Behind the manicured lawns and guarded gates of Crestmore Estates lies a neighborhood built on secrets.
Five years ago, three residents vanished without a trace. No bodies. No answers. Just rumors, whispered around the country club. Now, when human remains surface on the golf course, old suspicions rematerialize—and the spotlight falls on the women left behind.
Andrea Kendal knows what people think—that her brilliant surgeon husband had something to do with his first wife’s bloody disappearance. Sara Batcher has spent years defending herself against accusations that she killed her husband. And Katie Morrow, the community’s youngest trophy wife, can’t escape the suspicious shadows cast by her husband’s ex-wife.
As the investigation circles closer, the wives find themselves bound together by fear, betrayal, and the ghosts of the missing. In a neighborhood where appearances are everything, each must decide what she’ll sacrifice to protect her carefully constructed life—before someone else decides to shatter them all.
If you haven’t read A.R. Torre before, this is a solid place to start. Though touted as a domestic thriller, it gives off more of a Desperate Housewives vibe, with lots of secrets, messy relationships, and suspicious characters rather than real thrills. The structure will keep you flipping pages, shifting between three women—Sarah, Katie, and Andria—all interconnected and living where the three people went missing years earlier. You may not feel fully gripped early on, but there’s lots of drama to keep things intriguing, along with classic thriller tropes that really work—unreliable narrators, wealthy people keeping secrets, missing persons mysteries, morally grey women, hidden pasts, and slow-burn twists!
Told via third-person POVs from Sarah, Katie, and Andria, you get to piece things together from different angles while second-guessing everyone. On top of that, each chapter opens with first-person, gossip-style snippets from side characters—neighbors, family members, or acquaintances connected to the women—that add humor and extra drama. There are a lot of characters in this story, many of them interconnected—if you keep track of names early on, it’s smooth sailing later on. And almost everyone is linked in some way, and they all react when the body’s discovered, which will definitely heighten your suspicions about some of them. Add in toxic marriages and over-the-top dialogue, especially in the messy relationships between Katie and husband Mark and Andria and Eric, and it sometimes feels like a soap opera in the best way!
As for the pacing, you need to be patient, as the real suspense doesn’t kick in until the second half. The first half sets up character dynamics, builds the investigation with some police procedural elements, and slowly reveals backstory, but it’s not especially thrilling. If you pay close attention to conversations and inner monologues, you may be able to predict the big twists. That said, the ending is still unpredictable, and not everything is resolved as you might expect—but it perfectly fits the tone of the book and is cleverly executed!
If you enjoy domestic thrillers with messy relationships, toxic marriages, wealthy people with secrets, and strong “everyone is a suspect” energy, this one will likely keep you turning pages. And if you’ve been curious about A.R. Torre’s work, this is a great place to start.
Narrator Performance
The audiobook of The Missing Ones is narrated by seasoned voice actor Moniqua Plante, known for her work in psychological thrillers and domestic suspense.
Plante gives each of the women protagonists very clear, distinct voices that feel believable and easy to follow. Sarah is given a controlled voice, which fits her perfectly given how much suspicion is hanging over her, especially during police interrogations. The dialogue between Sarah and Maggie is especially well executed and makes them feel like a kind of tag-team duo circling around secrets.
Plante portrays Andria with a composed, slightly detached tone, which suits a woman who carefully manages her life as the wife of a prominent surgeon. Plante does a great job conveying Andria’s growing unease when she and Eric are questioned by police—there’s a subtle strain that builds in her delivery, and you can hear how much pressure she’s under.
Katie is given the most expressive, reactive voice, which suits her as the youngest and most naive of the three women. Her inner monologues are dramatic, and Plante plays into that energy to give them a soap-opera feel at times, in the best way. The dialogue between Katie and Willow, her husband’s ex-wife, is a highlight—Plante’s delivery makes their exchanges awkward, tense, and very entertaining!
There are a lot of side characters—Plante shifts her tone just enough to make neighbors, friends, and police officers all sound distinct and easy to follow. Her pacing is also very strong—slower in the first half, when the book focuses on relationships and domestic tension, then quicker and more urgent once the investigation makes secrets begin to surface. Even though the ending may not be satisfying for everyone, Plante keeps the drama high, and it feels cleverly executed!
Narrator Performance
The audiobook of The Missing Ones is narrated by seasoned voice actor Moniqua Plante, known for her work in psychological thrillers and domestic suspense.
Plante gives each of the women protagonists very clear, distinct voices that feel believable and easy to follow. Sarah is given a controlled voice, which fits her perfectly given how much suspicion is hanging over her, especially during police interrogations. The dialogue between Sarah and Maggie is especially well executed and makes them feel like a kind of tag-team duo circling around secrets.
Plante portrays Andria with a composed, slightly detached tone, which suits a woman who carefully manages her life as the wife of a prominent surgeon. Plante does a great job conveying Andria’s growing unease when she and Eric are questioned by police—there’s a subtle strain that builds in her delivery, and you can hear how much pressure she’s under.
Katie is given the most expressive, reactive voice, which suits her as the youngest and most naive of the three women. Her inner monologues are dramatic, and Plante plays into that energy to give them a soap-opera feel at times, in the best way. The dialogue between Katie and Willow, her husband’s ex-wife, is a highlight—Plante’s delivery makes their exchanges awkward, tense, and very entertaining!
There are a lot of side characters—Plante shifts her tone just enough to make neighbors, friends, and police officers all sound distinct and easy to follow. Her pacing is also very strong—slower in the first half, when the book focuses on relationships and domestic tension, then quicker and more urgent once the investigation makes secrets begin to surface. Even though the ending may not be satisfying for everyone, Plante keeps the drama high, and it feels cleverly executed!
The audiobook of The Missing Ones is narrated by seasoned voice actor Moniqua Plante, known for her work in psychological thrillers and domestic suspense.
Plante gives each of the women protagonists very clear, distinct voices that feel believable and easy to follow. Sarah is given a controlled voice, which fits her perfectly given how much suspicion is hanging over her, especially during police interrogations. The dialogue between Sarah and Maggie is especially well executed and makes them feel like a kind of tag-team duo circling around secrets.
Plante portrays Andria with a composed, slightly detached tone, which suits a woman who carefully manages her life as the wife of a prominent surgeon. Plante does a great job conveying Andria’s growing unease when she and Eric are questioned by police—there’s a subtle strain that builds in her delivery, and you can hear how much pressure she’s under.
Katie is given the most expressive, reactive voice, which suits her as the youngest and most naive of the three women. Her inner monologues are dramatic, and Plante plays into that energy to give them a soap-opera feel at times, in the best way. The dialogue between Katie and Willow, her husband’s ex-wife, is a highlight—Plante’s delivery makes their exchanges awkward, tense, and very entertaining!
There are a lot of side characters—Plante shifts her tone just enough to make neighbors, friends, and police officers all sound distinct and easy to follow. Her pacing is also very strong—slower in the first half, when the book focuses on relationships and domestic tension, then quicker and more urgent once the investigation makes secrets begin to surface. Even though the ending may not be satisfying for everyone, Plante keeps the drama high, and it feels cleverly executed!
