Title:	Without Trace
	Author:	Simon Booker
	Published:	2016, Twenty7
	No. of Pages:	416
	Cover Price:	$8.23 Paperback, $3.31 Kindle

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Simon Booker introduces Morgan Vine in the first novel of a new series, Without Trace. Morgan Vine, an unsuccessful journalist, who has been cleaning houses to supplement her income, has been running a book group at the prison where her childhood sweetheart, Danny Kilcannon, has been housed after being found guilty of killing his stepdaughter, Zoe. Morgan is sure he isn’t guilty – she has known him and loved him since they were children. However, when he is released from prison on a technicality, and her daughter, Lissa, goes missing, Morgan must rethink her beliefs and investigate her daughter’s disappearance since the police don’t seem to be doing a very good job. Her trust of Danny is faltering, and she doesn’t know if she can trust anyone. Her main goal is to find her daughter, and it appears she must do it on her own.

Morgan lives in a small English town, and it’s difficult to keep secrets. Although Danny has been found not guilty, most people who live in the area are convinced he is the murderer, and he is subjected to harassment and threats. Morgan has grown up with her own demons, and her father was sent to prison for sexual crimes that it turns out he didn’t commit; she is also battling guilt for not seeing her father and her stepmother.

While this novel is well-written and suspenseful, there is a lot of profanity, mostly in the context of certain characters who use it profusely to give readers the heads-up that they are low-class, trashy, and can’t be trusted. There is also some sexual innuendo; although it is not graphic it plays an important role in the plot.

There are surprises near the end, which is essential to a good thriller, and the events will keep the interest of any thriller aficionado. The English influence adds a bit of charm which contrasts with the suspenseful scenarios as Morgan puts her life on the line to get to the bottom of the mysteries.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this novel.

This book may be purchased at Amazon:
Without Trace: An Edge of Your Seat Psychological Thriller (A Morgan Vine Thriller)