REVIEW: Missing White Woman by Kellye Garrett

It was supposed to be a romantic getaway to New York City. Breanna's new boyfriend, Ty, took care of everything – the train tickets, the sightseeing itinerary, the four-story Jersey City rowhouse with the gorgeous view of the Manhattan skyline.

But then Bree wakes up one morning and discovers recently missing dog-walker Janelle Beckett dead in the foyer. Ty is gone, vanished without a trace.

A Black woman alone in a strange city, Bree is stranded and out of her depth. There’s only one person she can turn to: her ex-best friend, a lawyer with whom she shares a very complicated past.

As the police and a social media mob close in, all looking for #Justice4Janelle, Bree realises that the only way she can stay out of jail is if she finds out what really happened that night.

But when people see only what they want to see, can she uncover the truth hiding in plain sight?

Missing White Woman has it all - harrowing intensity, masterfully crafted characters and a searing statement on prejudice-driven policing and profiling that weaves together to create such a compulsive story.

You’ve heard of Missing White Woman syndrome - that phenomena where a young blonde white girl will be plastered over the news with manhunts and rewards whilst the missing black kid gets left behind. This story goes through the phenomena to the other side - someone caught in the profiling, the racist treatment and assumptions of guilt and blame - guilty until proven innocent in the court of public opinion and left to fight their own corner.

Bree was an amazing narrator - I loved her from the start, and she kept us hurtling through the story, always paying attention, always adding her own thoughts. At times I just wanted to scream, it felt obvious she was in danger but she clearly is not stopping till she gets to bottom and I was obsessed with following her investigation. It’s not just Bree though, we take an interesting look at the power of social media influencers and sleuths on crime - the good and the bad.

A dizzyingly fast and intense story about betrayal, murder and justice with an important message.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Missing White Woman is available from 14th August with Simon & Schuster. I was gifted a reviewers copy of this title in return for an honest review.
Please check content warnings before reading as this title contains subjects that may upset readers.

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