‘Everyone is talking about the disappearance of Emma Harte‘
– Emma Disappeared
[ About Emma Disappeared ]
A high-achieving university graduate and young entrepreneur, she was last seen in the early hours of the morning on grainy CCTV footage in Dublin’s city centre before vanishing into thin air. While a national debate about women’s safety rages, eyes turn to Emma’s boyfriend, Tom – who is nowhere to be found.
Meanwhile, archivist James Lyster is following the story with undue interest. When a comment he makes about Emma goes viral on social media, he finds himself drawn into the world of a group of idealistic university students involved in the search – and attracting the attention of the police detective in charge of Emma’s case.
Then a body is discovered in scrubland near James’ flat …
As the police get closer to finding out what happened to Emma Harte, James’ life begins to unravel. Is he a victim or murderer? Feminist ally or callous liar?
For it turns out that James isn’t the only one with secrets …
[ My Review ]
Emma Disappeared by Andrew Hughes published with Hachette Ireland April 4th and is somewhat of a departure for Hughes whose previous two books were historical fiction. Hughes was obviously concerned about this shift in genre, and the possible challenges that he would face in his research but, with a story in mind, he decided to take a chance.
The inspiration for Emma Disappeared developed after Hughes saw a poster for a missing person online. He began to consider a few questions. Is there one individual who could potentially know exactly what happened to that person? How does someone continue to go about their daily chores, knowing that a secret they carry could have enormous consequences if revealed? What if the person in the poster was also carrying a secret?
‘We all have a ‘missing person’ photograph of ourselves – we just don’t know it. Somewhere on our phones, or stored in the cloud, is that innocent sunlit moment that our friends and family will show the world should the worst ever happen.’
Chapter One opens with this spine-tingling sentence as we hear about Emma Harte’s disappearance. Emma was someone who appeared to have it all. As a high-achiever through her educational years, Emma was an entrepreneur with a bright future ahead of her. The city of Dublin, and the country, are shocked. Where is Emma Harte? And the follow up question on everyone’s lips is – where is Emma Harte’s boyfriend, Tom? The rumour mill is rife, with social media turning into a hotbed of accusations and false statements. One fact remains clear though, and that is that Emma Harte was last captured on CCTV in the city centre late one evening and then all trace of her was gone. The police are doing their best to track her whereabouts but, as the days pass, the concern grows. Is Emma Harte dead? Is she a possible victim of a murder?
The search for Emma Harte leads to police-supervised volunteer groups joining in and it is on one of these searches that archivist James Lyster unexpectedly finds himself. James, like everyone else, is very much aware of who Emma Harte is and, via a new relationship, he is asked to join one of the search parties. The whole situation explodes a little for James when a tweet he requotes goes viral and he soon finds himself the centre of attention as a sort of feminist ally. James isn’t particularly comfortable in the spotlight so he takes on the role with some reluctance.
The plot takes a swerve when a body is discovered near James’ flat and the police start to question the local community. James is definitely one to keep his cards close to his chest so what secrets is he hiding? As the plot slowly unravels snippets of information are revealed opening up many different possibilities but what is the truth?
Emma Disappeared is quite an unusual read. James Lyster is not a character one could warm to but does that make him a killer? Is he a suspect or are we making assumptions based on the fact that we don’t really understand him? James works in The National Library of Ireland and is in charge of a team. His job carries many responsibilities and he seems to be well respected. He is a little odd but that does not assume guilt.
Hughes builds the story, wrapping layer upon layer, complicating the mindset of the reader. I felt very spooked as I went deeper into the story, especially with the online angle. There was something quite sinister about it, which is a credit to Hughes’ writing style.
Told from the POV of James Lyster, Emma Disappeared is a tale of many secrets. Truth, lies, murder and mystery are all tangled up in this complex and disconcerting thriller. I wonder will Andrew Hughes stay with this genre for his next novel or will he return to his old stomping ground of historical fiction? Either which way I don’t doubt that it will be an intriguing read.
**Thanks to Hachette Ireland for my gifted copy in exchange for my honest review
[ Bio ]
Born in Co. Wexford, Andrew Hughes is an author, archivist and historian. His first book, Lives Less Ordinary, was a social history of Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin. His debut novel, The Convictions of John Delahunt, was shortlisted for Crime Book of the Year at the Irish Book Awards. His second novel, The Coroner’s Daughter, was the One Dublin One Book choice for 2023.
X ~ @And_Hughes
