Her Missing Husband by A.J. Campbell

 

Her Missing Husband by A.J. Campbell.

Published 31st May 2023.

From the cover of the book:

People don’t just disappear. Someone must know something.

Lori once lived the perfect life with her husband Howie and their teenage daughter Molly—until the day Howie left for work and vanished without a trace.

Haunted by her loss, Lori, a former investigative journalist, retreated from the city to rural isolation to become an author, seeking solace in the company of her beloved dogs.

However, Lori’s ordered, solitary existence is about to be turned upside down. As Frankie Evans, the man she helped convict for murder, has walked out of prison a free man.

And he is intent on finding her.

Because Frankie claims to have a message that will change everything—news about her husband that Lori cannot ignore.

Putting her life at risk, Lori delves into a world of hidden secrets to find her missing husband and learns that even the darkest truths cannot remain concealed forever.

***********

Former investigative journalist Lori's husband Howie went missing on his way to work, seven years ago. He has not been seen since. The years that have followed his disappearance have seen great changes for Lori, and her relationship with daughter Molly has suffered, as both of them try to deal in their own way with a mystery that seems impossible to solve.

Lori has cut herself off from her old life. She is now an author, living in rural isolation in North Wales with only her two dogs, Misty and Shadow, for company. However, her growing friendship with local cafe owner Ray, and a thawing of relations with her daughter, are making her think about the future - and whether it is time to acknowledge that Howie is never coming back.

But then, someone she has tried to forget intrudes into her life once more, bringing the past very much into the present. Frankie Evans, a man one of her invesigations helped convict of murder, has been freed from prison, and he claims to have information about Howie's disappearance. Can she trust him, or is he simply out for revenge?

Her Missing Husband is A.J. Campbell's sixth gripping psychological thriller, and she goes all out to keep you busy with a raft of twists and turns to make your head spin. The book revolves around the case of a missing husband, with a wife and daughter left haunted by a mystery that defies explanation. Lori drives the story as she tries to hold on to the scattered pieces of her life, and mend bridges with her troubled daughter, while attempting to finally get to the bottom of what happened to Howie. A fresh trail of clues comes to light after Frankie Evans' release from prison, and the story explodes with a bevy of sinister plot lines around corruption, domestic drama, stalking, and secrets and lies, which Lori must wade through before the shocking truth is revealed.

There is plenty of tension and suspense, and Campbell successfully makes you suspicious of almost every single character. I particularly enjoyed how she blurs the lines between reality and the story Lori begins feverishly writing as events play out, especially how the two collide at the climax of the mystery. Campbell's own love of dogs shines through in Misty and Shadow too, who are used nicely to enhance the constant underlying feeling of someone lurking just out of sight.

This is a fast paced, read in a single sitting thriller, which will keep you guessing through the twist and twist again moments, and it has a very clever ending to boot. Another winner from A.J. Campbell! 

Her Missing Husband is available to buy now in paperback and ebook.

Thank you to A.J. Campbell for sending me an ecopy of this book in return for an honest review, and for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the author:

AJ CAMPBELL is an Amazon bestselling author of six psychological suspense novels and promises stories full of twists, turns and torment. Her fourth book The Phone Call was released in July 2022, and it topped the Amazon charts for several months. It was shortlisted for the Adult Prize for Fiction at the Selfie Book Awards 2023. She released her fifth novel The Wrong Key in January 2023.

AJ draws inspiration for her stories from seemingly unbelievable situations in which ordinary people find themselves. She creates compelling characters that resonate with her readers. AJ lives in the UK on the Essex / Hertfordshire border with her husband, sons, and cocker spaniel, Max. She is a dog lover, Netflix junkie, and a wine and Asian food enthusiast. And, either reading, watching TV, or writing, AJ enjoys nothing more than getting stuck into a twisty story!