‘I read Her Last Holiday from cover to cover in 12 hours, stopping only to sleep!’

‘An unpredictable thriller.’

‘A tense and intriguing read, cleverly written with lots of twists and turns.’

See what bloggers are saying about C.L. TAYLOR …

‘I devoured Strangers. Twisty and clever, utterly compelling characters and a superb edge-of-the-seat finale.’

Liz Barnsley, Liz Loves Books

‘My eyes were simply glued to the page, I couldn’t tear them away!’

The Bookworm’s Fantasy

‘An intriguing and stirring tale, overflowing with family drama.’

Lovereading.co.uk

‘Astoundingly written, The Missing pulls you in from the very first page and doesn’t let you go until the final full stop.’

Bibliophile Book Club

‘Imaginative, compelling and shocking – The Fear is a highly engrossing read.’

The Book Review Café

‘The Fear is a dark tale of revenge and just when you think you know where the story’s going, the author takes you by surprise!’

Portobello Book Blog

‘[The Missing] inspired such a mixture of emotions in me and made me realise how truly talented you have to be to even attempt a psychological suspense of this calibre.’

My Chestnut Reading Tree

‘Tense and gripping with a dark, ominous feeling that seeps through the very clever writing … all praise to C.L. Taylor.’

Anne Cater, Random Things Through My Letterbox

‘C.L. Taylor has done it again, with another compelling masterpiece.’

Rachel’s Random Reads

‘In a crowded landscape of so-called domestic noir thrillers, most of which rely on clever twists and big reveals, [The Missing] stands out for its subtle and thoughtful analysis of the fallout from a loss in the family.’

Crime Fiction Lover

Dedication

To Laura Barclay

Chapter 1

Now – May

FRAN

Fran’s rage has reached boiling point. The stifling heat of the tube carriage, the scrum of warm, sweaty bodies and the woman continually smacking her knees with her oversized shopping bag have pushed her too far. She’s one tut away from combusting.

Her day started with an ominous burning sensation when she went to the toilet. Irritating. A UTI was something she simply didn’t have time for, especially when her Year Elevens were weeks away from taking their ICT GCSE.

When she arrived at St George’s Academy an hour later her mood wasn’t helped by an email from Nigel Flemming, Deputy Head, informing all teachers that, owing to staff shortages, they would have to take it in turns to supervise the seclusion room for disruptive students. And it continued to sour when she lugged an armful of heavy textbooks to the photocopier only to discover an ‘out of order’ notice taped to the top. She sighed. A urinary tract infection, the loss of a free period and a five minute walk across school to find another photocopier would not unhinge her. These were minor irritations, not life-changing events. If I can survive the last two years, she told herself, I can deal with this.