Thanks to Penguin and Louise Douglas for the advanced copy of this book to review. An exciting pageturner that sees Jess a journalist cover a story in her home town. Heather, her childhood friend has been accused of murder. An exciting book with plenty to keep you guessing. The last chapter will have you on the edge of your seat.

Slightly slow to start and I didn’t quite know where it would go.....but an excellent read that really picked up pace and gripped me! Thank you

First encounter with Claire Douglas a brilliant read, fabulous story line. Lots of twists and turns, keeps the reader guessing right to the very end. Didn’t have a clue and a totally surprising end. Well recommended

I must tell you the line ‘ my insides fizzed like a refresher on my tongue when I saw him’ probably wins description of the year 😃😎😃 a brilliant line!

This book was described by an author as a ‘page turning slow burn’, I would concur with this

The book revolves around sisters Flora and Heather and best friend Jess, one now missing presumed dead, one in hospital unconscious accused of a double murder and one a journalist
The book starts with a ‘on the edge of your seat’ chapter and then carefully and steadily introduces you to all 3 and their past’s and how they have become as they are now
There are many secrets along the way that have to be unpicked and t’s crossed and i’s dotted and all are done with the reader in mind so you are brought along with the story and what could be pretty confusing isent!
As the story nears it end the pieces fall into place and you realise what really has gone on and what a great and multi layered tale it is
The ending is 2 pronged, it all makes perfect sense and then its turned on its head and shaken around and you finally realise the truth!!
A sterling cast, loved Jess the journo and also Margot the 2 girls Mum and Jack who was Jess’s colleague at the newspaper
Good descriptions of Bristol and Somerset brought back memories and a different take on domestic abuse was a clever by line to the story
Thoroughly enjoyable
10/10 5 Stars

THEN SHE VANISHES – CLAIRE DOUGLAS 

 

Happy publication day to Claire Douglas for her brilliant new thriller ‘Then She Vanishes’ and many thanks to my friends over at Penguin Random House UK for the gifted ARC.

 

The only thing more shocking then the first chapter, is the last. Never have I read words more accurate to describe a book then this statement. That last chapter threw me. It disrupted my calm, my peace and just when you think you see a light at the end of the tunnel you are dragged back into darkness and have no closure.

 

Psychological thrillers are a common genre that dominates my reading repertoire and having read a few fantastic reviews my expectations for this book were high. Unnecessary pressure? Yes, but the book didn’t disappoint, and I can see why it is becoming a favourite with many thriller fans.

 

The writing is beautiful and deftly layered with emotions. Each character gives their own account of feelings and versions of events, which I thought was a brilliant way of to put together the puzzle that was forming in my mind. Fusing past with present we are introduced to the characters on a much deeper level.

 

I did find however, that the author was trying to cram a lot of topics within the pages. I know some were used as reasons for past actions but at some point, in the book they were made to seem as integral parts. Phone hacking, abusive partners, paedophilia…. there was just a lot mentioned in passing but never really explored.

 

Perfect holiday read that you can finish in one sitting if you have the time. 

 

Zubs

I was so enthralled with this book I felt I knew all the characters, I wanted to get to the end but didn't want it to finish. I think it will stay with me for a while.
A dramatic first chapter that draws you in and doesn't let you go,.
What appears like a cold bloodied murder with no motivation, a seemingly normal young woman Heather the accused, her best friend from her childhood Jess the journalist who's trying to piece together it all at the same time as trying to get to know Heather's family again. A missing sister/daughter for twenty years.
Great read

This book throw me through so many loops and twists that it’s amazing I didn’t get a whiplash. Great story and writing, kept me hooked from the start and I highly recommend it.

Jess is a reporter recently moved from a London newspaper to a smaller one in her home- town of Bristol.
She gets an assignment to cover a double murder in a sleepy seaside town nearby – a man and his mother have been shot by a young woman who is in hospital having turned the gun on herself.
Jess realises the suspect is a childhood friend with whom she has lost touch and sets about uncovering the truth behind this terrible incident, toeing a delicate line between satisfying her editor while not exposing her old friend’s family secrets.
Then She Vanishes is a fast paced, well written thriller. Some of the supporting cast are superficial, but the twists and turns of the story more than compensate.
A difficult one to put down.
With thanks to Netgalley and Penguin UK Michael Joseph for this read.

Then She Vanishes

Claire Douglas really knows how to keep the reader gripped. Then She Vanishes is perfectly paced, complex and it kept me guessing right to the end and then delivered yet another killer twist. There were moments when I was literally breathless wondering how all the strands and suspects were going to pan out.

The story centres on the murder of two people followed by the attempted suicide of the killer and links with a girl who disappeared 20 years earlier. But all is not as it seems and it’s not a clear cut case. I really enjoyed the way the narrative moves back and forth over previous events and from different perspectives. It works well to reveal the past tensions and dramas and a little more of the story is revealed. Just when you think it’s all beginning to fall into place, something else happens and it’s all up in the air again.

I raced through this in a couple of sittings and was blown away by the final pages. Brilliant domestic killer thriller and my thanks to the publisher fir a review copy via Netgalley.

The tension in this book was incredible, from the moment you start the first page this fast paced and exciting thriller doesn’t stop you guessing until the end.

Exciting, thrilling, well written and simply brilliant.

5 very well earned stars

My first book by Claire Douglas, but it won’t be the last! From the first few sentences, I was gripped, and the story keep me guessing all the way through.
I loved the friendships between the characters. Especially between Jess and Margot.

Wow! This was amazing. I couldn't put it down! I was totally floored with the ending, Well done. I loved the characters, loved the suspense and mystery. I highly recommend this book and now am looking for her other books! Great job!

Readers of Claire Douglas’s latest mystery/suspense book will want to set aside time to read this book at one sitting because they will not want to put it down. Jess is friends with teen sisters Heather and Flora, that is until one night, Flora just vanishes. No one admits to knowing what happened to her, so it is like Flora vanished into thin air. Jess returns to her small hometown as a reporter, trying to report on the new mess that Heather has gotten into. Heather is accused of killing two people, and Jess is caught between reporting the story and being a good friend. Although there was not a lot of suspense in the story, there was plenty of mystery and lots of characters who could be involved in Flora’s disappearance and in the murder of which Heather is accused. Jess doggedly follows the clues, leading the reader in a circuitous route that finally leads to the truth. This was an entertaining mystery with plenty of questions to be answered, holding my interest to the end. Fans of Claire Douglas and readers of mysteries will enjoy this latest book!

I know I’m not in the majority with this view but I’m sorry to say this book just never had me convinced. The characters changed too often so as to make them fit the storyline and I didn’t warm to any of them.

This was a really griping tale, which had me wondering where it was going right until the last line.

Journalist Jess is working on a story, a double murder in a sleepy village which is unusual in itself, but when the suspect involves her old best friend, Heather from school, Jess finds herself closer to the story than she could ever imagine.

Tragedy had already befallen Heathers family when her sister, Flora went missing in 1994 and has never been seen since.

As Jess becomes more involved with the family secrets are revealed as Jess tries to uncover exactly what did occur on the day of the murder.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book this is my honest opinion.

Then She Vanishes is Ms Douglas's fifth thriller and having read each of them I can say with absolute joy that this is undoubtedly her most compelling and exciting to date. It centres around teenage sidekicks Heather and Jess whose friendships falls apart when Heather's sister Flora unexpectedly vanishes. Almost twenty years later and Jess is now working as a journalist for a small local paper when she learns that her best friend from teenage years, Heather, is currently in hospital in a coma having been accused of murdering a couple in their own home before turning the gun on herself. Jess hopes she can carry out a bit of investigative journalism, whilst also getting a scoop, and ask why a seemingly happily married mother of two could be driven to brutally murder two complete strangers. Or is there more to the story than meets the eye?

Without a doubt, this is one of the most enjoyable thrillers I have picked up this year so far. The prologue was an ingenious idea and opens the book in the most explosive and spectacular fashion. It's a riveting, edge-of-your-seat excitement fest and the slow-burn nature of the suspense creates a sinister atmosphere which had me on edge and never sure what would happen next. It's beautifully written and masterfully plotted; I must admit, without giving anything away, that the plotting was so sinfully clever that I was kept endlessly guessing. The twists, turns and plentiful misdirection has you thinking you know how its all going to end up but you are very swiftly reminded that the only one who knows is Ms Douglas herself. Many thanks to Penguin for an ARC.

This is the second Claire Douglas book I have read. The first one I read was Do Not Disturb. I loved that one and I loved this one.

I was gripped at the start, and managed to get quite a bit read in my first sitting. There was a section that I found to be a little slow, but when you get to this part don’t give up as its worth percervering. In fact, after I got past that bit I was so into the story that I stayed up late to finish it.

This book is full of descriptive scenes which I really enjoyed as it allowed me to visualise the characters, and the setting within the story. The writing style flowed nicely which made it easy to read. I think the fast pace of the story helped with this. Each chapter is written in first person and alternates between four main character, Jess, Margot Powell, Heather and Flora. The chapters that follow Jess and Margot Powell are set in present time and Heather and Flora’s are set back in 1994. I liked how the chapter’s alternated as we get to know the character much more. Normally I find it difficult to keep up with alternating times but this one worked so well that it didn’t affect me at all.

The characters were interesting and felt very realistic. As they develop you never quite know who to trust. There were a few characters that I didn’t really take a liking to but that’s more to do with my preference I think.

All in all, a great fast paced read that will keep you wanting to read till you find out all the answers, so if you’re looking for a twisty book with lots of thrilling suspense this one is definitely for you. Highly recommend.

Can’t wait to see what Claire Douglas has to offer next!!!

I would like to thank the publishers Michael Joseph and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of my eARC in return for an honest and unbiased review.

A fantastic crime thriller, one of the best I've read recently.

This is the second book I have read from this author. I loved 'Last Seen Alive', and 'Then She Vanishes' was great too. With many intriguing hooks, wow, this certainly keeps you guessing! Descriptive, so detailed, atmospheric. Don't start reading this book later at night like I did-you won't want to stop to go to sleep-just another chapter, and another. A delightfully woven mystery thriller. Perfectly plotted, and perfectly paced.

Told from the different character's point of view, eg. some chapters from Jess, some Margot etc. I really liked the structure of this book. This really was a cracking read. One of those you can't wait to get back to when you've been working, or when you wake up in the morning.

A fabulous book which I read eagerly all the way through. Excellent dialogue, and intriguing trying to decipher all the possible clues. A fantastic crime thriller, and one of the best I've read recently.

This is a great thriller that had me hooked from the first few pages.
Jess is a journalist and when she hears of a double murder she realises she might know those involved.
Her boss sees this as an advantage and sends her over to the village to get an interview with the accused murderer’s mum.
Jess was best friends with Heather who is accused of killing a couple in their home, but Jess can’t believe she could do it.
There’s another part to the story too, about Heather’s sister who disappeared many years ago.
We slowly find out what happened and there’s some great twists and turns.
This is a gripping read and I’d like to thank Penguin UK - Michael Joseph and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

A slow build, but halfway through the story picked up pace and had me gripped. Loved the ending. Will definitely read more books by this author.