The Missing Husband

by Amanda Brooke

The next stunning novel from Richard and Judy pick, Amanda Brooke

When Jo pretends to be asleep as her husband leaves for work the morning after an argument, she doesn’t realise how deeply she will come to regret the opportunity to say goodbye. By nightfall, her life has changed irrevocably.

David has disappeared and there doesn’t seem to be any trace of him. But Jo is five months pregnant and her marriage is full of secrets – not least, David’s unwillingness to start a family.

As the mystery around David’s disappearance shows no sign of being solved, Jo must choose: will she give up her baby to make the man she loves come home?

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Contemporary, Thriller, Mystery Thriller

432 pages, Paperback

First published July 16, 2015

About the author

Amanda Brooke lives in Liverpool with her teenage daughter, Jessica. When her three-year-old son died from cancer, Amanda was determined that his legacy would be one of inspiration. Yesterday's Sun is inspired by her experiences of motherhood.

Reviews

[What Lynsey Read · Rating 1 out of 5]

The husband went missing right at the beginning. This is followed by over 300 pages of mind-numbing dullness.
There's no big reveal or plot twist to make up for the wasted hours of your life.
The characters are all one dimensional & Jo has no likeable qualities.
The whole book is just unsophisticated and flat.
Avoid it. I wish I had.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted on This Chick Reads

*Won on a giveaway. Many thanks to Charlotte Brabbin @Harper Collins for my prize.*

I was lucky enough to win an arc of this novel on twitter, and was over the moon to finally read something by Ms Brooke. Many of my blogger friends have read and enjoyed her previous novels, so I was eager for my copy to arrive and start reading.

'The Missing Husband' is an interesting drama/psychological thriller that will keep you guessing till the very last page. It opens with yet another fight between Jo and David, and what seems to be just a little row between married couple turns into a tragedy. David is off to Leads for a training course and it's the last time his wife, Jo will see him. Where did he go and why is he gone missing, that's a question no one can answer, not even his family and Jo. Of course, Jo is devastated especially since she's pregnant and feels responsible for his missing. She goes through all the stages of grieving, denial, worry, blame, and yet can't seem to find an answer for David's unhappiness. However, when she starts finding little clues, she starts to question David's love for her and their unborn child. Though the policy is looking for him, they're not much of a help as they also strongly believe nothing bad happened to David. He's an adult and probably left home wanting to start a new life somewhere else..or with someone else. But what is really behind his mysterious disappearance?

'The Missing Husband' was certainly gripping, psychological thriller and a real roller coaster ride. I couldn't help but go through all the emotions Jo was feeling and being a mother and wife I strongly empathized with her. The pace might feel a bit slow to some, but I definitely enjoyed it as it gave me enough time to get to know/connect to the characters. All of the characters, starting from Jo and David, to their mothers, brother, sister, are flawed more or less, but it's because of this that they felt so real to me.

Jo's pain over her missing husband and her feeling of helplessness was so raw, yet so real. She's not a character every reader might love, some might even think she's too weak, but aren't we all sometimes? Jo's not afraid to admit it though.

However, while I expected the story to be focused on David's missing (though, there's a fair amount of that too), it's more of Jo's story and explores the dark moments and problems people who suffer from mental illness go through. I'm lucky not be very familiar with panic attacks and that awful feeling of anxiety, however I believe Ms Brooke authentically portrays what people experience once they have these panic attacks. But what felt strange to me is the fact that I imagined Jo completely different at the beginning. I won't reveal anything, but by the end of the book I saw her in a much different light. Same was with David, and that's why I'm saying the whole book was like a roller coaster, one minute I'd hate him, one minute he'd totally surprise me.

You know, I can't help but feel (and hope Ms Brooke will not be offended by me saying this) that writing this book was truly a cathartic experience for Ms Brooke. As a single mom, Ms Brooke is very passionate about parental relationships and the troubles single mothers face every day. You know when you read a book and actually FEEL it? When you read the author's words and you feel like they poured their soul into it? That's exactly what happened to me and that makes this book really special.

The only thing that stops me from giving it a 5* rating is the fact I was not too pleased with the ending, I honestly expected something more shocking. But, it still wasn't predictable and that's always good in my book.

Gripping and moving, 'The Missing Husband' was certainly an enjoyable read and I will most definitely be reading Ms Brooke's previous novels. This is her 4th one, so I got some real catching up to do.

[Ameena · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am absolutely mystified by all the good reviews of this book because frankly it bored me to tears.

The main character wasn't likeable in the least.

The missing husband wasn't likeable in the least.

The book was extremely repetitive and could have been at least 1/3 shorter.

The BIL was a pathetic distraction.

The conclusion made no sense to me.

Sorry, but aside from relating to how difficult motherhood is, I don't recommend this book at all.

[Jo_Scho_Reads · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the second book I’ve read by this author and this one has cemented the fact that she’s not for me. The plot is essentially that Jo’s husband goes missing when she is 5 months pregnant. This happens fairly early on in the plot and what follows is a load of romantic and often implausibly prolonged soul searching, schmaltz and insipid drama. Talk about a slow plot! I was trying to work out why I was so irritated by the character of Jo. To start with I much prefer a first person narrative but then I noticed that, whilst in the third person, the protagonist seems to be constantly referred to by her name, ‘Jo felt this, Jo did that, Jo thought this, Jo looked out of the window, Jo opened the cupboard, Jo took out a tin’, and once I picked up on that, well it drove me crazy. It turned Jo into a robot, I had zero empathy for her as the constant ‘Jo’s’ made her seem so unrelatable and very unreal. There were also no other points of view than hers and the chronological timeline made the story drag on and on and on, without anything much ever happening.

Then there was the over the top romantic dialogue which I found super irritating. And I couldn’t understand how months later Jo was still ready to drop everything for her missing husband, despite having a new born baby. I’ve read plenty of novels which have characters with mental health issues and can usually empathise due to the skill of the author, but sadly not in this instance.

So perhaps I’ve been harsh - as you can see this wasn’t for me. But others have enjoyed it, so if you like a slow paced read with romantic dialogue this may be for you. Everyone is different after all.

[Paromjit · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an indepth study of a relationship unravelling and its consequences. It is Jo that looms large and then her husband to some extent. The novel begins with a fight between the couple and the husband leaving, only to go missing. It is also a study in being a parent.

Jo is pregnant. She seems to lose her connections with the world and her mental health deteriorates. The mystery, of course, is what has happened to David and how did they get here. This is story that captures the pain of a relationship. It is suspenseful and an absorbing read. The fact that the characters are not always likeable lends authenticity to them, There is significant character development through the tale,

An emotional roller coaster of a book that engaged me as a reader. Many thanks to HarperCollins, the publishers for a copy of the book via the goodreads giveaways.

[Meinwen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Slow so gave up.

[Claire mcmanus · Rating 5 out of 5]

read in two days absolutely brilliant

[Mel · Rating 1 out of 5]

SPOILERS

This was a real struggle. Irritating characters and a painfully slow plot. It annoyed me how Jo's character felt she had the moral highground, yes, David shouldn't have just left, but she took herself off the pill and got pregnant without telling him!

[Debra K · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a more detailed review, please check out my review below:

Debra's Book Cafe


Debs :-)

[Chanel Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book that I have read from this author and so far this has to be my favourite. Although it's not perfect, I quite enjoyed this one.

This book follows Jo, who is five months pregnant with the baby she always wanted, and on the surface she has the perfect marriage to David, the love of her life. The only thing marring her happiness is the secret she's hiding from her husband. Then David disappears and there doesn't seem to be any trace of him. Did the secrets inside his marriage chase him away? Or something much worse?

Firstly let me be honest and say that this read wasn't amazing. The story dragged on way too much, there was no shocking twists or turns and the ending wasn't quite what I was hoping for; however it was still the best book I've read from this author so far. Despite the negatives, the positives were better.

This is the sort of book that instants connects readers to the story as it forces readers to imagine themselves in the same situation. I haven't got a husband or a baby but I was imagining myself in the same situation - losing a loved one and not knowing what has happened. Through the excellent writing detailing the emotions that the main character was going through, I felt myself going through those same emotions and guessing constantly throughout the book. Amanda Brooke did an amazing job on delivering a story that really detailed how her characters felt with dealing with their struggles.

Not a book for readers that want a big mystery with lots of shocking twists, but for readers that want to get lost in a heartbreaking story. It really made me appreciate my loved ones! Can't wait to read more from Amanda!

[Ashy Khaira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jo and David are currently at odds over her pregnancy.What was supposed to be David's day at work to a meeting has now turned into a missing person's case when he fails to come back home.One thing leads to the next which makes all family members think that David has walked away from Jo.But did he really?or did something else happen?

[Bookread2day · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jo is five months pregnant and has a little argument with her husband. After David getting of his train he failed to arrive home. When Jo finally realises her husband is missing, Jo is naturally going through the process grief, not knowing if her husband is dead or alive. The police are searching for him. I do love reading Amanda Brooke's books, but felt the story did drag on in the search for Jo's missing husband. I like the fact that Amanda Brooke's got her idea for this book after reading a news report about a married man who had disappeared without trace. The ending of The Missing Husband is incredibly moving. The most important thing to take away from this novel is that life isn't as predictable or secure as any of us would like to imagine and when we give our love to others, it has to be with a sense of hope rather than certainty.

[Maxime · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book via goodreads giveaways in exchange for an honest review.
I had this book on my book stack for a while now and I'm so glad I finally good round to picking it... I was not disappointed! Having just spent another sunny afternoon glued to this book iwas almost sorry to finish it!
A great storyline about marrage love and loss a real page turner I picked this book up every spare chance I had! highly recommend

[Adeline Kam · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring book....lousy storyline. I bought this book because of the title and synopsis but it turned out to be a great disappointment. It is extremely boring...the story is too draggy...there is no oomph at all. I patiently read until chapter 22 and that's it.....I gave up and skip to the last page to find out what happened to David actually. And the end! I am not going to re-read this book again. A big disappointment!

[Adele · Rating 2 out of 5]

Such a big build up to a nothing ending. Its like the writer got bored and ended the book quickly.

The characters were well described and you feel as a reader to connect at various times with the characters then towards the end it is a real let down.

[Sylvia · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story was to drawn out could have been told in half the amount of pages i found myself skipping pages just to find out what happenned to david !

[Gloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

A copy of 'The Missing Husband' by Amanda Brooke was received via Goodreads-Giveaways, my thanks to Goodreads, the author and publishers.
David and Jo have been married to 10 years, they have good jobs, a nice home and take exotic holidays.
They had decided to start a family when Jo was thirty however she was 31 and David wasn't ready to settle down - as he wanted to tour the four corners of the world before starting a family.
Jo decides to take matters in her own hands, unknown to David she 'comes off the pill' and becomes pregnant. Their relationship deteriorates and they quarrel about the deceit.
One day David leaves their home to attend a course and does not return at the end of the day.
He has taken money out of his account and his passport is missing. Jo has to come to terms that David has left her. An anxiety disorder that jo once battled with returns, she becomes crippled with agoraphobia and panic attacks. Months pass without any sign of David - both David and Jo's families are devastated.
This is an excellent, deftly told mystery story, the writing is excellent. All the characters believable and the depiction of Jo's spiraling mental deterioration realistically told.

[Shona Booky Ramblings of a Neurotic Mom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Almost 2 years ago I read my very first Amanda Brooke novel, Another Way to Fall, it grabbed me so completely that when I saw this book was coming out I knew I had to get it. I didn't even stop to read the blurb. All I needed to know was that it was written by Brooke, and as such promised to be gripping. And it was. Once I opened this book I was unable to step away from Jo's story. I just couldn't do it. I started this book in the early afternoon and I read continuously until I had devoured every single page.

I've had several hours to process what I read and try and somehow figure out how I can sum it up in a review and I just cant. This book will have you changing your mind about certain characters so many times you will have whiplash. Like Jo you're not quite sure who to trust, who to believe or who to side with, At one point I actually thought Jo might be responsible for her husbands disappearance....

Brooke has written a wonderful tale of love, family, loss and betrayal. One that I will recommend to friends and family and will without a doubt read again.

[Raluca Sandu · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book via Goodreads in exchange for an honest review.
Although I did enjoy the story and the writing, there were two major things that bothered me.
First of all, I think this exact same story could have been told in one third of the words that were actually used. It was soooooooooo SLOW, so many pages where nothing happened. There was suspense, yes, but it was just too much. I was about to stop reading this book more than once because of that, but I was just too curious to see how it ended.
Secondly, I had a problem with Jo’s personality. How is it possible to “trick” one’s husband into pregnancy? It’s something beyond my comprehension. Her “panic attacks”, one at every page, were just too much and got me rolling my eyes more than once. And also, Jo is the person who thinks of putting waterproof mascara on while waiting for her husband’s body to be discovered… I mean…?? She really thinks about everything!


For these reasons, I can't give this book more than 3 stars.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways in return for an honest review.

I loved this book, although it was a slow burner this allowed us time to really absorb Jo's pain and the sinister atmosphere brought about by the mysterious disappearance of David her husband when she was at her most vulnerable, pregnant with their first child.

Like Jo, my opinion on why David had disappeared changed from one chapter to the next, and I really felt like I was on a roller-coaster of emotions alongside Jo.

I love psychological thrillers and although I would describe this book as more psychological suspense than thriller, the ending was not what I had expected and took me completely by surprise.

This is the first book by Amanda Brooke that I have read and it definitely won't be the last. In fact Ms Brooke is such a good writer and builder of atmosphere and suspense that I will definitely check out her previous novels.

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Missing Husband by Amanda Brooke is a spectacularly sneaky story about a husbands mysterious disappearance? In the first few chapters, I was thinking, "This is one of those rare novels that's totally engrossing, cleverly plotted and I'm eager to find out what happens next." In a nutshell, this is a psychological thriller that keeps you guessing. But it's not only a thriller, the book is also about the unconventional truths in love and marriage.

*Won on a giveaway. Many thanks to 'Harper-Collins' for my prize.

[Paula P · Rating 4 out of 5]

At last!! A book I struggled to put down.

I won this book in a good reads giveaway. I am currently doing a reading challenge so have read all kinds of genres which although I enjoyed mostly have been out of my comfort zone.

The missing husband has been a wonderful read, although there were times when I got so cross and wanted to know 'where the heck he was'.

The book was written beautifully and all the characters were believable even if I didn't like some of them.

I shall be definitely looking for other books by this author

[Cathy]

Boring. Boring. Boring.

Pointlessly repetitive and full of thoughts and feelings. Nothing much actually happened. This wasn't the 'Thriller' I was expecting. The synopsis was so full of promise. I was bitterly disappointed and would not recommend this book to anyone.

[Gena Miller · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was really hard for me to get into and unfortunately I had to give up. It was so slooowwwww no plot twists or suspense whatsoever. Everyone has their own taste in books, however if you're looking for a big thriller this one is not for you.

[Kathy]

Listened to audiobook.

I stuck it out to 75%. Nothing happened. It went on and on and nothing happened. Glancing over other reviews, it seemed readers either loved or like myself, thought it boring and uneventful. I moved on.

[Laura Wonderchick · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best thing I liked about this book was it had me wondering clear to the last few pages how it was going to turn out. Very well written & I loved it!

[Mandy Baggot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great suspenseful read. It had me turning the pages and living through Jo's agony right along with her. Highly recommended.

[Laura Myers · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't understand the 4 star average that this book has. I usually enjoy this type of book, but I found this tedious and I was unable to connect with any of the characters.

[Gaynor Spanswick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book , would recommend it ,I enjoyed it .

[Lara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book to drag on a bit, and actually a bit boring, and I almost gave up but I wanted to find out what happened to David. On a positive note, all loose ends were tied up.