“Missing in Miami” by Kathryn Lane

Missing in Miami

Kathryn Lane
Tortuga Publishing (2022)
ISBN: 9781735463810
Reviewed by Lily Andrews for Reader Views (10/2022)

“Missing in Miami” is a high-stakes contemporary novel in the mystery genre penned by author Kathryn Lane. When a girl goes missing in Miami, Floyd, Nikki’s boss, assigns her the case owing to her competence and sharp-wittedness. When Nikki begins her investigation, she finds it strange that the missing girl’s father, Yoani, has been reluctant to file a report of his missing child on claims that he and his family are undocumented foreigners.

As she continues digging for answers, Nikki finds out that Andrea, the missing girl, has been suffering from a potentially fatal condition and its connection to Yoani’s business. The enigma escalates when Nikki comes across a mutilated body and the wife of Yoani’s business associate, Urbano, goes missing as well. She is eventually forced to turn to her husband, Eduardo, for help in solving the mystery.

“Missing in Miami” is fascinating. The book trills with authenticity, allowing for the crystalline cadences of her prose free rein. Lane’s brush strokes render the proceedings fiendishly clever and graceful. The whole narrative is elevated by its beautifully molded characters. A well-written mystery can uncover the inner sleuth in you. This whodunit does just that as it beats to its unique rhythm.

Nikki, the main protagonist, is volatile, resolute, and valiant with her flaws as well, and readers will enjoy careening through the pages, rooting for her along the way. The writer deftly handles complex themes such as the immigrant issue while offering escapist entertainment in equal measure. Lane is every bit as adroit in establishing suspense, highly strung twists, and turns, and holds readers’ attention till the very last pages.

Reading this five-star book reveals that the author is an astute social observer. She makes the ordinary seem baleful and her ability to provide various suspects keeps one guessing and expectant to find out who was behind the murders. Further, the scenes are keenly observed, with a strong sense of belonging and ceaselessly thrilling. Truly, “Missing in Miami” by Kathryn Lane is one of those books whose plot is bound to stay with you long after the reading is done, and is a character-driven story not to be missed.