Neil Alexander 
The Vanishing of Margaret Small 
An uplifting and page-turning mystery

‘So
moving , so
transporting , and so
important ‘ Laura Pearson,
The Last List of Mabel Beaumont



‘A
tender ,
thought-provoking and totally gripping novel from a wonderful storyteller…deserves to be a huge hit!’ Matt Cain, author of
The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle




Meet Margaret Small : 75, plain spoken, Whitstable native and a Cilla Black super fan. Shortly after the death of her idol, Margaret begins receiving sums of money in the post, signed simply ‘C’.



She is
convinced it must be Cilla, but how can it be? To solve the mystery of her benefactor Margaret must go back in her memories almost 70 years, to the time when she was ‘vanished’ to a long-stay institution for children with learning disabilities.



An absorbing and page-turning mystery with a dual timeline,
The Vanishing of Margaret Small takes readers into a fascinating past, and introduces an unforgettable literary heroine.




Perfect for fans of Libby Page and Gail Honeyman.




Praise for The Vanishing of Margaret Small:



‘An
evocative ,
endearing ,
entertaining and thoroughly delicious character portrait and a terrific first novel’ Donal Mac Intyre, TV presenter



‘
Heartbreaking and
uplifting at the same time, and so
authentic . I can’t recommend it enough’ Beth Moran,
Take Me Home



‘A
captivating and
charming story’ Imogen Clark,
Impossible to Forget



‘
Funny ,
sad and
uplifting all at once’ Frances Quinn,
The Smallest Man



‘
A beautiful story of human spirit and its power to thrive against the odds’ Anstey Harris,
When I First Held You



‘A fantastic, feel-good story . . . rich in nostalgia and
a joy to read ‘ Matson Taylor



‘
Beautifully observed and
poignant . An outstanding debut’ Alex Brown



‘
Compelling and
authentic . . . Margaret’s story is quiet but her voice is mighty’ Julietta Henderson

Про автора

Neil is a graduate of the Faber Academy ‘Writing a Novel’ course, taught by Esther Freud and Tim Lott. Originally from Northern Ireland, he now lives in the seaside town of Whitstable in Kent. Neil, who has a Masters degree in English Literature from the University of Kent at Canterbury, began his career working in health journalism and, for many years, worked as part of the PR team for UK learning disability charity Mencap. He currently teaches English part-time at a secondary school in Kent.