Das Buch beginnt im März 2012 mit zwei brutalen Morden im verschlafenen Seestädtchen Tilby. Man erlebt sie aus der Sicht der unbekannten Täterin. Die Toten sind der 58-jährige Geschäftmann Clive Wilson und seine 76-jährige Mutter Deirdree, beide wurden erschossen. Unweit wurde die 32-jährige Heather Underwood mit einer selbst zugefügten Schusswunde in die Brust im elterlichen Wohnwagenpark gefunden. Sie liegt nun in kritischem Zustand im Krankenhaus im Koma. Dann folgen Zeitungsartikel darüber von der 31-jährigen Reporterin Jess für die regionale Zeitung. Sie ist hin und her gerissen, da es sich bei Heather um ihre frühere Schulfreundin handeln könnte. Doch sie hält sie eigentlich nicht zu so einer Tat fähig, so freundlich, ruhig, hilfsbereit und wohlerzogen wie sie damals war. Ihr Chef, der eine große Story wittert, sendet sie umgehend mit ihrem Kollegen Jack nach Tilby.
Auf geniale Weise schafft die Autorin es, dass man schon nach wenigen Seiten von der Geschichte eingesaugt wird. Die Autorin hat ein gutes Auge für Details.
Jess und Heather waren einige Jahre unzertrennlich. Jess hat in dieser Zeit fast bei Heathers Familie gelebt, bis ihre Kindheit und Freundschaft 1994 mit dem Verschwinden von Heathers älterer Schwester Flora brutal beendet wurde. Danach haben sie sich nur noch wenige Male gesehen. Diese Story könnte, nach den Ereignissen bei der Tribune Jessicas Karriere vielleicht wiederbeleben.
Vor Ort wird schnell klar, dass es sich wirklich um die Heather ihrer Kindheit handelt. Sie treffen auf ihre Mutter Margot. Jess wird von vergangenen Erinnerungen überrollt. Es trifft sie persönlich härter, als sie es nach den vielen Jahren als Journalistin für möglich gehalten hätte. Weiter geht es dann aus der Sicht der Mutter. Durch diesen weiteren, geschickt eingesetzten Perspektivenwechsel, erfährt man mehr über die Personen, die vergangenen Ereignisse und den Verlust von Flora.
Nach und nach werden die zunächst nur angedeuteten Geheimnisse der Vergangenheit klarer. Das Buch fesselt mit großen Geheimnisse, Erinnerungslücken, überraschenden Enthüllungen und Geständnissen. Jessicas Recherchen für die Zeitung treiben die spannende Geschichte voran. Die Kapitel aus dem Jahr 1994 kommen dem Zeitpunkt von Floras Verschwinden immer näher und ich konnte das Buch fast nicht mehr aus der Hand legen.
Die Autorin wechselt in der Erzählung geschickt die Perspektiven und setzt zusätzlich Bewusstseinsfetzen und Zeitungsartikel der Konkurenz ein, um Klärung voranzutreiben. Auch der Einsatz der verschiedenen Zeitlinien und die Zeitpunkte, der Preisgabe von weiteren Infos ist genial. Man beobachtet die interessanten Figuren gespannt. Mit Jess und Heather konnte ich mich gut identifizieren. Man empfindet intensiv mit den Figuren mit.
Auch das Ende kann überraschen und trotzdem auch überzeugen. Ich bin mir sicher, dass mir dieser Thriller im Gedächtnis bleiben wird.

A really enjoyable psychological thriller with plenty of twists and turns to the plot. Some of the characters are a bit clicheed, but overall they are fairly believable. One of the lessons from the story is not to make assumptions - you never know who you can really trust. There is a final twist at the end which I found quite easy to predict. As with the previous book I read by Claire Douglas, this is well written.

This is the second book by Clare Douglas that I have read and enjoyed it even more than the first.

Newspaper reporter Jess covers a double murder story that has taken place in her childhood town, little does she know to start with that she might know the suspected murderer her once close childhood friend Heather. The story goes back to Jess’s past and her friendship with Heather and her sister Flora, tragedy hit the girls when Flora disappeared one night twenty years ago without a trace. Suspicions were pointed at her boyfriend and even her uncle who was close to the family.

Jess starts to dig into the case and try to discover if her friend really did commit the murders and what happened to Flora all those years ago. It turns out that if certain people had been honest at the time then Flora might have been found saving a lot of heartache for the family.

A great novel that I whizzed through, cannot wait for the next book from this author.

This kept me intrigued, I certainly liked the different perspective, which is usually a Detective of some rank albeit sergeant or inspector. I quite liked the idea behind it.

It was a good drama and I predicted several outcomes, which kept me guessing.

The setting was described well and I could imagine it, this in itself is the sign of a good author,that with the fact of 3 late nights in a row reading it .

Thanks to NetGalley, Claire Douglas and Penguin UK for the opportunity to read and review this book

Then She Vanishes starts off with a chapter sure to grab any reader's attention! The reader is privy to the thoughts of someone who very calmly drives to a home in a sea-side town, blows the front door lock apart with a shotgun and proceeds to murder the two people inside the home. Seen while leaving by a neighbor putting his trash out, the murderer decides to let him live and drives off. It is 6:30 AM Friday, March 9, 2012.

Jessica Fox, 32, a journalist trying to start her life over following a professional scandal in London, works for the Bristol and Somerset Herald, a small newspaper published on Tuesdays and Fridays. Assigned to cover the double homicide, Jess is stunned to learn that the woman seen leaving the house with a shotgun immediately following the shots and who is later found unconscious with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest, is none other than her best friend from childhood, Heather.

Why would Heather shoot a man in his fifties, and his mother and then turn the gun on herself? It just doesn't make sense to Jess. Heather and Jess drifted apart following the disappearance of Heather's sister Flora in the summer of 1994 when she was 16 and Heather and Jess were 14. Flora is presumed dead, but her body has never been found.

Jess's boss is thrilled to find she has a personal connection to the case, hoping to scoop the dailies (almost impossible for a paper which publishes only twice a week to do). The more Jess learns about the case, the less she feels she can be objective in her coverage.

The story is told through 3 POVs, that of Jess, Heather, and Heather's mother, Margot, and alternates between the events leading up to Flora's disappearance in 1994 and present-day 2012.

Douglas fills pages with twists and turns, some predictable, some not. After the burst of the first chapter, I had difficulty with the somewhat slow pace of the book. There's a lot going on within these pages, and the time necessary to fill-in the back stories on each had me wishing that the pages would turn themselves a bit faster. I wasn't sure I wanted to stick with it, but in the end, am glad I did.

Looking at other reviews, I realize I'm going against the flow with this review. It is the first book by Claire Douglas I've read, so I had no preconceived expectations as others might. It's possible I picked this up at an "off time" for this particular read. Could be many things, it happens. Given the number of Claire Douglas fans, I'll definitely try another one of her books.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penquin UK Michael Joseph for allowing me to read this novel in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

This book is so so good. For some reason, this is the first Claire Douglas book I've read however, I've now added all the rest of her books to my TBR. Then She Vanishes is a truly gripping read, with plenty of twists and turns and a clever plot. Told from different POV, it's jumps between the past and present. I really enjoyed this book and was hooked from start to finish.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

And Then She Vanishes is a ,well written, intriguing thriller that had me hooked in from the very first page. There is a chilling prologue which sets the tone for the fascinating story and the characterization and the prose are excellent. Highly recommended.

It's not often I agree with book blurb - but this was spot on!
THE ONLY THING MORE SHOCKING THAN THE FIRST CHAPTER . . . IS THE LAST. . .

The book begins with a quite shocking scene that involves Heather. We then meet Jess who is a reporter and was once Heather's friend when they were young. Of course the editor that Jess now works for immediately sees an in for an exclusive story.

So Jess goes back to her childhood haunts and meets Heather's mother again, who isn't too pleased to see her as Jess left their lives suddenly and cruelly. She also finds that Heather is now married with a child, so how or why would she have committed the crime she is accused of?

This book is a little like the layers of an onion. As you go deeper into it more things keep being revealed, deeper secrets, things that have been left unsaid for years. But, how is it all going to fit together? At one point I thought I had the answer but I was wrong, then came the twist and then a final twist which left me open mouthed.

There are some great supporting characters in the book too - Troy Heather's boyfriend, Jack the photographer who works at the paper, these both contribute to back stories running alongside the main story line. I liked the down to earth feel of the characters - who all felt like people you could meet in real life

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Books for an ARC to review.

Thank you to Netgalley, Claire Douglas and Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for letting me read this un put downable read.

Wow this book is so good, I have read another book by Claire before and I thoroughly ejoyed it, so I thought i would snap up the chance to read this one and I am so glad that I did.

This is an un put downable book from the start, emotional at times but very enjoyable and has a few twists and turns thrown in just when you think that you have worked out who dunnit.

I don't want to spoil it for anyone who wants to read this but I can't recommed it enough.

Well done Claire on giving the readers another fantastic read. I just love how you manage to keep us hooked right the way through and take us in different directions just when we think we have figured it out.

**4.5 stars**
Claire Douglas is definitely on my must read authors list and this was another great twisty book.
For a time in her teenage years, Jess was embraced into her friend Heather’s family. But things feel apart when Heather’s older sister disappeared after a day out. Now Jess is a reporter and is covering a shocking shooting, of which Heather is a suspect.
It take me a little to get into this book but there was always something beneath the surface to keep my interest up. I did like Jess as a character and felt for her as she fought her desire for a story balanced with sympathy for her old friend’s mother.
There are past and present chapters and had no trouble following the time frames. I must admit this book had me guessing the whole time, right to the very end.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to read.

Another riveting story from the pen of Claire Douglas. A real psychological thriller full of twists and turns and unguessable plots. Every time I tried to put it down I just picked it straight back up again. The need to know how the plot would unfold and come to it’s amazing conclusion, was just too strong to ignore. The ending was not what I was expecting. It was infinitely better. Definitely a must read.

This was a fantastic book, I have been unable to put it down. The story was intriguing and for once I couldn't figure out what was happening.
Jess and Heather were best friends when they were younger, untill Heather's older sister Flora disappears.
18 years later Jess is a reporter and is shocked when she is asked to report on a double killing carried out by Heather.
There are so many twists and unexpected secrets in this book, it will have you hooked from the beginning.

Jess is a journalist exiled to a provincial twice weekly paper after being mired in the phone tapping at a London daily. She realises that the suspect in a local shooting is her teenage best friend form years ago. She starts to look into it, knowing she has an intro into the family but not knowing how far she can go - but she needs a scoop to redeem her career. So who did what to whom? You'll turn the pages and find out.

Jessica Fox is newspaper journalist who’s returned to her hometown after a phone hacking scandal in London. Her editor has tasked her with reporting on a double murder which her childhood friend, Heather, has been accused of. Jess and Heather haven’t been in touch with each other for 18 years - they went their separate ways when Heather’s older sister Flora went missing. Can Jess remain objective when reporting on the case as she can’t believe the Heather she knew years ago could ever carry out such a crime especially now she’s a wife and mother.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish. A well paced story with plenty of twists and turns.

Thanks to Netgalley, Penguin Random House and Claire Douglas for the ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley to review, below is the blurb.

"Everything changed the night Flora disappeared.
Heather and Jess were best friends - until the night Heather's sister vanished.
Jess has never forgiven herself for the lie she told that night. Nor has Heather.
But now Heather is accused of an awful crime.
And Jess is forced to return to the sleepy seaside town where they grew up, to ask the question she's avoided for so long:
What really happened the night Flora disappeared?"

Absolutely loved this book, it writes from different people's points of view and switches between the present and to the past when Flora disappeared and the events leading up to her disappearance. The final chapter was not really a big reveal as I sort of guessed the outcome, however, this did not spoil the read along the way. I enjoyed how Jess struggled between wanting to write an exclusive story on the murders and wanting to rekindle ties with Heather and her mum Margot. Great read and would suggest a good holiday read while relaxing by the pool.

Great book, fast paced and I really wanted to know the outcome hence I had trouble putting it down! I guessed what I thought was the outcome about 3/4 of the way through and was feeling smug with myself but the final chapter threw that all out the window!
On a side note, coming from Bristol, I don't understand why the author chose to create a fictional town and fictional newspapers when everything else about Bristol was correct! That did spoil it for me slightly but that's just a personal niggle. This would make a great beach or wet weekend read.

A highly readable story from Claire Douglas. I was drawn in from the beginning. Carefully drawn characters that feel realistic but many with hidden secrets . Jess, a local reporter, goes to cover the story associated with her long lost friend Heather who is in hospital accused of murder and assumed to have tried to take her own life. The two friends became estranged after the disappearance of Heathers Sister many years previous. The two friends become reconciled after Truths emerge but in the end who has told the truth?

This is the fourth book by Claire Douglas I read and she is getting better and better. This was a good psychological thriller that delivered a few punches and surprises. As in other books by Dougles it is the past that comes back to haunt people.
Initially, there are three girls: Heather who is 14, her friend Jess and her sister Flora, two years older. We know that something happened, Flora went missing and Jess and Heather were no longer friends but we don't know what really happened until nearly the end of the book.
Now we have two grown-up women: Heather who has just allegedly shot dead two people and then shot herself and Jess who is a reporter. Once the shooting happens, Jess who is now back in the area after living in London for years reports the event and gets in touch with Heather's mother, Margot. Margot and Jess want to believe that Heather is innocent and it does not look like she had a motive.
I can't write more without revealing the twisted plot, but I can say that it is a good psychological thriller. Obviously, for people who read lots of psychological thrillers, not plot is that surprising, you get used to think of every possible outcome and often you get it right. But what makes the book in this case are the characters, they are all far from perfect but sounds quite real and I ended up caring what happened to them. I have read psychological thrillers that did not make me to care for any of the characters and when that happens, it is not that enjoyable.

A fantastic story, an absolute rollercoaster! I was gripped, at the edge of my seat...I could hardly put it down! Full of unexpected twists and turns, Ms Douglas kept me hooked all the way through. I loved it.

For me Claire Douglas is fast becoming one of those authors who can do no wrong. I loved Last Seen Alive, Local Girl Missing and Do Not Disturb so for me choosing to read Then She Vanishes was easy.

Jess is a disgraced former Daily newspaper journalist being given a second chance by a small Bi-Weekly newspaper. When news of a double murder in her hometown comes in Jess knows this could be her chance at redemption.

The victims were Clive Wilson aged 58 and his mother Deidre ages 76. The suspected shooter turns out to be a 32-year-old woman named Heather, Jess’ childhood best friend. Heather is in hospital in a coma after shooting herself.

Jess begins to question where her priorities lie should she use her history with the family to further her career or should her loyalties lie with Heather and her mother Margot who Jess once saw as her ideal of what a mother should be.

Then She Vanishes has the best beginning to a book I have read in a long time.

“I feel calm as I watch the sun rise behind the row of icecream-coloured houses. Not as I imagined a person would feel who is about to commit murder now, in this moment, I’m overcome, with a kind of peace. As though everything that has happened in my life has led to this point. “

There was so much detail in this book that made it easy for the reader to imagine themselves there along with the central characters.

Then She Vanishes was an amazing book with a lot of brilliant twists, a prime example of the best of the genre. It wasn't that I couldn't put it down it was that I didn't want to.