Emma, Disappeared

'Multi-layered and immersive ... Hughes casts the seeds of mystery and doubt like a pro' Irish Independent

'Compelling, unsettling and very creepy' Catherine Kirwan

'Atmospheric and filled with twists and turns ... a fantastic read' Patricia Gibney

Everyone is talking about the disappearance of Emma Harte.

A high-achieving university graduate and young entrepreneur, she was last seen in the early hours of the morning on grainy CCTV footage in Dublin's city centre before vanishing into thin air. While a national debate about women's safety rages, eyes turn to Emma's boyfriend, Tom - who is nowhere to be found.

Meanwhile, archivist James Lyster is following the story with undue interest. When a comment he makes about Emma goes viral on social media, he finds himself drawn into the world of a group of idealistic university students involved in the search - and attracting the attention of the police detective in charge of Emma's case.

Then a body is discovered in scrubland near James' flat ...

As the police get closer to finding out what happened to Emma Harte, James' life begins to unravel. Is he a victim or murderer? Feminist ally or callous liar?

For it turns out that James isn't the only one with secrets ...

Smart, blackly humorous and featuring one of Irish crime fiction's most audacious femme fatales, Emma, Disappeared is Hughes' finest novel to date Irish Times
Andrew's characters are beautifully drawn and intriguing, he casts the seeds of mystery and doubt like a pro and his portrait of modern Dublin is multi-layered and immersive Irish Independent
A gripping debut thriller set in contemporary Dublin RTÉ Guide
If you loved Catherine Ryan Howard's The Trap, this is similar page-turning fare Sunday Magazine
Tense and taught enough to sit happily on crime bookshelves, while transcending most of its companions Sunday Independent
A glorious read both literary and page-turning and has a wonderfully enigmatic first-person narrator Irish Examiner
Emma, Disappeared is compelling, unsettling and very creepy Catherine Kirwan

Born in Co. Wexford, Andrew Hughes is an author, archivist and historian. His first book, Lives Less Ordinary, was a social history of Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin. His debut novel, The Convictions of John Delahunt, was shortlisted for Crime Book of the Year at the Irish Book Awards. His second novel, The Coroner's Daughter, was the One Dublin One Book choice for 2023.

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