Girl Missing was first published in 1994. Tess Gerritsen previously wrote novels, but from this book on she developed into a crime author. There is still romance in it, but crime reigns. Tess Gerritsen regards it as her bridging book. Girl Missing has meanwhile been reissued and adapted for today’s readers. When Kat Novak is confronted by some people who have not survived the use of a new drug, she decides to find out who is behind the drug. She hopes to get the support of the police and the mayor to avoid further deaths, but she cannot count on that. She does get the support of Adam Quantrell, the man Kat believes is somehow linked to the drug and only uses her to find his stepdaughter Maeve. She soon discovers that he is the only person she can count on the most.
- data
- Summary
- Main characters
- Symbols and motifs
- Title explanation
- Theme
- Structure and perspective / way of telling
- Time and place
- Evaluation
data
- Original title: Girl missing (Previously released in 1994 under the title Peggy Sue got murdered)
- Dutch title: Girl missing
- Author: Tess Gerritsen
- First edition translated into Dutch: 2015
- Translation: Els Franci-Ekeler
- Number of pages: 256
- ISBN: 978-90-443-4629-9
Summary
Adam Quantrell
Forensic pathologist Kat Novak is informed by detectives Lou Sykes and Vince Ratchet that a white woman has been found by garbage men. During her investigation, Kat discovers that the woman has probably died of an overdose. Between the woman’s fingers, Kat finds a matchstick folder from a restaurant with a phone number written on the inside. When she contacts the owner of the phone number, she immediately comes over. Adam Quantrell claims not to know the woman. Kat wants to understand why this woman, who doesn’t know Adam, got his phone number. But she receives vague answers and soon notices that Adam is hiding something.
Not much later, another woman is found with an overdose in the same neighborhood. Kat calls all hospitals in the city to find out if there are any victims. A boy, Nicos, had been brought into a hospital with an overdose, but it is not clear to him exactly which drugs are involved. The victim lives in South Lexington, not far from where the two women were found. Kat fears there is a new drug on the market.
Maeve
During a second meeting with Adam, Kat manages to find out what’s going on. Adam is looking for his stepdaughter, Maeve, who disappeared six months ago. He had then noted her new number on the matchbook, but Maeve had passed it on to Jane Doe for some reason. Adam asks Kate’s help to find his stepdaughter. He had already asked Lou Sykes for help, but it had not yielded much. Kat agrees and goes to her old neighborhood with him. Their trip brings in nothing more than a beating and theft of Kat’s car. She also gets a message from one of the attackers that she doesn’t want to be found, which to Kat means it’s about Maeve.
Nicos had also died in the meantime, which means that three victims have been killed in two days. The Nicos blood sample ensures that it can be seen which drug has been used. And that’s Zestron-L, the drug that Cygnus, Adam’s pharmaceutical company, has a patent on. Adam doesn’t understand how Nicos got into these drugs as his lab is still in a testing phase.
Herbert Esterhaus, who is in charge of the project with the new drugs, does not understand anything either. Everyone who works there can be trusted. The only person who had served less than years of faithful service was Maeve. She had worked there for a while until she left because of an argument with him. But Herbert can’t believe Maeve would steal her father’s company.
Kat is driven to find out exactly what happened, but soon discovers she can’t count on the support of Detectives Lou Sykes and Vince Ratchet, who got their orders. She is convinced that Adam is somehow behind this in order to protect his company. When she confronts him, there is a big explosion. It takes Kat a while to realize that the bang came from her house. At first it is thought of a gas explosion, but the next day Lou Sykes and Vince Ratchet bring the news that a bomb had been placed. Someone wants Kat dead. In addition to the bad news, Sykes had provided copies of the police files. That way, Adam and Kat can continue their investigation. As they do this, they also grow closer and closer to each other.
Herbert Esterhaus
Not much later they find Herbert Esterhaus murdered back in his house and they discover through photos that he had a relationship with Maeve. Herbert turns out not to be a saint, he was wanted by the mafia so he is in witness protection. Chances are, he probably would have sold the drugs himself. And that may have been why he and Maeve had a fight and Maeve ran away.
When Kat returns to her old neighborhood, she manages to find Maeve and have a conversation with her. Maeve explains to her that Herbert was pressured by people trying to wipe the area off the map. Herbert had asked her help to find a drug courier and that was how she ended up with Nicos, who had also used it herself. Despite the open conversation with Maeve, Kat fails to get her to speak to Adam for a moment.
Wanting to find out who pressured Herbert, Kat is convinced that the cop who arrested him for possession of marijuana plants and then released him right away, which is not normal procedure, might remember. But the cop, Ben Fuller, was shot, so that’s a dead end.
Vince Ratchet
Kat discovers Ben Fuller was Vince Ratchet’s partner. And suddenly all the puzzle pieces fall in front of her. It was Vince who killed his partner. But he was unlucky that there was a witness, the first victim, who blackmailed him. When he was tired of giving her money, he ordered Herbert, who he could extort with the mob, to get the witness the drugs that would kill her. Unfortunately there were more victims.
Before Kat and Adam can do anything with the info, they are met by Vince herself. In an attempt to escape, Adam jumps on top of Vince and tells Kat to flee. Just in time, she manages to escape and is caught by two agents. When they go back to Adam, she discovers he’s still breathing and has hope that he survives.
In the hospital, Kat is surprised by the presence of Maeve, who comes to check how Adam is doing. Kat is only really comfortable when Adam wakes up and she can take him in her arms. The nightmare is over and now they can work on their future together.
Main characters
Kat Novak
Kat is an attractive and strong woman with dark, thick, long hair. She is a woman who makes no bones about it. Novak is not her maiden name, but Ortiz. She has kept her ex-husband’s name because she thinks it suits her better. She never knew her father and her mother died of a brain tumor seven years ago. She’s lived in South Lexington herself and knows it’s not the best area in town.
Adam Quantrell
He is in his early forties and has blond hair. Adam is the owner of the pharmaceutical company Cygnus. He has a stepdaughter, Maeve.
Maeve Quantrell
She is twenty-three years old and has blond hair and hazel eyes. Before she disappeared, she was constantly high from booze and pills. Her mother, who has since died, had also been addicted.
Ed Novak
He’s a prosecutor and Kat’s ex-husband.
Lou Sykes
He is an inspector and always dressed to perfection. His partner was shot from a moving car years ago. At about the same time, Vince Ratchet’s partner had died. Which made them partners.
Symbols and motifs
Guilty
Adam doesn’t like the fact that he didn’t tell Kat the truth about the phone number and Maeve when they first met. He had seen that Kat realized he was lying. Even though he couldn’t help but hide the truth, he doesn’t like the way he looks unreliable to Kat.
In love
Before long, Adam has feelings for Kat. He is impressed with her, but also knows that she is not the easiest woman to be in love with. On their first outing together, he was nearly killed, and she’s already designated him as responsible for the new drug.
Defenseless
Kat’s life was once predictable. They lost all that. She’s lost her house, her car was stolen, she doesn’t know who to trust and now someone wants her dead too. Kat has completely lost control of what will happen and what her future looks like.
Fear
Kat realizes that she and Adam have dug way too deep into the drug story, so they know way too much. And because of that, they have now become a target. Kat hopes they both survive this adventure.
Title explanation
The title Missing Girl refers to Adam Quantrell’s search for his stepdaughter, Maeve.
Theme
The end justifies the means.
Structure and perspective / way of telling
The story consists of 256 pages, which are divided into 15 chapters. The story provides the point of view of Kat Novak, Adam Quantrell and Ed Novak, which is written in third person.
Time and place
The story is set in the present in South Lexington (The projects), Albion and Bellemeade,
Evaluation
Missing Girl is certainly not the most exciting book, but that is understandable given that this is Tess Gerritsen’s first thriller. The book has little depth and the story ends quite abruptly. But the plot is certainly not predictable, the structure of the story is good and Tess Gerritsen has already found her writing style here with a little eye for detail. The story has a romantic touch, which is not disturbing, but also does not immediately add value. Kat Novak seems to be the predecessor of Maura Isles (from the Rizzolli & Isles series), who also bites into a case as a pathologist.