Missing Persons

By: Jack Olsen

Narrated by: Becket Royce

Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

Missing Persons is a major novel of contemporary suspense and horror, combining the shock and tension of A Stranger Is Watching with the gritty realism of The Blue Knight - a story of terror, loss, and love that unlocks the nightmares lurking behind the façades of ordinary lives.

Could it happen to you? Severn Gamble's wife walks into the Justice Building of a major Northwestern city to pick up some typing - and never comes out. ("Margot?") No one has seen her. ("Margot!") She has disappeared. ("Margot!") And the nightmare begins.

Gamble starts to hunt for her, joined by two police officers - Johnny Boon, case hardened, cynical, and with a wife who's just walked out on him; and Tally Wickham, young, pretty, smartass, and as compatible with Boon as oil and water. Together and separately the three of them undertake a search for Margot Gamble, a search that soon becomes obsessional, as others begin disappearing, too, beginning with a child and ending no one knows where. "God, please God, let her be alive. And God...let her not be in pain...."

Never faltering, thick with vivid characterization, and building to one of the most terrifying climaxes in years, Missing Persons is a new masterpiece of suspense, a novel to hear and remember and dream about on dark nights.

©2015 Jack Olsen (P)2015 Gregg Olsen

Critic reviews

" Missing Persons is a powerhouse yarn, guaranteed to steal your own life for a hair-raising, goose-pimpling weekend. The kind of book to get lost in." (Thomas Thompson, author of Blood and Money and Serpentine)

"Jack Olsen begins with an ordinary situation that quickly turns into an extraordinary nightmare. He brings to the contemporary suspense novel an elegance in writing not often found in this genre, writing that is incisive, fastpaced and dramatic." (Nelson DeMille, author of By the Rivers of Babylon and Cathedral)

EXCELLENT MYSTERY VERY WELL NARRATED!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes...it is a good book!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Missing Persons?

When Severn finds Margot...how the police treated that situation was really wrong!

Have you listened to any of Becket Royce’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

no, but I totally would and hopefully will!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I practically did...it was a slow starter...but it hooked me...I wanted to know what was happening to all these people that were missing!

Any additional comments?

** I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review **

When Margot goes missing from the Justice building on her birthday her husband is bound and determined to find her! The Cops are NO help and he has no one to turn too! Well she is not the only one that is missing and people start to vanish one by one in or around this building! Tali and Boon are partnered up to investigate these disappearances and one of the missing happens to be Boons estranged wife, but he keeps that secret...will they find these people in time, and will they live to tell about it???

Good story and excellently narrated!!

Thank You Audiobookblast(dot)com

Missing Persons - Great Mystery Read

This is a great mystery told from three perspectives that intertwine. The narration is excellent with great tone and variation of the characters voices. I loved the 80's time frame, especially the language which was spot on for that time. Really a solid read revolving around the pain and emotion of dealing with a missing person situation. This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom

another good book from this team

Any additional comments?

This audiobook stars of calmly with a disapearing wife and then the plot thickens and slowly gets more and more intriguing, ending with suspence . You sympathise with the frustration of the characters whilst the police are doing nothing to help them, and understanding their need to interven.
Another good book by this team -Author Jack Olsen, and narrator Becket Royce for me this did not quite live up to my expectations (neither story or narration) after listening to their Audiobook "Have you seen my son" which was totally brilliant .

Good solid read

This was an exceptionally well written novel. It was a fast paced book with a lot of twists and turns. It will keep you guessing until the end.
Received this at no cost to me for an honest review.

Missing Persons

“This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.”

This is the second book I've listened to by this writer and narrator team. If you like a good suspenseful mystery with a a bit of horror and even a spark of romance. It's a chilling thought that a person could go missing at the justice building. Action abounds as a few people work to solve the crimes. It held me spellbound until the very end.

The narration was well done.The characters were well portrayed.WOW!! Great range of emotions and voices.

As many as 100,000 missing persons in America

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. Jack Olsen passed away in 2002. He became disgusted with the state of "True" crime books, though professionally is best known for his work in that genre. Books like "Doc", "Salt of the Earth", "Predator" and many more.He felt that the writers and publishers were taking too many liberties with the facts.

Olsen turned to fictional "suspense", as in the case of this book "Missing Persons". Olsen was a skilled writer whichever field he chose. This lives up to his reputation.

Add the narration by Becket Royce, it's a winning combination for the listener.

What other book might you compare Missing Persons to and why?

The easy comparison would be to Olsen's other fiction - "Have You seen My Son?". In a passing manner, it reminds me of "Gone, Girl" by Gillian Flynn. Subject, obviously. It too is tightly plotted and feasible.

What about Becket Royce’s performance did you like?

Becket has the ability to summon a character's personality and perspective to her narrative. The bored cop taking a report, the upset husband of the missing woman, the anxiety of the other missing victims.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The phrase "Edge of Your Seat" is in my opinion, overused. In the case of the "Missing Persons" Audible edition, it seems appropriate, in my opinion. So, my reaction was that I found I was involved with characters I wanted things to turn out okay for. And actually, I felt some empathy for the Bad Guy, though I shouldn't admit that. lol

Any additional comments?

This was the second Jack Olsen fictional Audible book narrated by Becket Royce. And I've read most of Olsen's work over the years and a handful of the True Crime Audible versions over the last few months. Always worth the time invested.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you, Ms.Royce.

An interesting 1980s mystery/thriller

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

~ I received a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This mystery/suspense audiobook could also be considered as historical fiction since it is set in 1980. However, since the print version of this audiobook was actually released in 1981, I guess it was originally considered Contemporary Fiction.

Severn Gamble's wife Margot had an errand to run while the couple were on their way to celebrate Margot's 27th birthday. She needed to pick up a package at police headquarters.

Severn stays in the car while Margot runs in to grab the package, but she never comes out.

A mentally handicapped twelve year old is also missing, but no one seems to care. Everyone assumes he has run away.

But, rookie cop Tally Wickham isn't so sure. She is assigned to partner with veteran detective, John Boone who has a massive chip on his shoulder.

Together they must unravel a mystery that gets stranger by the day.

This audiobook is particularly interesting because it was written in the early 80s. During that era the police cared very little about missing persons, even children. In fact, missing persons did not even have its own division, it was considered part of the homicide division. In today's world a missing child would set off an immediate reaction. In the 80s there was no such thing as an Amber Alert.

Some of the vernacular used in this book might throw readers off a bit. Detective John Boone refers to murderers as "fools". That is not a term I have ever heard used in that way before. According to John Boone, "The worst fools come camouflaged in ordinariness."

The character development was very well done and listeners learned enough about Tally, Boone and Severn to care about them.

I enjoyed this audiobook and the narration was exceptional. The pacing and pitch were 'spot-on' and the story never seemed to lag. I rate the narration as 5 out of 5 stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I rate this audiobook overall as 4 out of 5 stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

To read more of my reviews, visit AmiesBookReviews dot Wordpress dot com

Interesting Story, but Bad Narrator

What did you like best about Missing Persons? What did you like least?

The plot was engaging, but the narration was horrible. Royce used character voices that bordered on the cartoonish, making it difficult to take the book seriously.

How could the performance have been better?

I would have enjoyed this much more if the narrator had been better, or, if a different narrator had been chosen. It's hard to lose yourself in a mystery when the narration makes you laugh out loud.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

The plot is something that would make a good movie.

Any additional comments?

If you're looking for a compelling mystery, definitely pick this up. However, I would recommend picking up the print version rather than the audiobook.

Frode found a good book!

Son by Jack Olsen was not my cup of tea! Missing Persons by Jack Olsen on the other side was good. Not fantastic in any way or form, but good! Still a book that is interesting in 8 hrs and 6 mins is a good book. So maybe Jack Olsen is better when he is making fiction! I am not sure why i feel there is something missing here, but i do feel that. It is a interesting listening, but not "over the top fantastic" that is all! So i still recommend it, just don't expect GREAT, just good, but there is nothing wrong with good!

Becket Royce reads this without any feeling at all, and that fits the book in a strange way. There is still somewhat a thing i miss: Feeling! So this is a bit "cold" read, but i do like that, i am just not sure if that makes Becket Royce fantastic at all, but still a 4 star out of 5 is not awful! So i would like Becket Royce to be a bit more engaged in what she is reading!

I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast dot com

Missing Persons review

What did you love best about Missing Persons?

Pretty much everything about it. It's a fantastic book.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Margo.

Have you listened to any of Becket Royce’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes. The opening few pages introducing Margo.

Any additional comments?

Enjoyable.