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Someone Must Know
  • Published: 11 June 2026
  • ISBN: 9781529947052
  • Imprint: Vintage Digital
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 272

Someone Must Know

The Search for Missing People and Lost Identities

Formats & editions
Tr. Paperback
13 Oct 2026
Hardback
11 July 2026
EBook
11 June 2026
Audiobook
11 June 2026
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The enthralling insight of We Are Bellingcat meets the human drama and compassion of The Devil You Know: this is the true story of those who go missing, and the people who dedicate their lives to finding out what happened.

'The heart and soul of what it means to be human. Heart-rending but utterly uplifting' PROFESSOR LADY SUE BLACK

'Gripping and compassionate, it digs beneath the surface to expose the agony of those lost and those left behind' VAL MCDERMID

Every ninety seconds someone is reported missing in the UK. Most return, but some do not. This book is about those who stay missing.

The police are unable to investigate every case fully and so, too often, these people disappear from memory. But the missing always leave behind traces – clues as to who they might have been and where they might have gone.

Dave Grimstead, a retired detective inspector, has built Locate International: a remarkable and eclectic team of passionate volunteers – oceanographers and genealogists, forensic linguists and vintage clothes experts, students and retirees – all united by a desire to restore to the missing their names, faces and humanity. And to do that, they must follow the clues wherever they lead.

In a world where the questions begin with a scrap of wet paper in a pocket, an old dress or a faded photograph, the answers are by turns devastating, poignant and deeply mysterious. Someone Must Know brings readers into the heart of stories that cross decades and international borders, as Locate’s investigators snatch leads from the mists of the past in search of answers, closure and the truth.

Through a series of riveting cold cases, from the strikingly tall man washed up at sea with unusual weights tied to his ankles, to the mother who simply left home one day and slipped through the cracks of everyday life, Someone Must Know explores the reality of what it means to search for those who are lost. Above all, it is a compassionate, moving study in how to reconstruct whole lives from fragments of evidence, and to follow the stories of people who are gone but do not deserve to be forgotten.
  • Published: 11 June 2026
  • ISBN: 9781529947052
  • Imprint: Vintage Digital
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 272
Categories:

Praise for Someone Must Know

Reads to the heart and soul of what it means to be human - caring for people who are missing or unidentified and bringing them home. Heart-rending in places but utterly uplifting throughout

PROFESSOR LADY SUE BLACK, author of All That Remains

Gripping and compassionate, it digs beneath the surface to expose the agony of those lost and those left behind

VAL MCDERMID

Captivating and enthralling, this book carried me along in a tidal wave of page-turning intrigue. An absolutely fascinating read that I was lost in from start to finish. A brilliant book and a new voice to watch

DR DUNCAN HARDING, author of The Criminal Mind

‘The investigative work Dave Grimstead, his colleagues and the volunteers carry out is quite remarkable. This book is a thoroughly fascinating and informative read’

LYNDA LA PLANTE CBE

A unique and important book of stories told with the pace of a detective novel, brimming with the mystery and intrigue of a true crime series, and shot through with real heart and hope. Dave Grimstead's vision that no missing or unidentified person should be forgotten or lose their identity, and the story of the organisation he built to ensure this, will restore your faith in people and heartily entertain you into the bargain

EVIE KING, author of Ashes to Admin

A fascinating glimpse into a mysterious world. Thanks to Dave's dynamic storytelling the reader is constantly kept on their toes . . . I was struck by the eloquence of his insight. This passion is infectious and by the end of the book you'll want to join the team yourself

Dr Angela Gallop, author of When the Dogs Don't Bark