Just Another Missing Person

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of illness or death.

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. What was the most surprising twist in Just Another Missing Person? Did you anticipate any of the major revelations, such as Lewis being the extortionist or Jonathan being the actual villain?

2. The novel presents three parents (Julia, Lewis, and Emma) who take extreme actions for their children. Were any of these characters more sympathetic or relatable than others? How did this affect your investment in the story?

3. McAllister’s novel, like Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl, explores themes of moral ambiguity and unreliable narrators. How does Just Another Missing Person compare to other psychological thrillers you’ve read? What distinguishes McAllister’s approach to the genre?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Julia is willing to sacrifice her professional ethics to protect Genevieve. Have you ever faced a dilemma where personal loyalty and professional duty conflicted? What guided your decision?

2. Throughout the novel, Julia brings her work home and her home life to work, decorating her office like a room in her house and discussing cases with Genevieve. How do you navigate the boundaries between your professional and personal identities?

3. The “worry list” that Art creates for Julia represents his willingness to share her burdens. What similar rituals or practices have you developed in your own relationships that help manage stress or anxiety? Do you find such practices as effective as Julia did?

4. What does Emma’s investigation of her son, despite acting as his alibi, reveal about her character? Have you encountered situations where seeking a potentially painful truth was more important than maintaining comfortable ignorance?

5. Julia believes she’s protecting Genevieve by covering up her crime, while Genevieve feels the burden would be lighter if she could confess. When have you experienced situations where being protected felt like a burden?

6. How does Lewis’s grief transform him throughout the novel? Have you observed grief changing people’s decision-making or moral boundaries in your own life?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. The novel explores police corruption through various characters’ actions and depicts how easily Julia can circumvent the system. How does Just Another Missing Person contribute to current conversations about accountability in law enforcement? What message does the novel convey about institutional safeguards?

2. Julia’s workplace is described as understaffed and underfunded, requiring resources to be “cobbled together from Bristol, Avon and Somerset” (21). What does this suggest about the challenges facing public services in smaller communities? How might these conditions contribute to the potential for corruption?

3. How does the story’s treatment of passport fraud illuminate the complexities of immigration and identity documentation in contemporary society? Does the novel present any moral ambiguity in how these documents are used?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. What effect does McAllister achieve by telling the story through multiple perspectives (Julia, Lewis, Emma, and “Olivia”)? How does this narrative choice affect the pacing and the gradual revelation of information to readers?

2. The skylight in Julia and Art’s former home symbolizes transparency and communication in their relationship. What other symbols in the novel effectively represent the characters’ emotional states or relationships? How do these symbols evolve throughout the story?

3. In what ways does the Portishead setting, described as having “ever-present damp” and being “unimaginably lovely” at Sugar Loaf Beach (11, 28), influence the atmosphere of the story? Does the contrast between the damp town center and Julia’s seaside home reflect aspects of her character?

4. How does Julia’s failure to recognize her initial corruption when covering up Genevieve’s crime reveal her character’s blind spots? How might the plot have changed if she had acknowledged her first transgression earlier in the story? How does this selective moral reasoning connect to the theme of The Distinction Between Cops and Criminals?

5. The structure of the novel, particularly the nonlinear timeline and the false “Olivia” social media posts, creates layers of deception. How does this structure enhance the mystery? What message does it convey about the reliability of information?

6. How do the different sacrifices made by the three parent characters (Julia, Lewis, and Emma) compare to one another? Which parent’s actions seem most justified by the end of the novel, and why?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. If you were to adapt Just Another Missing Person into a limited series, which scenes would you highlight as pivotal moments, and which actors would you cast as the main characters? Would you maintain the multiple perspectives or focus primarily on Julia’s point of view?

2. The ending shows Julia returning to work to investigate Jonathan’s previous cases involving missing women. Write a brief outline for a sequel that explores how she might approach these cases while dealing with the lingering effects of her own compromised ethics.

3. Write a conversation between Julia and Genevieve five years after the events of the novel. How might their relationship have evolved? What unresolved feelings might they still need to address?

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