I’m thrilled to announce the publication of my debut book IN THEIR ABSENCE. The book has been published as part of the Stretto Fiction series of Roman Books, edited by Jonathan Taylor.

What do you do when somebody walks out of the door and never returns? How do two young parents cope when their toddler disappears from a busy cafe? What happens when life is so unbearable that your only option is to disappear?

In Their Absence is a powerful dissection of what it means to go missing. It explores the human complexities behind the headlines and statistics to reveal unsettling truths about what it is to live in the shadow of absence. These stories lay bare the agony of unknowing for those left behind. And they show us just how easily a human life can disappear.

The collection is based on my extensive PhD research at the University of Leicester. In the UK someone is reported missing every ninety seconds. And almost 170,000 people are reported missing every year. During my PhD I explored the reasons why people might go missing, who goes missing, the organisations that work to solve these missing cases, and the families left behind. The stories in In Their Absence are fiction but take inspiration from real life.

I hope this collection of stories will help to shine a light on this often misunderstood and under-reported phenomenon.

You can get your copy of the book from Blackwell’s who do worldwide shipping.