The Missing Au Pair by Carrie Rubin will take readers into the mysterious catacombs of Paris. Twenty-six-year-old Kelly Burke has escaped her dysfunctional family in America and traveled to Paris, where she has been working as an au pair for the past year. As part of the au pair program, the girls are required to attend French language classes. There she had met a young girl, Erin Fenton, who suddenly disappeared and was not seen or heard of again. Determined to find Erin, Kelly has accepted the job of au pair to the family Erin was working for when she disappeared. Despite the local police's assurances that they were doing their best to locate Erin and their warning not to get involved in the investigation, Kelly is determined to unravel the mystery and find her classmate. Her investigation is fraught with danger, unexpected allies and enemies, plus an exploration of the massive series of tunnels under Paris’ streets.

The Missing Au Pair is a tense, fast-paced thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Carrie Rubin highlights the contrast between the beauty of Paris and its catacombs. In Kelly, she has created a courageous, determined young woman. I appreciate how the author allowed Kelly’s sometimes naïveté and impulsiveness to move the plot forward to its conclusion. Although there is some explicit violence within the story arcs, it is both necessary and useful in driving the story and its moral imperatives forward. I loved that Kelly would never give up despite the inherent dangers that became increasingly obvious the deeper she delved into the mystery of Erin’s disappearance. For lovers of strong female lead characters who can hold their own against male antagonists, this novel is an absolute winner. The author, as a former au pair herself, clearly has a grasp of the courage, difficulties, and rewards of immersing yourself in a totally foreign environment and attempting to fit in. This is an excellent read that I highly recommend.

What happened to Erin Fenton? It’s the question no one is asking. No one, that is, except Kelly Burke. And even Kelly isn’t entirely sure why she’s so devoted to finding Erin. But something about the strange girl seems to draw her in. And the fact that she’s gone missing without a trace for all this time … Kelly is determined to find out what happened and, hopefully, to save Erin from a terrible fate. The way she couldn’t save her best friend. But sometimes people who are missing aren’t trying to be found. And just maybe, Erin is one of those missing. But why? And what could be hiding in the Paris catacombs that led to her decision to leave? The Missing Au Pair by Carrie Rubin will dive into just that question, but Kelly might not like the answer.

Kelly is a kind person. One who always looks for the best in people and who tries to avoid conflict wherever possible. She’s the people pleaser in us all. And yet, she’s also determined and stubborn. She’s set on figuring out just what happened to a woman that no one else even seems to miss. The Missing Au Pair, by Carrie Rubin, is a well-crafted thriller with twists and turns you’ll never see coming as Kelly does just that. It dives into the darkness that exists in our world, often hidden in plain sight. And, more than that, it paints a picture of a world that we could never imagine, filled with amazing friends, like Wayne, red herring ‘villains’ like Inspector Harmon and Ginny, and the true evil in the world, the ones we would never suspect. I definitely didn't see the ending coming, but it was very well written, and I really enjoyed it.