Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book
Rate this book
The clock is ticking. They're still missing. 

After handing in his detective badge, Mason Black now lives a stable life as a private investigator. But when the bodies of two children are discovered with messages written in blood, the pattern of a familiar killer emerges.

Now, the Carter twins are missing, and only Mason can help. With his unique knowledge of the killer, he has an advantage over the San Francisco Police Department. While his marriage falls apart, he must choose between repairing his life or opening doors that were meant to stay closed. There's just one problem; neither solution will restore his faith in humanity.

The Lullaby Killer is on the hunt, and Mason Black is always a step behind. As the trail reveals shocking secrets and surprising twists, you'll be holding your breath for the entirety of this gut-wrenching detective thriller.

265 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 25, 2015

4168 people are currently reading
2559 people want to read

About the author

Adam Nicholls

90 books155 followers
Adam Nicholls grew up in the southwest of England, where he studied creative writing while working a variety of full-time jobs. When his Mason Black series was first published, he quickly became a bestseller and then went on to create a name for himself in the thriller genre. Adam now lives with his wife in Bristol.

You can join his newsletter and be the first to hear about news, discounts and competitions by clicking the following link:

https://www.subscribepage.com/authora...

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
2,164 (44%)
4 stars
1,606 (32%)
3 stars
775 (15%)
2 stars
233 (4%)
1 star
126 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 263 reviews
Profile Image for Montzalee Wittmann.
5,152 reviews2,337 followers
June 7, 2018
Missing
Mason Black, Book 1
By: Adam Nicholls
Narrated by: Andrew Tell
This is an audible book I requested and the review is voluntary.
This is a suspenseful serial killer, mostly of children. I normally don't like those but this is more suspense then then gross. High tension, good plot, interesting characters, and the unknown kept me on edge! Well done.
The narrator was wonderful keeping the tension high, making the voices just right- evil, innocent, angry, sad, etc. Wonderful performance!
Profile Image for Cheryl .
2,358 reviews80 followers
February 14, 2018
I give this novel a solid 3.5 stars.

When I saw there were 90 chapters in this book I thought "Oh no!", but the chapters were short, punchy, easy to read and seem to fly by.
While it perhaps wasn't the most thought out plot, it did hold my attention, was well written and quickly paced. Interesting characters that could have done with some more "fleshing out", nonetheless an enjoyable piece of entertainment.
Profile Image for Cheryl .
2,358 reviews80 followers
February 17, 2018
** This book was previously published as Hush (Mason Black) #1 **

I give this novel a solid 3.5 stars.

When I saw there were 90 chapters in this book I thought "Oh no!", but the chapters were short, punchy, easy to read and seem to fly by.
While it perhaps wasn't the most thought out plot, it did hold my attention, was well written and quickly paced. Interesting characters that could have done with some more "fleshing out", nonetheless an enjoyable piece of entertainment.
Profile Image for Sheila Myers.
Author 16 books20 followers
December 31, 2016
The plot has potential, but unfortunately Adam Nicholls didn't do a very good job writing the book. The characters have no depth, the plot jumps too quickly from one event to another, and the explanations for why and how the police do or don't do things don't line up with law enforcement practices in real life.
Profile Image for Trina.
828 reviews9 followers
April 3, 2016
Ridiculous. That's about how I would sum up this tragedy. This author needs to do some research and try again. Don't waste your time reading this. I definitely won't be reading anything else by this author.
Profile Image for Lori.
Author 1 book26 followers
August 17, 2016
It is my opinion that this is a "scrap book." It is parts and lines of other works. One liners from British novels, mixed with a confusing and too fast storyline. The characters seem to be chosen at random and plugged in at odd junctures. The setting is San Francisco, California, but it could be anywhere. In less than three chapters I detect something amiss here.
Profile Image for Jim Wicks.
24 reviews
April 21, 2018
Couldn’t Get Very Far

Within just a few chapters, I was struggling with ideas that didn’t jive together. Example 1: here’s a passage that doesn’t make sense: “For a minute he’d considered taking his car, but despite the heavy rain, he knew it was a bad idea. The alcohol was still rattling his brain. When he arrived at the school, he waited by the buses. “Dad?” Amy stepped away from the bus line, her eyes widening. “Hey, honey. I thought I’d walk you home. Maybe get some pizza?” “Sure, Dad. Here.” She popped open an umbrella and handed it to Mason, who held her close and sheltered them both as best he could.”

[That they shared an umbrella suggests he didn’t have one and walked through heavy rain to his daughter’s school. Who does that??? Then, they had a conversation away from the bus line in the heavy rain. THEN, she popped open her umbrella. The writing needs to spell out these simple ideas because it seems absurd to have a casual conversation in heavy rain.]


Example 2: “Mason was just beginning to believe her when he heard the grumble of a car’s engine. A quick peek through the window revealed it to be Joshua’s car. He stormed outside and marched toward it, his fists clenched into tight balls. Before the new boyfriend knew what was happening Mason opened the door and dragged him out. He pinned him against the side of the car and planted a fist into the guy’s stomach. Mason smashed the guy in the face once, twice. Joshua slumped to the floor...

[Joshua slumped to the floor? I thought they were outside? Huh?]

These kinds of inconsistencies are jolting to read. Did he just walk through heavy rain to his daughter’s school? How far was that? And then they have a casual talk in the heavy rain? Then he walks to a pizza place and then home. All under an umbrella out in heavy rain. Then he beats up the new boyfriend outside, who falls to the floor...???

In addition to this, the writing is just pretty poor.

I’m stopping while I’m ahead. Too many other books that don’t have glaring mistakes like this. Inexcusable.
Profile Image for Toni Lewis.
612 reviews3 followers
August 17, 2016
The one that lerks

Let me just say on thing here ... This book was only my second serial killer book and yes it kinda freaks me out reading these but more than I'm so engulfed in what I'm reading I can't put them down . What would you do if someone was after your family ? That is what Mason had to decide in this book . You just need to read it .. First book I've read from this author but I really enjoyed it
Profile Image for Cathy .
291 reviews11 followers
February 19, 2018
Missing (originally published as Hush) by Adam Nicholls, is a pretty fast paced read. The characters are interesting and well thought out. Mason Black now a PI, formally a cop, who was looking for a serial child killer is now drawn back into the hunt for him as the body count rises Mason must protect his own family which just happens to be falling apart just as this serial killer is picking up his pace. Can Mason find the killer before the killer gets tired of Mason chasing him, getting closer by the hour or will the killer act faster.....pick up this book for twists and turns that you don't see coming. Looking forward to reading more from this author and more with Mason Black!
Profile Image for Neelabh Pratap  Singh.
Author 41 books26 followers
October 1, 2022
Serial killer thrillers are best when they're whodunit, when the readers keep guessing until the end the identity of the killer. This on wasn't a whodunit. The killer was nobody really. Mason Black, the protagonist, is an ex-cop and now a PI, dealing with a missing girl case whose body is found. The signs reminiscent of an unsolved case of Lullaby Killer. While the story is fast paced and chapters are short, there's no character development really. Either of the protagonist or the killer. It's just an entertaining plot to read over the weekend and forget.
Profile Image for Stevie (Books & Barks).
174 reviews4 followers
December 15, 2021
As a whole I'll give it an 'OK'. It was a very quick read and normally I jump at detective stories but this one was almost too face paced. More depth was needed to the characters and back story. I didn't like the ending as it was so far from how I think a police officer would handle things. More vigilante then law enforcer. It is a part of a series but at this time I won't be reading the others.
12.6k reviews189 followers
February 15, 2018
Wow what a book. Kids turn up dead and others are missing. Mason wants to retire but now he can’t. He’s the only one who can help. Totally gripping story. Received a free book and reviewing because I enjoyed the book.
Profile Image for Hannah Carpenter.
2 reviews4 followers
April 17, 2021
Awesome storyline, sucks you in and keeps you guessing until the very end! Already started the next one in the series!
Author 7 books2 followers
March 3, 2024
Easy to read, story about a private investigator Mason chasing a serial killer of children.
Profile Image for Abi.
151 reviews
July 15, 2018
Really bad and disturbing... the dialogues were bad as well..
Characters not so bad.. but their reactions to horrible situations was almost indiferent.
Profile Image for Pat.
2,310 reviews499 followers
June 7, 2018
This one slipped through the cracks a while ago. No review as I can't remember a thing about it so it can't have been very memorable and I'm not planning to read any more by this author.
Profile Image for Louise Hull.
20 reviews
July 23, 2018
Good book

Great read.. a bit cringey when I was reading about the children and what was going on.. but that's only because I have a child and would hate to think of anyone doing that to him.. a side from that I love Mason Black, seems like a good guy with genuine problems. Loves his daughter dearly and would fight tooth and nail for her.. I'm off to read book 2
Profile Image for Bikram.
379 reviews4 followers
July 6, 2018
Disclaimer.
I had requested and received audible version of this book for free from the narrator, in exchange for an unbiased review.

What I liked about the book -
It's a thriller about a serial killer and it has a former cop turned P.I. who is again helping cops solve the crime. I love books with these tropes. So, I was drawn to this book and hoped for a good time listening to it. The story moves at a fast pace and doesn't take too much time to move from one sequence to another.

What I disliked about the book -
The plot gets quite predictable after a short time and there wasn't much of a suspense left. Possibly to make up for it, and as a hook for the second book, the author ended the book on a major cliffhanger.

Narration -
Narration by Andrew Tell was the best part of the book. His delivery made the story come alive and helped me finish listening to it.
Profile Image for lisa.
15 reviews
March 10, 2022
This book ended up not being it for me. In the first half, I was somewhat interested, despite the more graphic content than what I typically read. I love murder mysteries, but this had a lot of over the top gore. I was going to stop reading it, but I was curious about how it would play out so I continued. As the book went on, I found the characters unlikeable and the dialogue/storytelling to be melodramatic. I found myself rolling my eyes at a lot of what I was reading while also cringing at the descriptions of violence. I was not a fan of the ending either. I know this is a series and I was hoping to enjoy it enough to keep going, but I won't be reading the rest.
Profile Image for Bryngel.
1,878 reviews13 followers
October 26, 2023
Meh. Meh, is not a bad enough description of this book.

Pathetic is more like it. Yep, pathetic is the word I'm looking for.

The story and the people in it are in no way even close to believable. If you ignore that (like I did) you'll soon get a killer headache due to all the rollings of your eyes. People in it are unbelievably stupid, and boy will you feel as one of them for sticking to this ridiculous story.

I have to say: avoid at all costs. But then again, why not try it yourself? You perhaps have a more refined taste than me!

(Please forgive my poor English, my excuse is I’m Swedish)
Profile Image for Brittany Madro.
4 reviews1 follower
February 27, 2025
I couldn’t finish this book. I tried many times to get through it and found it actually quite disturbing. I usually love books with crime and suspense but I had a very difficult time getting through the first half. The detail and descriptions of the crimes were just a little too much. I would say that I felt this way because it involved kids.
170 reviews2 followers
February 18, 2018
LOVED IT

Mr. Nicholls, I loved your book. Characters are all believable. It really was a page turner. I was disappointed that it was the end of the book but when I realized there was going to be another book, I was really excited. Keep up the good work.
10 reviews
May 20, 2018
Attention holder.

Good story. Kept my interest going,especially since I live in the Bay area,it got my imagination going. The ending,well.......Felt like I was left hanging. All in all a good read.
Profile Image for Donadee's Corner.
2,641 reviews63 followers
November 7, 2018
Missing - Mason Black Bk 1 - Written by Adam Nicholls
The Lullaby Killer is pushing all the buttons and Mason is living in HELL!

After handing in his detective badge, Mason Black now lives a stable life as a private investigator.
But when the bodies of two children are discovered with messages written in blood, the pattern of a familiar killer emerges. Now, the Carter twins are missing, and only Mason can help. With his unique knowledge of the killer, he has an advantage over the San Francisco Police Department. While his marriage falls apart, he must choose between repairing his life or opening doors that were meant to stay closed. There's just one problem; neither solution will restore his faith in humanity. With the killer on the hunt, Mason is always just a step behind revealing shocking secrets and breathtaking twists.

What did I like? I have read almost everything this author has written and I love his writing style. It is direct and not filled with a lot of fluff. He can make you feel like you are standing/sitting right in the mix of the action.

What will you like? Dramatic action, intense situations, gut-twisting, excellent detective work and hold your breath for the outcome. Mason Black is a man that has a way of touching the situation and digging deeper than everyone around him. He feels the intensity of the killer and the victim. He knows things that others just never think about and then he uses them to further his search. He also loves with all of his heart, family comes first and foremost. Get ready for one explosive, intensive and spectacular detective thriller.




921 reviews11 followers
September 6, 2018
Just not good!

I read another series by this writer, and it was great! I start this one with a woman whose car broke down right outside San Francisco, and she had her young son with her, but apparently no cell phone. A greasy guy in a RV stops and against her better judgement she and her son get in with him. After seeing he is turning away from town she just sits there, then to make her even a more weak and stupid character she leaves her son with this guy because he drew a gun. After she finds out within just a few hours her son is dead she calls the police worthless, and kills herself. That whole scenario made me want to put it down, but I thought I'd give it further. There's a part where twins are kidnapped by this killer, yea they just go with him with no questions. The main character, Mason Black, ex-cop, goes to see the father who calls him by Mr. Black when the PI never even gave him his name, so he must be psychic. If that's not bad enough Evie, Mason's sister gets a secret email to stop investigating the killer. She deletes the email and tells no one that her thirteen year old daughter whom she adopted out was threatened in that email. This book has too many characters with too many problems to the point of making some just ridiculous while others should not have been thrown in the mix. I have it an extra star because I felt nice today.
Profile Image for Villy.
32 reviews4 followers
October 17, 2021
This has all the marks of a good book. The plot is fast, the main character has enough to juggle on his plate but....

One, the police is non existent. They're there to play second fiddle to a PI and the cop in charge of the case is the one who's child died at the hands of this killer.... Seriously? SFPD is so short stuffed they let the guy with the score to settle lead the case?

Two, Mason's wife kicks him out of their house out of the blue, moves her lover in, serves him with divorce papers, gets angry with her lover for "not seeing why Mason is upset" and at the end hints at getting back together with Mason. And Mason goes along for the ride. Weak, very weak.

Three, Mason's daughter is called Amy. His sister's daughter that was given away to adoption is called Amelia. I have to assume their grandmother was named Amelia and was determine to give her name to a granddaughter, because this is ridiculous. What would they do if the girls were raised as cousins? Call them by their dads' names' as the old unfunny jope goes?

Four, the ending. Considering how the killer kept being one step ahead of them throughout the book, it's disappointing to just read those final scenes. What will happen to the killer is clear as day but to go from their big showdown to the final scene is... bad.
Profile Image for Judi Haley.
1,346 reviews6 followers
February 22, 2018
First in the series about Mason Black who is now a Private Investigator. He life is not going well, his wife just kicked him out of the house and has a live-in boyfriend. The only thing that he has left, his his 13 year old daughter, Amy.

He has been called into a case by his former partner, Bill. The Lullaby Killer is back and Bill asks Mason to help him find him. Bill's son was killed by this serial killer and he wants revenge and Mason was the only one that almost caught him and knows the clues to follow.

When children come up missing from the local school (and the one that his daughter attends), Mason takes on the case along with his sister, Evie. Evie is a reporter and is along helping Mason in return for the story..But, when the Lullaby Killer contacts her and threatens someone that she loves, she quits the case.

This is a fast read. I did love the character Mason. Enjoy also reading about his sister, Evie which I uderstand is a series also. Does Mason get the killer in the end, or will the Lullaby Killer force Masons hand when he takes Amy.
Profile Image for Lynda Kelly.
2,194 reviews103 followers
May 9, 2018
I got as far as 24% into this then called it a day. The cliches were coming thick and fast and it just wasn't really original enough or gripping enough for me to stick with.
I had to massively agree with Mason and his thoughts regarding Susan Chance when she went for Bill....I've looked up EFT and I'm none the wiser......I hate it when Americans don't bother explaining their acronyms, and they tend to use a LOT !! However, there were no mistakes by the time I gave up on this which is commendable.
I reached a mention of what had happened to Mason's parents and that made me roll my eyes but then, right after, his sister gets a threatening email and it ends with "If this email gets out, I'll know" and I just sighed and packed it in. Who would use a phrase like this, aside from some idiot on CSI or similar ?? It just didn't come across as real to me and I for one, wouldn't have take it seriously !!
Having said all this, I'm in my 50s and I've read a great deal so perhaps I'm a little too jaded for it. It may well appeal to someone younger for sure.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 263 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.