Five years ago 13 year old Jade Carnegie went missing. She has never been found. Her family fell apart after her disappearance with her twin sister going into a catatonic state and her brother falling to pieces. Jade's mother was affected worst of all and her declining mental health lead to the breakup of her marriage. Now, five years later, people are being murdered and another young girl has gone missing. Is there a connection? Sergeant Bill Murphy searches for answers. Can he stop the killings? Will he be able to find the missing child and bring her home? Will he be able to do all this under the critical eye of his new boss who doesn't appear to rate him as much of a cop. Missing Believed Dead is yet another fab book in the Dundee Crime Series by Chris Longmuir. Having previously read another book in the series, Night Watcher, I was really looking forward to this book. And, I was not disappointed. This is a gritty, suspense filled and extremely clever thriller. Chris Longmuir has developed an interesting and intelligent plot that will keep the reader hooked from page one! I have her book Dead Wood, on my TBR list and I'll be devouring it as soon as possible. The characters in Missing Believed Dead are well developed and individuals who are each suffering their own personal torment. The descriptions of Jade's mother's grief will bring a lump to your throat, leaving you with an understanding of her deep sense of loss and a yearning for Jade's return. Even the imperfect Bill Murphy is fighting his own demons. He is very much an 'old school' type of policeman and a very likable character. The subject matter of the book is a dark one - Internet grooming - and very relevant today. Chris Longmuir is an extremely talented writer who is able to draw the reader into a dark world and keep them involved and interested. I was so drawn into the story that I dreamed about the characters one night! I am now totally hooked on the Dundee Crime Series and I want more! If you love a good old crime thriller then this is the book for you! I can't recommend it highly enough.

This is the third book in Chris Longmuir's Dundee Crime series but it's the first that I've read. I didn't feel excluded by this however - merely intrigued. Detective Sergeant Bill Murphy appears to be shattered by previous experiences and his friend and former partner Detective Inspector Michaels is still in hospital. This means a new DI arriving in the Dundee office – a woman this time. Tough on the Dundee team and tough on DI Kate Rawlings as well. She's been happy in Forfar: Dundee presents a new and daunting challenge. Fortunately for working relationships DI Rawlings isn't given much time to antagonise her new colleagues or be antagonised by them. She and her team are swiftly involved in an ongoing investigation which is threatening to spiral out of control. Everyone's skills are needed if a final tragedy is to be averted. This is competent, confident crime-writing: the sort that keeps the reader wanting just one more chapter ... and another and another. I read with pleasure and almost without pause and I now look forward to catching up on Longmuir's earlier series titles, Night Watcher and Dead Wood. It's realistic writing too – though I hope that there are some days in Dundee when it's not either raining, freezing or blowing a gale. Longmuir's tartan is distinctly noir. There's no glamour in this world – typical scenes take place in a sink estate where it's too risky to run your hand up the stair rail because of what might be smeared on it. But at least there's life in the estate, unlike the expensive mansion of a be-wigged and botoxed former actress or the shoddiness of the the pole-dancing club on the morning after when the cleaners come to work. No wonder Diane, the mentally fragile mother whose daughter has gone missing spends every day scrubbing until her hands are raw. The plot twist is a good one and, although Longmuir doesn't offer a happily-ever-after ending, there is sufficient resolution of the drama and alleviation of the central characters' misery to leave the reader satisfied that ordinary life will go on. Until the next time Chris Longmuir picks up her pen, that is. reviewed by Julia Jones