The Missing Hours

'Prepare to have your mind well and truly twisted' - Heat 
 
The new high-concept novel from the author of Falling and Hidden, a gripping psychological thriller by a former police psychologist. Perfect for fans of Nicci French and Tana French.

Cleverly constructed … this engaging and compulsive story will reel you in and keep you guessing right till the end, which, by the way, is an absolute belter. Prepare to have your mind well and truly twisted

A tense and dramatic thriller. Told from the viewpoints of several characters – all impressively well realised – and interspersed with case files from kidnappings in more exotic locales, this makes for an intriguing story, that wrongfoots at several turns.

So when an author you’ve admired from their very first book hits the sweet spot in the writing and storytelling stakes it is a real moment of reading joy, such as has just happened with Emma Kavanagh and The Missing Hours. I was a huge fan of the previous two novels but this was a pretty much one sitting completely immersed practically inhaled read that actually I’ve just put down. And had to write about straight away. With a perfectly placed atmospheric ending that just put the icing right on top of the already delicious cake, The Missing Hours comes highly recommended from me.

The Missing Hours is both complex and entirely satisfying. Emma Kavanagh is a wonderful, original writer and The Missing Hours is a fine achievement. There is nothing about this book I didn’t love. I can’t say more than that – except more, please!

Former police and military psychologist, Kavanagh gives an eye-opening insight into kidnap and ransom, woven into a gripping, unusual thriller, which is a worthy follow-up to last year’s brilliant Hidden. A great read with unexpected twists and turns.

Emma Kavanagh is a very gifted writer, her eye for detail and her impeccably created characters make The Missing Hoursan absolute joy to read…The Missing Hoursis exceptionally detailed, intriguing and unusual. I was hooked from the very first chapter. An outstanding story with superb characters and an exciting plot.

I really enjoyed this book, and I mean really enjoyed it. I like my mysteries to be mysterious, my thrillers to be thrilling, and this was both of those things. The best stories are hard to guess but, once you know, make sense and that describes this one perfectly. While I didn't see it coming, a sense of understanding dawned on me when all became clear, so while it was unpredictable it was an ending that fitted perfectly with the story with hindsight. The writing is fluent and eloquent, and although I had a harder-to-tote hardback, I still stuck this one in my handbag as a chapter before bedtime was not going to be enough.

It is testament to Kavanagh’s skill as a writer that, aside from her ability to apply her inside knowledge of police and military operations so effectively, she is also able to create a compelling set of characters.

Emma Kavanagh was born and raised in South Wales. After graduating with a PhD in psychology from Cardiff University, she spent many years working as a police and military psychologist, training firearms officers, command staff and military personnel throughout the UK and Europe. She lives in South Wales with her husband and young sons.

_____________________________ 
'Prepare to have your mind well and truly twisted' - Heat 
 
A woman disappears 
 
One moment, Selena Cole is in the playground with her children and the next, she has vanished without a trace. 
 
A woman returns 
 
Twenty hours later, Selena is found safe and well, but with no memory of where she has been. 
 
What took place in those missing hours, and are they linked to the discovery of a nearby murder? 
 
‘Is it a forgetting or a deception?’

Hidden

A gripping psychological thriller by a former police psychologist. Perfect for fans of Nicci French, Tana French and S. J. Watson.

A classic and very exciting countdown-to-disaster story ... Kavanagh expertly weaves these narratives together to make a comprehensive whole ... skilful.

This cleverly-structured story never lets up ... very tense indeed. Hard hitting, and with real heart ... this is a fantastic thriller.

A clever, fast-paced whodunnit that had me guessing right up to its thrilling climax.

A distinctive, quirky writing style sets this author’s books apart from the crime fiction crowds… I recommend Hidden to fans of twisty plots and well developed characters.

This is a gritty, tense, twisty page-turner of a book – and a must read for crime and thriller fans.

The strength of this book lies in the way the author uses her psychological background to create believable scenarios and a fascinating array of characters. A clever and dramatic insight into the spree killer

A plethora of complex characters and a distinctive writing style really make this novel stand out. The author's extensive work experience is evident on every page, in the gritty detailing and the psychological insights… a real page turner

A gripping psychological thriller… an accomplished novel that keeps you guessing until the end.

Hidden is a brilliant psychological thriller that hooked me from the first page and I highly recommend it to anyone loving a truly absorbing read.

Hidden is Emma’s second novel and it follows an excellent debut, Falling. I enjoyed Falling very much indeed but I think Hidden is even better. It’s tense, tight and disturbing (in a good way) and clearly written by an author who knows what she’s writing about. Its structure is particularly clever and the author is to be congratulated on controlling it so well. There are a fair few psychological thrillers out there at the moment but this one most definitely deserves your attention.

Kavanagh’s training as a psychologist really shines… a solid, tense read. Hidden is another highlight among an already strong batch of psychological fiction by British authors this year.

Kavanagh is quickly establishing herself as an authority on suspense novels. She sketches a picture so vivid of every single scene that you can almost touch and smell it.

Hidden's first chapter hooked me from the outset with its fast-paced writing and dramatic scene… This is an excellent well-written character-led psychological thriller.

Pitch perfect, addictive, fast-paced – Hidden is the thinking man’s thriller!

A brilliant whodunit… The story is told through a number of voices but manages to unfold coherently with suspense and subtlety. As suspicion falls on different heads,   Seemingly unconnected happenings eventually combine to form a chilling, dangerous and dramatic climax.  It's a thrilling book, with believable and engaging and rounded characters in a well described setting… definitely a book to look out for.

Horrific and heart pounding, it will draw you straight into the story and that will be that… It is all so addictive, so elegantly constructed and once again I found myself deep deep into the emotion of it… Turns out if anything this was better than Falling – certainly if you love a psychological crime thriller that is mostly character driven, you’ll love this. The ending was pitch perfect and may surprise you. Don’t miss it whatever you do.

It's hard to know where to start with a book like this. It starts off brilliantly, with probably one of the best openings to a book I have read this year… Hidden is an extremely thought-provoking book… Emma was an author to watch after the release of Falling, but that is the case even more now with Hidden and I can't wait to see what she writes next.

Everything about this book was tense. From the horrific opening via deep-rooted flashbacks that continue to resonate to the final so-quick-you-barely-have-time-to-catch-a-breath closing chapters, Hidden is a novel that keeps you on the edge of your seat through every word. Even the heatwave was palpable… Beyond the immediate gritty drama of the whodunnit driving the plot, this story also becomes about dealing with life or death situations and how they affect you. It’s a very clever, very well thought-out storyline, with plenty of red herrings acting as stumbling blocks on the reader’s quest to figure out the identity of the gunman before the characters do… Beginning at the end may usually be a sure-fire way of taking the thrill out of the story but here it just made the countdown all the more electrifying.

Hidden is plotted like the most addictive crime TV shows... The tense network of relationships between the characters, as well as the episodic plotting, really drive this book forward, and the author’s drip-feed of clues as to the shooter’s identity will keep you guessing about his identity, even as we see inside his head... a solid, tense read.

Emma Kavanagh tells this story with great verve, weaving the strands of her story expertly

I loved Falling, Emma Kavanagh’s debut novel. With Hidden I feel she has taken it to the next level. Emma Kavanagh is bound to be a leading light in psychological thriller authors. This is gripping, compulsive read. If her next book is half as good as this one it will be a cracking read.

This book is a refreshing take on your traditional thriller. There is no lengthy police investigation after the event - instead, the entire book is devoted to events prior to the shooting. Less a 'who done it' than a 'who's going to do it?' And it works brilliantly, with Emma Kavanagh laying her bait cleverly. Just when you think you've worked everything out, she throws in a bit more information and you realise you're barking up quite the wrong tree. Hidden is a very well-written book, packed with detail yet remaining a book so easy to read that you could devour it in just a few greedy gulps. Dialogue is relevant and characterisation is excellent, making for a most enjoyable, and layered, read.

I think this is the first book I’ve read where the main police character is a Police Firearms Officer rather than a detective. This fresh angle really makes the story stand out, as does the rest of the brilliantly drawn characters and the complex relationships (and hidden secrets) they have with each other. It’s hard to go into detail about this book without giving away spoilers, but what I can say is that it’s a story that keeps you on your toes as a reader. I love books that keep me guessing and challenge me to work out who is responsible, and this story did just that. With several crimes taking place, multiple narrators giving glimpses into different elements of the story, and a super pacey non-linear timeline, the author cleverly ramps up the suspense and the mystery, and kept me guessing right to the end. This is a gritty, tense, twisty page-turner of a book – and a must read for crime and thriller fans.

A second novel is a tricky beast – can the author do it again? Can they build on the success of the first? Can it follow in the same genre without being too much the same? 
Kavanagh has succeeded with Hidden when other authors have failed. Similarly to some series on television, the novel starts with the crime and then takes the reader back a stage, to the start of the action. Rather than peeling away the layers to get at ‘who dun it,’ Kavanagh builds up the layers, so that we get to the ‘why’ of ‘who dun it’. Clever stuff, with multiple viewpoints. Kavanagh uses her years of experience training police forces and military units on the psychology of life threatening incidents, to give credence to her work. The tension builds, and never lets up. 
Let’s hope there’s another Kavanagh gem soon. Bravo.

The most cunning crime novels, like many of the greatest detectives, trick you into believing you’re smarter than them before pulling out the rug from under you. None more so than Hidden… Kavanagh is certainly deft, batting around the reader like a car with a caught mouse.

It’s clever, complicated and the characters are completely believable….Kavanagh is an original and interesting addition to the genre.

A gripping psychological thriller by a former police psychologist. Perfect for fans of Nicci French, Tana French and S. J. Watson. 
 
HE'S WATCHING 
A gunman is stalking the wards of a local hospital. He's unidentified and dangerous, and has to be located. Urgently. 
 
Police Firearms Officer Aden McCarthy is tasked with tracking him down. Still troubled by the shooting of a schoolboy, Aden is determined to make amends by finding the gunman - before it's too late. 
 
SHE'S WAITING 
To psychologist Imogen, hospital should be a place of healing and safety - both for her, and her young niece who's been recently admitted. She's heard about the gunman, but he has little to do with her. Or has he? 
 
As time ticks down, no one knows who the gunman's next target will be. But he's there. Hiding in plain sight. Far closer than anyone thinks...

Falling

Dark, tense and convincing, this is a brilliantly executed and engrossing thriller. An extremely assured debut. Sunday Mirror

Kavanagh tells the story with great verve, weaving the strands of her story expertly.

Dark, tense and convincing, this is a brilliantly executed and engrossing thriller. An extremely assured debut.

We predict big things for Emma Kavanagh ... addictive.

Thoughtful, often dark and devastatingly honest ... Falling marks the arrival on the crime scene of a major new talent, one with the potential to join the likes of PD James and Ruth Rendell as a writer who thrills her readers by making them think.

Falling is a confident first book with an interesting set of intertwined plot lines. Hopefully a new author that is off the starting blocks, and has more to come.

A taut psychological thriller heralding the arrival of a fresh new talent to the dark art of crime writing ... a thrilling, thought-provoking story and an impressive debut.

This very well-planned and well-written novel is her first - an excellent start.

A stunningly beautiful read; well written, expertly crafted and frighteningly real ... Emma Kavanagh is certainly an author to watch.

Emma Kavanagh builds up a brilliant picture of these four main characters as they come to terms with what's happened and the repercussions that will surely follow. Superlative writing from Emma, and a brilliant read at any time of the year. Superb.

Complex thriller by a former police psychologist who knows her stuff.

A poignant commentary on human nature, skilfully told by a creative writer.

A crime novel with a difference. The plot is expertly constructed and the characters, flawed but sympathetic, engaged me so that I found myself thinking about them even when Iwasn’t reading the book… a cracking read with a truly original plot

An up-all-night thriller, fuelled by grief, anger and infidelity.

A stark and dramatic thriller, with all the different strands of the story held together by a skillful hand.

This debut psychological thriller from former police psychologist Emma Kavanagh is stunning indeed. An engaging and exciting novel. This novel is brilliantly executed, it is a confident debut written by an extremely talented writer… The characters are incredibly well written and the nuances of life, grief and marriage are all well observed by the eye of a very adept writer. The story itself is thoroughly engaging, drawing you in and making the book unputdownable... This is a crime thriller that belongs on the same shelf as Nicci French. It is high praise indeed, but well deserved.

A brilliant debut psychological thriller by a former police psychologist. Perfect for fans of Nicci French, Tana French and S. J. Watson. 
 
A plane falls out of the sky. A woman is murdered. Four people all have something to hide. 
 
Jim is a retired police officer, and worried father. His beloved daughter has disappeared and he knows something is wrong. 
 
Tom has woken up to discover that his wife was on the plane and must break the news to their only son. 
 
Cecilia had packed up and left her family. Now she has survived a tragedy, and sees no way out. 
 
Freya is struggling to cope with the loss of her father. But as she delves into his past, she may not like what she finds. 
 
‘Before the plane crash, after the plane crash, such a short amount of time for the world to turn on its head… ‘

Emma Kavanagh

The first body comes as a shock. The second brings horror. The third signals the beginning of a nightmare... When fifteen-year-old Isla Bell finds three bodies propped against Hadrian’s Wall, her whole world falls apart. In such a close-knit community, everyone knows the victims, and the man who did it. 
 
Twenty years on and Isla has dedicated her life to forensic psychology; studying the brains of serial killers, and even coming face to face with the convicted murderer who turned her world upside down. She is safe after all, with him behind bars. 
 
Then another body appears against the Wall. And another. 
 
As the nightmare returns and the body count rises, everyone in town is a suspect. 
 
Who is the Killer on the Wall?

The Killer on the Wall is several cuts above your usual psychological thriller. It’s beautifully written, emotionally involving and psychologically complex. You know you’re in the hands of a writer who really understands her subject matter. The story is skilfully told and so subtly nuanced, I gave up trying to guess where it was going and let myself be swept along with it, totally engrossed. And when the final twist came I said ‘oh my god’, and then almost immediately ‘of course’. Classy atmospheric and satisfying. Read it.

Tense, well crafted and difficult to put down. A cracking read!

Tense, disturbing, gritty and unashamedly macabre, this is a must for crime fans

This is a guided missile of a book: it explodes into life, and then keeps burning, inexorably homing in on a target which you will only foresee by cheating and flipping through to the last few pages. When it comes, the detonation is as devastating as it is unforeseen. Only the very best writers have the daring and dexterity to deliver such a plot twist and make it as credible as it is shocking, and Emma Kavanagh must be a founder member of that exclusive club

Intense, claustrophobic and utterly realistic ... A gripping read

Emma Kavanagh is one of those authors whose books I long to read. She writes unusual, distinct and clever crime mysteries

It was a great story, simple and effective, with great characters, great pace and a killer ending (pun intended).  Highly recommended!

She has created yet another completely immersive and addictive crime thriller that is driven by its people and its location

This beautifully written novel is bleakly atmospheric and compelling throughout, tied to its stunning yet bleak location, and driven on by its rich line-up of characters. It’s irresistible

A psychological thriller that kept me reading from the first page right up to the end. A story that managed to surprise me in the last couple of chapters. A story that left me wanting another instalment

This is Emma Kavanagh at her best. The writing is richly atmospheric, the tension is palpable and the characterisation excellent

Kavanagh creates, alongside the taut prose and excellent plotting, create a book that is highly enjoyable and not a little scary

Wonderful writing, clever and taut storytelling and a definite tendency to make you want to sleep with the lights on

Emma Kavanagh is a highly gifted writer…The Killer on the Wallis taut, disturbing, and wonderfully dark. The finale is epic. This book is a masterclass of crime fiction.

The first body comes as a shock 
 
 The second brings horror 
 
 The third signals the beginning of a nightmare 
 
 When fifteen-year-old Isla Bell finds three bodies propped against Hadrian’s Wall, her whole world falls apart. In such a close-knit community, everyone knows the victims, and the man who did it. 
 
 Twenty years on and Isla has dedicated her life to forensic psychology; studying the brains of serial killers, and even coming face to face with the convicted murderer who turned her world upside down. She is safe after all, with him behind bars. 
 
 Then another body appears against the Wall. 
 
 And another. 
 
 As the nightmare returns and the body count rises, everyone in town is a suspect. 
 
 Who is the Killer on the Wall? 
 
Praise for The Killer on the Wall 
 
'The Killer on the Wall is several cuts above your usual psychological thriller. It’s beautifully written, emotionally involving and psychologically complex. You know you’re in the hands of a writer who really understands her subject matter. The story is skilfully told and so subtly nuanced, I gave up trying to guess where it was going and let myself be swept along with it, totally engrossed. And when the final twist came I said ‘oh my god’, and then almost immediately ‘of course’. Classy atmospheric and satisfying. Read it.' - Tammy Cohen

Emma Kavanagh

Praise for The Killer on the Wall

The first body comes as a shock. The second brings horror. The third signals the beginning of a nightmare... When fifteen-year-old Isla Bell finds three bodies propped against Hadrian’s Wall, he ...

The Killer on the Wall is several cuts above your usual psychological thriller. It’s beautifully written, emotionally involving and psychologically complex. You know you’re in the hands of a writer who really ...

Tense, well crafted and difficult to put down. A cracking read!

The first body comes as a shock. The second brings horror. The third signals the beginning of a nightmare... When fifteen-year-old Isla Bell finds three bodies propped against Hadrian’s Wall, he ...

The Killer on the Wall is several cuts above your usual psychological thriller. It’s beautifully written, emotionally involving and psychologically complex. You know you’re in the hands of a writer who really ...

Tense, well crafted and difficult to put down. A cracking read!

The first body comes as a shock. The second brings horror. The third signals the beginning of a nightmare... When fifteen-year-old Isla Bell finds three bodies propped against Hadrian’s Wall, he ...

The Killer on the Wall is several cuts above your usual psychological thriller. It’s beautifully written, emotionally involving and psychologically complex. You know you’re in the hands of a writer who really ...

Tense, well crafted and difficult to put down. A cracking read!

Books by Emma Kavanagh

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