The Missing Place by Sophie Littlefield is an intense story set against the backdrop of North Dakota’s oil boom as two very different mothers join together to search for their missing sons. The author totally caught the feel of the boom-town with it’s lively nightlife, bustling traffic, and how everyone is out is make money while it lasts and not very interested in two twenty-something boys who have disappeared. This lack of interest even seems to apply to the police as they are more than ready to brush off the mother’s concern. They suggest that the two boys, Paul Mitchell and Taylor Capparelli have taken off looking for a warmer climate.

But these mothers know their sons, and know that they wouldn’t just pick up and leave all their things behind. They start their own investigation, not caring who they disturb or what information they bring to light. Even though these mothers are totally mismatched, Shay being a street-smart single mother who has toughened over the years and Colleen being a pampered well-to-do housewife, their search for their sons ties them together. But will the worry, fear and exhaustion tear these two women apart or will they be able to find a way to work together.

I was totally absorbed by The Missing Place and the interaction between the two women. As more information is slowly revealed, I was in awe of what these women were willing to take on in order to find out what happened. I thought the author did an excellent job with the setting as a few years ago my husband and I landed in Williston, North Dakota while on a road trip and experienced the hustle and bustle of the oil boom ourselves. I will definitely be on the look-out for more by this author. ( )

4.5 stars. ( )

Two young men with polar opposite backgrounds both choose the oil-boom promise of rural North Dakota as the path for their futures. Despite their differences, Paul and Taylor become friends. When they both disappear during their first year on the job, their mothers are the ones who continue to search and seek, not settling for the vague answers from law enforcement and the oil company itself. Two women will travel to "The Missing Place" in Sophie Littlefield's atmospheric character study. Shay Capparelli is used to the raw, rough edges of life, and she raised her son Taylor to be like her--a survivor. Leaving California behind with little resources and a lot of determination, she heads for North Dakota to find her son. Colleen Mitchell follows her own mother's instincts and travels from her privileged life in Massachusetts to the comparative wilderness of Lawton, North Dakota to locate her son, Paul. With housing and lodging in the area already inadequate due to the influx of workers, Colleen must share a generator-run motor home with Shay. The women have a mutual concern for their sons, but their personalities and life experiences are sharply contrasted--as sharp as the underlying fear that drives each of them to find the truth--to find their boys. The rugged landscape, the unrelenting cold, and the daily reality of life as an oil rigger, all add to the moody bleakness of the story line. As the two mothers form a difficult but inescapable alliance, they learn as much about themselves as they learn about each other. They are not friends, yet they must depend upon each other in ways they never expected. Will they ever learn the real truth about their sons, and will they be able to bring their boys home again? Nothing is as fierce as a mother's love of her child, and these two women will not stop in their quest to be reunited with their sons.

Book Copy Gratis Amazon Vine ( )

Started off good but felt let down by the ending. characters a bit underdeveloped and unlikable. ( )

Started off good but felt let down by the ending. characters a bit underdeveloped and unlikable. ( )