Sydney School of Arts & Humanities
REPORTED MISSING
An exciting contemporary thriller set in Sydney, Reported Missing follows the escalating ordeal of a married couple as they try to save their daughter and grandchildren from an abusive, even murderous, son-in-law.
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What would you do if your daughter and grandchildren had been kidnapped by an abusive partner?
Would you take the law into your own hands to save them?
And how far would you be prepared to go?
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This is the horrific dilemma faced by the heroine of Reported Missing. Her quiet, happy family life in Sydney is thrown into turmoil when she and her husband risk everything to save their daughter.
Then the terror begins – from vile and personal harassment to life threatening acts – until the narrator starts to plot a killing herself. But before she can put her plan into action, she’s framed for another murder.
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How can this family escape their nightmare?
Diane Harding’s novel is set in a very contemporary Sydney, taking in multi-layered sights and sounds, from the northern beaches to performances at the Sydney Opera House.
REVIEWS
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Top read … 4 out of 5 stars! Frank
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A chilling picture. Harding gives a chilling picture of the methods used to intimidate and discredit the characters, Lilli and Mack. When physical intimidation doesn’t work, the character John turns to the internet. Using social media, the damage inflicted on their reputation by his lies is alarming. He leaves nothing to implicate himself in any incidents, so when the police do become involved there is no evidence against him. I thought at first the plot and characters would suffer somewhat because of the amount of information Harding included on the perpetrators of domestic violence and the methods they use to intimidate. But this is not a shortcoming as so many recent best sellers with this theme give a very superficial description of domestic violence. Helen Ong
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4 out of 5 stars! An intriguing and moving story … A great read. I couldn’t put it down. In fact my family nearly reported me missing! Diane Harding’s writing, has a light touch of the familiar while taking us on what, for many of us, is an unfamiliar journey. What would we do for our children when they are in danger? The McGregor family are drawn into a web of crime and lies, but will they murder? Di keeps us hanging on to the very end. I can’t wait for Diane’s second novel. Julie Dawson