REVIEW: "The Missing", by Shiloh Walker

Title: The Missing

Author: Shiloh Walker

Format: Paperback

Pages: 313

Publisher: Berkley Sensation

Release Date: November 4th 2008

Synopsis

Taken from Goodreads

From the national bestselling author whose sexy stories 'you will not soon forget' (Romance Review) comes a brand-new, sinfully sexy romantic suspense novel.

Her psychic gift drove away the man she loved? and years later has drawn him back to her?

As a teenager, Taige Branch hated her psychic gift. No one could understand-except for Cullen Morgan, the boy who stole her heart. He did his best to accept her, until his mother was brutally murdered-and he couldn-t forgive Taige for not preventing it.

Now a widowed father, Cullen Morgan has never forgotten Taige. But what brings her back into his life is another tragedy. His beloved little girl has been kidnapped, and Taige is his only hope of finding her. Working together against the clock, Cullen and Taige can't help but wonder whether-if they find his daughter in time-it isn't too late for the overpowering love that still burns between them?

Review

Okay. I picked this up at a bargain book store during the Hay-on-Wye festival last year. It was £2 so I figured, “Why not?” Oh, and it was shelved under YA which was definitely a mistake!

I had barely bent the spine of this one before the narrative took a turn for the hot 'n' steamy!  It's not filthy or anything, just an enjoyably risqué suspense novel. 

The relationship between Taige and Cullen is touching. And I don't mean that in a dodgy way! These two characters are clearly perfect together, but mistakes and grief keep them apart for twelve years. Despite the time apart, their connection is still sizzling. You long for them to reconcile, but before anything can happen, there's a problem.

Cullen's daughter has been kidnapped and he needs Taige to use her psychic abilities to find her. But this is only the most recent in a brutal series of kidnappings which have more to do with Taige than she first realises.

This book was unusual in its pacing, but not unsuccessful. I was worried that the first chapters, which outline the relationship between the protagonists when they were young, would be expositionary. Instead the writing was engaging. When you're half way through the book, it feels like your hurtling towards the climax (again... given some of the book's content, that sounded like a double entendre...), but there's more to this story than a simple search and rescue. 

This is a quickfire read with a good story, strong characters and some sizzling tension. While I was surprised by the book, considering the shelf it was on, it was enjoyable. Four stars for this fun (and somewhat raunchy) read!