The Missing - Tapa blanda

Full of vivid evocations of the sights, sounds and smells of the South. As Simoneaux pursues his morally driven detective mission the scent of the steaming mud of the cypress swamps and the sound of 1920s New Orleans jazz rise off the page * Claire Prentice, Scotsman * Gautreaux writes with sustained grace and creates memorable characters . . . What really sets THE MISSING apart, though, is his remarkable ability to realise the period . . . a rare and rather uncanny achievement: a novel about the South in the early Twenties that reads as though it was actually written there and then * John Dugdale, Literary Review * Tim Gautreaux has managed to write a fine novel about a child's abduction without making it too upsetting. This isn't to say that the book is lightweight; nor does it duck the fear and trauma of the events it narrates. It has all the insight and metaphors you could wish for, but you end up zipping through it . . . impressively thrilling, and pleasingly complete * Tom Payne, Daily Telegraph * Gautreaux brings a long-gone era to life in lush, fresh detail . . . this novel about the intricacies of the human heart has a great, beating one of its own. Life may be harsh and fleeting, but the missing are still missed. * Heather Thompson, Sunday Telegraph * Tim Gautreaux's redemptive novel is a joy to read * Barclay McBain, Herald * Has the impact of a book twice its length . . . a dramatic, theatrical meditation on law and lawlessness * Alan Warner, Guardian * Gautreaux writes action-packed novels that stand out for the extraordinary calibre of their prose * Andrew Rosenheim, The Times * A beautifully written, enthralling saga . . . a compelling novel * James Urquhart, Independent * 'Remarkable...a rip-roaring adventure novel with a true depth of feeling' * Stephen Amidon, Sunday Times *

Louisiana is the setting for this riveting tale of a kidnapped child and the man on her trail - Sam Simoneaux, who feels honour-bound to help find her. Leaving his stalwart wife behind, he works his passage on a pleasure steamer up the Mississippi, entering a wild world of jazz, moonshine and lawlessness. It is a journey that will lead Sam to confront not only violent criminals but his own past, and to make some hard decisions about the value of vengeance.