From Publishers Weekly
Bestseller White's 13th Alan Gregory thriller gets off to a fast start with the psychologist's discovery of the corpse of his social worker colleague Hannah Green at their shared offices in Boulder, Colo. But the case that propels the narrative is that of "another little girl [who] has disappeared on Christmas night in Boulder." The echoes of the JonBenet Ramsey murder are unmistakable (if never mentioned explicitly), but this time the "little girl" is a teenager, Mallory Miller—and she may simply have run away. Her entire family is dysfunctional: her schizophrenic mother, for example, moved to Las Vegas to indulge her obsession for attending other people's weddings. Then others begin to disappear: Diane, another colleague of Alan and Hannah, who was in Las Vegas searching for Mallory's mother; Bob, one of Gregory's patients with an obsessive interest in Mallory's disappearance; and the mysterious man who lives next door to Mallory. The events are all linked, of course, and Gregory doggedly pursues their connections while juggling his many professional and family responsibilities. The novel wallows too deeply in therapy ethics, and the plot isn't nearly compelling enough to justify its complexity, but as usual the author, himself a psychologist, uses his professional knowledge to paint a convincing backdrop of the world of clinical practice. Expect another bestseller. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Eight years to the day after JonBenet Ramsey was murdered, her childhood friend and neighbor, Mallory, winds up missing. At first, her disappearance seems unconnected to the disappearance of Diane, one of Boulder (Colorado) psychologist Alan Gregory's colleagues, or the apparent murder of Diane's friend Hannah. But nothing is coincidental in a White murder mystery, and once again, he expertly places the good doctor in the middle of one doozy of a whodunit. Alan's wife, Lauran, a prosecuting attorney, suffers from MS, and it's getting worse; with all the tragedy around him, he's feeling much more protective of his children, yet his attention is drawn elsewhere as two of his patients are implicated in the kidnappings, the murder, or both. While White draws his characters with an uncommon depth and richness for the mystery genre, he paints no character better than the city of Boulder itself: the mountains, the sudden gusty weather, the bustling city center--all play a role. Although White is himself a trained clinical psychologist, one gets the feeling he empathizes with the city more than with Dr. Gregory. Another fine addition to a popular series. REVWR
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Jonathan Kellerman
White constructs his labyrinthine plot with the dexterity of a surgeon and the sensitivity of a psychologist.

The Miami Herald
Required reading for thriller fans.

Larry King
A can’t-miss read.

Chicago Tribune
The pace never flags.

Nelson DeMille
Stephen White writes thrillers of the first order.

Book Description
The stakes have just been raised for psychologist Alan Gregory: His friend and fellow therapist Hannah Grant has died at the office, mysteriously and suddenly. The police are baffled, leaving another apparent homicide unsolved in Boulder, Colorado. Only Alan has the means to decipher Hannah’s clues, a quest that will take him to Las Vegas and lead him to question the integrity of those closest to him. The clock is ticking as Alan tracks one of Hannah’s most elusive patients; has she been kidnapped, or is she a runaway? The answers to both cases may be locked in the mind of a patient he has been treating for a schizoid personality disorder. In a maze of dilemmas that could cost him his career, or his life, Alan takes a bold risk that will have readers racing to the stunning conclusion of Missing Persons. Smart and fast-paced, Missing Persons showcases the rapid-fire dialogue and taut story lines that have made Stephen White the bestselling author that he is today.

About the Author
Stephen White is the author of twelve previous suspense novels, including the recent New York Times bestsellers The Best Revenge and Warning Signs.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
New York Times￯﾿ﾽbestselling author Stephen White offers readers fascinating glimpses into the human psyche, blended with real-world details and heart-stopping suspense. In Missing Persons, the peril begins with a simple phone call. Alan Gregory and Diane Estevez call fellow mental health professional Hannah Grant, and Hannah doesn't call them back. That might not sound very alarming. Lots of people don't answer phone messages promptly, especially when they're at work. But for an obsessive-compulsive like Hannah, not responding to a phone call is beyond unlikely -- it's downright impossible! Discovering Hannah's dead body on the floor of a colleague's office is almost a relief. Death is an excuse that could not be denied. The only remaining question seems to be whether this tragic event was a misadventure￯﾿ﾽor murder.

With Hannah's death still a mystery, the city of Boulder, Colorado, reels under another blow. The night before Christmas a girl disappears, leaving behind a trail of blood and even more unanswered questions. The one that haunts everyone involved in this investigation is the possible link to the still-unsolved disappearance of another girl eight years before -- a six-year-old who would now be the same age as the young teen who vanished on Christmas Eve. To Diane and Alan's surprise, it seems that Hannah's client records -- as well as Alan's -- may hold some of the answers; but issues of confidentiality limit access to facts that could prove vital, as the ranks of Missing Persons swell. Sue Stone

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"The stakes have just been raised for psychologist Alan Gregory: His friend and fellow therapist Hannah Grant has died at the office, mysteriously and suddenly. The police are baffled, leaving another apparent homicide unsolved in Boulder, Colorado. Only Alan has the means to decipher Hannah's clues, a quest that will take him to Las Vegas and lead him to question the integrity of those closest to him." The clock is ticking as Alan tracks one of Hanna's most elusive patients; has she been kidnapped, or is she a runaway? The answers to both cases may be locked in the mind of a patient he has been treating for a schizoid personality disorder.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal

Truth and fiction blur a bit in White's latest novel featuring psychologist Alan Gregory when 14-year-old Mallory Miller goes missing from her Boulder, CO, home on Christmas, eight years to the day after a six-year-old girl (JonBenet Ramsey, unnamed here) was kidnapped from the same neighborhood. Soon others go missing, revealing connections to Mallory and her family, including possibly the untimely death of Hannah Grant, a colleague and close friend of Alan's partner, Diane. Doctor-client privilege is a staple in this series, but it has never proven more complicated than here. Rest assured, Alan's integrity remains intact, his wife's MS is no worse, daughter Grace is developing delightfully, and detective Sam Purdy is divorced and slimmed down. With an emphasis on mental illness, this installment is sadder and a little less suspenseful than others in the series, but the pleasure is in seeing these well-developed characters in action again. That alone makes this essential. [See Prepub, LJ 11/1/04.]-Michele Leber, Arlington, VA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews