Mother Missing cover art

Mother Missing

The Cate Austin Casefiles, Book 5

Pre-order free with Premium Plus
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Unlimited access to our all-you-can-listen catalogue of 15K+ audiobooks and podcasts.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Mother Missing

By: Ruth Dugdall
Pre-order free with Premium Plus

Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Pre-order for $25.82

Pre-order for $25.82

About this listen

Don't miss this gripping thriller from award-winning, Kindle #1 bestselling author Ruth Dugdall. PRE-ORDER NOW!

‘Ruth Dugdall’s novels are intelligent and gripping, with a sophisticated psychological sensibility. She is a huge talent’ Sophie Hannah

'Gripping, original, authentic' Erin Kelly

*****

Probation officer Cate Austin races back to Suffolk, desperate to find her sister, who has vanished from rehab following her abuser's unexpected early parole. Simultaneously, Bronte Lowe, a single mother and former navy officer employed at a nuclear power station, mysteriously goes missing.

In Ipswich, Freya Jones is determined to break her family's cycle of crime and starts afresh with her new boyfriend. His cliffside home appears to be the perfect escape, but Freya soon senses a chilling darkness lurking within its walls.

As Cate's search for her sister intertwines with Bronte's disappearance, unsettling truths come to light, revealing the lengths to which love and desperation can push these three women.

©2026 Ruth Dugdall

Critic Reviews

Praise for Ruth Dugdall:

'Twisty, profound and completely convincing, it grips the reader by the heart. Unputdownable' Erin Kelly

‘Ruth Dugdall’s novels are intelligent and gripping, with a sophisticated psychological sensibility. She is a huge talent’ Sophie Hannah

‘Authentic … diverting debut’ Daily Mail

'A chilling tale of betrayal and obsession…keeps its secrets well' Publishers Weekly

'Well plotted…The author understands how to build suspense and create atmosphere' Kirkus

'The menace is skillfully intensified by Dugdall… a twisting labyrinth of child-trafficking and police cover ups' The Times

‘Timely and beautifully-written… Highly recommended’ Mark Edwards

‘An absolute tour de force that left me thinking for days’ Alex Marwood

‘A chilling psychological thriller with a shocking twist. I read it one day and couldn’t put it down’ Louise Millar

'Dugdall’s background as a probation officer shines as she gets inside the heads of a range of characters, some quirky, some terrifying, all fascinating. In this chilling psychological thriller, she doesn’t so much prod the seedy underbelly of Europe as rips it wide open' Mike Craven

'An intelligent mystery, beautifully written, with an intriguing storyline. This one will keep you up to the wee small hours' Jane Isaac

'Utterly chilling' Karen Maitland

'Ruth Dugdall has created a child killer who is no evil stereotype. She skillfully reveals his thoughts and his motives, pulling the reader into a story that spirals towards a shocking conclusion. One to make you think' Julie Corbin

'Intelligent, thought-provoking and tense, Humber Boy B deals with an emotive subject sensitively whilst continually piling on the suspense. Once you start reading you won’t be able to stop until you reach the heart-stopping end' C.L Taylor

'A thought-provoking and tension-filled novel – with evocative characters and an ending that I didn’t expect' Mel Sherratt

No reviews yet
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.