Open Books Challenge 2026: About a Missing Person or Object

The Open Books Reading Challenge is a year-long reading challenge for people interested in pushing the boundaries of their reading. For full details of the program, please check-out our page at: https://www.rplmn.org/books-more/discover-more/open-books-reading-challenge

These are some ideas that fit the 2026 category "About a missing person or object."

Happy Reading!

Updated December 31, 2025
Drag items up and down to your preferred order then select the "Save Order" button.
I'll Find You Where the Timeline Ends
Baker, Kylie Lee
Paper Book
A teen descendant of a Japanese dragon god must find out the truth of what happened to her missing sister while trying not to fall for a handsome rogue agent in acclaimed author Kylie Lee Baker's magical new YA romance, I'll Find You Where the Timeline Ends. "Here's...
History in flames : the destruction and survival of medieval manuscripts
Bartlett, Robert
Paper Book
To what extent does our knowledge of the past rely upon written sources? And what happens when these sources are destroyed? Focusing on the manuscripts of the Middle Ages, History in Flames explores cases in which large volumes of written material were destroyed during a single day. This destruction...
The boy from the woods
Coben, Harlan
Paper Book
A man with a mysterious past must find a missing teenage girl in this shocking thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Run Away. Thirty years ago, Wilde was found as a boy living feral in the woods, with no memory of his past....
Bear country : bearly a misadventure
Cronin, Doreen
Paper Book
Now an animated series on Disney Junior! The Chicken Squad is back for their sixth (mis)adventure, and this time there's a headless bear on the loose and the Chicken Squad's beloved Barbara has gone missing! A "lip-bitingly funny" (School Library Journal) chapter book...
The last thing he told me : a novel
Dave, Laura
Paper Book
A Goodreads Top 60 Book of the Last 5 Years Don't miss the #1 New York Times bestselling blockbuster and Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick that's sold 5 million copies strong--now an Apple TV+ limited series starring Jennifer Garner! The "page-turning,...
There's something about Mira : a novel
Dev, Sonali
Paper Book
From USA Today bestselling author Sonali Dev comes the heartfelt story of a woman determined to reunite a lost ring with its owner, who ends up finding herself along the way. Mira Salvi has the perfect life--a job she loves, a fiancé everyone adores, and the secure future she...
The girl who was taken
Donlea, Charlie
Paper Book
Charlie Donlea, one of the most original new voices in suspense, returns with a haunting novel, laden with twists and high tension, about two abducted girls--one who returns, one who doesn't--and the forensics expert searching for answers. Nicole Cutty and Megan McDonald are both...
The Tsarina's lost treasure : Catherine the Great, a golden age masterpiece, and a legendary shipwreck
Easter, Gerald
Paper Book
A riveting history and maritime adventure about priceless masterpieces originally destined for Catherine the Great. On October 1771, a merchant ship out of Amsterdam,  Vrouw Maria, crashed off the stormy Finnish coast, taking her historic cargo...
Wicked appetite
Evanovich, Janet.
Paper Book
Life in Marblehead has had a pleasant predictability, until Diesel arrives. Rumor has it that a collection of priceless ancient relics representing the Seven Deadly Sins have made their way to Boston's North Shore. Partnered with pastry chef Lizzie Tucker, Diesel bullies and charms his way...
If the dead belong here
Faust, Carson
"Fierce, lyrical, and unrelentingly intimate . . . This is a story about hauntings both literal and inherited, a child gone missing, and the women who carry everything that came before. Faust doesn't just bend form--he breaks it open. --Morgan Talty, national bestselling author of Night of the...
The wicked lies of Habren Faire
Fiteni, Anna
An enchanting romantasy debut about a girl who must strike a dangerous bargain with a fae prince in order to find her missing sister, perfect for fans of Margaret Rogerson and Lexi Ryan!   For Sabrina Parry, the world of her small, Welsh mining town is cruel and...
The missing half : a novel
Flowers, Ashley
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * Two women haunted by their sisters' unsolved disappearances band together in this captivating mystery from the author of All Good People Here and host of the #1 true crime podcast Crime Junkie. "A propulsive mystery with...
Gone girl
Flynn, Gillian
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * The "mercilessly entertaining" (Vanity Fair) instant classic "about the nature of identity and the terrible secrets that can survive and thrive in even the most intimate relationships" (Lev Grossman, Time "One of the Best Books of the...
In the woods
French, Tana.
Paper Book
The bestselling debut, with over a million copies sold, that launched Tana French, author of the forthcoming novel The Hunter and "the most important crime novelist to emerge in the past 10 years" (The Washington Post).  "Required reading for anyone who...
Find her : a novel
Gardner, Lisa
Paper Book
Lisa Gardner's runaway New York Times bestseller--a fast-paced thrill ride featuring Detective D. D. Warren. Seven years ago, carefree college student Flora Dane was kidnapped while on spring break. For 472 days, Flora learned just how much one person can endure.
A flower traveled in my blood : the incredible true story of the grandmothers who fought to find a stolen generation of children
Cohen Gilliland, Haley 1989-
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF 2025 * THE WASHINGTON POST'S 5 BEST NONFICTION BOOKS OF 2025 * THE ATLANTIC'S 10 BEST BOOKS OF 2025 * THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY'S BEST BOOKS OF 2025 * TIME MAGAZINE'S BEST BOOKS OF 2025 * NPR'S BEST BOOKS...
InvestiGators
Green, John Patrick
Paper Book
"When I'm faced with a Pilkey fan looking to branch out, this graphic novel is the first book I reach for... If eight books aren't enough, the spinoff series, Agents of S.U.I.T., continues the fun." ―The New York Times With more than four million copies in...
The overnight guest
Gudenkauf, Heather
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "Fully realized, wholly absorbing and almost painfully suspenseful...The journey is mesmerizing." --New York Times A woman receives an unexpected visitor during a deadly snowstorm in this chilling thriller from ...
The deceivers
Haddix, Margaret Peterson
Paper Book
The second book in the Greystone Secrets series from the master of plot twists, Margaret Peterson Haddix--perfect for fans of A Wrinkle in Time and The City of Ember!  Until their mother vanished, the Greystone kids--Chess, Emma, and Finn--knew nothing about the other world. ...
The lost man
Harper, Jane
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "I love Jane Harper's Australia-based mysteries." --Stephen King Two brothers meet in the remote Australian outback when the third brother is found dead, in this stunning new standalone novel from Jane Harper...
The secret book of Flora Lea : a novel
Henry, Patti Callahan
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER When a woman discovers a rare book that has connections to her past, long-held secrets about her missing sister and their childhood spent in the English countryside during World War II are revealed. In the war-torn London of...
The keeper of lost things
Hogan, Ruth
Paper Book
Full of character, wit, and wisdom, The Keeper of Lost Things is heartwarming tale that will enchant fans of The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, Garden Spells, Mrs Queen Takes the Train, and The Silver Linings Playbook. Lime green plastic flower-shaped hair...
Bug Hollow : a novel
Huneven, Michelle
Paper Book
"Perfectly captures the unpredictability of life . . . Right down to its final moments, Huneven casually offers up little revelations that crunch as sweet and tart as pomegranate seeds." --Ron Charles, Washington Post "Instantly seduces even the most news-addled reader...
The summer she went missing
Ichaso, Chelsea
Paper Book
From the author of Dead Girls Can't Tell Secrets and They're Watching You, a compelling new thriller! Last summer, they searched for Audrey Covington. This summer, they'll search for the truth. Paige Redmond has always felt lucky to spend her summers in...
Such quiet girls : a thriller
Ihli, Noelle W.
Ten children, abducted in broad daylight-and buried alive. Sage and her sister won't make it home from school today. Neither will the other children on Bus 315. But that's only the beginning of the nightmare. New bus driver Jessa blames herself for what happened. She couldn't protect the kids she...
The return of Ellie Black : a novel
Jean, Emiko
Paper Book
A USA TODAY Bestseller | An NPR Best Book of 2024 | A Goodreads Best Thriller of 2024 In this "page-turning suspense novel, shrewd character study, and captivating mystery" (Stephen King) Detective Chelsey Calhoun's life is turned upside down when she gets the...
Then she was gone
Jewell, Lisa
Paper Book
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Family Upstairs and None of This Is True comes an "acutely observed family drama" (People) about the lingering aftermath of a young girl's disappearance. Ellie Mack was the perfect daughter. She was...
When devils sing
Kaur, Xan
Paper Book
This deluxe edition is printed with gorgeous stenciled edges and a stunning foil-stamped case! An Instant New York Times and Indie Bestseller. A Goodreads Most Anticipated Horror Novel. A New York Public Library and Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year....
Unmissing : a thriller
Kent, Minka
Paper Book
A return from the past knocks a family dangerously off-balance in a novel of spiraling suspense by Washington Post and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Minka Kent. Merritt Coletto and her husband, Luca, have the life they dreamed of: a coastal home, a promising...
Four past midnight
King, Stephen
Paper Book
The #1 New York Times bestseller from master storyteller Stephen King--four chilling novellas that will "grab you and not let go" (The Washington Post). ONE PAST MIDNIGHT: The Langoliers takes a red-eye flight from Los Angeles to Boston into a most unfriendly...
Local woman missing
Kubica, Mary
Paper Book
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER--OVER A MILLION COPIES SOLD! "Dark and twisty, with white-knuckle tension and jaw-dropping surprises." --Riley Sager, New York Times bestselling author of Home Before Dark In this smart and chilling...
Trail of the lost : the relentless search to bring home the missing hikers of the Pacific Crest Trail
Lankford, Andrea
Paper Book
From an award-winning former law enforcement park ranger and investigator, this female-driven true crime adventure follows the author's quest to find missing hikers along the Pacific Crest Trail by pairing up with an eclectic group of unlikely allies.  ​  
Botticelli's secret : the lost drawings and the rediscovery of the Renaissance
Luzzi, Joseph
Paper Book
Some five hundred years ago, Sandro Botticelli, a painter of humble origin, created works of unearthly beauty. A star of Florence's art world, he was commissioned by a member of the city's powerful Medici family to execute a near-impossible project: to illustrate all one hundred cantos of The...
Mudlark : in search of London's past along the River Thames
Maiklem, Lara
Paper Book
Long heralded as a city treasure herself, expert "mudlarker" Lara Maiklem is uniquely trained in the art of seeking. Tirelessly trekking across miles of the Thames' muddy shores, where others only see the detritus of city life, Maiklem unearths evidence of England's captivating, if sometimes...
Just another missing person
McAllister, Gillian
Paper Book
"Twisty and complex, with unexpected turns...and characters you really root for."--Emily Henry, #1 New York Times bestselling author From the author of the Reese's Book Club Pick and the New York Times bestseller Wrong Place Wrong Time comes a new heart-stopping thriller in which...
The quiet tenant
Michallon, Cle?mence
Paper Book
NATIONAL BEST SELLER * A NEW YORK TIMES BEST CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR * GMA BUZZ PICK * "A bravura feat of storytelling...daring and completely satisfying." --James Patterson, #1 best-selling author A PULSE-POUNDING PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER ABOUT A SERIAL KILLER NARRATED BY THOSE...
The orphanage by the lake
Miller, Daniel G. (Writer of thrillers)
Paper Book
USA TODAY BESTSELLER "Irresistible!" -- James Patterson A MISSING GIRL. AN ORPHANAGE FILLED WITH SECRETS. Hazel wants a new life. She's thirty years old, single, and her private investigation business is months away from folding. Her luck takes a turn when...
All the missing girls : a novel
Miranda, Megan.
Paper Book
***A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER*** A New York Times Book Review "Editors' Choice" Entertainment Weekly -- Thriller Round-Up The Wall Street Journal -- 5 Killer Books for 2016 Hollywood Reporter<...
The god of the woods
Moore, Liz
Paper Book
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER and ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES'S NOTABLE BOOKS OF THE YEAR A NEW YORK TIMES "BEST THRILLER" and "BEST CRIME NOVEL" OF THE YEAR PEOPLE MAGAZINE'S #1 BOOK OF THE YEAR "Extraordinary . . ....
The Grand Paloma Resort : a novel
Natera, Cleyvis
Paper Book
AN ELLE AND ELECTRIC LIT BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR * The Grand Paloma Resort is a lush paradise in the Dominican Republic where the guests enjoy incredible luxury, and the staff is always eager to please--that is, until they are pushed to the brink. Laura is a local...
The memory police
Ogawa, Y ko
Paper Book
*** 2019 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST *** *** LONGLISTED FOR THE 2020 INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE AND THE 2020 TRANSLATED BOOK AWARD *** *** NEW YORK TIMES 100 NOTABLE BOOKS OF THE YEAR *** A haunting Orwellian novel about the terrors of state surveillance, from the...
Maggie and the story shadows
Oh, Annabelle
Land of Stories meets From the Desk of Zoe Washington in this fantastical middle grade mystery where three kids' search for a missing mother leads them to a world where every story ever told is real-making a hit web series about their search along the way. Five...
The impossible fortune
Osman, Richard
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * The unmissable new mystery in the Thursday Murder Club series from bestselling author Richard Osman, now streaming on Netflix Who's got time to think about murder when there's a wedding to plan? It's been a quiet year for the...
The Year of the Wind
Pacheco Medrano, Karina
A lyrical novel depicting the devastating effects of political violence in Peru on three women's lives Nina, a Peruvian writer in Spain on the eve of the pandemic, is pulled back into her nation's fraught history after a fleeting encounter with a woman who is a doppelgänger of...
The president is missing
Patterson, James
Paper Book
Don't miss the #1 New York Times bestselling thriller from the world's bestselling author, James Patterson: an "undeniably gripping ride through the hidden passageways of power and politics" that "moves like Air Force One" (Michael Connelly). The...
Three women disappear
Patterson, James
Paper Book
Sarah, his personal chef. Anna, his wife. Serena, his maid. All three had access to a murder victim's home. And all three women are missing.  Sarah, his personal chef Anna, his wife Serena, his maid Accountant Anthony Costello has...
Detective mole
Pintonato, Camilla
Paper Book
A charming, tongue-in-cheek picture book about a mole who exchanges his chef's apron for a detective's trench coat and sets out to solve his first case! Oscar is a whiz in the kitchen, but he's always dreamed of being a detective. When a squirrel is reported...
The elusive truth of Lily Temple : a novel
Politano, Joanna Davidson
Paper Book
"This absolute gem of a novel sparkles with creativity."--Booklist starred review It is 1903, and Lily Temple is a beautiful silent-film actress who spins fairy tales and plays frivolous roles in front of the cine-camera. But beneath the costumes and stage makeup...
A song for the dark times : an Inspector Rebus novel
Rankin, Ian
Paper Book
"He's gone..."   When his daughter Samantha calls in the dead of night, John Rebus knows it's not good news. Her husband has been missing for two days.   Rebus fears the worst - and knows from his lifetime in the police that...
Vanishing girls
Regan, Lisa
Paper Book
Detective Josie Quinn desperately chases a killer hidden within her close-knit town before they claim another victim in this USA Today bestselling thriller that "keeps the dramatic reveals coming" (Publishers Weekly). The little girl...
Mrs. Sherlock Holmes : the true story of New York's City's greatest female detective and the 1917 missing girl case that captivated a nation
Ricca, Brad
Paper Book
Nominated for theEdgar Award for Best Fact Crime! This is the shocking and amazing true story of the first female U.S. District Attorney and traveling detective who found missing 18-year-old Ruth Cruger when the entire NYPD had given up. Mrs....
The Missing Pages
Richman, Alyson
Paper Book
A ghost in a library. A story waiting to be told. The Missing Pages is a rich, lyrical novel that reminds us that books are as eternal as the soul. 1912:  Harry Widener, a promising and passionate book collector, boards the Titanic...
Life or death
Robotham, Michael
Paper Book
Why would a man serving a long prison sentence escape the day before he's due to be released? Audie Palmer has spent ten years in a Texas prison after pleading guilty to a robbery in which four people died and seven million dollars went missing. During that time he has suffered repeated...
Middle of the night : a novel
Sager, Riley
Paper Book
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In the latest jaw-dropping thriller from New York Times bestselling author Riley Sager, a man must contend with the long-ago disappearance of his childhood best friend--and the dark secrets lurking just beyond the safe confines...
A lost cause
Sala, Felicita
From award-winning creator Felicita Sala comes a whimsical adventure about a child who's determined to recover all his misplaced belongings, wherever they may be A baseball cap. A special sweater covered in dogs. A marble collection. The baseball cap, again. Pablo...
The lovely bones
Sebold, Alice.
Paper Book
"My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973." So begins the story of Susie Salmon, who is adjusting to her new home in heaven, a place that is not at all what she expected, even as she is watching life on earth continue...
The hundred lies of Lizzie Lovett
Sedoti, Chelsea
Paper Book
From bestselling author Chelsea Sedoti comes a comedic young adult mystery with "one of the most relatable characters in recent young adult literature" (Book Page), perfect for fans of John Green and Jandy Nelson. Hawthorn Creely's not one to get involved in other people's business. But a missing...
Where'd you go, Bernadette : a novel
Semple, Maria.
Paper Book
A misanthropic matriarch leaves her eccentric family in crisis when she mysteriously disappears in this "whip-smart and divinely funny" novel that inspired the movie starring Cate Blanchett (New York Times). Bernadette Fox is notorious. To her Microsoft-guru husband, she's...
Pretty girls : a novel
Slaughter, Karin
Paper Book
Lee Child says it's "stunning... certain to be a book of the year."   Kathy Reichs calls it "extraordinary... a major achievement." Jeffery Deaver says that "fiction doesn't get any better than this."   Gillian Flynn says of...
Still missing
Stevens, Chevy.
Paper Book
On the day she was abducted, Annie O'Sullivan, a thirty-two year old realtor, had three goals--sell a house, forget about a recent argument with her mother, and be on time for dinner with her ever- patient boyfriend. The open house is slow, but when her last visitor pulls up in a van...
The lamplighters
Stonex, Emma
Paper Book
"Transported me effortlessly...Haunting, harrowing and heartbreaking, this is a novel that will stay with you." --Ashley Audrain, New York Times bestselling author of The Push "A ghost story and fantastically gripping psychological investigation rolled into one. It...
Anatomy of lost things
Stout, Shawn K.
Paper Book
A laugh-through-your-tears middle grade novel about what it's like to lose something precious. For fans of the Three Rancheros series by Kate DiCamillo. A necklace. A bugle. A lion statue. What do they have to do with each other? Absolutely nothing unless you're Tildy, Leon, or...
This is not a dead girl story
Sweeney, Kate
Paper Book
Remy Green is missing. Eight days after the death of her boyfriend, River O'Dell, the magnetic, golden-haired girl disappeared in the dead of night. Jules Green, Remy's cousin, is her opposite in every way- awkward, shy, and a bit strange, never feeling at home in the small town of...
The center of the universe
Voros, Ria
Paper Book
When aspiring astrophysicist Grace's news presenter mother GG Carter goes missing cameras descend on their house, news shows speculate about what might have happened and Grace's family struggles to find a new rhythm as they wait for answers. While the authorities unravel the mystery behind GG's...
All the colors of the dark : a novel
Whitaker, Chris
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * OVER ONE MILLION COPIES SOLD * From the author of We Begin at the End comes a soaring thriller and an epic love story that "hits like a sledgehammer . . . an absolutely must-read novel" (Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl). Read...
Bones at the crossroads
Williams, LaDarrion
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * In the sequel to the "unforgettable" (People), New York Times bestselling fantasy debut Blood at the Root, a Black teenager with magical powers returns to Caiman University only to find new dangers and new secrets. It's...
Gone before goodbye
Witherspoon, Reese
Paper Book
AN INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER  An unforgettable suspense novel that combines the storytelling talents of Academy Award-winning actor Reese Witherspoon and internationally bestselling author Harlan Coben. Gone Before Goodbye...
How to find a missing girl
Wlosok, Victoria
Paper Book
"The voice that this generation's mystery readers have been waiting for...How to Find a Missing Girl is edge-of-your-seat compelling from beginning to end." --#1 New York Times bestselling author Chloe Gong For fans of A Good Girl's...
The lost bookshop
Woods, Evie
Paper Book
Pre-order Evie Woods' new book The Violin Maker's Secret now, out in February 2026! The Echo of Old Books meets The Lost Apothecary in this evocative and charming novel full of mystery and secrets. 'The thing about books,' she said 'is that they help you to imagine a...

Library staff! You can create and contribute to lists. Contact your catalog administrator or log in here.