Missing in Myanmar

Northern Rivers #4

by Jane Ellyson

Charlotte Wyatt wasn’t sure what she was letting herself in for when she agreed to be available for occasional information gathering activities for the Australian Securities Intelligence Organisation. Her first assignment comes at the end of a holiday in Thailand. Having just said goodbye to her boyfriend, who has taken a job sailing from Port Vila in Vanuatu to Bundaberg in Australia, Charlotte Wyatt is intrigued by the opportunity to go to Myanmar to gather information about a missing person.

With the help of a mysterious librarian, she finds the information she was sent to retrieve, and then, just as she’s making plans to return, the lights go out in Myanmar and the military takes over. With a reluctant passenger, Charlotte runs checkpoints and dodges bullets, in a race to the border.

126 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 12, 2021

About the author

I’ve a deep connection to the far north coast of New South Wales in Australia where my novel Over Byron Bay is set. My great grandparents owned a farm a little way out of Byron Bay and grandparents a farm at nearby Mullumbimby.

I started writing Over Byron Bay in my last year at university in Lismore which is also located in the beautiful Northern Rivers area of New South Wales. For all the wannabe writers out there, let me report that it’s never too late to tell your story. It took 30 years for me to get Over Byron Bay written and published and I’m thrilled with my heart wrenching story of loss and love.

I’ve travelled extensively and lived in some lovely locations around the world including London, Paris and Nice. Nice, in the south of France was home for over a decade so it’s perhaps not surprising that the Cote d’Azur as it is more commonly known, takes centre stage in my second novel Substitute Child.

My heroine Charlotte Wyatt, visits London, Paris, Antibes, Cannes, Îles de Lérins and Monte Carlo on her journey to collect a bottle with a message inside. Her parents had thrown the bottle into the ocean off Byron Bay 20 years previously. It’s a thriller romance. It’s the story of a student on a journey to discover who she is and what she wants from life. It has fairy tale elements and lots of fun.

It’s also a wonderful travel story. The south of France where a fair chunk of the story is set is beautiful. I love the deep blue of the Mediterranean Sea, the craggy rocky outcrops along the coastline and the orange, yellow and pink painted houses.

I’ve recently written the backstory to Over Byron Bay. You can pick up a copy for free by joining my mailing list at www.janeellyson.com
I currently live at Possum Creek just out of Bangalow in northern New South Wales in Australia, well I would if I could, rather than being the pen name of someone who’d prefer to remain anonymous.

Reviews

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This is a quick and fast paced story, if you like political suspense and a heroine who is determined with her assignments then this is one for you to pick up, set during a coup in a small Asian country it is sure to keep the reader turning the pages.

Charlotte Wyatt has helped gather information for The Australian Securities Intelligence Organisation for a while now after they offered help with her fabric company, she has just said goodbye to her boyfriend Scott while on holidays in Thailand when she gets a call to help get information on someone of importance, always willing to help Charlotte is off to Myanmar.

Things get hard when the military take- over not long after Charlotte arrives but with the help of a local librarian Dang they are soon onto the information they need but not before bullets are flying and it is getting dangerous.

This was an interesting story especially seeing as how this has all just happened in real life, the author has done well and bought things to life for this country, it was an enjoyable quick read the setting is lovely and the characters strong and easy to like and they have lots of interesting tech equipment, true spy gadgets.

My thanks to the author for my copy to read and review

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a quick read, but also an action-packed story with a dose or two or romance. I find it even more interesting that it was written during the time of an actual military coup. I'm not as familiar with the culture or events of southeast Asia as I am with other parts of the world, and so, I enjoyed getting a feel for the area, politics, and even culture that are sprinkled throughout the story.

The characters are far from dull. Charlotte will keep you on your toes, making you wonder what kind of trouble she'll get into in this adventure... and if she'll play by the rules others expect her to. And the devotion of Maiah and her willingness to bring hope to her people, despite the potential danger to herself, is admirable.

Plenty to wrap your mind around as you turn the pages of this thrilling adventure.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5* ARC Review – Jane Bond takes Myanmar
This is the first book of the series that I have read and was not sure if that was advisable when I selected the ARC from the Hidden Gems description. Overall, since it appears each book is a new adventure for in the Australian Intelligence Service, but this one finds Charlotte Wyatt who has just finished her holiday with friends when she is notified that she is being sent to Myanmar. Although I would have enjoyed a bit more of organization’s backstory, I was able to follow without reading the earlier books. I liked the location and adventure of the story as Charlotte is sent to find a missing democracy activist in Myanmar. It was a short, action filled read that kept me interested in the story and how it would end. Also, what might happen next with Charlotte and her work with the intelligence service.

[Susan Garver · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very entertaining light read. The characters were entertaining and engaging with enough action to keep you wanting to read. I look forward to reading more from this author.