Local Gone Missing

by Fiona Barton · 2022

Detective Elise King has stepped away from the force after a medical leave, but the simmering clash between longtime locals and affluent weekenders in the sleepy seaside town of Ebbing pulls her back into the hunt. As developers turn crumbling bungalows into luxury retreats and a newcomer plans a high‑profile music festival, the town’s fragile peace shatters—two teenagers overdose, and a man vanishes on the festival’s opening night. Elise’s only window into the hidden lives of Ebbing’s residents is Dee Eastwood, her unobtrusive house‑cleaner who drifts through every home, hearing whispers and seeing what others miss. With Dee’s quiet observations as her guide, Elise begins to untangle a web of grudges, old betrayals, and dark alliances that run deeper than the tide. The disappearance becomes a catalyst, exposing the town’s buried secrets and forcing Elise to confront whether she can reclaim her detective instincts—or be swallowed by the very mysteries she’s trying to solve.