In the novel “The Missing” the reader will once again meet the main characters of Michael Robotham’s previous book “Suspect” - Joseph O'Loughlin and police inspector Vincent Ruiz, who will again be united by a dangerous investigation fraught with unexpected turns of events. Cold dark waters of the Thames, a bullet in the leg and someone else's photograph in the pocket - and behind them the loss of his service weapon, amnesia, suspicions of colleagues in the service and repeated attacks by an unknown killer. So, going through mortal risk, pain and loneliness, Ruiz continues the search for the little girl who disappeared without a trace three years ago - as if she had disappeared into the depths of an unremarkable five-story London building. Everyone knows that Mickey Carlisle is dead and her killer is caught, convicted and serving time in prison; It’s convenient for everyone to think that way. Everyone except Ruiz, who does not want to come to terms with her death and three years later, when a new lead appears in the case, he resumes the investigation - first as a police inspector, and then, after being removed from service, as a private citizen. As his memories of what happened on the Thames on a dark September night come to life, new faces come into Ruiz's field of vision, whose testimony may shed unexpected light on the events of three years ago. But each of these people has to lead a double life, each plays his own risky game, and each has his own reasons for hiding the truth...