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Missing Sam
From bestselling author Thrity Umrigar, a thrilling and haunting story of an Indian-American woman who becomes the prime suspect when her wife goes missing.
When Aliya and Samantha have a fight one night, Samantha goes for a run early the next morning—and doesn’t come back.
Aliya reports her wife Samantha as missing, but as a gay and Muslim daughter of immigrants, she’s immediately suspected by her neighbors in Samantha's disappearance. Scared and furious and feeling isolated as everyone around her doubts her innocence, Aliya makes one wrong choice after another. All the while, Samantha is being held captive, strategizing how to escape before things escalate even more. Meanwhile, Aliya must fight to prove her innocence in the public eye and save her wife. But is safety ever truly possible for these women even after Samantha is rescued?
A provocative examination of suburban mores, Missing Sam captures the terror manifested in today’s political climate, and the real dangers, both physical and psychological, of being Brown and queer in America.
When Aliya and Samantha have a fight one night, Samantha goes for a run early the next morning—and doesn’t come back.
Aliya reports her wife Samantha as missing, but as a gay and Muslim daughter of immigrants, she’s immediately suspected by her neighbors in Samantha's disappearance. Scared and furious and feeling isolated as everyone around her doubts her innocence, Aliya makes one wrong choice after another. All the while, Samantha is being held captive, strategizing how to escape before things escalate even more. Meanwhile, Aliya must fight to prove her innocence in the public eye and save her wife. But is safety ever truly possible for these women even after Samantha is rescued?
A provocative examination of suburban mores, Missing Sam captures the terror manifested in today’s political climate, and the real dangers, both physical and psychological, of being Brown and queer in America.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 27, 2026
165 people are currently reading
16158 people want to read
About the author
Thrity Umrigar
23 books2,959 followersA journalist for seventeen years, Thrity Umrigar has written for the Washington Post, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, and other national newspapers, and contributes regularly to the Boston Globe's book pages. Thrity is the winner of the Cleveland Arts Prize, a Lambda Literary award and the Seth Rosenberg prize. She teaches creative writing and literature at Case Western Reserve University. The author of The Space Between Us, Bombay Time, and the memoir First Darling of the Morning: Selected Memories of an Indian Childhood, she was a winner of the Nieman Fellowship to Harvard University. She has a Ph.D. in English and lives in Cleveland, Ohio. (from the publisher's website)"
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 183 reviews
February 10, 2026
Umrigar has always delivered impactful and often shocking, stories.
Ali’s wife has gone missing the morning after an argument. She never returned after her run.
Ali becomes the one who goes under the microscope. Umrigar has us bear witness to the discrimination Ali experiences as a Muslim Indian American homosexual woman; The clashing of cultures at times seen vividly in the western world. How she has to justify her own innocence.
This was intense.
The complexity of interracial relationships; same sex marriage; estrangement from family; and trauma the past and present and its after effects. The story starts to veer into covid just at the beginning.
This was a bit of a thriller I would say and after my bashing of the genre, this is an example of it done right. But, it was so much more than that. Relationships and their complexity really the core of the story.
A richly layered story of forgiveness and hope.
4.5⭐️
The use of the word Babe got on my nerves.
Ali’s wife has gone missing the morning after an argument. She never returned after her run.
Ali becomes the one who goes under the microscope. Umrigar has us bear witness to the discrimination Ali experiences as a Muslim Indian American homosexual woman; The clashing of cultures at times seen vividly in the western world. How she has to justify her own innocence.
This was intense.
The complexity of interracial relationships; same sex marriage; estrangement from family; and trauma the past and present and its after effects. The story starts to veer into covid just at the beginning.
This was a bit of a thriller I would say and after my bashing of the genre, this is an example of it done right. But, it was so much more than that. Relationships and their complexity really the core of the story.
A richly layered story of forgiveness and hope.
4.5⭐️
The use of the word Babe got on my nerves.
January 30, 2026
From the very first pages, I felt that tightening in my chest that only truly powerful stories can create. What starts as a tense moment between two people who love each other slowly turns into a nightmare that no one could ever be prepared for. The way this novel unfolds feels unsettlingly real, as if you are watching a life come apart in real time.
Aliya’s experience is especially heartbreaking. You walk beside her as fear, loneliness, and suspicion close in from all sides. She is not just trying to find her wife. She is trying to survive the way the world suddenly looks at her differently, measuring her grief, questioning her love, and deciding what kind of person she must be. Being a queer Muslim woman makes her grief feel even more policed, as homophobia and racism creep into every interaction, whether openly hostile or quietly dismissive. The emotional weight of that isolation makes every page hit harder.
What kept me glued to the story was how deeply it understands the vulnerability of loving someone in a world that does not always recognize or respect that love. The relationship at the center is flawed, tender, complicated, and painfully human. You feel the history between these two women, the little wounds and the big ones, and how easily everything they built can be shaken when fear, prejudice, and doubt take over. Their LGBTQ identity is not just a label here, it shapes how they are treated, how they see themselves, and how much they have to fight just to be believed.
The tension builds in a quiet, relentless way. Instead of relying on constant shocks, the story lets dread seep into every corner. The uncertainty of what has happened to Sam hangs over everything, while the public’s rush to judge Aliya exposes how deeply bias runs beneath polite suburbia. The mystery is gripping, but the emotional journey is just as powerful, watching two women struggle with love, trauma, and survival under the weight of a society ready to misunderstand them.
By the end, I felt both wrung out and deeply moved. This is a story about more than a disappearance. It is about belonging, identity, and how fragile safety can be when love exists at the intersection of race, religion, and queerness. It stays with you long after you turn the last page, not because of a single shocking moment, but because of how honestly it portrays what it means to be afraid for someone you love in a world that may already be against you.
A very huge thanks to NetGalley and Algonquin Books for sharing this intense, sentimentally resonating thriller’s arc copy in exchange for my honest thoughts
Aliya’s experience is especially heartbreaking. You walk beside her as fear, loneliness, and suspicion close in from all sides. She is not just trying to find her wife. She is trying to survive the way the world suddenly looks at her differently, measuring her grief, questioning her love, and deciding what kind of person she must be. Being a queer Muslim woman makes her grief feel even more policed, as homophobia and racism creep into every interaction, whether openly hostile or quietly dismissive. The emotional weight of that isolation makes every page hit harder.
What kept me glued to the story was how deeply it understands the vulnerability of loving someone in a world that does not always recognize or respect that love. The relationship at the center is flawed, tender, complicated, and painfully human. You feel the history between these two women, the little wounds and the big ones, and how easily everything they built can be shaken when fear, prejudice, and doubt take over. Their LGBTQ identity is not just a label here, it shapes how they are treated, how they see themselves, and how much they have to fight just to be believed.
The tension builds in a quiet, relentless way. Instead of relying on constant shocks, the story lets dread seep into every corner. The uncertainty of what has happened to Sam hangs over everything, while the public’s rush to judge Aliya exposes how deeply bias runs beneath polite suburbia. The mystery is gripping, but the emotional journey is just as powerful, watching two women struggle with love, trauma, and survival under the weight of a society ready to misunderstand them.
By the end, I felt both wrung out and deeply moved. This is a story about more than a disappearance. It is about belonging, identity, and how fragile safety can be when love exists at the intersection of race, religion, and queerness. It stays with you long after you turn the last page, not because of a single shocking moment, but because of how honestly it portrays what it means to be afraid for someone you love in a world that may already be against you.
A very huge thanks to NetGalley and Algonquin Books for sharing this intense, sentimentally resonating thriller’s arc copy in exchange for my honest thoughts
February 2, 2026
5 stars ⭐️
Sam and Ali are spouses. Successful, professional and kind. Sam goes for a run one morning and disappears. As the investigation ensures, we witness first hand the difficulties they have faced as a gay, married couple. Ali is also East Indian, and people treat her cruelly based on her upbringing and religion.
They are a normal couple. They fight, they have issues.
Yet, their main issue are that they have families that don’t approve of their union. They have given up so much to be together.
“Look at we have achieved already, - out of the patchwork of our measly past, we have created this rich quilt.”
I feel everything this author writes is pure gold. I have only read a few of her other books but they are first class as well.
….. And what is amazing is how this isn’t a profound, “try too hard”, novel. This is a simple story, with strong undercurrents of what matters to us as humans. She writes beautifully and draws you in to the fullness of her characters.
“Dysfunction is as addicting as love.”
Sam and Ali are spouses. Successful, professional and kind. Sam goes for a run one morning and disappears. As the investigation ensures, we witness first hand the difficulties they have faced as a gay, married couple. Ali is also East Indian, and people treat her cruelly based on her upbringing and religion.
They are a normal couple. They fight, they have issues.
Yet, their main issue are that they have families that don’t approve of their union. They have given up so much to be together.
“Look at we have achieved already, - out of the patchwork of our measly past, we have created this rich quilt.”
I feel everything this author writes is pure gold. I have only read a few of her other books but they are first class as well.
….. And what is amazing is how this isn’t a profound, “try too hard”, novel. This is a simple story, with strong undercurrents of what matters to us as humans. She writes beautifully and draws you in to the fullness of her characters.
“Dysfunction is as addicting as love.”
September 8, 2025
At first glance, Sam and Aliya are the perfect picture of a modern American couple; the two women live in a suburban home in Ohio and have been married for several years. Ali, an Indian-American entrepreneur, runs her own successful interior design business while Sam is a college professor. Their lives are abruptly changed however, when Sam disappears the morning after a heated fight between the two, and Ali must reckon with her disappearance. In the days that follow, Ali's forced to confront her growing worry and shame, and is unprepared for the public backlash that follows. In the weeks that follow, her neighbors and clients begin to suspect her involvement in her wife's disappearance, a fact exacerbated by the fact she's a gay Muslim woman.
The novel alternates between Sam's and Ali's perspectives, giving insight into Sam's imprisonment at the hands of an unknown captor, until two months later when Sam is found. The trauma and abuse she's suffered in that time comes to light, and makes Sam and Aliya question their future together - but in that time, both women find support and solace in their estranged families.
I'm thoroughly impressed with how much Thrity Umrigar packed into this novel, as she focuses on the many struggles of the immigrant experience in the US, compounded with the ostracization of being gay and Muslim. it wasn't until the latter half of the novel where she highlights Sam's and Ali's backgrounds and their own struggles - Ali, still struggling to accept her father's remarriage to an Indian stepmother and the weighty traditions and expectations that frown upon her marriage; Sam, trying to move past a childhood with an abusive father who has been diagnosed with dementia, and the obligation her mother still feels to him - that I felt more invested in the novel. I appreciated as well the shift of the novel to India at onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the ways that (recent) global event changed so many lives.
This is a compelling and emotional novel, and one that I'm excited to see published in January 2026!
The novel alternates between Sam's and Ali's perspectives, giving insight into Sam's imprisonment at the hands of an unknown captor, until two months later when Sam is found. The trauma and abuse she's suffered in that time comes to light, and makes Sam and Aliya question their future together - but in that time, both women find support and solace in their estranged families.
I'm thoroughly impressed with how much Thrity Umrigar packed into this novel, as she focuses on the many struggles of the immigrant experience in the US, compounded with the ostracization of being gay and Muslim. it wasn't until the latter half of the novel where she highlights Sam's and Ali's backgrounds and their own struggles - Ali, still struggling to accept her father's remarriage to an Indian stepmother and the weighty traditions and expectations that frown upon her marriage; Sam, trying to move past a childhood with an abusive father who has been diagnosed with dementia, and the obligation her mother still feels to him - that I felt more invested in the novel. I appreciated as well the shift of the novel to India at onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the ways that (recent) global event changed so many lives.
This is a compelling and emotional novel, and one that I'm excited to see published in January 2026!
September 21, 2025
This story questions the limits of marital bliss and asks what we owe to one another: spouses, community members, family members, even those who have wronged us. I thought Umrigar did a great job of inhabiting both main characters' perspectives. We begin the novel with Aliya, who has woken up alone after an argument to find her wife Sam is missing. This first act of the novel is full of creeping dread as Aliya realizes the authority figures - and even some friends - see her as an object of suspicion rather than a concerned wife. I thought this part of the story was the most strong and original. An interesting shift was done, to Sam's perspective in her captivity. Some of the crime writing can lean a little more cliche, but this second act was action-packed and satisfied some of the emotional tension, even if some of the story beats felt more familiar. I thought the third act, where Aliya attends a family wedding in India and the women have to grow back into each other now that Sam has experienced horrible trauma, held the most intrigue and emotional depth. The tenderness of Aliya trying to understand Sam's pain, but the frustration too at not being able to reach her... Just devastating. It made me think so much about how we show up for one another, especially as survivors or as queer people. As we careen towards the end, the book dates start moving into March 2020 and Covid abruptly brings the women back together again, this time across continents. Overall, a (sometimes melo)dramatic crime thriller about an interracial lesbian couple with themes of found family and reunification. 4.5 stars rounded up. Thank you NetGalley and Algonquin for the review copy!
January 29, 2026
This is the author’s first mystery novel. It takes getting used to since I’ve learned to love Thrity’s brand of writing about social injustices and poverty. Missing Sam is still packed with what’s-wrong-with-the-world kind of stuff. I love Ali’s father’s character. I wish every daughter has a dad like him. I’m bummed this book isn’t getting much publicity. Even Audible didn’t feature it in their New Releases chart. Not even when they’re supposed to notify you when you follow an author on their app and they should be auto-alerting me that one of my fave authors’ new book is out. Not that I need a reminder. Thrity Umrigar is an auto-purchase for me.
September 24, 2025
Thrity Umriger’s stories always give me an experience I will not have in this life, and I love that about her writing. This story begins with a couple Sam and her wife Ali the plot begins in the first pages with a bang of emotions that all couples experience. Jealousy, anger, loneliness sets the stage for a scary ride for Sam, and Aliya.
Sam goes missing and Ali being a gay, Muslim immigrant, her reticence about getting involved with the police seems real and relevant. I like how the story was set in a town that is accepting of mixed marriages, I grew up not far from Cleveland Hts and I could picture everyplace that Thrity put in the story. As a reader I was held in suspense about where Sam was and what was happening to her. Aliya’s father, Abba is a character that I won’t forget, resistive to his daughter’s choice of partner, but still loving and taking care of her. The addition of Covid added to the suspense, we all remember that dark time. I wish I had had Thrity as a college professor. My daughter attended CWRU Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing 2008-12, and received a wonderful education.
The resolving of the plot was very satisfying with Samantha’s voice and Ali’s voice alternating about each other, their love and respect for each other was well written. Loved this book!
Sam goes missing and Ali being a gay, Muslim immigrant, her reticence about getting involved with the police seems real and relevant. I like how the story was set in a town that is accepting of mixed marriages, I grew up not far from Cleveland Hts and I could picture everyplace that Thrity put in the story. As a reader I was held in suspense about where Sam was and what was happening to her. Aliya’s father, Abba is a character that I won’t forget, resistive to his daughter’s choice of partner, but still loving and taking care of her. The addition of Covid added to the suspense, we all remember that dark time. I wish I had had Thrity as a college professor. My daughter attended CWRU Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing 2008-12, and received a wonderful education.
The resolving of the plot was very satisfying with Samantha’s voice and Ali’s voice alternating about each other, their love and respect for each other was well written. Loved this book!
February 9, 2026
There are at least 4 books in Missing Sam: 1. a coronavirus book, 2. a book about 2 sets of parents and their adult children after childhood trauma, death of a parent, spousal abuse, and homophobia, 3. a harrowing book about *spoilers and, many trigger warnings follow*... and, six weeks of horrific, repeated along with the acts mentioned earlier. Sam, who 3. is about, blames herself for all that happens, at least a couple of times, and it's not really contradicted until the very end of the book when she 4. A book about Sam and Ali's marriage.
Switching POVs sometimes was confusing. Homophobia directed toward Sam and Ali's friend by Sam and Ali was confusing. Ali's father was beautifully depicted as a man with such sweetness and warmth, I couldn't understand why anyone would stop communicating with him. I would have liked a POV from him. The part of the book about the parents and children was so well-done, but it seemed to belong in a different book. Ali in India became more interesting and maybe slightly more likable. This book had some lovely writing but it had too many storylines and too many POVs, and the violence was gratuitous. It wasn't terrible, but I didn't like it.
Switching POVs sometimes was confusing. Homophobia directed toward Sam and Ali's friend by Sam and Ali was confusing. Ali's father was beautifully depicted as a man with such sweetness and warmth, I couldn't understand why anyone would stop communicating with him. I would have liked a POV from him. The part of the book about the parents and children was so well-done, but it seemed to belong in a different book. Ali in India became more interesting and maybe slightly more likable. This book had some lovely writing but it had too many storylines and too many POVs, and the violence was gratuitous. It wasn't terrible, but I didn't like it.
January 31, 2026
1
setting: ohio
rep: lesbian mc; Muslim lesbian mc; Indian-American author
How this has a rating over 4 is absolutely wild to me. I almost never rate books a 1 but this one pissed me off SO BADLY. honestly fuck this book. I hated Sam and Ali, they were both such frustrating characters. I hated the meandering plot that couldn't decide what it was. I picked this up based on its pitch as a tense and twisty thriller about a queer interracial couple, but it was SO BORING and hardly even a mystery?? there is way too much going on in this book and none of it worked and omg I should have DNFed this the moment I realized it wasn't the thriller it promised to be. it's more of a family drama but I couldn't give a single shit about anyone involved. the end pissed me off even more, and I couldn't bear the voice the narrator used for Sam. had this been a physical book, I'd have thrown it across the room
setting: ohio
rep: lesbian mc; Muslim lesbian mc; Indian-American author
How this has a rating over 4 is absolutely wild to me. I almost never rate books a 1 but this one pissed me off SO BADLY. honestly fuck this book. I hated Sam and Ali, they were both such frustrating characters. I hated the meandering plot that couldn't decide what it was. I picked this up based on its pitch as a tense and twisty thriller about a queer interracial couple, but it was SO BORING and hardly even a mystery?? there is way too much going on in this book and none of it worked and omg I should have DNFed this the moment I realized it wasn't the thriller it promised to be. it's more of a family drama but I couldn't give a single shit about anyone involved. the end pissed me off even more, and I couldn't bear the voice the narrator used for Sam. had this been a physical book, I'd have thrown it across the room
December 16, 2025
I was expecting the typical mystery/suspense/thriller I read all the time but what I found was a book that used a mystery as a springboard for something far more complex.
The story focuses on a wife's search for her missing spouse after she goes missing. However, it quickly evolves into an unflinching look at the challenges faced by the couple. The real tension comes not just from the ticking clock of the disappearance, but from compounding pressures of contemporary American life.
The author skillfully weaves important themes like homophobia, racism, and sexism into the narrative. It’s a commentary on the divisions and lack of acceptance that can complicate trauma and survival for marginalized families.
Overall I recommend for readers looking for a suspenseful novel with a powerful, timely message.
4.8 stars
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!
The story focuses on a wife's search for her missing spouse after she goes missing. However, it quickly evolves into an unflinching look at the challenges faced by the couple. The real tension comes not just from the ticking clock of the disappearance, but from compounding pressures of contemporary American life.
The author skillfully weaves important themes like homophobia, racism, and sexism into the narrative. It’s a commentary on the divisions and lack of acceptance that can complicate trauma and survival for marginalized families.
Overall I recommend for readers looking for a suspenseful novel with a powerful, timely message.
4.8 stars
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!
February 4, 2026
4.5 rounded up to 5.
February 11, 2026
Loved it! I have read almost everything she has written, and she definitely does not disappoint!
February 10, 2026
3.5 stars.
The most unique thing about this thriller is that most of the story occurs after the crime. It’s actually more of a story about recovery and how the couple finds their way through trauma. It was different than most thrillers I’ve read.
Thank you Book Huddle and Algonquin Books for the copy!
The most unique thing about this thriller is that most of the story occurs after the crime. It’s actually more of a story about recovery and how the couple finds their way through trauma. It was different than most thrillers I’ve read.
Thank you Book Huddle and Algonquin Books for the copy!
November 20, 2025
3.5 rounded up
I have been a fan of Thrity Umigar’s books for a long time and couldn’t wait to read her latest!
This one is part thriller, part novel with multiple POV. I typically love changing POV but this book did it in a way that made it feel a bit disjointed. The chapters don’t alternate and instead there was one from Sam’s POV and then the next 25% or so of the book is from Ali’s before it switches to a different perspective for just a few chapters. I felt like it could have been a stronger book if there was more of a flow or it had just stuck to one POV.
I found the story very compelling and definitely wanted to keep reading. I did find the pacing a little uneven but it kept my interest throughout. I think the author tried to tackle a few too many topics and it might have been a stronger novel if it had been edited a bit more.
Overall, I would recommend this one. I don’t think it is her best though and would recommend some of her older books over this one. I think her writing was stronger in previous books.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.
I have been a fan of Thrity Umigar’s books for a long time and couldn’t wait to read her latest!
This one is part thriller, part novel with multiple POV. I typically love changing POV but this book did it in a way that made it feel a bit disjointed. The chapters don’t alternate and instead there was one from Sam’s POV and then the next 25% or so of the book is from Ali’s before it switches to a different perspective for just a few chapters. I felt like it could have been a stronger book if there was more of a flow or it had just stuck to one POV.
I found the story very compelling and definitely wanted to keep reading. I did find the pacing a little uneven but it kept my interest throughout. I think the author tried to tackle a few too many topics and it might have been a stronger novel if it had been edited a bit more.
Overall, I would recommend this one. I don’t think it is her best though and would recommend some of her older books over this one. I think her writing was stronger in previous books.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.
February 4, 2026
The premise of Missing Sam was a slam dunk for me, and I appreciated the couple's strengthened bonds after unimaginable trauma. But the story jumped around and told more than it showed, and I didn't feel an emotional connection.
After married couple Sam and Ali have a silly jealousy-spawned fight after a party, Sam wakes up for a solo morning run instead of inviting along Ali, as she normally would. One unlucky circumstance leads to another for Sam, and when Ali wakes up, Sam is missing.
As Sam's disappearance stretches on, Ali, a gay culturally Muslim woman, is excoriated in the press for perceptions about her lack of sorrow, her failed attempts to locate her wife, and her sexuality, religion, and culture. While she reels emotionally, her interior design clients drop her due to the attention of the press, and she desperately reconnects with her estranged father for support.
Meanwhile, Sam is in her own personal hell, with dwindling hopes of ever being reunited with her love.
Most of the book's initial page time is spent with Ali, and I was surprised by how many outings and out-of-house distractions Ali took part in while Sam was missing. It might not be compelling for a character to spend extended page time obsessing over where her partner may have vanished to and what horrors may be taking place, or in anguish about whether Sam is even still alive. Yet I found it jarring that we weren't subjected to what I would expect to be more anguish andAli's temporary nightmare of existence, which seemed likely to include a wild drama of worrying, excruciating periods of waiting, and irrational searches and spiritual bargains, or other illustrations of her desperation for Sam's safe return. Ali wasn't coming to terms with a divorce or even a death, leaning on friends and getting out of the house to move on with her life. Ali's going to the movies and to see fireworks just didn't ring true to me. I kept panicking over Ali's lack of panic, wondering: BUT WHAT IS HAPPENING AND WHERE IS SAM?
When the story turns to Sam and her captivity, we are entrenched in a ghastly scene of horrified anticipation and delusion, abuse and violence. This section of the story was difficult to read, as felt appropriate, and this aspect took up relatively little page time.
The aftermath of the kidnaping and abuse is fraught with what feel like Sam's realistic trauma, nightmares, hesitance toward intimacy, and outsized reactions to everyday events.
But Missing Sam often perplexed me with its structure and focus. Much of the novel feels told instead of shown, which left me without emotional connection to aspects like Ali's temporary dip into Islam; Sam's inexplicable mentoring of a mentally ill grad student who appropriates her trauma and exploits it; and the couple's rejuvenated closeness and commitment.
The heart of the story is not, after all, Sam's sensational disappearance, Sam and Ali's unspeakable terror, and Sam's victorious return home. Much of the energy of the story centers around the women's reconciliation with each of their estranged parents, and, eventually, their cleaving to each other within their marriage in a way that they hadn't before Sam's abduction.
The story felt jumpy, moving from topic to topic without fully diving in. Umrigar touches on but doesn't dig deeply into heavy issues such as religious discrimination, hateful attitudes toward members of the LGBTQ community, and the looming doom of Covid-19.
The resolution of identifying Sam's abductor and abuser was satisfying, yet the key to pinpointing the monster was the result of heavily laid detail groundwork earlier in the story; it felt inevitable that that particular element would turn out to be essential.
I received an electronic edition of this title courtesy of Algonquin Books and NetGalley.
Thrity Umrigar is also the author of Honor--you can find my review of that title on the blog, and you can also find Bossy reviews of other stories that involve missing persons.
To read my full review on Bossy Bookworm, or to find out about Bossy reviews and Greedy Reading Lists as soon as they're posted, please see Missing Sam.
Find hundreds of reviews and lots of roundups of my favorite books on the blog: Bossy Bookworm
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After married couple Sam and Ali have a silly jealousy-spawned fight after a party, Sam wakes up for a solo morning run instead of inviting along Ali, as she normally would. One unlucky circumstance leads to another for Sam, and when Ali wakes up, Sam is missing.
As Sam's disappearance stretches on, Ali, a gay culturally Muslim woman, is excoriated in the press for perceptions about her lack of sorrow, her failed attempts to locate her wife, and her sexuality, religion, and culture. While she reels emotionally, her interior design clients drop her due to the attention of the press, and she desperately reconnects with her estranged father for support.
Meanwhile, Sam is in her own personal hell, with dwindling hopes of ever being reunited with her love.
Most of the book's initial page time is spent with Ali, and I was surprised by how many outings and out-of-house distractions Ali took part in while Sam was missing. It might not be compelling for a character to spend extended page time obsessing over where her partner may have vanished to and what horrors may be taking place, or in anguish about whether Sam is even still alive. Yet I found it jarring that we weren't subjected to what I would expect to be more anguish andAli's temporary nightmare of existence, which seemed likely to include a wild drama of worrying, excruciating periods of waiting, and irrational searches and spiritual bargains, or other illustrations of her desperation for Sam's safe return. Ali wasn't coming to terms with a divorce or even a death, leaning on friends and getting out of the house to move on with her life. Ali's going to the movies and to see fireworks just didn't ring true to me. I kept panicking over Ali's lack of panic, wondering: BUT WHAT IS HAPPENING AND WHERE IS SAM?
When the story turns to Sam and her captivity, we are entrenched in a ghastly scene of horrified anticipation and delusion, abuse and violence. This section of the story was difficult to read, as felt appropriate, and this aspect took up relatively little page time.
The aftermath of the kidnaping and abuse is fraught with what feel like Sam's realistic trauma, nightmares, hesitance toward intimacy, and outsized reactions to everyday events.
But Missing Sam often perplexed me with its structure and focus. Much of the novel feels told instead of shown, which left me without emotional connection to aspects like Ali's temporary dip into Islam; Sam's inexplicable mentoring of a mentally ill grad student who appropriates her trauma and exploits it; and the couple's rejuvenated closeness and commitment.
The heart of the story is not, after all, Sam's sensational disappearance, Sam and Ali's unspeakable terror, and Sam's victorious return home. Much of the energy of the story centers around the women's reconciliation with each of their estranged parents, and, eventually, their cleaving to each other within their marriage in a way that they hadn't before Sam's abduction.
The story felt jumpy, moving from topic to topic without fully diving in. Umrigar touches on but doesn't dig deeply into heavy issues such as religious discrimination, hateful attitudes toward members of the LGBTQ community, and the looming doom of Covid-19.
The resolution of identifying Sam's abductor and abuser was satisfying, yet the key to pinpointing the monster was the result of heavily laid detail groundwork earlier in the story; it felt inevitable that that particular element would turn out to be essential.
I received an electronic edition of this title courtesy of Algonquin Books and NetGalley.
Thrity Umrigar is also the author of Honor--you can find my review of that title on the blog, and you can also find Bossy reviews of other stories that involve missing persons.
To read my full review on Bossy Bookworm, or to find out about Bossy reviews and Greedy Reading Lists as soon as they're posted, please see Missing Sam.
Find hundreds of reviews and lots of roundups of my favorite books on the blog: Bossy Bookworm
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January 26, 2026
Missing Sam by Thrity Umrigar. Thanks to @algonquinbooks for the gifted Arc ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Married couple Aliya and Samantha have a fight one night and Samantha disappears on a run the next morning. A Muslim daughter of immigrants, Samantha becomes targeted on social media and her innocence is doubted.
This was a very special story that shows the power of love, especially when we accept each other for exactly who they are. The book was a lot different than I expected. It’s quieter than I thought, for a book about a missing person, but there are certainly some moments of action and excitement. It’s more about Sam and Ali’s marriage; not only their relationship with each other but how society and the political climate affects them.
“We plant seeds in humble dirt, not in the clouds. And so, we plant ourselves, our messy, flawed selves on this mortal earth, not in the rarified air of heaven. If we’re lucky, something wild and beautiful grows out of that soil.”
Read if you like:
-Missing person or kidnapping stories
-Queer or lesbian fiction
-Multicultural marriage conflict
-Political ramifications in stories
Missing Sam comes out 1/27.
Married couple Aliya and Samantha have a fight one night and Samantha disappears on a run the next morning. A Muslim daughter of immigrants, Samantha becomes targeted on social media and her innocence is doubted.
This was a very special story that shows the power of love, especially when we accept each other for exactly who they are. The book was a lot different than I expected. It’s quieter than I thought, for a book about a missing person, but there are certainly some moments of action and excitement. It’s more about Sam and Ali’s marriage; not only their relationship with each other but how society and the political climate affects them.
“We plant seeds in humble dirt, not in the clouds. And so, we plant ourselves, our messy, flawed selves on this mortal earth, not in the rarified air of heaven. If we’re lucky, something wild and beautiful grows out of that soil.”
Read if you like:
-Missing person or kidnapping stories
-Queer or lesbian fiction
-Multicultural marriage conflict
-Political ramifications in stories
Missing Sam comes out 1/27.
February 8, 2026
Wow. I loved this story. I couldn’t put it down. Missing Sam captures terror that is manifested in today’s political and social climate. Umrigar has given us an emotionally charged novel that explores themes of racism, mental health, homophobia, family trauma and religious bias. It's a tense mystery but so much more. The writing kept me glued and the depth of the character’s thoughts and actions were impressive. The author did a fabulous job of exploring the trauma that we bring into situations that can affect others without our intention. There is a lot to unpack in this complex narrative of love, marriage, family and societal prejudices. I highly recommend reading this book.
Read
February 6, 2026Missing Sam is half thriller, half domestic drama, and I wish it had leaned more in either direction.
I was engaged by this storyline, but I finished the book feeling frustrated by a few unanswered questions and honestly not all that confident . It also felt awkward to read a book that makes borderline preachy socially aware comments, yet has three needless Amazon references early on.
I do think this could have been a real knockout, had it focused more on the kidnapping, or more on their families and the COVID epidemic. Mashing it all into one book just left me feeling like none of it got the attention it deserved.
Thank you to Algonquin Books and NetGalley for a free e-arc of this title for review.
I was engaged by this storyline, but I finished the book feeling frustrated by a few unanswered questions and honestly not all that confident . It also felt awkward to read a book that makes borderline preachy socially aware comments, yet has three needless Amazon references early on.
I do think this could have been a real knockout, had it focused more on the kidnapping, or more on their families and the COVID epidemic. Mashing it all into one book just left me feeling like none of it got the attention it deserved.
Thank you to Algonquin Books and NetGalley for a free e-arc of this title for review.
February 7, 2026
I read this via Whispersync and the narration was excellent. It probably would’ve been 3/3.5 stars had I read only the kindle.
February 9, 2026
Very much a page turner for the first half or so of the book. Then I felt the repetition.
Then the ending…which was unbelievable to me.
Then the ending…which was unbelievable to me.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
A thriller but also a book that is looks at marriage, race, the political climate and family. The writing is polished which allows for reader to become absorbed in the characters, their history and emotions. This book packs a punch.
January 17, 2026
Thanks to Algonquin Books for gifted access via NetGalley. All opinions below are my own.
Wow. Just wow. I guess I should not be surprised as I’ve loved Umrigar’s last few stories but I was uncertain with this one. Gay couple domestic mystery isn’t necessarily my sweet spot, but I trusted the author. At first, I was definitely not sure where it was going. Sam goes missing and the pressure put on her wife was crazy. But it really made me examine my own biases because if it was a heterosexual couple, I’d feel like it was natural to blame the spouse, so why should this be different? But Ali was easy to like and it was easy to empathize with her as the world closed in. It was amazing to see the level of racism and homophobia which I’m sure is accurate. But about midway, I thought, I have a feel for this why is there still so much book left? I won’t give too many details on the second half because I don’t want to spoil it, but I was really amazed by it. Very satisfying. I will be thinking about this one for a long time.
Wow. Just wow. I guess I should not be surprised as I’ve loved Umrigar’s last few stories but I was uncertain with this one. Gay couple domestic mystery isn’t necessarily my sweet spot, but I trusted the author. At first, I was definitely not sure where it was going. Sam goes missing and the pressure put on her wife was crazy. But it really made me examine my own biases because if it was a heterosexual couple, I’d feel like it was natural to blame the spouse, so why should this be different? But Ali was easy to like and it was easy to empathize with her as the world closed in. It was amazing to see the level of racism and homophobia which I’m sure is accurate. But about midway, I thought, I have a feel for this why is there still so much book left? I won’t give too many details on the second half because I don’t want to spoil it, but I was really amazed by it. Very satisfying. I will be thinking about this one for a long time.
February 6, 2026
What a treat for one of my favorite writers to step into the mystery/thriller genre with her literary skills in play! I always enjoy Thrity’s writing style and in the case of Missing Sam, I got a page turner with heart, character development and a feel for the political and social climate of our time.
When Ali’s wife Sam goes missing on the morning after an argument between the two women, we see how innocent actions on Ali’s part can stir up a cesspool of accusations on social media. And we eventually learn how Sam is faring while missing. But much more than a “what happened, who did it, plot driven story” — we learn about how their respective childhoods and backgrounds lay the ground for how they respond to a sinister, life-altering event.
And kudos to the author for the twist I NEVER saw coming! If you like your thriller/mystery reads to be well-written, engaging and put you in the edge of your seat, I highly recommend Missing Sam.
When Ali’s wife Sam goes missing on the morning after an argument between the two women, we see how innocent actions on Ali’s part can stir up a cesspool of accusations on social media. And we eventually learn how Sam is faring while missing. But much more than a “what happened, who did it, plot driven story” — we learn about how their respective childhoods and backgrounds lay the ground for how they respond to a sinister, life-altering event.
And kudos to the author for the twist I NEVER saw coming! If you like your thriller/mystery reads to be well-written, engaging and put you in the edge of your seat, I highly recommend Missing Sam.
February 6, 2026
This is a difficult review for me to write. Thrity Umrigar has always been that consistent author who writes the most compelling historical fiction books. I have loved every single one of her books until this one, Missing Sam. This is a change of genre for her. It is a mystery that felt simplistically written. There were many times I found myself rolling my eyes. I feel that the story went in every direction, bringing in every topic plaguing America today.
The two main characters are gay women who are estranged from their parents. Sam is of Irish decent and Ali is the gay, Muslim daughter of immigrants from India. The book falls in the mystery category and touches on COVID, immigrants, rape, childhood trauma and kidnapping. I felt the author tried to tackle too many issues making the story feel disjointed. All that being said I look forward to reading Thrity Umrigar’s next historical fiction novel.
The two main characters are gay women who are estranged from their parents. Sam is of Irish decent and Ali is the gay, Muslim daughter of immigrants from India. The book falls in the mystery category and touches on COVID, immigrants, rape, childhood trauma and kidnapping. I felt the author tried to tackle too many issues making the story feel disjointed. All that being said I look forward to reading Thrity Umrigar’s next historical fiction novel.
February 9, 2026
3.5/5 - The synopsis on the dust jacket of this book is somewhat misleading, as it is much less a typical mystery/thriller than it is an exploration of love and relationships, and how limited our understanding and perception of others - even those we love best - really is.
TW: S/A (not graphic, but details trauma related to same), Islamophobia, homophobia, brief Sinophobia.
TW: S/A (not graphic, but details trauma related to same), Islamophobia, homophobia, brief Sinophobia.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 28, 2026
Rating 3.5
Part of this one was very strong. And if the author hadn't gone into full lecture mode at the end, I would have given this the full 4 stars. Sometimes too much is just too much. And for me, it made this one end on a very sour note.
Part of this one was very strong. And if the author hadn't gone into full lecture mode at the end, I would have given this the full 4 stars. Sometimes too much is just too much. And for me, it made this one end on a very sour note.
Read
January 30, 2026I went into this without checking reviews. I wish I did because I really don't know how to rate this, or what to say, since this fell very short of the "thriller" that it was advertised as.
I went into this thinking it was going to be a good thriller, and it really isn't.
Yes, Sam has been kidnapped and held for weeks, but that feels like it maybe takes up 20% of the book, and that is so disappointing, especially since even those moments are very …. Bland.
You know that saying, “everything but the kitchen sink”? That’s this book. Everything but the thriller.
Most of the story is from Ali’s perspective, and it cements my dislike for her. This story is more bout homophobia, Islamophobia, racism, childhood abuse trauma, and reconnecting with estranged family. Oh, and Covid. While I am aware these issues are very real, it’s not something I expected to have in this "thriller". I really wish this were labeled as such.
The only positive I can find in this is when Sam finally stands up (at 95%); however, even that feels … I don’t know, rushed to get back to Ali and her storyline in India.
*sigh* Too much box checking and politics for me.
I went into this thinking it was going to be a good thriller, and it really isn't.
Yes, Sam has been kidnapped and held for weeks, but that feels like it maybe takes up 20% of the book, and that is so disappointing, especially since even those moments are very …. Bland.
You know that saying, “everything but the kitchen sink”? That’s this book. Everything but the thriller.
Most of the story is from Ali’s perspective, and it cements my dislike for her. This story is more bout homophobia, Islamophobia, racism, childhood abuse trauma, and reconnecting with estranged family. Oh, and Covid. While I am aware these issues are very real, it’s not something I expected to have in this "thriller". I really wish this were labeled as such.
The only positive I can find in this is when Sam finally stands up (at 95%); however, even that feels … I don’t know, rushed to get back to Ali and her storyline in India.
*sigh* Too much box checking and politics for me.
February 10, 2026
See my review on instagram @robertsonsreadingrecs
did-not-finish
February 11, 2026DNF at 30%. Expected to enjoy this but it was an unfortunate miss. Felt the story was bogged down by its heavy-handed messaging, and cluttered with too many ongoing themes.
February 14, 2026
Wow. I love this author's writings so much. Nice way to start Galentine's Day.
This may be my favorite ever, and I might have said that before too!
The end.
This may be my favorite ever, and I might have said that before too!
The end.
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