VBT# Our Daughter is Missing - Darren O'Sullivan

VBT # Review: Our Daughter Is Missing - Darren O'Sullivan - January 2026

Welcome to The Phantom Paragrapher Book Blog! I'm thrilled to be hosting a stop on the Zooloos Book Tours virtual book tour for Darren O'Sullivan's gripping thriller, Our Daughter is Missing.

Imagine waking up to your worst nightmare: your daughter doesn't come home. Now imagine you're physically unable to leave your house to search for her. This is the gut-wrenching premise that pulled me into O'Sullivan's latest psychological thriller, and honestly, I couldn't put it down.

Our protagonist is a mother trapped by agoraphobia, watching the world through her windows while her daughter Faye vanishes somewhere out there in the dangerous world she's been hiding from. The setup is brilliant how do you rescue someone when you can't rescue yourself from your own fears? It's the kind of high-concept premise that immediately hooks you, and I found myself racing through chapters curled up on my sofa, completely absorbed.

Darren O'Sullivan handles the portrayal of agoraphobia with sensitivity, showing how trauma can build invisible prisons around us. The pacing kept me engaged throughout, though I'll be honest , there were moments in the middle where things felt a touch predictable, and I would have loved to see some of the supporting characters fleshed out a bit more especially with Mia when her mother became involved . It's a solid thriller, but not without its bumps along the way.

That said, the ending absolutely made this book for me. Without giving anything away, watching this mother battle through her paralyzing fear for her daughter was incredibly powerful. We talk a lot about plot twists and shocking reveals in thrillers, but sometimes the most moving moment is simply witnessing the fierce, unbreakable bond between a mother and child. Darren O'Sullivan captures something beautiful here that love, particularly a mother's love, can be stronger than any trauma or fear that tries to cage us. Seeing her overcome something as debilitating as agoraphobia through sheer maternal determination brought genuine tears to my eyes.

Is it a perfect read? No. But it's a deeply human one, reminding us that the most compelling stories aren't always about the mystery ,they're about the hearts beating beneath it.

Perfect for: Fans of domestic suspense, readers who appreciate mental health representation in fiction, and anyone who loves a thriller with emotional depth.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4qR3iGd