In London, assistant Met Commissioner, Louise Mangan is tasked with going to Crete – an island she knows very well – to liaise with the local police and help with the search for this important man. Having read and enjoyed Alan’s previous book I was looking forward to reading this latest novel and I can report that I enjoyed it equally as much. I love his style of writing, he’s a great storyteller and the plots and characters are both interesting and entertaining. I did guess much of the the ending, however, that didn’t spoil the story. My only bug bear is that Alan tends to flip flop characters name, randomly using either the forename or surname, personally I would prefer consistency when referring to a character. I’m looking forward to reading more from Alan in the future.

Is there no limit to his talents? . . . I absolutely loved Alan’s new thriller, it’s brilliant.’ Hunter Davies Assistant Commissioner Louise Mangan of the Met Police is sent to assist in the investigation but soon discovers that there is more to this case than the local police realise. Lady Bellingham is less than forthcoming, and the family nanny has a secret she will do anything to keep hidden. Alan Johnson is an engaging writer who knows how to develop characters and keep relationships lively as he builds his mystery storylines. One of Our Ministers is Missing is partly set on the beautiful island of Crete where a Peer of the Realm, property developer and Junior Minister at the FCO, Lord Bellingham has a holiday home. A keen walker, he disappeared on one of his regular hikes into the White Mountains leaving his wife Miranda and his children distraught. Some of the characters are well developed, but others feel rather stereotyped - the obese and alcoholic journalist Christopher Finch, Brady the Belfast-born hitman, the naive Geordie nanny, Dimitri the restaurateur. And in the audio-book version, the narrator (Richard Attlee) rather ill-advisedly chooses affect each accent for the dialogue sections. It does help to delineate the characters but at times it feels a bit music hall.But there is another equally as important character in this novel, Brady. Seemingly a happily married man with a decent job who lives under the radar. But his real character is nothing like this. He is a killer preparing for his last job. I won’t reveal much more about his storyline because in some ways his character is the most fascinating in the book. He should have been a character I detested but there were aspects of him I appreciated and had sympathy for.

Is there no limit to his talents? . . . I absolutely loved Alan's new thriller, it's brilliant.' Hunter Davies Assistant Commissioner Louise Mangan of the Met Police is sent to assist in the investigation but soon discovers that there are more layers to this case than the local police realise. This is the first book that I have read by this author and on finishing I immediately looked at his earlier books. This was a book that I enjoyed for its originality and its characters. It took a couple of chapters for this romp to gather momentum but once it got up steam it was full speed ahead for this pleasing and very twisting cosy thriller. If you're coming to Coles by car, why not take advantage of the 2 hours free parking at Sainsbury's Pioneer Square - just follow the signs for Pioneer Square as you drive into Bicester and park in the multi-storey car park above the supermarket. Come down the travelators, exit Sainsbury's, turn right and follow the pedestrianised walkway to Crown Walk and turn right - and Coles will be right in front of you. You don't need to shop in Sainsbury's to get the free parking! Where to Find Us

With thanks to the publisher for the copy received. This is the first book that I have read by this author and on finishing I immediately looked at his earlier books. This was a book that I enjoyed for its originality and its characters. Lord Bellingham, a minister in the Foreign Office, has disappeared while hiking in Crete. Given the political sensitivities Louise is sent to Crete to liaise with the Greek Police, but nothing is as it seems. Lady Bellingham has no interest in talking to the police, the nanny is keeping secrets and the press were investigating Lord Bellingham.

When Tory peer, businessman, and government minister Edward Bellingham goes missing while holidaying with his wife in Crete, assistant police commissioner Louise Mangan is roped in to investigate alongside Greek police. The story encompasses a hitman planning his last job (and his unsuspecting wife), gangs, people smuggling, a missing journalist, a beleaguered Turkish writer, and even a dash of romance. Our Government minister is Lord Bellingham and yes he goes missing whilst on a walk in rural Crete. The story twists more than his trek and you will be left breathless as if you were along for the walk; a walk made very pleasurable by great descriptive writing.

About the Author: Alan Johnson’s childhood memoir THIS BOY was published in 2013. It won the Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize, and the Orwell Prize, Britain’s top political writing award. His second volume of memoirs, PLEASE MR POSTMAN (2014) won the National Book Club award for Best Biography. The final book in his memoir trilogy, THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD (2016), won the Parliamentary Book Award for Best Memoir. IN MY LIFE – A MUSIC MEMOIR was published in 2018 and his highly acclaimed first novel, THE LATE TRAIN TO GIPSY HILL was published in 2021. Alan was a Labour MP for 20 years before retiring ahead of the 2017 general election. He served in five cabinet positions in the Governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown including Education Secretary, Health Secretary and Home Secretary. He and his wife Carolyn live in East Yorkshire. On holiday in Crete, Lord Bellingham, a minister in the Foreign Office, goes missing whilst trekking in the White Mountains. There are few clues, only the minister’s mobile phone. Louise was a character I liked a lot. I appreciated the small glimpse of her personal life where you see her missing her daughters, her marriage break up and her singing along to Joni Mitchell whilst home alone. I also liked seeing her fear of retirement from the job she loved. She seemed honest, in her feelings for the friends she made in Crete and her frustration at working from behind a desk instead of detective work. As a whodunnit, the dastardly scheme is pretty obvious quite early in the piece. This is not actually a bad thing. Often crime novels spend way too much time creating convoluted red herrings and cryptic references that it confuses the reader. This one does not confuse, instead leaving the reader to enjoy watching it all unfold. There are a couple of twist-ettes, perhaps, as the strands are brought together, but nothing that will tax the brain too much. I didn’t read the first book in this series but I’ll be rectifying that now. This was an engaging read with a good plotline and an easy writing style. A good mix of police procedure and thriller involving a contract killer, a Lord of the Realm, an Assistant Commissioner of the Met and a Greek police officer. There are two distinct threads to this character driven book both in London and one of them in Crete.