Leave no Trace by MJ White

Leave no Trace

by MJ White

published 2023

My Dad would never read fiction, because in his opinion it was all lies, however, in his early 90’s he picked this book up either from a charity shop or a bargain book shop and tried to read it. I thought reading it might help me work out why he chose this, of all the works of fiction he could have chosen, to be the one he tried to read.

It is a crime novel. Someone disappears and as the fifteen anniversary of approaches there rumours that he is coming back for revenge.

There are so many cliches in this book, starting with the detective in charge being the son of the detective who led the initial enquiry into the disappearance. The father has a great reputation, but the son finds there was much lacking in the initial investigation, leads not followed up, the family disregarded, that sort of thing.

Next, the detective wants someone to join the team who can hear what things say. He says he believes her, but she seems to constantly doubt that she is being taken seriously. Another member of the team is hiding the fact that she is getting a divorce and a third one hasn’t told them he is in love with the missing persons ex-girlfriend, the person he had a row with just before he left.

The book starts when the team of detectives gets hit be a white van whilst leaving a pub quiz. The missing person is caught on cctv holding up a sign saying “Help me”, but doesn’t hang around for someone to help him.

The clock is ticking down to the anniversary of his disappearance. He makes an appearance at the place where he was last seen and the story winds up with another pub quiz, but without anyone being hit by a white van.

Was any the wiser as to why my Dad chose this, of all fiction books, to read. Possibly. On the front of his copy is a sticker saying £2.99 each or any 2 for £5. So, I think it was a random book he choose because it was cheap, one book having as much value as another. The sticker does say something about the book, published in 2023 for £9.99 it was a sell off book by 2024. At the point of printing there was a list of 3 other books in the series, I don’t think I will be reading any of them, but then again, I wouldn’t have chosen to read this book if it hadn’t been for me trying to work out why my Dad tried to read it.