All the Missing Girls

Author: Megan Miranda
Genre: Triller
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2016
Pages: 384
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: Like the spellbinding psychological suspense in The Girl on the Train and Luckiest Girl Alive, Megan Miranda’s novel is a nail-biting, breathtaking story about the disappearances of two young women—a decade apart—told in reverse.

It’s been ten years since Nicolette Farrell left her rural hometown after her best friend, Corinne, disappeared from Cooley Ridge without a trace. Back again to tie up loose ends and care for her ailing father, Nic is soon plunged into a shocking drama that reawakens Corinne’s case and breaks open old wounds long since stitched.

The decade-old investigation focused on Nic, her brother Daniel, boyfriend Tyler, and Corinne’s boyfriend Jackson. Since then, only Nic has left Cooley Ridge. Daniel and his wife, Laura, are expecting a baby; Jackson works at the town bar; and Tyler is dating Annaleise Carter, Nic’s younger neighbor and the group’s alibi the night Corinne disappeared. Then, within days of Nic’s return, Annaleise goes missing.

Told backwards—Day 15 to Day 1—from the time Annaleise goes missing, Nic works to unravel the truth about her younger neighbor’s disappearance, revealing shocking truths about her friends, her family, and what really happened to Corinne that night ten years ago.

Like nothing you’ve ever read before, All the Missing Girls delivers in all the right ways. With twists and turns that lead down dark alleys and dead ends, you may think you’re walking a familiar path, but then Megan Miranda turns it all upside down and inside out and leaves us wondering just how far we would be willing to go to protect those we love.

Review: Where to begin? Let's start with the title. It's a little misleading because "only" two girls go missing, but "all" definitely makes it sound dramatic. 

The reverse timeline might be a bit gimmicky, but I didn't find this format off putting or even difficult to follow. I'm not sure it's a method of writing other writers need to adopt, but for this, it worked.

The story itself started out strong, but what initially sizzled soon fizzled and the author wasn't able to resurrect the suspenseful "thriller" feel again. I'm still trying to decide if this novel's shortcomings were in writing style or plot. It's worth a read, but I'm a bit surprised enough people thought it was good enough to be a finalist in the Goodreads Thriller category (2016).