Someone Must Know: The Search for Missing People and Lost Identities

by Dave Grimstead

'Heart-rending but utterly uplifting' PROFESSOR LADY SUE BLACK, author of All That Remains

'Gripping and compassionate' VAL MCDERMID

Every ninety seconds someone is reported missing in the UK. Most return, but some do not. This book is about those who stay missing.

The police are unable to investigate every case fully. But the missing always leave behind traces – clues as to who they might have been and where they might have gone.

Dave Grimstead, a retired detective inspector, has built Locate a remarkable team of volunteers – oceanographers and genealogists, forensic linguists and vintage clothes experts, students and retirees – all united by a desire to follow the clues wherever they lead.

Someone Must Know brings readers into the heart of stories that cross decades and international borders in the search for the truth. In a world where the questions begin with a scrap of wet paper in a pocket, an old dress or a faded photograph, the answers are by turns devastating, poignant and deeply mysterious.

Through riveting cold cases, from the tall man washed up at sea with weights tied to his ankles, to the mother who left home one morning and slipped through the cracks of everyday life, Someone Must Know is a study in how to reconstruct whole lives from fragments of evidence, for people who are gone but do not deserve to be forgotten.

‘Fascinating’ LYNDA LA PLANTE CBE

'Enthralling ... carried me along in a tidal wave of page-turning intrigue' DUNCAN HARDING

'By the end of this book you'll want to join Locate's team yourself' ANGELA GALLOP

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime

260 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 11, 2026

Reviews

[Isis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had been looking forward to this book for about two, three years, ever since Dave told me he was going to write a book about the charity. Back in July, he sent me a copy.

Back in late 2021, I first met Dave Grimstead on a Teams call related to my internship. Following that first meeting, the next five years ensued, of which I spent three years volunteering at Locate International.

In that light, it was odd, but very intriguing and beautiful to read about the charity. This book captures the goal and the work of Locate in such an interesting and respectful manner. It highlights the cases - which in itself are interesting - while respecting the personal circumstances of the victims or missing, and of those who are left behind. It also highlights the work of the many volunteers, showing how a charity like Locate may work, the lines of inquiry they may pick up and showing that no matter your background or expertise, you're always an expert in something.

It was beautiful, thrilling but also odd to read my own name in here. It was great that the case I worked on for those four years - that of North Sea Man - was featured in this book. It's the case I've told all my friends, family and colleagues about ever since. And perhaps, now that the reader knows about him: maybe one day he will be identified. It was amazing to read about the volunteers I worked with, who also shared personal stories.

The book does such a great job at intertwining the cases with the stories of Locate's volunteers, as well as with the families involved. It shows that with determination, a lot can be achieved. I will always continue to be inspired by those who commit their free time and knowledge to helping others.

On a final note, I've got to thank Dave for all he did for me. He knows what it has meant, and I am so happy that he's got to tell the story of Locate to the rest of the world.

[Quotes below]

Each volunteer, family and case has taught me that hope is not just an emotion you feel - it is a deliberate action that you can carry out. (p. 11)

There are people whose identities, once lost, will never be returned to them. For some, to die really is to vanish from memory, footprints washed away by the tide. (p. 242)

[Allie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Saw the early reviews on this book and bought it. Have to be honest, I was a tad disappointed it reads more like a homage to the organisation the author set up and spends more time on that than the actual missing person's cases. The ones that are discussed are not always a successful ending, which I get. It's a difficult field to get a conclusion to. It just left me flat.

[maia walters · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for work!

[Gareth Johnstone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting accounts of the search to identify bodies that are unidentified, and return them to their families. Most surprising though is that thos work is carried out by a voluntary organisation, a registered charity working relentlessly across borders and over many years to close Cold Cases that the police, despite their avowals to the contrary, have abandoned. I wish there had been more success stories, but that reflects the problems that the team faces. Not everyone who goes missing wants a reconciliation (I wouldn't), but especially after death, people have a need to know what became of their family and friends. Grimstead makes his case without sentiment or special pleading.

[Evie King · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to receive a pre-publication proof in order to give a quote. I hoovered the book up in one day and here's what I returned:

"A unique and important book of real stories told with the pace of a detective novel, brimming with the mystery and intrigue of a true crime series, and shot through with real heart and hope. Dave Grimstead's vision that no missing or unidentified person should be forgotten or lose their identity, and the story of the organisation he built to ensure this, will restore your faith in people and heartily entertain you into the bargain."

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read