put on a week's leave from work after an 'incident' on the same day his daughter announces that her flatmate has gone missing. To be honest the events leading up to the disappearance make for better reading as I didn't really feel any empathy towards Cullen the cop.

And as for the ending - what a chaotic kerfuffle that was.

Ok for what it is but don't expect too much from it

[Dawn Marsanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed it!
An original idea to have a detective with the transport police.
The story kept me engaged throughout.
I've read previous works by this author, his Holden Trilogy was excellent.

[Phillip · Rating 3 out of 5]

DCI Paul Cullen Mysteries, #1 Good story but characters a bit stretched, not sure I'll follow up series

[Sandra Barker · Rating 4 out of 5]

By giving this a 4-star, I'm being a bit generous. This book seemed long and a bit repetitious here and there. While bouncing chapters between two different scenes can be a good thing, this bounced between the present and the previous week that gradually lessened to the present -- giving information in bits and pieces. I know that keeps up the suspense, but sometimes it just seemed annoying. Also, one of the main characters Natalie Long, kept doing some really foolish things that added to the danger in her situation. The main character Detective Cullen is a likeable character and worked to solve the mystery of Natalie's disappearance. There was also some weird stuff that went on in this story. I finished the book, but wished it would have been shorter.

[Gemma Louise Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

First digital book. It's a must.

This book was the first book I've read on my phone and I've not been disappointed in anyway. I just couldn't enough I read the whole book in one sitting. Only disappointment is I've finished it. Looking forward to the next book. Highly recommend.

[Cidney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well what can I say! Haven't heard of this author but this was a very good book, couldn't put it down had to read it into the night. I had assumed this was a crime book as the lead character, Paul Cullen, was a DCI in the British Transport Police, but it turned out not to be. It was more of a mystery.

The friend of his university daughter Amy had been one of 8 people selected for an interview for a job at a branding company, Brand New, owned by Sir Kenneth New. She went away for a weekend at New House to give a pitch on some product which needed branding, but never came home. Amy is so worried that she rang her dad to ask for his help, unfortunately he already had problems of his own. He had been on surveillance on the underground following men, for it was mostly men, who had been sexually assaulting women on the trains. He ran after one such man who then got squashed by a bus. Needless to say Cullen was on "gardening leave" for a week whilst they investigated his involvement into the man's death.

Whilst on his "gardening leave", he took up his daughter's request to look for Natalie Long who still hadn't come home. It becomes more intricate here as he is not suspended but is not supposed to be working, but he does go out and interview people. The book cuts two timelines, the present where he is looking for Natalie and the past where we see the weekend from Natalie's point of view and what happened to her at New House, a place of work where once inside they are not allowed to leave, all mobile phones and personal electronic devices of any nature and laptops are surrendered on arrival and given back to you on departure. Natalie has misgivings and is thinking the place is run like a cult, and is it a cult.

It is a longish book and I was very surprised by the ending, and it's nice to be surprised especially when it wasn't the ending you were expecting!! I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

[Jefrois · Rating 2 out of 5]

.
.

MY OPINION:
.

Author is wke.

I must say: I do not have any interest in this book and could NOT HARDLY wait for it to be over. I was not a page-turner for this rendition of a VERY trite topic.

“Amy” is extremely annoying. In the real world, she should just sink — or swim for it.

Enough With this bllsht “support.” Take away her gddmn phone, shove her out the door, and let her experience the “…vibrant city….”

Way too much “… trying to get support…” for her and for Natalie.

WAY TOO MUCH.

And then — perhaps, inexplicably — everyone suddenly seems free of “support,” and can “take care of” themselves.

Also, they must say, “great,” about 20,000 times. GREAT!

George Carlin has that in a routine: “GREAT!”

ALSO, contains CONSTANTLY USED EXTREMELY TRITE PHRASES, like, “sipping” and “sipped,” and “washing it down with,” and “popped,” and the ever-ANNOYING, “…She ‘swung her legs out of bed’ and ‘padded’ over to the door…before washing it down with a sip of tea….”

This book seems absurd, ill-advised, silly, stoopid, and improbable.

Yadda yadda yadda….

A bang up wham bam ending, but too late.

This seems to me, a really not good book.
.
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[Denise Zendel · Rating 4 out of 5]

DCI Paul Cullen of the British Transport Police takes on a personal case when his daughter’s roommate disappears after a weekend at the home of a famous businessman. His daughter is concerned her friend is in danger because she hasn’t returned home and her texts don’t sound like her. At first, Cullen is dubious of his daughter’s suspicions. He wants to support her – she’s emotionally fragile due to crippling anxiety – but he thinks she might be overreacting. The more his daughter tells him, the more he becomes concerned and he ends up putting his job on the line.

This was a surprisingly good story. I thought the British Transport Police angle was interesting – not your traditional cop novel. Cullen is a solid detective – he might take chances, but he carefully weighs the pros and cons and does the thing that lets him live with himself. He’s good to his daughter, and he treats his team well, even when he’s under great personal stress. The story held my interest throughout, and made the time at the gym just fly by. I’ll definitely be reading more in this series.

[Jerry Jares · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is interesting except for the constant backtracking (every other chapter involved backtracking to discuss previous events). This stopped the story's forward motion and made it seem to be dragging. Finally, the pace picked up in the last few chapters, and there was a rousing ending.

DCI Paul Cullen of the British Transport Police listens to his daughter Amy when she tells him that her roommate is missing. Natalie Long, the roomie, went to the home of a fabulously wealthy businessman conducting a competition for a career with one of his companies. When she disappears from the train station where she is expected to travel, Amy becomes concerned and contacts her father.

DCI Paul Cullen Mystery – Total of 5
** 1. Long Gone (2019) -- VG
2. Fallen Angel (2020)

[Ken Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detective Chief Investigator Paul Cullen prevails

Cullen striving to save his daughter and her friend Natalie from the dark Sir Kenneth New leads the reader through the oft hidden world of international business and the human frailty some powerful weild over vulnerable young female colleagues. Natalie proves strong enough break with a psychopathic male pursuer and a world class abuser to prevail. Saved at the last moment by Cullen who had been told to take some time off. A good read with an English twist keeps the reader well involved. Pollination has a winner well worth the reader's time in the thriller genre.

[Lillian Cummings · Rating 3 out of 5]

You would do anything for your child

DCI Paul Cullen has just been told to take some time after a suspect dies. He is meant go be keeping out of trouble but when his daughter asks for his help. He knows that he has to try & find out where her friend has gone. Paul knows that Amy suffers from anxiety so he has to make sure that she is ok but has her friend just taken some time out to be alone?
Paul starts by tracking down her ex which is a piece of work and then the company that she spent time with before she disappeared. Will he be able to find her safe & sound?
Paul is a good cop but this time is doesn't follow the rules and he could lose his career. A good read

[Alison Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fast paced thriller with plenty of red herrings I really enjoyed this book. When Amy’s flatmate Natalie goes missing while in London she asks her dad to help her find her. Amy’s dad is a DCI in the British Transport Police and is convinced something bad has happened to Natalie. It is written as two time lines, one for the weekend and the other present day although they are only a few days apart. This is the first in a new series featuring DCI Paul Cullen and I am looking forward to the next instalment.

[Mrs J M Ancsell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had so much promise but didn’t deliver. The plot, about a girl who goes missing after attending a selection assessment weekend, sounded good. But the characters didn’t develop and I had no empathy with any of them. Least of all the missing girl. The final denouement was farcical, it was as if the author was running out of paper and needed to the story wrapped up in as few pages as possible. Very disappointing after a promising start.

[Pete Ffrench · Rating 5 out of 5]

At the behest of his daughter Amy Paul Cullen investigates the disappearance of her room mate and friend Natalie Long whilst on a leave of absence due to his involvement in the death of a suspect who fled while being arrested. The investigation leads him to almost lose his job but thankfully he is cleared of wrongdoing and saves Natalie as well at the cost of a couple more deaths not attributable to his actions. Read the story to get all the other details, it's worth it.

[Viragored · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice twist, having the main character in the Transport Police which is a new one on me. Overall a decent story that kept me going. But for me one thing disappointed slightly, it was too obvious from fairly early on who the baddie was going to be.
I don't usually read reviews here before reading the book and have just skimmed them. I notice that some people have commented on editing flaws. I think most of them must have been picked up and corrected in my Kindle edition, which seemed OK to me.

[Rosali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Natalie went to London for a test weekend with other candidates for a job. When she doesn’t come home and her roommate Amy can’t reach her, Amy alarms her dad, a DCI with the British Transport Police.

The book alternately tells the story from Natalies point of view, how the weekend started out, and from Paul, Amys dad, how he’s trying to find Natalie. This style built up the tension for me, the book captivated me from the beginning.

Just the ending wasn’t satisfying. For me the motive behind what happend to Natalie wasn’t totally resolved.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

This was a fantastic book! As always Paul kept me reading to see what was going to happen next. I love all his books and would recommend them to everyone who loves mysteries. I can’t wait until the next book is available. If the re was a better rating I would have given it.
Great job Paul!

Cheryl

[Mr M Morrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great suspense

For the love of his daughter Amy, Detective Paul Cullen Investigates her friends disappearance. Brand New invite Natalie and others a chance of an amazing Job opportunity. There are some very sinister happening's along the way. Nothing to heavy, a very enjoyable book

[Dwight Burgess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Billionaire harassing women and getting away with it. Until one strong young woman is sexually harassed.

Winning a contest to work for a billionaire turned into a nightmare. One transit cop searching for her, turned the ending upside down. Good dogged police work. Good descriptions of London and the area including transportation for England.

[Jim Bean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

The mystery was well written and kept you glued to the story. The suspense escalated slowly but methodically to the end. The ending climax was exceptional. What an awesome ending. As an added treat, the was no foul language, no deviant sex and no grafic violance. Well done Mr. Pilkington.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

riveting

Natalie Long is on a roller coaster. She’s on the short list for a tremendous job opportunity, then things go downhill. A week later, we meet Natalie’s housemate, who is concerned that Natalie seems to have disappeared. Paul Pilkington has created an interesting group of characters and a unique plot. I think I’ll be looking for the next in this series.

[Pam Venne · Rating 4 out of 5]

What would it be like to have a detective for a father? Read LONG GONE, and you will find out. When your daughter goes missing, there is nothing you won't do to find her.

While I didn't know London, the streets and areas didn't mean anything to me; it was easy to follow.

As the author flipped scenes back and forth about the daughter and the father r made the book more interesting.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Format: audiobook
Narrator: Matt Jamie

What makes this story a compelling read and a little scary is the fact that this sort of thing can and does happen, the whole time you’re rooting for the main character to find the missing girl before it’s too late.

Just the right balance of tension, anxiety and unease to keep you invested till the very end.

Good narration.