Dear Missing Friend
Published by: Sea Crow PressRelease Date: May 19, 2026
Pages: 248
ISBN13: 978-1-961864-54-2
Synopsis
For readers who loved The Correspondents and The Dictionary of Lost Words, and fans of Marie Benedict and Allison Pataki.
Sag Harbor, New York, 1840s: Catherine McGuirk leaves Ireland and a shipboard proposal behind, determined to forge a new life in America. Amid the bustling height of the whaling era, she marries a dashing sailor who vows to give up life on the sea. But when he vanishes westward in pursuit of gold, she is forced to chart her own course as a governess in Manhattan society. Torn between her ambition, the vanished whaleman she married, and the now-wealthy suitor she refused, she must navigate love, loss, and the tides of a changing world.
Praise
“Fans of historical novels will find much to like in McGuirk’s debut. An ambitious work of historical fiction.”
–Kirkus Review
“In Susan McGuirk’s epistolary novel Dear Missing Friend, letters go where the heart is meant to travel, enabling a kind of freedom that feels unattainable in daily life.”
–Foreword Reviews
“McGuirk creates a powerful foundation for a story that embraces many elements, from history to mystery, using Catherine’s strengths and character to bring this era to life. Recommendable to book clubs.”
–Midwest Book Review
“It resonates with works like The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan and The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri in its examination of cultural identity and resilience. Urgent and timeless, the novel offers an unflinching look at the cost of forging a new life in a foreign land and a tribute to the women who defied societal constraints. Simply Un-put-downable.”
–The Prairies Book Review
“I will not be forgetting this anytime soon. I hope there will be more people who would end up loving it like I did. Loved some lines so much I highlighted them, not for this review, but for myself to revisit in the future.”
–Literary Titan Review
“This captured my heart from the beginning and tears are still streaming down my face since finishing. It was extraordinarily well written and captured my attention from sentence one.”
–Entrada Publishing Review
Excerpt
Prologue
Letter from Catherine
129 Cedar Street
New York City
September 7, 1864
Dear Jane,
He found me. Michael sent a message that landed right in my lap, literally. It came in this morning’s newspaper. He placed an advertisement in the Missing Friends notices. Most people probably skip them, but we Irish always read them in the unlikely event we will see someone we know trying to find a lost relative.
After my name leaped off the page, I was so startled that I jumped up and paced around the kitchen. Thinking I must have imagined it, I ran to fetch my seldom-used pair of spectacles, to prove my eyes were not deceiving me. Once they were on, I screwed up my courage to look again. I held the newspaper close to my face. There was no denying what was before me. I copied the notice for you because it may take months for it to be reprinted in the Sag Harbor Corrector.
Read the full prologue here
Chapter One
1841–1845
Letter from Catherine, in Gaelic
Mullinclavin, Ireland
February 14, 1841
Dear Da,
As the dirt slid off my shovel onto your coffin, Uncle Bryan pressed a parcel into my hand. The cameo pendant of Erca, the first princess of Scotland, lay nestled in the brown paper. My heart stopped to see our family heirloom, handed down to me through generations of ancestor mothers.
When our family gathered the next day to witness your testament, we now four orphans briefy clasped hands. To my right, the firm grasp of Torlough, our redoubtable “Tor,” confirmed his new role as the family patriarch. To my left, Frank's warm bear paw reminded me he was our heart. Young Johnny, only twelve years old, was straggling behind, as usual. You will never read this, yet I know you hear me.
Your loving daughter,
Cath
Read the full excerpt here