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
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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,...
The girl who was taken
Donlea, Charlie
Ebook
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...
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...
The missing half : a novel
Flowers, Ashley
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
Flora Dane is a victim.  Seven years ago, carefree college student Flora was kidnapped while on spring break. For 472 days, Flora learned just how much one person can endure. Flora Dane is a survivor. Miraculously alive after her ordeal, Flora has...
A Flower Traveled in My Blood The Incredible True Story of the Grandmothers Who Fought to Find a Stolen Generation of Children
Gilliland, Haley Cohen.
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
Ebook
When a woman discovers a rare book with connections to her past, long-held secrets about her missing sister and their childhood in the English countryside during World War II are revealed in this "beguiling blend of hope, mystery, and true familial love" (Sadeqa Johnson, New York Times...
The keeper of lost things : a novel
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...
The summer she went missing
Ichaso, Chelsea
Ebook
The return of Ellie Black : a novel
Jean, Emiko
Ebook
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 : a novel
Jewell, Lisa
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Nominated for a 2018 Goodreads Choice Award "An acutely observed family drama with bone-chilling suspense." --People "Jewell teases out her twisty plot at just the right pace, leaving...
When devils sing
Kaur, Xan
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
Ebook
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.  ​   As a...
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
Ebook
"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
Ebook
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.
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...
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
Ebook
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
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...
The impossible fortune
Osman, Richard
#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 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...
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...
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....
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
Ebook
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...
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...
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...
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
Ebook
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...
Gone before goodbye
Witherspoon, Reese
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 is the story...
How to find a missing girl
Wlosok, Victoria
Audiobook
For fans of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder and Veronica Mars, this whip-smart thriller follows a sapphic detective agency as they seek the truth behind a growing trail of missing girls in small-town Louisiana.  A year ago,...
The lost bookshop
Woods, Evie
Ebook
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 life bigger...

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