Heather and Jess were close friends for a couple of years when they were teenagers but when Heather’s sister Flora goes missing, things change. Move forward almost 20 years, Jess is a reporter and Heather is in a coma after shooting a man and his mother dead. Jess is torn between being friends again or writing the story of a lifetime. A slow burner after the initial dive into the story but worth persevering with. Descriptive, but not too much, easy to read with some twists and turns complete with a few bad’uns! Told from different points of view now and then when the girls were younger as the secrets and events unfolded. An enjoyable book from Ms Douglas - take it on holiday.

THE ONLY THING MORE SHOCKING THAN THE FIRST CHAPTER . . . IS THE LAST. . .
This part of the blurb is certainly true.
I loved how the story was told, nowhere in the book could I decide who was guilty and what happened on the day when the murders took place. Then you get glimpses into the past and you are not sure of what you must believe and which of the characters are trustworthy.
This was not my first Claire Douglas book and certainly not my last. I look forward to reading more books by Claire Douglas.

It’s not every day I come across books like “Then She Vanishes” that hook you from the very first page!

This book had one of the best prologues I’ve ever read! Most of the prologues I read are boring (I often skip them), and it’s not often that they pique my curiosity. Not this one!

"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’s about to commit murder."

There, straight to the point!

Why is that important? Because as soon as I’ve read the first chapter (actually, the first couple of sentences) I knew I wanted to keep reading this book. The rest of the book didn’t disappoint either. I loved the foreshadowing through the chapters, the subtle hints pointing the reader towards a certain direction that became more obvious as we’d proceed.

It seems the purpose was to lead the narrative towards a predictable ending, while at the same time, we were still left with doubts and possibilities. “What if…?” This made me, as a reader, feel a wide range of feelings and emotions towards the different characters at different points. I thought this was really well done.

I can’t say this is the type of thriller that will make you doubt the whole cast of characters, whether they’re telling you the truth or not (you know the type…), but instead, it’ll guide you towards a path with only a few possibilities. I liked that. It also connects to the character’s reliability. The narrators didn’t feel unreliable. This was great because it allowed us to connect more easily to Jess and Margot. Douglas did an excellent job in that aspect, the intent wasn’t to trick the readers or force twists. Even the surprising findings add up, and everything makes sense considering the narrative and past events.

Now, of course, it’s not perfect, and I wish sometimes the hints would’ve been more subtle. Often the narrator confirms our suspicions through a character’s PoV and sometimes it feels a bit too obvious. It’s almost as if: “Reader, this is what you should be thinking, right? Because this is what you should be thinking in order for the next events to make sense.”

Even though the main Point of Views (Jess and Margot) were well done, there were a few things that bothered me. What we consider to be Margot’s PoV is not really always Margot’s PoV as it sometimes alternates between characters. The same for the past narrators, there’s some head-hopping between Flora and Heather, and even Jess. I know I had an advanced reader copy and not the final version, but the head-hopping in the third-person narrative was something I really disliked. The italics bits are not very clear – I understand this is done on purpose, but the way they are integrated with the main narrative makes us feel more often confused than curious.

I know it seems I’m ranting a lot, but actually, the book was so gripping that all the negative points felt more like tiny details. It didn’t affect how much I wanted to keep reading it, so that can only be a good thing, right?

Overall, I loved this book! Yes, it’s not perfect, and yes, it can be predictable at times, but it’s still able to surprise and hook you.

When Clive and His mother, Deirdre, are murdered in their home, blame points to Heather who has been found bleeding from a gun wound. Her childhood friend, Jessica, now estranged from Heather, is a journalist investigating the story and becomes a support to Margot, Heather’s mum. With a lot of history for the family can Jessica prove Heather wasn’t the killer.

Oh this was a sneaky read. I enjoyed the characters and how the character’s back story all fitted in. Great read. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

A definite page-turner with an excellent twisting plot that is full of surprises.

The story opens with the double murder of a man and his elderly mother coupled with what looks like a suicide attempt by the alleged killer, Heather. a wife and mother of a toddler. Could such a person truly be capable and driven to cold-blooded murder.

We are treated to a case of great characters, including a number of likely suspects for some rather unsavoury acts as the family history of Heather, her sister who went missing while they were teenagers and Heather's best friend for a while at school are all revealed.

The story keeps us guessing throughout and incredibly manages to tie up all the twisting tales revealed without leaving any unanswered questions. This makes a refreshing change from so many stories that let certain threads fizzle out without conclusion and makes for a satisfying end to the story.

Highly recommended.
.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
This was my first Claire Douglas novel and I will definitely be reading more from this author.
This was a solid mystery, with a distinctive set of characters, great relationship dynamics and brilliant character development.
Our main character is a journalist who is writing about a woman she once knew - I always love when our main character is connected to the centre mystery. I also love that she was a journalist as it added a great dynamic between her and those connected to the incident she is writing about, of course exacerbated by her personal connection to the story but there was also an added depth in her internal conflict, does she prioritise her work and the story or her relationship with those affected.
I really liked that each relationship was conveyed in a different way - each relationship was distinctive and stood on its own, for example Jess' relationship with Margot was completely different to her relationship to Jack, just as her relationship to Jack was different to her relationship with Ted and Rory and so on so forth.
This mystery held more depth than I could ever have guessed and I believe it was executed perfectly; there were a few moments where I actually gasped out loud.
This is a really solid mystery and I truly cannot wait to read more from Claire Douglas.

Jess and Heather were inseparable as children. Best friends who shared everything. Until Heather's sister, Flora, disappears without a trace and everything changes. Years later, Heather is accused of shooting Colin and Deirdre Wilson before turning the gun on herself. Jess, now a journalist, finds herself the reporter on the case and is soon drawn into this twisty tale of what exactly happened to Flora, and why Heather seemingly committed this terrible crime.

I’ve only read one of Claire Douglas’ other novels, which I thought was brilliant, so I was really excited to read this one and I was not disappointed!

This one is chock full of twists and turns, including a fab mix of multiple POV, flashbacks and present day, secrets and lies. Much as with LAST SEEN ALIVE, I was totally thrown by the ending- I thought I’d worked out exactly what was going on and who did what, only to be surprised at the last. Gotta love a book that makes you go “huh”.

Then She Vanishes gripped me from the start.. A young woman is found dying from, seemingly, self inflicted wounds from a gun used, shortly before, to murder two people. An open and shut case? The book weaves neatly through current events and happenings 18 years previously. But are there links...? Jess, a local newspaper reporter, is conflicted but she needs her story. The suspect had, however, been her closest school friend but they had been estranged for many years, whilst the mother still mourns the disappearance of her other daughter all those 18 years ago.
The story unfolds through the eyes of the main characters moving smoothly from one to another and across time. There are a rich mix of twists and trails which provoke changing emotions as you read. If she wasn't guilty then who was?
The prose of Then She Vanishes is beautifully written whilst the pace of the book is unrelenting and made me want to just keep reading.
A first rate thriller which demands attention and deserves to be another best seller.. Highly recommended.

Jess and Heather were inseparable as teenagers. But after Heather’s sister, Flora disappears, their friendship falls apart.

Eighteen years later, Jess is a journalist working for a small, local newspaper and Heather is in a coma, accused of murdering two people. When Jess realises the accused is her childhood friend, she hopes to reconnect and get an inside scoop on this shocking story - What makes a happily married mother kill two people she has never met?

With a premise like that how can you not be intrigued, so of course I said yes when I was offered the opportunity to read and review this book.

The story was well structured and alternated between current day and past events leading up to Flora’s disappearance. It was also told from a number of different points of view. This added some extra depth to the story but did get a little confusing at times.

Although the plot was full of twists and turns, some of them were fairly obvious and lacked the real shock factor. Having said that there were a couple that I genuinely did not see coming.

The writing style was fluid and engaging, if a tad slow at times. The characters were relatable and realistic, although not necessarily likeable.

All in all I would say I enjoyed elements of this book and would definitely pick up another Claire Douglas novel.

3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (rounded up to 4)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher (Penguin UK - Michael Joseph) for inviting me to review this book. All opinions are my own and provided willingly.

This is such a good book that I vanished into it for a day or two, completely immersed in this thrilling, suspenseful mystery which happens to be set in my part of the world, so I had the additional fun of trying to identify the seaside town of Tilby (which I reckon was mainly a hybrid of Clevedon and Portishead, but I stand to be corrected on that)! Jess, the main character, is sympathetic; returning from London due to a hiccup in her journalism career, she has a cheap flat to share with her boyfriend Rory, and a new post in a bi-weekly newspaper. A horrific murder reconnects her to her childhood second family and she has the conflict between historic loyalties and the current need to do well in her job. Margot, Flora and Heather have weathered a series of tragic events, and fate hasn't finished with them yet. Claire has created a complex plot and turned it into a story that is unforgettable and enjoyable, with loads of suspense and twists thrown in. I thoroughly recommend it,

Glued to this book from start to finish!!!! I don't like giving too much away in my reviews but I would recommend this to anyone. It really kept me guessing and with every chapter I was trying to figure it all out. Brilliant book!

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read in exchange for an honest review.

This is 4th first Claire Douglas book and whilst it's not my favorite hence the 4 stars and not 5 it was a really gripping read! Claire doesn't disappoint and I cant wait for her next book! I also love the fact it's set around the Bristol area so local and familiar for me.
This story follows the pattern of telling the story over 2 time periods the past and present a format I really enjoy as you get to make your own assumptions about what happened and how it affects the current murder mystery. The story is told from the point of view of Jess a local journalist who was a childhood friend of the family central to the mystery. The writing style as always is easy to read and very enjoyable the book also concludes with a fabulous twist I wasn't expecting.

Interesting storyline and characters. A man and woman are killed and a woman is found having tried to take her own life yet there appears to be no motive for the killings.

A cracking page turner that follows the lives of 3 friends whose futures each pan out very differently yet they remain connected. I loved this book it kept me hooked right from the beginning.
Another to be recommending to family and friends

I really enjoyed this - a proper page-turner with the (good) red herrings you might expect from this kind of novel. I wasn't entirely surprised by the ending but some events leading up to the great reveal were a real surprise. Definitely worth a read.

A teenager went missing twenty years ago, now her sister is in a coma after shooting herself.

A stranger had stormed into a house in the early hours killing fifty eight year old Clive Wilson and his mother, Deirdre. Later Heather Underwood was found with a self inflicted gun shot wound. Jess, a reporter, has been sent to cover the story. The shooting had taken place in Jess's home town. But Jess's boss does not know that the perp had been Jess's best friend.

This is a fast paces read with many twist and turns. There is so much going on in this book. The way the author has written about the characters makes you feel that you know them. I don't want to say any more about this story as I do t want to spoil it for potential readers. A well executed who-did-it.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An enjoyable summer-time read that kept me engrossed and involved in the helter-skelter ride. It’s told from various points of view from different time settings and each shift in perspective changes the reader’s expectations and understanding of events. Overall a good read.

Loved this book and kept you on the edge of your seat as to who, why, where and how.

Secrets are never the best idea and when they hurt those around you it's worse. Great book and great twist.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC, which I have enjoyed reading.
Then She Vanishes by Claire Douglas is a psychological thriller about Heather, whose sister Flora vanished when she was 16 and everyone believed her to be dead, although her body was never recovered.
Then two people are shot dead in their home and Heather is found in a barn with gunshot and a head wound. The police believe Heather has tried to kill herself after shooting and killing a mother and son.
The storyline unfolds and it is only at the end that we found out what really happened now and all those years ago.
Highly recommended.