The Missing Link

by Stacy M. Jones

A convicted kidnapper days from freedom. Three girls missing from thirty years ago. Two new victims who prove the nightmare isn't over.

Private Investigator Riley Sullivan thought she was working a cold case—until history repeats itself. When two girls vanish from the same neighborhood where children disappeared three decades ago, Riley and her partner Cooper realize they’re racing against a killer who’s been hiding in plain sight.

As Riley digs deeper into the original case, disturbing connections emerge between the old victims and the new ones. With each witness interviewed and new evidence discovered, a chilling truth an innocent man has spent thirty years in prison while the real predator remained free to strike again.

Now Riley faces her most harrowing investigation yet. Time is running out for the missing girls, and everyone she encounters seems to harbor complicated secrets. The deeper she goes, the more she realizes that decades of lies and hidden truths have protected a monster who will stop at nothing to keep the truth buried. Can Riley uncover the real killer before he claims more victims?

In this pulse-pounding mystery, no one is who they seem, and the deadliest secrets are the ones closest to home. Read Book #12 The Missing Link – the final book in the PI Riley Sullivan Mystery series.

309 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 24, 2025

About the author

Stacy M. Jones is a criminologist turned crime novelist whose thrillers pulse with a realism that only decades working with law enforcement can bring. That firsthand experience fuels her fiction, stories rooted in authentic criminal psychology, human complexity, and high-stakes emotion.

Since 2018, Stacy has written four series, ranging from gritty FBI thrillers and hard-boiled private eye mysteries to her lighter paranormal cozy series. Her series include the completed cozy paranormal Harper & Hattie Magical Mystery Series, the completed hard-boiled PI Riley Sullivan Mystery Series, the FBI Agent Kate Walsh Thriller Series and the new Connor Fitzgerald Thriller series.

Stacy holds master’s degrees in forensic psychology and journalism and for now calls Little Rock, Arkansas home,though her storytelling always carries a trace of her upstate New York roots.

To join Stacy's Mystery Readers Club & access her Starter Library, which includes three novellas - "Harper's Folly", "The 1922 Club Murder" and "The Curators" - hit subscribe at http://www.stacymjones.com/

Reviews

[Liz Webb · Rating 4 out of 5]

First book of 2026! This was a really good book and finally one I liked after a long few months of having disappointing thrillers. This book isn’t gruesome and kept me engaged most of the time. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 was because it was a little hard to navigate at the beginning since it didn’t have chapter headers. Ex: didn’t have “Luke” “cooper” “Riley” so I had to read some and then get the gist of it.

Spoilers:
Starts out as 3 friends, 2 PIs and 1 a podcaster. They’re digging up a cold case where 3 girls were abducted and never found. Well in the present time, 2 more girls go missing. They believe they are both connected. The guy who was put in prison for the initial 3 missing girls was found guilty but they had no real proof. At the time, the arresting officer just wanted to blame someone and he was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Riley and cooper don’t think that he committed the crime and are trying to prove that. One of the girls that is currently missing, is the daughter of the mother whose sister went missing those 30 years ago. The mom had been getting phone calls that were threatening and were from the kidnapper all these years which further proves that it wasn’t the guy they thought that committed the crime.
For the recent kidnapping, they thought it was a guy named Walter. They had tracked a vehicle and went to that house and found pictures of kids and it was like he was a perv. So they perused him.
One of the girls was returned but the one that was Gales daughter wasn’t and they suspected she was the initial target all along.
Then they find Walter’s body at a park so he couldn’t have been the one to do it
In the end they find that a man named Curtis transboski was the one who did it. He was a cop previously and took special interest in specific cases. How they found out it was him was when cooper got a call late at night asking him to meet at a park. He met the guy and was given a shoe that was one of the original missing girls. He had it for 30 years and got it from when he was arrested and found it in the back of Curtis’s car. They went to talk to gale about it and she said he had always been there for her family and would call and check in. They finally went to his house and found her daughter and arrested him

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

This is a story that has Riley and Cooper involved in getting information for a podcast relating to an event which happened 30 years earlier. Cooper is having doubts so he goes to visit the individual that was convicted of kidnapping 3 girls. He is scheduled to be released in a few days. After his visit, he is okay with working with CAT, the podcaster, to bring the story. At the same time that Cooper is at the jail, there is another kidnapping that is similar to the one 30 years earlier. Luck is assigned to the case. One of the girls, Jenna, was the daughter of the sister of one of the earlier victims and the other, Scarlette, was the daughter of a prosecutor.

Read along and follow as Cooper and Riley do their own investigation at the same time Liuke is doing his own. See what evidence is available and how both cases are ultimately connected together. Learn who was involved and what item someone presented to Cooper broke the case wide open.

The ending is well worth it and the story is a winner! Don't miss out!

[Roxx Tarantini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great Riley Sullivan read!

Oddly, just before this novel came out, I found myself immersed in cold case files. No, not real ones, but in a tv series my daughter watches avidly and to which I easily became hooked. Imagine how wonderful to find Riley and Cooper similarly immersed in a cold case! But this is a cold case with a link to one of Luke's current cases. Will the solution of one lead to the resolution of the other?

Jones' characters are always going to keep you on your toes. Adventurous, fearless, and always a step ahead, they take you on a chase that has you on the edge of your seat. Don't miss the latest chapter of the Riley adventures!

[I was fortunate to receive an Advanced Reader Copy of the book from the author, with no obligation to review. All opinions herein are given freely and are entirely my own.]

[Denise]

Riley and Cooper’s investigation into the thirty year old kidnapping of three young girls takes a shocking turn when two more girls go missing. The two cases are so similar and evidence comes to light revealing a connection to that old case. This is such a good series! The mysteries/investigations are always interesting, intricately crafted, detailed and pull readers into the story. The characters share a bond that has been a cornerstone of the series. As a reader, it’s bittersweet to come to the end of a series, but I have no hesitation recommending this series to anyone who loves a good mystery.

[Becky Gifford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best one in the series!!!

Stacy M. Jones creates characters you not only enjoy following but also make you want to be a part of their inner circle. Riley, Luke, Cooper, Adele and Cat all bring unique backgrounds and personalities to the story.

The Missing Link hits it out of the park. The present mystery "links" to a 30 year old crime/mystery. Riley and her team uncover the truth and find answers and perhaps closure to the families who have grieved for three decades. Enjoy the intrigue!

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am overwhelmed with this story. A man is convicted of kidnapping & spends 30 years in prison. The evidence is so flimsy. The police are convinced he is guilty. The jury convict him. And then suddenly 2 girls go missing again. This is one-heart pounding mystery. "People are not who they seem and the deadiest secrets are the ones cloest to home." You'll have a hard time guessing who the real perpetrator is. The author gave me a copy. This is my voluntary opinion.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the last book in the Riley Sullivan series, and it takes the series out with a BANG! Riley and Copper find themselves involved with a 30 year old cold case. They are helping Luke Morgan, Riley’s husband, find 2 young girls who were kidnapped % just like 3 girls were kidnapped - and disappeared - 30 years ago. Are these cases connected?
A GREAT ending to this series. I am going to miss Riley, Luke, Cooper and Adele.
Hats off to Stacy Jones for a GREAT series

[Liza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riley and Cooper are doing some background preparation for a podcast about 3 girls that have been missing for 30 years. Unfortunately days before the end of the prison sentence of the convicted person, 2 more girls disappear. The two cases get complicated and the clues are mixed.

ARC from author - Stacy writes good books

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

captivating series

A very enjoyable series with great characters and wonderful twists and turns.
One question though…who the woman who has sometimes appeared on the book covers? It’s not Riley who has thirty extra pounds , hips and waves amber hai. Who is this mystery person?

[Lynne Reglein · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was a surprise all the way through. Even when I thought I had it figured out, it turned another way. it's sad to see this one ending. there's a good connection between all the characters and the plot. it's obvious there was lots of research. The characters just come alive every time.

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow!

An awesome story to end the series. I have read all the books & I highly recommend them. Fantastic writing & storylines. Strong characters. I’m sad to see the series end but look forward to the authors next chapter.

[Kathy Beaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the last book in the Riley Sullivan series and it is a whopper Riley and Cooper are drawn in by a man who looks like he spent 30 years for a crime he did not commit so many people so many s crest the end will surprise you

[Sammye · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the twelfth and final book in the Riley Sullivan series. Riley is investigating what she thought was a cold case but, but maybe it’s not! The suspense kept me on edge! So entertaining. A great series finale.

[Carol Grossman · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best book I’ve read. Only took me approximately 4 hours to read the just over 3 hours in this book. Unlike most books that take me about 50% in. This one grabbed me immediately, as do all of StacyM Jones’s books. Sorry to see this series end, but she has others. Enjoy reading her books!

[Nan Steiman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best in the series!

Although I thoroughly enjoyed each book in this series, I loved this one. Having all the characters participate in solving one case provided a new depth to each one of them.

[Laurie J. DeVol · Rating 5 out of 5]

The entire Riley Sullivan series was excellent! I read the 12 books in record time!

[Peg Holland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!!!

Very interesting story. Could hardly wait to find out ‘whodunnit’. Well written and descriptive. Recommend reading this book and the series!