The Missing Wives: A totally addictive and page-turning crime and suspense thriller

by Morgan Greene

Kindle Edition

Expected publication October 29, 2026

About the author

Morgan Greene grew up in Wales, and works a copywriter, editor, and author. Morgan studied Creative Writing and English Literature at Swansea University with a focus on narrative structure and theory, and published the first crime novel in the Jamie Johansson series in 2020. Since its release, the series has gone on to reach bestseller status, with Detective Jamie Johansson quickly becoming a reader favourite.

The series blends classic Scandi-noir elements with modern and cinematic thriller writing to create a unique style that adds to the emerging Brit-noir genre. Jamie has many novels ahead of her, but Morgan is also working on a variety of other projects across crime, thriller, and mystery and plans to publish plenty more in 2022 and beyond.

Reviews

[Sue]

Detective Alex Marshall is called in to assist - or take over - an investigation in a small town.
A woman was found drowned in a remote barn, and her toddler was left screaming in the car.

How Alex continues with life in general is a total mystery. She is beaten and thrown and manhandled, and injured, and still goes on.

This is a real page turner. I couldn't wait to find out who the murderer was, and in the reveal, it was a huge shock.

Revenge, bullying tactics, money and total disregard for other people is the basis of this crime thriller. Believe me, it is a thriller.
Alex has a man down in her team, and is thwarted at every turn. She finally finds the reason for the murders of the wives, and it wasn't a surprise, given what she found out.
I just feel that the victims were women and 'weaker' than if the men had been attacked.

The charactersin Dunning weren't exactly likeable. Their underhand tactics were despicable.

I like Alex as a main character, but by golly!! She goes through a lot of physical pain!!

Definitely a book to look out for. Read it. In fact, start the series from book 1.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

[Lynn Reads]

The Missing Wives is the second book in the Alexandra Marshall series. It could be read as a standalone, but I would recommend reading the first book in the series!

I read this in one day and was hooked from the start. It’s fast-paced and gripping, with an intriguing plot. At some point I did get quite annoyed with Alex and the decisions she made, they just didn’t make a lot of sense. I hope we get to see Alex in a setting where’s she’s not sleep-deprived and living off adrenaline, it’s getting a bit old after two books.

Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this review copy.

[Lori L (She Treads Softly)]

The Missing Wives by Morgan Greene is a very highly recommended investigative thriller. This is the second novel in the series featuring Detective Alexandra (Alex) Marshall from the Washington state special investigations department. While this could be read as a standalone novel, I would recommend reading the first novel in the series, The Girl Who Lived, for the background information on Alex.

On her way home from an investigation Detective Alex Marshall is called by Captain Thomas (Tom) Doyle to the small town of Dunning, Washington to investigate a murder. Kevin Hsu and Dana Garcia are on their way, but Alex will be the first to arrive. What she discovers is a woman, Rebecca Cook, has been found strapped down to a chair and drowned in a stock tank in an abandoned barn. The chair contraption was built to dunk her repeatedly and clearly the murder was premeditated. The Sheriff, Lacey Mitchell is on site, but the situation is completely out of her depth and she has no control over the crime scene or her deputies.

Then an envelope is sent to the police with the name April Gallagher on it, clearly indicating she is the next target. When Alex and Lacey go to the house to suggest that April accompany them to the police department for her safety, what they find is a group of belligerent, angry men: Grant Walker, Scott Cook, Brian Gallagher and David Harper. Even when they get April to the police department, a lawyer is sent to take her back home. Then she is missing the next day. What Kevin discovers is that they are all business partners who run a property development company called Dunning Real Estate Company (DREC) and they control the town. Their ethically questionable practices have included buying up land, closing water sources, pushing people out of town, and destroying lives.

The writing is excellent as it creates an sinister, suspicious, and dangerous atmosphere while keeping the tension high. It will be clear to readers early that the death of the women is due to the actions of their husbands. The perpetrator definitely has an agenda and is seeking retribution. As the action moves at a fast pace, the novel quickly becomes un-put-downable. It is clearly up to Alex to discover the reason for the murders and her investigation proceeds in a logical manner with clues followed up on and plausible discoveries made.

Alex is an intelligent, insightful investigator and a fighter for justice, but she is also a very troubled, damaged woman, both physically and mentally. Her character receives more development in this second novel. She is running on very little sleep and she takes another beating. Lacey, the ineffectual sheriff, is a very frustrating character, along with her deputies who are out of control. Kevin and Dana are taken out of the action in the plot and have a reduced role. 4.5 rounded up

The Missing Wives is an excellent choice for anyone who enjoys murder investigations and especially those who read the first novel in the series, The Girl Who Lived. Thanks to Bookouture for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

https://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2026/...

[Rary]

ARC: NetGallery & Bookouture
Pub Date Oct 29 2026

Book 2 of Detective Alexandra Marshall

A town called Dunning and Dunning Real Estate are at war with each other and suddenly the husbands of the company’s wives start getting murdered one by one.
The Dunning sheriff is totally useless so Detective Marshall storms in with her tough attitude to hunt down the killer and unveil everyone’s secrets while she gets pretty banged up along the way.
It’s a gripping plot with a surprising ending. I can’t wait for book three!

[Maureen ~Bitch Can Write A Book]

This just did not hit for me. I can’t put my finger on why but it just didn’t come together. I felt like the things happening, she just would have had more support. And don’t get me started on that sheriff. I think I’ll read the next to see if Alex gets it together. I don’t mind a flawed character but…

[Britney Ireland]

I enjoyed this story very much. I thought the investigation was very well written and enjoyed the MFC. I was highly satisfied with this from the beginning to the end and will be recommending this to friends and family. Highly suggest this read. Great investigative thriller book!

Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC to read and review.