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The Last Place You'd Look: True Stories of Missing Persons and the People Who Search for Them
Former police detective Carole Moore interviewed the families of dozens of missing persons across the county and around the world to compile The Last Place You'd Look , which also focuses on the efforts of police, search and rescue, nonprofits and volunteer organizations. According to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), there are about 100,000 active, open and unresolved missing persons cases that sit on the books in the U.S. each day. The numbers are similar in Canada, where annually more than 60,000 children are reported missing. Additionally, in the U.S. alone there are more than 40,000 John and Jane Does in cemeteries and morgues across the country, still waiting to be identified. The anguish of having a loved one vanish is unthinkable, yet thousands of families face this heartbreak every day. The Last Place You'd Look provides searchers a starting point and gives readers an overview of "the club no one wants to belong to."
248 pages, Hardcover
First published March 3, 2011
15 people are currently reading
307 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
June 9, 2018
This was a daunting read. It's most likely the most dire real life stories and witnesses that I've read this year. It's literally 100's of cases. Few are "solved". And even the solving is rare to have any tint of joy color to it. When you are not closely associated with a person who has disappeared, vanished/ lost/ or just replaced by a huge void- and more so if it is a family member! Well, I can put myself in many footsteps but I don't think I can approach what that must feel like. And it does not surprise me that the reactions over decades are so entirely various. And that it may often destroy the remaining associations and family connections by a tangent on the way.
It's a 3 star for the form and possibly more than a 4, toward a 4.5 star for the content. The parental kidnapping disappearance cases were 5 star. Every one varies, IMHO. And the outcomes are often one parent never seeing their biological child again. We tend to hear about the others "found" or reconnected. One here established a reconnection after 20 years. The result was that the children (now adults) refused to see or contact in any form their mother. One parent can and might poison the well beyond imaging to any portion of "self-identity".
There is no easy way to tell the width and breadth of this subject matter. Dozens and dozens of scenarios, and 100's if not 1000's of different law agencies and places for their specific requirements for searches. Not only for "missing" but for "ill" or "duplicated" or some other category of negation that is citizen questioned. Or that remains a cipher to foul play or for any of more than 100's of other reasons. Accident, escape, evasion, masquerading, and far more than just the murder or kidnapping that so many may define for/by/in this category. And are all the searches law or association to friendship or blood related? Or are they investigative for private means and long distance searching?
This is an immense and diverse definition for the core of the book. But it was approached in a witness, case, specific statistic and research from 1000 different eyes and directions. And it taught me several facts and more than a handful of realities that I had never considered so deeply as part of this picture.
Too much to describe. But one of them might be the fact that white males' searches are never as long (carried out for lengths of years or decades upon average or as successful to any kind of definitive outcomes as those for young females, children often are). And that traveling, and especially foreign travel, is not as filled with educational/ joyful surmounting the dangerous situations and outcomes. There are far more (multiple, multiple times more) than is either reported or envisioned by any entity (government stats too) within foreign travel experiences, regardless of what country or continent you originate from. And that foreign travel in age groups of the 18-30 is especially problematic to "what happened to them?" Not only for foul play- but within many other criteria for unknown disappearances and proven "deceased" outcomes (but many without a proof of body or returned forensic material to family/home location). Many people that are assumed to have disappeared or have evaded for and by their own onus to establish other identities and "begin" again? Great numbers of these are often put into this very wrong category for "gone" from the get-go. Central America is especially horrendous for the young, middle-aged, old across the boards to "disappear".
And the searchers! Those were inspiring words (and also a whole pallet of different approaches to "searching" now that the internet is so embedded) and also such depth to those who can turn a page and others who just can't (when some knowledge is worse, better, or more complex as it goes to any "now" definitive). There are people who can never recover from losing another human in this sea of "unknown". And others who when they get some or complete "closure"- it negates their spirits completely. The suicide of parental and sibling survivors for those with unknown outcomes are especially drawn with a fine window to their dichotomies here. Sometimes the searching actually keeps their spirits "livable"? So, so sad.
But I thought the read was superlative for that sense alone that the ones who love us the most and who say "she would never have done that" or "he would not use that language in this note" - or any of those particular text or social media "proofs" are so often right. And they KNOW the people who are gone enough to be listened to. And listened to again.
How the laws with timing have changed! That's the other reason that this book becomes an excellent point of law read. And some cultures do not and will not consider this issue as other will either. And never more so than within a "average" or common time lapse to "possible" cognition.
It's a 3 star for the form and possibly more than a 4, toward a 4.5 star for the content. The parental kidnapping disappearance cases were 5 star. Every one varies, IMHO. And the outcomes are often one parent never seeing their biological child again. We tend to hear about the others "found" or reconnected. One here established a reconnection after 20 years. The result was that the children (now adults) refused to see or contact in any form their mother. One parent can and might poison the well beyond imaging to any portion of "self-identity".
There is no easy way to tell the width and breadth of this subject matter. Dozens and dozens of scenarios, and 100's if not 1000's of different law agencies and places for their specific requirements for searches. Not only for "missing" but for "ill" or "duplicated" or some other category of negation that is citizen questioned. Or that remains a cipher to foul play or for any of more than 100's of other reasons. Accident, escape, evasion, masquerading, and far more than just the murder or kidnapping that so many may define for/by/in this category. And are all the searches law or association to friendship or blood related? Or are they investigative for private means and long distance searching?
This is an immense and diverse definition for the core of the book. But it was approached in a witness, case, specific statistic and research from 1000 different eyes and directions. And it taught me several facts and more than a handful of realities that I had never considered so deeply as part of this picture.
Too much to describe. But one of them might be the fact that white males' searches are never as long (carried out for lengths of years or decades upon average or as successful to any kind of definitive outcomes as those for young females, children often are). And that traveling, and especially foreign travel, is not as filled with educational/ joyful surmounting the dangerous situations and outcomes. There are far more (multiple, multiple times more) than is either reported or envisioned by any entity (government stats too) within foreign travel experiences, regardless of what country or continent you originate from. And that foreign travel in age groups of the 18-30 is especially problematic to "what happened to them?" Not only for foul play- but within many other criteria for unknown disappearances and proven "deceased" outcomes (but many without a proof of body or returned forensic material to family/home location). Many people that are assumed to have disappeared or have evaded for and by their own onus to establish other identities and "begin" again? Great numbers of these are often put into this very wrong category for "gone" from the get-go. Central America is especially horrendous for the young, middle-aged, old across the boards to "disappear".
And the searchers! Those were inspiring words (and also a whole pallet of different approaches to "searching" now that the internet is so embedded) and also such depth to those who can turn a page and others who just can't (when some knowledge is worse, better, or more complex as it goes to any "now" definitive). There are people who can never recover from losing another human in this sea of "unknown". And others who when they get some or complete "closure"- it negates their spirits completely. The suicide of parental and sibling survivors for those with unknown outcomes are especially drawn with a fine window to their dichotomies here. Sometimes the searching actually keeps their spirits "livable"? So, so sad.
But I thought the read was superlative for that sense alone that the ones who love us the most and who say "she would never have done that" or "he would not use that language in this note" - or any of those particular text or social media "proofs" are so often right. And they KNOW the people who are gone enough to be listened to. And listened to again.
How the laws with timing have changed! That's the other reason that this book becomes an excellent point of law read. And some cultures do not and will not consider this issue as other will either. And never more so than within a "average" or common time lapse to "possible" cognition.
March 26, 2011
My cousin is featured in this book and has been missing for three years on April 2. There are a alot of people who miss her and love her. We are grateful any time she is mentioned in anything because it keeps her alive and helps to remember God is in control - We don't know what happened but He does. I don't know if we will ever know where Bethany is but she is loved and not forgotten.
May 9, 2018
I wasn't a huge fan of this one. It was very interesting, but she jumped around way too much.
June 30, 2019
Very interesting book about missing people. I kept googling the cases, which slowed down my progress in reading. The first 2 chapters were a little slow for me but after that, it picked up and I enjoyed it.
June 11, 2020
Not a book for the faint of heart, but definitely a good read. We should know about these persons, be scared and moved by what’s happening in the world and ultimately we should learn how to protect ourselves. So, even though this book is the definition of sadness, we should all read it.
It must frustrating to be a detective and have a cold case, all those q’s left unanswered… it must haunt you and leave you paralyzed. I can recommend a tv show with a cold case, a good tv show – True Detective – especially season 3. On point.
A lot of good people go missing, gorgeous people inside and out, children… it can be quite unbearable, this book has them all.
This book talks about a lot of cases, the descriptions makes this book so hard to read, nothing gore... but when you describe a malnourished child, stuffed in a box, having blue eyes, it stucks with you. Imagine the detectives and coroners actually seeing these crimes on a daily basis. It takes a tool on you for sure.
It must frustrating to be a detective and have a cold case, all those q’s left unanswered… it must haunt you and leave you paralyzed. I can recommend a tv show with a cold case, a good tv show – True Detective – especially season 3. On point.
A lot of good people go missing, gorgeous people inside and out, children… it can be quite unbearable, this book has them all.
This book talks about a lot of cases, the descriptions makes this book so hard to read, nothing gore... but when you describe a malnourished child, stuffed in a box, having blue eyes, it stucks with you. Imagine the detectives and coroners actually seeing these crimes on a daily basis. It takes a tool on you for sure.
September 30, 2018
This was such an interesting book! I’ve always volunteered somewhere, usually with foster children programs or animal rescue groups. I am looking into search and rescue or missing persons foundstions. We have so many misconceptions regarding missing persons and the procedures used to find them.
February 21, 2021
A book about missing people
December 5, 2023
A follow up to this book on the people and cases featured in would be great.
March 19, 2017
Well researched book. Though the topic is morbid, there are important learnings for every individual.
January 20, 2021
Thoroughly researched book on missing person’s cases, covering everything from parental abductions, runaways, suspected fool play to disappearances related to addiction and mental illness. The author presents an overview about police procedures, NGOs and other resources available for family and friends of the missing and also discusses forensic techniques to identify DOEs. A super interesting read! However, the manuscript would have required better editing and I would have wished for an appendix of the unsolved missing person’s cases (f.e like the infos one can find at Project Charley etc) the author mentions - this resulted in many internet searches while reading.
June 1, 2011
This book opened my eyes: I simply had no idea the depth of the problem of missing individuals in the United States -- and we have many more resources at our disposal than have developing countries. This is an excellent handbook/ case study book detailing many kinds of disappearances -- famous and uncomfortably ordinary -- that happen every single day. The most useful takeaway concept: There are resources listing missing people, and there are resources listing unidentified bodies; there have been significant steps taken recently to bring these resurces together in a central place (namus.gov), so that information can be pooled. A chilling read and a book for which I hope I never ever have a need.
January 9, 2012
Moore offers an in-depth look at missing persons, from children abducted by parents or strangers to adults who willfully disappear, and the myriad of possibilities in-between. Stories of missing people - both found and not - illustrate society's prejudices and the need for training and coordination among law enforcement jurisdictions to solve these cases.
More moving than frightening, Moore provides helpful advice for those missing loved ones as well as how to prevent - or cope with - certain scenarios (i.e., non-custodial parental abduction). A well-researched section provides a detailed listing of organizations involved in the work of finding missing persons and helping their families and friends.
More moving than frightening, Moore provides helpful advice for those missing loved ones as well as how to prevent - or cope with - certain scenarios (i.e., non-custodial parental abduction). A well-researched section provides a detailed listing of organizations involved in the work of finding missing persons and helping their families and friends.
May 6, 2016
This is a amazing and informative book on the subject of missing persons. It is compassionate, as well as thorough on such a heart breaking subject matter that could impact anyone of us at any time. Having a loved one go missing creates a terrible mystery for the families who search for them, and I cannot imagine the pain of not knowing at this level.
Carole Moore presents the subject comprehensively and brings to light many of the organizations and government agencies that have been formed to help find lost people. She also addresses the connecting subject of identifying unknown human remains, and the advancement in technology in the past decades with DNA research and application.
An inspiring book that will compel you to join the hunt for the missing and bring them home.
Carole Moore presents the subject comprehensively and brings to light many of the organizations and government agencies that have been formed to help find lost people. She also addresses the connecting subject of identifying unknown human remains, and the advancement in technology in the past decades with DNA research and application.
An inspiring book that will compel you to join the hunt for the missing and bring them home.
February 17, 2013
I feel guilty for having found this so fascinating. There are so many people out there looking for loved ones, let alone those that don't have someone looking for them. Covering everything from parental abductions to Americans lost in other countries, this also serves as a handbook of sorts for those with a missing loved one who don't know where to turn. There were also many case studies which made it much more interesting but also lent an undercurrent of sadness; there are so many people whose lives have been turned upside-down.
April 4, 2014
As a PI and mystery author, I'm fascinated by any search for a missing individual, and this book is a compilation of true stories of families looking for a member who mysteriously vanished. Sadly but truthfully, it is for the most part heart-rending, although it also includes stories of people who were found and returned alive, mostly through the relentless efforts of their families. It also includes a description of the very important and relatively new Namus.org database of unidentified remains, which anyone with an internet connection can access.
August 10, 2014
The book is a mish mash of different stories of those who are or who were missing. Some are found, some are not, some are still being looked for. The writing itself is a little hard to follow. The author jumps quickly from one story to the next, most times with little to no warning. Don't get me wrong I enjoyed the stories, it was just hard sometimes to tell one story from another. The best part of the book is that it gives tips and places to do further research. Everyone could learn something from this book. If you are interested in the missing, this is the book for you.
November 15, 2012
Interesting book - I had no idea how many missing people there actually are. The book covers a lot...from the different enhancements in technology that help the search, to the changing attitudes of the police (it's now easier to get a police report written up quickly when someone goes missing than it was in the past).
January 24, 2016
A good, if incredibly anxiety-provoking, read. Full of true stories that make a person dread ever having to call the police for help when someone disappears. The author makes up for that by listing a lot of other resources to fill the gap. Somewhat. Overal effectively written, although the text is plagued with misplaced modifiers.
December 14, 2012
The definitive book on this subject. See my review New York Journal of Books: http://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/revie...
September 6, 2011
A wealth of information about how the 'system' does and doesn't work in regards to missing people. Relates true stories of the missing and the experiences of the loved ones who are looking for them. Resource guide at the end includes many, many organizations to turn to for help and info.
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October 16, 2011Interesting insight into missing persons, but lacks a cohesive narrative. Recommended for readers curious about the subject matter, but the book is unlikely to be appealing to typical consumers of true crime.
September 23, 2024
I first read this book during my undergraduate years, and it truly opened my eyes. It really makes you think about how people don’t always consider certain places or individuals when it comes to kidnapping, challenging preconceived notions.
March 8, 2012
Good list of (reliable) resources.
February 11, 2016
New to our local library, this book is amazing. And it is on reserve for another patron. The statistics will shake you to the core.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews