by Heather Critchlow
SYNOPSIS
He won’t rest until he finds out the truth…
Cal Lovett is obsessed with finding justice for the families of missing people. His true crime podcast is his way of helping others, even if he can’t help himself.
His sister, Margot, disappeared when he was a child. Only one man seems to know something. But he’s behind bars and can’t be trusted.
So when the family of a missing Scottish woman begs for his help, he heads to Aberdeenshire in search of the truth.
Does Cal have what it takes to unearth the secrets hiding in the hills? And what if he finds something that leads him back to the heart of his own family’s past?
REVIEW
Unsolved has the ultimate combination of everything that would be on my wishlist for the perfect crime thriller - unsolved missing persons cases, a true crime podcast, serial killers, a long list of possible suspects and a protagonist who is desperate to uncover the truth. I couldn't ask for any more but what's so great about this book is that you actually get two mysteries for the price of one! The main storyline follows Cal as he is called to the Aberdeenshire countryside to investigate the disappearance of Layla for his podcast Finding Justice. This case is particularly hard on Cal as it dredges up a lot of bad feelings from the time his sister Margot disappeared when he was just nine years old. Coming up to what would have been her fifty-fourth birthday, a surprising lead completely stuns Cal and he starts to believe that he might finally be able to put an end to his family's torment of never knowing what really happened to her.
I am a big fan of books featuring true crime podcasts so this certainly wasn't the first book that I've read with this type of storyline. However, there was something about Unsolved that really hooked me. I feel like sometimes the podcast hosts in these stories can be too arrogant and assuming - overstepping in the investigations and believing that they above the law. Cal on the other hand was such an engaging character. His background and his reasons for creating the podcast were grounded in a understanding and empathy with the victims' families, and a need to help them find the truth rather than trying to get a one-up on the police.
It didn't take long before I was totally invested in Cal and his search to find out what happened to his sister so I was thrilled to see that there was also a sneak preview of Book 2 in the series. From what I've read, it seems even darker than this first investigation so I cannot wait to read on!
Thanks to Canelo Crime - @CaneloCrime Heather Critchlow - @h_critchlow and LoveBooksTours - @lovebookstours for the opportunity to read and review.
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Canelo
ISBN: 978-1804362587
Pages: 352pp
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