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Louise Burfitt-Dons
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The Missing Activist: Gripping political thriller: page-turning behind-the-scenes tale of candidate selection to top House of Cards (Karen Andersen Crime & Mystery Thriller Series Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Louise Burfitt-Dons (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 143 ratings
See all formats and editions

Gone without a trace, and no one's searching.

Post-Referendum UK, on edge with terror looming. A young activist disappears into London's maze. Karen Andersen, unconventional PI, takes the case.

Her journey uncovers a political world where loyalty overshadows truth,a hidden serial killer,and a female Jihadi's deadly scheme against the government.

But some secrets are sacrosanct.

A fast-paced, witty thriller that grips you from start to finish, packed with twists

.

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  1. Book 1 of 3
    Karen Andersen Crime & Mystery Thriller Series
  2. Print length
    412 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    June 5, 2018
  6. File size
    577 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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From the Publisher

The Missing Activist
The behind-the-scenes crime thriller
Other books in the series

Editorial Reviews

Review

Karen Andersen is a Private Investigator and quite new to the job. She's thrilled when D I Patridge known as 'Quacker' contacts her to give her an assignment. But it's not the case she had hoped for which was working on the mysterious 'suicide' of a high profile feminist but instead to search for a missing political activist, Robin Miller. In fact he's only just disappeared the night before. Along the way, she crosses paths with the highly dangerous Zinah al-Rashid, a Muslim convert who lures British teenagers to the jihadi cause by giving the 'cool' Islamic names and promising them a splash in the Daily Mail or on Facebook.

This is a story about bullying and the power political parties have over their candidates who want to climb the ladder. Robin Miller, a devotee of his right-wing party has been bullied by other members for being dyslexic and naïve before his disappearance. The apparatchik Simon King, who runs the candidate selection system, wants to quash Miller's complaint for a number of reasons which aren't revealed until the end of the book. Activists and ambitious candidates are prepared to turn on each other to save their own futures. And that's not just the Tories. Even the jihadists run their own grassroots operation delivering leaflets and canvassing support. Overzealous recruits are controlled in case they step out of line and threaten terror plots.

But this book is stunningly different from many thrillers I've read recently. There are several murders and a big finish. But using examples like the Kurdaitcha practices in aboriginal culture and other research into group behaviour, it is also a compassionate tale which grips to the very end.
There are some truly original great characters in this book. Haruto, the half Scottish half Japanese love interest of Karen Andersen, Bea Harrison who trains women wannabe politicians and turns a blind eye to her husband's shortcomings, the long-winded Quacker, the runaway Filipino maids, the charismatic Zinah Al-Rashid who once worked in Harrods, Robin Miller the star-struck twenty one year old with a heart of gold who is wedded to the party which shafts him, Tammy Kell, the cool as ice female Tory candidate, and Andersen herself, the highly sensitive off the wall private investigator who is fighting her own demons with a second-hand foil off the internet.

The story is a complex mystery and hard to relate it step by step without delivering spoilers which give this imaginative book the page-turning quality. It's original and at times very funny. It will certainly have you guessing to the end. Where is the missing activist?

With thanks to New Century Digibooks and Louise Burfitt-Dons for an advanced reading copy in return for an honest review on Goodreads and Amazon

From the Author

The Missing Activist is first in my series featuring Karen Andersen, a bumbling, wannabe Wallender from Chiswick in West London. 

Post the UK General Election of 2015,  Karen is asked to find Robin Miller, a missing activist who's disappeared after lodging a report to the Party that he's been bullied by a senior member. But she's obstructed at every turn. The upper echelons close ranks to protect the party interests!

A major character in the novel is bi-polar personality Zinah al-Rashid. When she's not cruising Harrods, chatting to Isis brides over Whatsapp or radicalising teenagers, she's planning a massive terror attack at the upcoming Tory conference in October.  But Karen's on the case.

I have an intimate connection with the story. In 2015, when I stood as a candidate for the Conservatives, a young supporter took his life because of bullying. I knew him. In fact, he'd campaigned for me. As someone who's set and run an anti-bullying charity for nearly 20 years, I found the outcome close to home and it drove me to write the novel which closely tracks the reality of political life today.

I was born and brought up in the Middle East myself, and the battle between the political and religious ideologies which is causing so many of the problems today particularly interests me.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07D7DZFX1
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ New Century Digibooks (June 5, 2018)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 5, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 577 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 412 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0953852296
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 143 ratings

About the author

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Louise Burfitt-Dons

Louise Burfitt-Dons

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Louise Burfitt-Dons is an Amazon bestselling author and screenwriter.

She was born in Kuwait and has just completed a historic spy thriller Our Man In Kuwait based on the true events of this period. In the late fifties and early sixties when the Gulf State was reaching the end of its Protectorate agreement with Britain, neighbouring Iraq was threatening to invade.

Louise writes topical “ripped from the headlines” crime fiction which is thought-provoking but also entertaining. There is an added Agatha Christie analytical element and usually something conspiratorial in her thrillers.

Events in her books are often inspired by real events. Brought up in the Middle East as well as the UK and then married to a New Zealand airline pilot, she’s travelled the world a lot and lived full time in France and Australia.

In addition, Louise is a well-known anti-bullying campaigner and speaker. For example, she set up leading UK children’s charity Act Against Bullying in 2000 and co-founded the November 13 annual Kindness Day UK.

Louise has two daughters and a granddaughter. Today, home is Chiswick in west London with her husband.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
143 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Hoffman
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating
Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2024
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Political intrigue at its finest. Recommended!
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Susan
4.0 out of 5 stars Political Intrigue
Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2019
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Karen Andersen is a Private Investigator who is called in when a young activist goes missing. His parents believe something terrible has happened. Though she is happy for the commission, there are other mysteries she would prefer to work on but, eventually, it seems they may all be connected. Robin Miller has a meeting with an important party member regarding a bullying complaint Robin recently filed. This was the last anyone heard from Robin. Is he hiding from the backlash? On holiday? Dead? The mystery takes many twists as Karen delves ever deeper into his life.
There are so many issues addressed in this one well-written volume. Suicide, bullying, political back-biting and with many layers of intrigue along the way. Woven through all of this is a fanatical Isis recruiter who is promoting her own agenda while procuring brides for Isis warriors. This is an engaging story of how social media can make or break any potential political candidate. The story began slow while the author introduces all the players. Unfortunately, this story is way too believable. Well-written with fallible and believable characters.
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David Carter
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting page turner
Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2018
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I took my time reading this novel as there was a fair bit of ground to cover at the beginning, which took me a few chapters to get fully immersed into, with mutiple plot lines and numerous characters to keep track of. Once I'd nailed down who was who and where everything fit together the story flowed nicely.

The story follows the journey of PI Karen Anderson in the search for a missing political activist, Robyn Miller, after being recruited for the job by Detective 'Quacker'.

I enjoyed the mutiple plot lines and how they slowly blended together, leaving no stone unturned or unexplained by the end of the novel. From corrupt politicians to Islamic terrorists, this book packs a punch and was well worth my time.

Not only are the plots well thought out and carefully constructed, but the style of writing is enticing and keeps the pages turning with rapid succession.

Recommend to lovers of thriller novels!
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scott s
5.0 out of 5 stars An authentic page turner
Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2023
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Loved the twists and turns. This book is well-written and feels lived in. (Maybe because the author is very familiar with both British politics and current events in the Middle East.) Karen Andersen is the strong female private detective protagonist that many will be looking for. It did take me to feel like I knew all the various characters (maybe because I'm not British), but once I did, the ride was worth it. A great read for anyone like political thriller/mysteries.
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Josette Mandela
5.0 out of 5 stars Political intrigue, suicide, murder
Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2023
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This book has a lot of characters along with a lot of themes. The first dozen chapters we are meeting new characters who play various roles in the story. Some of the characters are evil, some are minor however they all are needed to make the story work.
The main plot is political intrigue and the missing activist with subplots of cyberbullying, political cronyism and Islamic jihads.
The author does a good job of blending all these components to create a believable story.
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Lifter Laughter
5.0 out of 5 stars I highly recommend this book
Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2018
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The Missing Activist, by Louise Burfitt-Dons, is a unique political thriller with a female private detective working her way through a complex mystery. In reading the book I felt like it fit more in the mystery category than being a political thriller but it would certainly appeal to both audiences. It is a complex plot with lots of characters to get to know along the way. I really enjoyed the authenticity of the setting Louise built for her readers. The book also provides a fascinating look into the sometimes seedy background of the British political system. What I enjoyed most were the interesting variety of characters. It took a while to become familiar with so many characters, which made the early reading a bit labored. It was well worth the effort since the characters, and their dialogue, are very interesting and so well written. I highly recommend the book and it’s is a series you’ll want get in on from the very beginning.
One person found this helpful
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ricardo montecristo
4.0 out of 5 stars Fun and informative Mystery
Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2022
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Louise Burfitt- Dons writes a well paced, informative mystery that gets you immersed right out of the gate. The character list is enough to make thrones author Martin a run for his money, but I didn't find it too challenging. What I liked most about Missing Activist is that it is a contemporary mystery/ crime story that returns to the roots of the genre and moves away from the overly done medical/pathologist scope that seems to be plaguing the genre as a whole. Can't wait to move on in the series and see what next is in store!
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Jessica Danyelle
5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining and educational!
Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2019
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I don't know a lot about the governments of other countries, and I definitely had no idea how the UK's system worked. This book showed me a very different way of looking at government. No matter where you go, there is always something or someone dirty who pulls the strings higher up. In this book, activists, people with different views about the UK's government, and people who were trying to do the right thing get caught up in a web of lies, deceit, and bullying. The bullying was so bad that some of the activists were thought to have taken their own lives, but as you get further in the book, you see that suicide wasn't always the case.

I don't normally read this genre, but it was intriguing, EXTREMELY well-written, and chock-full of suspense. I'd suggest it to anyone who loves a great, action-packed political thriller. Great job!
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Lee Agur
5.0 out of 5 stars Page turner
Reviewed in Canada on June 16, 2023
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Wild thriller with a great ending.
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Jean
5.0 out of 5 stars love it!
Reviewed in the Netherlands on June 10, 2023
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I loved reading this book. The characters and the way the evolve throughout the book are very interesting. Besides that I really like the overall writing and angle this book has. Definitely recommended.
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Stephen Clynes
5.0 out of 5 stars A great British conspiracy.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 12, 2020
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Robin Miller is a volunteer activist for the Conservative Party but suddenly he goes missing. Karen Andersen is a private investigator and it becomes her job to find him.

I really enjoyed reading this British conspiracy thriller. It was not just about Karen’s job to find missing Robin but stacks of other things too. This novel fully explored the problems of bullying, not just face to face but cyber-bullying online too. Also we have the issue of Jihadi brides being recruited and sent to Syria. Plus we have fun and games within the Conservative Party as teams of unpaid volunteers compete with each other to grapple with the greasy pole of British politics.

I loved how Louise wove real events into her story to add perspective and realism. Early on in this novel, Alesha Parkhurst, a campaigning feminist is found hanged in a Cardiff hotel. On 28th March 2019, British Red Cross worker Dr Deborah Lamont, 44 was found hanged at Cardiff’s Village Hotel. The problems of bullying within the Conservative Party is not just in this novel but currently raging back and forth in the media concerning the Conservative MP Priti Patel.

I found this novel lovely and up to date. It really has the zeitgeist and mentions things like Brexit. There is the threat of terrorism and previous terrorist incidents like the vehicle-ramming into pedestrians at Westminster are mentioned. This all leads to an entertaining and realistic great read surrounding a great plot.

I found the characterisation very good and each character had an authentic ring to them. It was easy to identify with each of the characters, good guys and bad guys, who seemed like the normal people we meet everyday. I enjoyed the realistic dialogue between the characters and when I read the way Fatima and Mia were talking, I immediately thought of Amira and Amani from the successful Channel 4 television series Gogglebox. Louise pitched the members within the Conservative Party and their attitudes really, really well. This is because Louise is one of them, remember the old adage, write about what you know. Louise stood for election in 2015 in the Nottingham North constituency and got 7,423 votes against the standing MP Graham Allen who held his seat for Labour with 19,283 votes. Louise has brought her experience and understanding of the Conservative Party with it’s funny little ways into her novel so that the reader can understand the darkness within the Tory Party.

I think The Missing Activist is a thrilling read and whilst the general public gets bored with politics, remember Brexit, this story is a great conspiracy that gets the top score of 5 stars from me. My lasting impression, what if Teresa May’s little dance onto the stage ended very differently. Shudder, shudder, remember Brighton.
One person found this helpful
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Anne2121
5.0 out of 5 stars A great thriller
Reviewed in Australia on September 7, 2023
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I really enjoyed this one. A great thriller with everything you expect from one. Well written, gripping, and with plenty of characters an action. I am looking forward to more from this author.
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mel
5.0 out of 5 stars great procedural.
Reviewed in Canada on July 8, 2019
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Robin really appealed to me as a dyslexic policy wonk myself. I have been that foot shoulder out door knocking. I hated the inside party politics and the larger than life personalities in real life but they do make for a great novel. I bet a fair bit of the plot is drawn from reality. I can not wait for the next book in the series. What interesting trouble is Karen going to get up to in Japan?
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