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Missing
Jack Searle is an American widower, bringing up his two stepdaughters Lidia and Marina alone in the border town of Laredo after losing his wife to cancer.Jack often takes the girls to visit their Mexican family over the border in Nuevo Laredo. Marina, the elder sister, persuades him to let her go there without him one night, to attend a concert with her cousin Patricia. Jack wants to say no - Nuevo Laredo is a very dangerous city, controlled by drug cartels and devastated by violence and corruption. But eventually he agrees - she's growing up and he has to let her have some independence.Marina and Patricia head out to the concert, but they never come back.A frantic hunt for them begins, with Jack leading the way. But this is Nuevo Laredo, and girls go missing all the time here. They're lucky to find that a good cop - Gonzalo Soler - is leading their investigation, but soon the whole police force is suspended due to endemic corruption. The army take over the city, and finding the missing girls is not their priority.To survive this nightmare and have any chance of finding Marina and Patricia, Jack and Gonzalo must take the law into their own hands. Their efforts to find the girls become more and more dangerous, and they uncover truths about the city of Nuevo Laredo that neither one of them ever wanted to face.
388 pages, Paperback
First published September 4, 2014
6 people are currently reading
121 people want to read
About the author
Sam Hawken
32 books93 followersSam Hawken is the best-selling and Crime Writers Association Dagger-nominated author of the Camaro Espinoza thriller series, as well as the critically acclaimed Borderland Trilogy.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
August 20, 2016
A grim book. Not even gritty, grim. Also not a book I would usually read, but the cover art fascinated me and the story at the back cover too. Jack Searle lives in Laredo, Texas, and does his best to bring up his half Mexican stepdaughters by himself, his wife passed away. On weekends Jack takes the girls to visit their family over the border in Mexico. One night, Marina, the elder sister, persuades him to let her attend a concert there with her cousin. The two girls never come back. Faced with the slow, corrupt Mexican police force, Jack finds he must take the law into his own hands, desperate to find the girls. He does get help from a reliable Mexican police officer, Gonzalo. The investigation leads him deeper into Nuevo Laredo's criminal underworld, all in a desperate attempt to find and save his daughter.
I feel this description of the Irish Times describes the book well; Hawken trades in gritty realism and a haunting sense of loss and hopelessness...
Not a happy story, but heartfelt and solid writing. I could read more of this author although not my usual genre. 3.5 rating for me.
I feel this description of the Irish Times describes the book well; Hawken trades in gritty realism and a haunting sense of loss and hopelessness...
Not a happy story, but heartfelt and solid writing. I could read more of this author although not my usual genre. 3.5 rating for me.
October 1, 2015
Sam Hawken understands the difference between a gritty engrossing crime novel and the padded, generic plots and no consequence endings that pass as today's thrillers. Missing has hidden depths not just in the realistic portrayals of the characters, but in the desperate reality of the storyline. There are no superhuman heroes here, simply real people faced with real consequences from their actions. Hawken is the real deal and so is Missing, well crafted prose, confident research, and compelling humanity...
November 14, 2014
Missing by Sam Hawken
A sad book of loss and courage against all odds. I wanted to cry for them and hated the inability of the police in Mexico to do anything.
Jack Seale is a stepfather and a construction worker living in Lerado He has two stepchildren who he has to look after because his wife, their mother has died.
His wife was from Nuevo Laredo and the girls still had family over the bridge who they visited once a month. On one of the visits his eldest Marina asks to go to a concert in the town with her cousin against his better judgement Jack says yes.
Marina and her cousin are never seen again, what happens next will change many peoples lives for ever.
A book that makes you glad for the life you lead, makes you kiss your children one more time and hold them longer than you would have before. Makes you realise your life is not so bad after all.
The life people lead in Mexico in the boarder towns is hard and dangerous. In real life Sam Hawken says since 2006 more than 60,000 people have died and in 2009 1,200 children under the age of 17 have died in drug related violence.
Be warned the book is not a happy read but the story is one that should be read by as many people as possible.
A sad book of loss and courage against all odds. I wanted to cry for them and hated the inability of the police in Mexico to do anything.
Jack Seale is a stepfather and a construction worker living in Lerado He has two stepchildren who he has to look after because his wife, their mother has died.
His wife was from Nuevo Laredo and the girls still had family over the bridge who they visited once a month. On one of the visits his eldest Marina asks to go to a concert in the town with her cousin against his better judgement Jack says yes.
Marina and her cousin are never seen again, what happens next will change many peoples lives for ever.
A book that makes you glad for the life you lead, makes you kiss your children one more time and hold them longer than you would have before. Makes you realise your life is not so bad after all.
The life people lead in Mexico in the boarder towns is hard and dangerous. In real life Sam Hawken says since 2006 more than 60,000 people have died and in 2009 1,200 children under the age of 17 have died in drug related violence.
Be warned the book is not a happy read but the story is one that should be read by as many people as possible.
August 13, 2019
A harrowing story, all the more so because it is highly likely the author is writing with a large degree of realism. I haven’t come across any other authors who write about the plight of Mexico.
Jack let’s his eldest stepdaughter cross the border to go to a concert with her Mexican cousin. She doesn’t come back, vanishing into the lawless hell of a struggling border town. He enlists the help of a police inspector, who only wants to see a happy ending for a change. We don’t get one but you’re resigned to that long before the finale. There is a particular scene that is truly heartbreaking.
I’d give it 5 stars but it’s a bit too gritty to say I really ‘enjoyed’ it. I will definitely read more books by this writer.
Jack let’s his eldest stepdaughter cross the border to go to a concert with her Mexican cousin. She doesn’t come back, vanishing into the lawless hell of a struggling border town. He enlists the help of a police inspector, who only wants to see a happy ending for a change. We don’t get one but you’re resigned to that long before the finale. There is a particular scene that is truly heartbreaking.
I’d give it 5 stars but it’s a bit too gritty to say I really ‘enjoyed’ it. I will definitely read more books by this writer.
November 5, 2015
I found this book while roaming a bookstore in Texas. It has a cool cover with a sugar skull that caught my attention. It's a mystery/thriller that takes place at the Mexican/Texan border; that caught my attention too. Missing persons, cartels, police corruption, violence, sex workers, murder, human trafficking...what's not to love? Ok. Maybe, "love" isn't the best choice of when discussing those topics, but I'm really glad I grabbed this one, and I'm interested in reading more from this author.
December 4, 2014
More underwhelming fiction! If you want to read about the political situation in Mexico buy a non fiction book if you want a crime thriller there are better books out there. Didn't really wow on any level. It killed a couple of hours travelling for which I was grateful.
January 3, 2018
COPIED FROM GOODREADS SITE: Jack Searle is an American widower, bringing up his two stepdaughters Lidia and Marina alone in the border town of Laredo after losing his wife to cancer.
Jack often takes the girls to visit their Mexican family over the border in Nuevo Laredo. Marina, the elder sister, persuades him to let her go there without him one night, to attend a concert with her cousin Patricia. Jack wants to say no - Nuevo Laredo is a very dangerous city, controlled by drug cartels and devastated by violence and corruption. But eventually he agrees - she's growing up and he has to let her have some independence.
Marina and Patricia head out to the concert, but they never come back.
A frantic hunt for them begins, with Jack leading the way. But this is Nuevo Laredo, and girls go missing all the time here. They're lucky to find that a good cop - Gonzalo Soler - is leading their investigation, but soon the whole police force is suspended due to endemic corruption. The army take over the city, and finding the missing girls is not their priority.
To survive this nightmare and have any chance of finding Marina and Patricia, Jack and Gonzalo must take the law into their own hands. Their efforts to find the girls become more and more dangerous, and they uncover truths about the city of Nuevo Laredo that neither one of them ever wanted to face.
Jack often takes the girls to visit their Mexican family over the border in Nuevo Laredo. Marina, the elder sister, persuades him to let her go there without him one night, to attend a concert with her cousin Patricia. Jack wants to say no - Nuevo Laredo is a very dangerous city, controlled by drug cartels and devastated by violence and corruption. But eventually he agrees - she's growing up and he has to let her have some independence.
Marina and Patricia head out to the concert, but they never come back.
A frantic hunt for them begins, with Jack leading the way. But this is Nuevo Laredo, and girls go missing all the time here. They're lucky to find that a good cop - Gonzalo Soler - is leading their investigation, but soon the whole police force is suspended due to endemic corruption. The army take over the city, and finding the missing girls is not their priority.
To survive this nightmare and have any chance of finding Marina and Patricia, Jack and Gonzalo must take the law into their own hands. Their efforts to find the girls become more and more dangerous, and they uncover truths about the city of Nuevo Laredo that neither one of them ever wanted to face.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 15, 2017
Quick read, very direct and to the point. Not a lot of extra words, which is sometimes a blessing.
And sometimes a curse. At points in the book, it felt almost like Mad-libs.
Still, a difficult subject written in a way that was easily digested. I did like the end.
And sometimes a curse. At points in the book, it felt almost like Mad-libs.
Still, a difficult subject written in a way that was easily digested. I did like the end.
December 18, 2022
I am a big Hawken fan but the slow pace of this was unnecessary.For some 200 pages there is the usual, glacial response to Missing persons reports; pimps using vulnerable girls and a couple of police officers on the take. Anythi g new? Nada.
June 18, 2025
This was my third Hawken book and by far my favorite. It’s so easy when telling a “Taken” type of story to fall in cliches and stereotypes. Be he doesn’t do that. He makes the story very raw and I’d say 75% realistic. That 25% non realistic is very entertaining though!
October 2, 2017
Read his first one... this was great up to when the girls disappeared then it lost some ooomph.... still good tho!
March 8, 2018
It’s amazing how hard we are willing to fight for the people that we love. Such a good read, I couldn’t put this book down.
August 17, 2024
dnfed woops
February 5, 2025
A really good page turner and one I couldn't put down.
September 21, 2014
Written by Sam Hawken – Jack Searle lives a quiet life in Texas, near the Mexican border. He earns enough to get by as a builder, looking after his stepdaughters Lidia and Marina. Jack’s wife died of cancer several years ago. Jack and the girls have family over the border in Nuevo Laredo and regularly visit. When Marina wants to go to a concert with her cousin Patricia over in Nuevo Laredo, Jack isn’t happy. It’s a dangerous place, rife with corruption, drug cartels and the violence that surrounds them. But Marina eventually persuades him, and she and Patricia head off for a night of fun. One from which they don’t return.
The family are frantic. It seems no-one has seen or heard of the girls. But Jack and Patricia’s father have one piece of luck. Gonzalo Soler, the detective investigating their disappearance, is the one clean cop on the Nuevo Laredo force. He’s keen to help, but achieving anything good in this Mexican city is difficult. Just as Gonzalo is making progress the entire police force is suspended due to its crippling corruption, with law enforcement handed to the army. Gonzalo is off the case, replaced by an inexperienced soldier.
Neither Jack or Gonzalo is willing to give up and they carry on the investigation on their own facing the drug cartels, corrupt colleagues, and a wall of fear and silence. Meanwhile, time is running out for the girls…
The Dead Women of Juarez and Tequila Sunset by Sam Hawken were nominated for CWA Dagger Awards. Based on the strength of Missing it’s easy to see why. The story starts gently enough, with Jack going about his daily business and visiting his family. But as soon as Marina steps across the border all hell breaks loose. It’s tense and downright scary. Hawken creates a fantastic sense of place in his narrative. The brutality of Nuevo Laredo, where a life is cheap, jumps off the page. The tension is so palpable it’ll make you yourself feel at risk of something bad happening. And a little grubby, too.
The characters carry the investigative process along, as Jack takes increasingly risky and desperate actions to find his missing stepdaughter. If you’re a parent you’ll know just how much Jack is willing to give up – even his own life – to make sure the girls are safe. The bad guys – police, narcos, prostitutes – are purely out for themselves. Then there are the innocents who just have to survive, keeping their heads down and their eyes averted. There’s a very real chance that being in the wrong place at the wrong time can get you killed.
This is not a happy story. Missing is rather blunt in its depiction, because that’s how it is in Nuevo Laredo. And unfortunately there’s a chilling certainty to how the story unfolds. An author’s note at the end outlines that the basic way of life in Nuevo Laredo that forms the backdrop for the story is true, and the suspension of the police force actually happened.
Excellent, powerful writing that will leave you with an image seared into your mind of the grimmer side of life for days to come, guaranteed.
Originally reviewed for Crime Fiction Lover
The family are frantic. It seems no-one has seen or heard of the girls. But Jack and Patricia’s father have one piece of luck. Gonzalo Soler, the detective investigating their disappearance, is the one clean cop on the Nuevo Laredo force. He’s keen to help, but achieving anything good in this Mexican city is difficult. Just as Gonzalo is making progress the entire police force is suspended due to its crippling corruption, with law enforcement handed to the army. Gonzalo is off the case, replaced by an inexperienced soldier.
Neither Jack or Gonzalo is willing to give up and they carry on the investigation on their own facing the drug cartels, corrupt colleagues, and a wall of fear and silence. Meanwhile, time is running out for the girls…
The Dead Women of Juarez and Tequila Sunset by Sam Hawken were nominated for CWA Dagger Awards. Based on the strength of Missing it’s easy to see why. The story starts gently enough, with Jack going about his daily business and visiting his family. But as soon as Marina steps across the border all hell breaks loose. It’s tense and downright scary. Hawken creates a fantastic sense of place in his narrative. The brutality of Nuevo Laredo, where a life is cheap, jumps off the page. The tension is so palpable it’ll make you yourself feel at risk of something bad happening. And a little grubby, too.
The characters carry the investigative process along, as Jack takes increasingly risky and desperate actions to find his missing stepdaughter. If you’re a parent you’ll know just how much Jack is willing to give up – even his own life – to make sure the girls are safe. The bad guys – police, narcos, prostitutes – are purely out for themselves. Then there are the innocents who just have to survive, keeping their heads down and their eyes averted. There’s a very real chance that being in the wrong place at the wrong time can get you killed.
This is not a happy story. Missing is rather blunt in its depiction, because that’s how it is in Nuevo Laredo. And unfortunately there’s a chilling certainty to how the story unfolds. An author’s note at the end outlines that the basic way of life in Nuevo Laredo that forms the backdrop for the story is true, and the suspension of the police force actually happened.
Excellent, powerful writing that will leave you with an image seared into your mind of the grimmer side of life for days to come, guaranteed.
Originally reviewed for Crime Fiction Lover
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August 10, 2015Sam Hawken’s Missing takes readers to the borderlands of the United States and Mexico. Widowed but hardboiled Jack Searle resides with his two stepdaughters in Texas, where he’s a workingman who enjoys a beer when the sun goes down.
Despite a strict routine, he retains a curious and sympathetic approach to human nature. That is until his two daughters go missing during a concert while visiting their family in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, and Jack is faced with the truly cruel and avaricious side of human nature.
A dramatic and vicious novel, Hawken’s sense of objectivity gives the book the winning cold-cut edge of a revenge-thriller.
Jack Searle is a father-knows-best kind of man who doesn’t cast the bad or the ugly a second glance. Serrated with expressive dynamo, Hawken is climactic in his writing and hardly shies away from the gruesome reality of Nuevo Laredo’s darker sides. Hawken’s vision of an underground Mexico sustained by drugs and heat, and like his last two novels set on the Mexican-U.S. border, this novel prompts attention to the crime and violence that takes place on a global platform.
While hinting unforgivably that catastrophe could be a family-visit away, Hawken’s work is nonetheless a feat in storytelling, and endeavors to strike at the reader’s most tender fears.
Gritty.
Reviewer: Kimn Hinkson is like most over-caffeinated, introverted bibliophiles: indifferent to most other items on the planet. Finding that works of literature, opposed to human beings, lend their gifts absolutely free to those who brave the page, she has procured a sense of forbearance via reading in order to survive this otherwise impoverished existence. Other readers are already familiar with the pretty words they give to the most adverse, uncongenial characters. Somewhere between an insurrectionist and a mereological nihilist, Kimn is one of them.
Killer Nashville's Review of Missing
Killer Nashville's Past Book Reviews
Despite a strict routine, he retains a curious and sympathetic approach to human nature. That is until his two daughters go missing during a concert while visiting their family in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, and Jack is faced with the truly cruel and avaricious side of human nature.
A dramatic and vicious novel, Hawken’s sense of objectivity gives the book the winning cold-cut edge of a revenge-thriller.
Jack Searle is a father-knows-best kind of man who doesn’t cast the bad or the ugly a second glance. Serrated with expressive dynamo, Hawken is climactic in his writing and hardly shies away from the gruesome reality of Nuevo Laredo’s darker sides. Hawken’s vision of an underground Mexico sustained by drugs and heat, and like his last two novels set on the Mexican-U.S. border, this novel prompts attention to the crime and violence that takes place on a global platform.
While hinting unforgivably that catastrophe could be a family-visit away, Hawken’s work is nonetheless a feat in storytelling, and endeavors to strike at the reader’s most tender fears.
Gritty.
Reviewer: Kimn Hinkson is like most over-caffeinated, introverted bibliophiles: indifferent to most other items on the planet. Finding that works of literature, opposed to human beings, lend their gifts absolutely free to those who brave the page, she has procured a sense of forbearance via reading in order to survive this otherwise impoverished existence. Other readers are already familiar with the pretty words they give to the most adverse, uncongenial characters. Somewhere between an insurrectionist and a mereological nihilist, Kimn is one of them.
Killer Nashville's Review of Missing
Killer Nashville's Past Book Reviews
September 15, 2014
I've been a fan of Sam Hawken for a couple of years now, ever since I read his first novel 'The Dead Women of Juarez'. This is Sam's fourth novel and all have been set around the Mexican/American borderland region and deal with the specific problems such as illegal immigrants and human trafficking, drug smuggling and corruption that are specific to that area.
In his latest novel Hawken tells the story of Jack Searle, a widower and hard working ex-marine, who is trying to bring up his two stepdaughters, from his Mexican wife's first marriage, in Laredo, on the American side of the border. Jack reluctantly allows his elder daughter to attend a gig in Nuevo Laredo, on the Mexican side, with her elder cousin but Jack's worst fears are realised when both the girls fail to return home. Jack travels to Nuevo Laredo to try and find the girls and is assisted by Detective Gonzalo Soler of the Nuevo Laredo Police. However it is a lawless town where two different cartels fight for control of the city and in which the Police and Army are fighting a seemingly losing battle against the violence and corruption which are endemic.
Hawken's writing in spare and simple but yet he manages to create a living breathing picture of the town of Nuevo Laredo, which is hot and dusty and brisling with the threat of violence. He has also created a cast of believable characters who are just decent, ordinary people trying to deal with a set of extraordinary circumstances. Jack is a man of action who will do anything to get his daughter and niece back but who doesn't understand the politics of policing in Nuevo Laredo. Soler is an honest, decent and hardworking cop who is caught in a dilemma, as he wants to do the right thing by Sam but also wants to stay on the right side of the law. Who will win out ? Will they find the girls ? You'll just have to read for yourself to find out.
With each novel Hawken's writing just gets better and better and I can't wait to see what he comes up with next and whatever it is I'll be along there for the ride.
In his latest novel Hawken tells the story of Jack Searle, a widower and hard working ex-marine, who is trying to bring up his two stepdaughters, from his Mexican wife's first marriage, in Laredo, on the American side of the border. Jack reluctantly allows his elder daughter to attend a gig in Nuevo Laredo, on the Mexican side, with her elder cousin but Jack's worst fears are realised when both the girls fail to return home. Jack travels to Nuevo Laredo to try and find the girls and is assisted by Detective Gonzalo Soler of the Nuevo Laredo Police. However it is a lawless town where two different cartels fight for control of the city and in which the Police and Army are fighting a seemingly losing battle against the violence and corruption which are endemic.
Hawken's writing in spare and simple but yet he manages to create a living breathing picture of the town of Nuevo Laredo, which is hot and dusty and brisling with the threat of violence. He has also created a cast of believable characters who are just decent, ordinary people trying to deal with a set of extraordinary circumstances. Jack is a man of action who will do anything to get his daughter and niece back but who doesn't understand the politics of policing in Nuevo Laredo. Soler is an honest, decent and hardworking cop who is caught in a dilemma, as he wants to do the right thing by Sam but also wants to stay on the right side of the law. Who will win out ? Will they find the girls ? You'll just have to read for yourself to find out.
With each novel Hawken's writing just gets better and better and I can't wait to see what he comes up with next and whatever it is I'll be along there for the ride.
May 27, 2015
Jack Searle’s wife has passed away from cancer so it is up to him to raise her two girls, Marina and Lidia. The girls still have family on the other side of the Mexican boarder so they go back once a month for a visit. On one trip Marina persuades Jack into letting her go by herself so her cousin Patricia and her can attend a concert. The next morning the girls have disappeared.
Unfortunately it’s going to be a tough battle to find the girls. The cartel controls the town and it seems all of the government officials and the police are corrupt. Jack does find a glimmer in detective Gonzalo Soler. He is about the only one that can help Jack, but as they start digging into the disappearance of the girls. Then the entire police force is fired and replaced with inexperienced soldiers. Jack and Gonzalo keep looking on there own and start finding out the truth behind the scenes of Nuevo Laredo.
This is such a sad story. There are so many kids that go missing every year. Sadly it’s not as published as it should be and I think it’s because of how corrupt a lot of the police and government are. It’s also sad about how the cartels run things and the whole sex slave market. My heart went out to Jack. He has to dredge through the scum of the earth just to get Marina and Patricia back.
This is a really good book on a topic that a lot of people don’t know much about. It is very sad but one that I recommend everyone read.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately it’s going to be a tough battle to find the girls. The cartel controls the town and it seems all of the government officials and the police are corrupt. Jack does find a glimmer in detective Gonzalo Soler. He is about the only one that can help Jack, but as they start digging into the disappearance of the girls. Then the entire police force is fired and replaced with inexperienced soldiers. Jack and Gonzalo keep looking on there own and start finding out the truth behind the scenes of Nuevo Laredo.
This is such a sad story. There are so many kids that go missing every year. Sadly it’s not as published as it should be and I think it’s because of how corrupt a lot of the police and government are. It’s also sad about how the cartels run things and the whole sex slave market. My heart went out to Jack. He has to dredge through the scum of the earth just to get Marina and Patricia back.
This is a really good book on a topic that a lot of people don’t know much about. It is very sad but one that I recommend everyone read.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
May 6, 2015
I was attracted to this book –no judgement please- by it’s cover, loving all things associated with Mexico and Day of the Dead. On reading the premise of the story I was looking forward to delving into the corrupt and grisly criminal underworld near the Mexican border.
I think the author did a great job of portraying the extent of the problems in this environment, the frustrations faced by honest policemen and the horrors endured by families caught up in it all on a regular basis.
For me personally though, I love a good crime thriller and would have liked further exploration of characters and potential outcomes of what may have happened to the two young girls who went missing, central to the story. Instead, it was more of a narrative exploring the emotions of a father through this awful ordeal.
Overall, this book was an eye-opener to a culture I wasn’t even aware existed in this day and age and the struggles people endure every day. I would have preferred a bit more insight to the crime itself as well as the environment but who am I to judge, have a read and decide for yourself
I think the author did a great job of portraying the extent of the problems in this environment, the frustrations faced by honest policemen and the horrors endured by families caught up in it all on a regular basis.
For me personally though, I love a good crime thriller and would have liked further exploration of characters and potential outcomes of what may have happened to the two young girls who went missing, central to the story. Instead, it was more of a narrative exploring the emotions of a father through this awful ordeal.
Overall, this book was an eye-opener to a culture I wasn’t even aware existed in this day and age and the struggles people endure every day. I would have preferred a bit more insight to the crime itself as well as the environment but who am I to judge, have a read and decide for yourself
June 6, 2016
Did I like the main character? Not exactly. Did I like the majority of what happened in this book? Definitely not. Did I know that this was going to be the book that it was? I suspected. Jack Searle lives in Laredo, Texas and is raising his two half Mexican stepdaughters, taking them across the border to visit family. One day his older stepdaughter talks him into letting her attend a concert in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico with her cousin. The two girls are never seen again. Jack tries to let the Mexican police handle the case but they are slow moving and corrupt so he decides to take matters into his own hands.
I can't say more without giving major plot spoilers but Jack Searle is no Liam Neeson (a la Taken). I'm conflicted because I can't say I liked the decisions he made but at the same time, if it was my daughter, it would be hard to stay on the sidelines. I would have given this book 5 stars but due to the content and the ending, I just couldn't go that far. It was a very gritty book, with a very realistic feel, and was definitely not a feel good book. Especially knowing that though it is a work of fiction, situations like this happen in Mexico every day.
I can't say more without giving major plot spoilers but Jack Searle is no Liam Neeson (a la Taken). I'm conflicted because I can't say I liked the decisions he made but at the same time, if it was my daughter, it would be hard to stay on the sidelines. I would have given this book 5 stars but due to the content and the ending, I just couldn't go that far. It was a very gritty book, with a very realistic feel, and was definitely not a feel good book. Especially knowing that though it is a work of fiction, situations like this happen in Mexico every day.
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September 29, 2015This book was like a ruined orgasm.
I won't say more about the plot than that to avoid spoilers.
Star ratings really weren't built for books like this. I give books lots of stars if I enjoyed them in one way or another, either because they were natively enjoyable, because I found them thought-provoking, or because I found some other positive traits in them. I can't really say that applies in this case.
But it is well-written. The prose is terse and crafted well, and the more visceral content is effective without being ghoulish. I happen to know that the author has a bug-bear for decent research, and that shines through here. The characterisation is fairly brief but done competently, and each character has his or her own voice. Hawken also did a good job of subverting the expectations that I built up whilst reading as a result of my exposure to similar storylines.
But I did not actually *like* this book, as well crafted as it was and effective in its storytelling. And thus this review must stand in place of a simple, unquestioning star rating.
I won't say more about the plot than that to avoid spoilers.
Star ratings really weren't built for books like this. I give books lots of stars if I enjoyed them in one way or another, either because they were natively enjoyable, because I found them thought-provoking, or because I found some other positive traits in them. I can't really say that applies in this case.
But it is well-written. The prose is terse and crafted well, and the more visceral content is effective without being ghoulish. I happen to know that the author has a bug-bear for decent research, and that shines through here. The characterisation is fairly brief but done competently, and each character has his or her own voice. Hawken also did a good job of subverting the expectations that I built up whilst reading as a result of my exposure to similar storylines.
But I did not actually *like* this book, as well crafted as it was and effective in its storytelling. And thus this review must stand in place of a simple, unquestioning star rating.
April 2, 2015
This is a wild ride of a book, maybe not great literature but Hawken sure knows how to tell a story.
The main characters are the sort that you just want to succeed despite the bleakness and violence to which they are subjected.
This story evolved with a tight, addictive narrative. Sometimes I had to put the book down. It was too disheartening and disturbing.
I never imagined Mexico was experiencing such violence and lawlessness.
The family connections are truly moving but the consequences heartbreaking.
This is a book that gets right inside you.
The main characters are the sort that you just want to succeed despite the bleakness and violence to which they are subjected.
This story evolved with a tight, addictive narrative. Sometimes I had to put the book down. It was too disheartening and disturbing.
I never imagined Mexico was experiencing such violence and lawlessness.
The family connections are truly moving but the consequences heartbreaking.
This is a book that gets right inside you.
October 14, 2014
Jack has two stepdaughters who are Mexican and often takes them across the border to visit relatives. One night Marina goes to a concert in Mexico with her cousin and she doesn't return. Jack, his brother in law and one of the few cops who hasn't been corrupted search for the girls and bite off more than they can chew. This started off slow and I didn't think I was going to get into it but it turned into an incredible story that I couldn't wait to continue with.
February 11, 2015
Hawken does an admirable job of portraying just how difficult it must be to work the beat in a narco infested town. Missing, was entertaining but also a harsh wake up call. We may read hundreds of fictitious crime stories each year but for the people who live near the US border, these stories of murder of kidnap and ransom are very real and a daily occurrence.
July 18, 2015
A man searches for his missing step-daughter in Mexico.
The basic concept was good but the writing was laboured and the narrative was clunky.
Real rating 2.5
The basic concept was good but the writing was laboured and the narrative was clunky.
Real rating 2.5
July 24, 2015
Solid mystery/thriller. It's like Dennis Lehane was watching Taken and then sent his first draft to Elroy Leonard who was on a Breaking Bad binge on Netflix.
Read it.
Read it.
December 8, 2016
Bleak tale of girls who go missing on a night out in a Mexican border town, heartbreaking to read.
Want to read
March 16, 2019Synopsis: Jack Searle, a widower, is bringing up his two stepdaughters in Laredo Texas. One of them goes to Mexico for a concert and disappears.
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