Books Like Close to Home

Losing a loved one involves complex emotions like despair and grief, which everyone can relate to. Adding a missing person element also adds feelings of hope and fear, which is why this trope is so compelling in the literary world. Combining everything with a mystery element makes for an intriguing and engaging story. For example, in Close to Home by Cara Hunter, an eight-year-old girl vanishes from her family’s Oxford home during a costume party. No one saw anything or knew anything, but as the police investigate they quickly discover that everyone seems to have a secret to conceal. For more mystery and thriller novels that feature missing people, check out the following books like Close to Home.Missing PersonsBy James Patterson & Adam HamdyMissing Persons is the first novel in the Private Middle East series by James Patterson and Adam Hamdy. The protagonist, Jack Morgan, is head of Private, the world’s largest investigation agency. Jack is approached by a wealthy businessman who is desperate to locate his daughter and two grandchildren who vanished without a trace. Jack treats it as a simple missing person case but then discovers that highly trained operatives are pursuing the daughter, which changes everything. Even more worrying, the trail leads towards Afghanistan, a place of trauma for Jack as it is where his career as a US Marine ended in catastrophe. The Bear TrapBy Grant PiesThe Bear Trap by Grant Pies is the story of Will Carter, a private detective hired by the parents of a young girl who has been missing for two months. Everyone from the Chicago PD to the community has given up on Rose Bishop, and even Carter’s partner thinks he’s wasting his time by taking on the case. However, Carter is undaunted, and the deeper he delves into the case, the more enemies he makes. Unfortunately, Carter also uncovers a host of lies, and the further he pulls back the curtain, the worse things get until he realizes that he has stepped into a carefully crafted trap.Last Known ContactBy Phillipa Nefri ClarkLast Known Contact by Phillipa Nefri Clark is a standalone book in the DS Liz Moorland World of Melbourne Major Crimes series. The missing person is Jack Bannerman, a self-made business tycoon who isn’t the type to take time out, but that’s what his wife and trusted advisors believe. Only his daughter, Ellie Connor, is suspicious when she returns from a business trip and hears that her father has vanished. As she begins her own search for Jack, she begins to make a few shocking discoveries that challenge everything she believed about him and his past. However, after an anonymous warning to back off, Ellie reluctantly reaches out to Detective Ben Rossi from Missing Persons for assistance. Missing, PresumedBy Susie SteinerMissing, Presumed is the first book in the Manon Bradshaw series by Susie Steiner. It features Manon Bradshaw, a devoted and respected member of the Cambridgeshire police force. Manon is 39-nine years old, and while she loves her job, she misses having a personal life. Her job has left her single and distant from her family, and her attempts at internet dating have been disastrous. It is after one of these dates that she turns on her police radio to help her fall asleep, only to be drawn into the case of Edith Hind. Edith is a graduate student at Cambridge University and the daughter of the surgeon of the Royal Family, but she has been missing for nearly 24 hours. Although she has no clear leads, Manon is determined to close the case and discover what happened to Edith.Before She DisappearedBy Lisa GardnerBefore She Disappeared is the first book in the Frankie Elkin series by Lisa Gardner. Frankie is an average middle-aged woman who is a recovering alcoholic. However, she also does something nobody else will, which is to search for missing people the world has stopped looking for. Her search begins after everyone from the police to the public and the media has given up. Her latest case sees her investigating the disappearance of Angelique Badeau, a Haitian teenager who vanished from high school. Her search takes her to a rough Boston neighborhood called Mattapan, where she gets very little help from the police or the victim’s wary family. Frankie also quickly finds that someone doesn’t want her to uncover the truth.Seven CrowsBy Kate KesslerSeven Crows is the first novel in the Killian Delaney series by Kate Kessler. Killian is an ex-con who has just been released from prison, only to be told by her sister that someone has taken her niece. As soon as she finds out about the missing girl, Killian goes on the hunt for the men responsible. Her search reveals that her niece was involved with a notorious biker gang who had their hands in everything from drugs to human trafficking. However, things become even more personal when Killian discovers that the man she nearly beat to death and who was responsible for her going to jail is at the heart of it all. Her One MistakeBy Heidi PerksHer One Mistake by Heidi Perks is about the disappearance of a young girl at a school fair. Charlotte was supposed to look after her three children and Alice, her best friend Harriet’s daughter. However, when Alice goes missing, Harriet is devastated by the loss and blames Charlotte for the tragedy. The event also takes a massive toll on her marriage, but Harriet soon discovers that the only thing that might reunite her with her daughter is trusting Charlotte again.