bookbox; very good. When Kal's mother dies, and Kal is cleaning out her studio, she finds a set of postcards sent every year for the past 38 years from an art studio in Canada. Kal sets off with her toddler to British Columbia, searching for answers to her mother's early life and why she abandoned it all for a life in the UK ( )

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself.

Kal has never felt like she truly knows her mother. When her mother passes from cancer, Kal is determined to discover the secrets of her mother's past. Taking only her son, leaving her possibly-cheating husband behind, Kal sets off to British Columbia. She heads to a remote island where a woman who once knew her mother lives, a woman who sent postcard after postcard simply stating "Thinking of You".

I love a book about secrets from the past, and this definitely had plenty! I really liked the way Atkins used flashbacks to heighten the suspense and the mystery.

Atkins has also clearly done her research on orca whales-there is a lot of fascinating information about them contained in this story.

This book could have been shorter. I have absolutely nothing against long books, but this was one that felt too stretched out. It would have benefited from a little editing in that regard.

Some of the secrets were a little too predictable as well. I was able to call one of the biggest ones from pretty early on.

This was a good read, but not one I would say you have to run out and get right now. If you ever get to it, it's enjoyable. (It's one of those where rating it is tricky-I would give it 3 stars, because it is good, but didn't enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed other 3 star books.) ( )

I received an ARC through Goodreads.
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This was an interesting story, alternating between the present (mostly the present) and the past, telling Kali and Elena's stories.

Elena is such a fascinating character, I wish we had actually gotten to know her, and not just through Kali's memories or brief flashes of Elena's life. She is such a strong and amazing character, it's sad that Kali doesn't get to discover this until after Elena has passed away. Her studies on the orca and her adventures up North were exciting to read.

Susannah, I had the oddest feeling about her and her connection with Elena. The "secret" that everyone was trying to cover up ended up nearly costing Kali and her loved ones' lives. Yes, Kali was reckless in taking Finn and flying half way around the world to attempt to discover who Elena really was. Sure, it can be part of the grief that she is experiencing, along with a possible affair that her husband (Doug) may or maybe not be having. The more time we spend with Kali, the less I like or sympathize with her.

There were parts of the story that I didn't like. I get that it's suppose to be a mystery of sorts, and it is certainly a dark secret. But all that tug of war for information between Kali and Susannah gets really tiresome and boring. I know Susannah doesn't have the most sound mind frame, aka has a psychotic breakdown, but everything she did should have sounded off very loud alarm bells in Kali. Quite honestly, there were parts of the story that just doesn't sit well with me. Like Kali running off, and no one with the exception of Doug thought to fly after her to stop her from her "quest", especially when Kali leaves odd messages here and there to her family. Like hello, alarm bells ringing yet?!

The ending, wow what a shocker! Who would have though?! It was certainly quite the twist. ( )

A special thank you to Quercus (US) and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. for an honest review.

THE MISSING ONE, a gripping and emotional debut by Lucy Atkins, taking readers on a journey from California, England, to British Columbia with an intriguing mystery thriller of dark family secrets—bridging the gap from past to present.

Kali seeks to unravel her unknown past. Her mom’s life is a mystery, having died of cancer, and her grandparents are deceased, as well. Her dad is not forthcoming with any information. Kali often felt her mother favored Alice, her sister. Kali wants to be a good mother and feels a strong desire to explore her past.

As she is clearing out her mom, Elena’s art studio or storage, Kal discovers some postcards, from a Canadian gallery owner named Susannah. Always, “thinking of you.” Did her mom have an affair? Who is Graham? She reads this letter which has her questioning if Alice knew about the affair? The postcards have Canadian stamps, though one is sent from Taos, NM, and another from Seattle and a few from further afield—Quito, Moscow, and Durban. The later postcards come from the Susannah Gillespie Gallery.

With her ten month toddler, Finn Kali impulsively flies to Vancouver to meet Susannah, (even though she has not notified her of her impending arrival), who has sent post cards to her mother, Elena for over thirty years. In addition, another impulse – she suspects her husband Doug is having an affair.

Of course, now that she is here in this remote area of Canada, there is bad weather, heavy storms, killer whales, and she is fighting for her life as well as her son, Finn. Who is this woman Susannah? Is she dangerous? Does she have more family and if so where are they? What a chilling adventure!

Kali travels halfway across the world looking for her mother; putting Finn in terrible danger, and herself and possibly another life, but the truth has been staring at her all the time from the crease in the wedding photo. However, she could not see it because she was too busy running away, spinning stories, and pressing them into blanks.

It is easy to forget, when you are running away from something that you are always running toward something else. “Sometimes you need to run away in order to get somewhere.”

A very intriguing tale, as have been reading quite a few novels about parent’s withholding information about the past, allowing their children to go to great lengths, while they are trying to protect dark secrets and ultimately cause more problems, by doing so.

The Missing One offers vivid descriptions of the islands off the coast, nature, beauty, whales, orcas, and other elements of the sea, as the book switches from the present, one woman’s quest for answers and a mother’s mysterious past.

Even though I was frustrated at Kali's behavior at times, the beauty of the novel, lies in the narrative— almost poetic, the vivid descriptions, the setting, the wildlife and connection to human nature.

As Kali discovers her mother was a pioneering orca researcher—an activist and scientist in the 70s— the storylines intersect,nd secrets are unraveled as the tension builds. Like the whales, her mother lives in two world: breathing in one, then diving beneath.

An ideal selection for book clubs and discussions, with an array of viewpoints and motives; from those trying to protect one another, by withholding the truth.

“The captive orca was trying so hard to stop her baby from hurting itself on the sides of the tank that she forgot to feed it. The instinct to protect trumped the instinct to nurture.” -- Perhaps Kali reacted as well and learns motherhood is triumphant, an extraordinary force not to be messed with.

A mix of women’s fiction, strong female friendships, relationships, suspense, thriller, family drama, animal rights, activist, and feminist—for an engrossing and emotional page-turner thriller. An ongoing main theme of parental love; a strong and powerful tale of motherhood, a parents’ love for their child, and the lengths they will go to save their them; with parallels of the orcas protecting their own as they stray--similar to human dynamics. An author to watch...look forward to more.

On a side note: With similar subject matter, I am strongly reminded of one of my favorite US authors, Mary Alice Monroe.Having read many of her books, she is known for her intimate portrayals of women's lives, and an active environmentalist; she draws themes for her novels from nature and the parallels with human nature—drawing attention to various endangered species and the human connection to the natural world. ( )

I really don’t know why I completed this book other than the fact that I am a compulsive book finisher, but I am glad that I did.

I really did not like the character of Kali; she was a whiner and winger of the highest order. She set out on her own mission heading nothing and no one. Kali is totally self-centred almost to a point of obsession. She is a mother of a two-year old who she takes on a trek with very little thought or planning! Who in their right mind would do that but oh wait she’s grieving (if that is an excuse). Her reason for the trek was to find out about her mother. To be honest though who really knows what their mother was like before they were born? Children only really ever learn what their parents are willing to tell them.

The other character equally unlikeable was Susannah. She too was selfish, stand offish and untrustworthy but for entirely different reasons.

This reader felt that the wonderful descriptions of the rugged landscape were made often at the expense of the storyline. Likewise the many conversations between Susannah and Kali, Kali and Doug, and Kali and her son were repetitive beyond belief causing the story to flag in all the wrong places.

I had already guessed part of the plot line but not everything. The book was a plodder until about 80% when it took off at a break neck pace but honestly the things Alice didn’t realise had been done to her I was like WHHHHAATTT!!!

I do not think the payoff warranted the time spent reading this novel and will find it difficult to read another book by this author.

Full Disclosure: ARC received from Netgalley for an honest review. ( )