A journalist begins to research a double homicide and realizes her childhood friend is somehow caught up in it. A decent thriller, but was lacking a little for me. I think the plot was a little too straightforward and everything was cleaned up too nicely.

I have to hold my hands up and admit that the sheer joy of having a new Claire Douglas book is indescribable ... a fellow fan will understand!!

Wow I devoured this in a day, as I truly could not put it down.

Heather and Jess were inseparable growing up in a small seaside town until Heather’s older sister Flora goes missing and is never found. Now 18 years later Jess is a reporter and sent back to her hometown to investigate a murder that her childhood friend Heather has been accused of. Why would a loving mother and wife kill 2 people that she doesn’t know then turn the gun onto herself. Will Jess be able to get the story of a lifetime or will their childhood friendship hinder the investigation!!

This thriller is well written, it grips you from the start and keeps you 100% hooked throughout. Loved how the story goes back to when Flora goes missing and is told from Margot (Flora’s mom) and Jess’s point of view. Along the way there are lots of secrets and twists which keeps you guessing until the end.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

I've read a few book by this author and never been disappointed so I was quite looking forward to delving into this, her latest offering. Pleased to report that it was just as juicy and captivating as its predecessors and I devoured it in just a couple of sittings.
We start with a death - mother and son shot dead in their home. We then cut to the perp as she is in hospital recovering from trying to take her own life. As she recovers in hospital prior to being charged, focus switches to Jess, a reporter who is sent to cover the story. Her boss knows that the action occurred in her home town but not that the accused is, well was, Jess's childhood best friend, a friendship that ended with a missing sister and a secret kept. As Jess starts to "report" on the incident she segues into investigating what happened to turn her old friend into a killer, as she really doesn't believe it possible. But people can change in 25 years...
Oh My! Although I did guess a couple of things early and thought I knew where we were going I was really not prepared to end up where we did. Blooming heck, this author definitely knows how to spin a yarn. Come to think of it, she's also pretty good at spinning readers around and about and sending them off on dead ends and then throwing out a bone which actually turns out to be a curve ball... well, you get the picture!
But a good story isn't enough to make a book a great read for me - I need some cracking characters that I can connect with in some way - good or bad - and that little something to keep my attention. This book had all those things and more. I really wanted, no needed, to know what happened. Why she did what she did and what happened both on that day and the days leading up to it.Not to mention the truth of what happened in the past... Not just for me I hasten to add. My sympathies were firmly placed with the mother - already lost one daughter, about to lose another. And also with Jess who has lived with her guilt all these years and how that is still affecting her some 25 years later. Basically, that all made it an emotionally charged read for me and I thoroughly love it when that is coupled with the mesmerising thrill ride the author takes me on.
And the ending when it happened, when the whole truth came out. That just blew me away. So cleverly set up and executed. Leaving me spent but completely satisfied.
All in all, a cracking read that I have no hesitation in recommending. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

This is the first Claire Douglas book I have read and it won't be the last. I shall be looking to read the earlier books very soon. The book held my attention from the first word. The plot is excellent, the story around it very well written. The book is based on the short 'best friend' relationship between two young teenage girls. Time and life has moved on but their lives become intertwined again. I loved the wide range of characters and how clearly they are drawn and the way the book was written. What more to say, it is a must read.

I was invited to read this book via NetGalley and I'm delighted I had the opportunity.

Heather is accused of a double murder and then trying to kill herself but there is so much more to this thriller - the story intertwines with the disappearance of her older sister Flora some years ago. Heather's childhood friend Jessica has grown apart from her but is now a reporter and is trying to land an exclusive on the family but someone is also trying to rattle her and hold her back - but why?

It was fast paced with twists and turns aplenty and just when I thought I had worked out the ending, along came another twist! It was a really good read that ultimately get me guessing right up to the epilogue and that's my kind of book.

I haven't read any of Claire Douglas' work before but will be keeping my eye out in future.

My many thanks to Penguin UK - Michael Joseph via NetGalley for providing me with this advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

A gripping murder mystery set in and around the Bristol area in the UK. Full of twists and secrets that gradually unravel as the story progresses. Another wonderful read from Claire Douglas.

Thankyou to NetGalley, Penguin UK- Michael Joseph and the author, Claire Douglas, for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of Then She Vanishes in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
I loved reading this book. I jumped at the chance to review this book as I have read other publications from this author and have enjoyed every one. This book was no exception.
The storyline was well thought out and written with well developed characters and a rollercoaster plot that will keep you guessing until the very end. Well worth the sleep deprivation.
Well worth a read for fans of the genre

When Jess goes to investigate a double homicide she finds her childhood friend at the centre of the allegations – but what actually happened and why?

I was excited to get to read Then She Vanishes as I have read and enjoyed one of Claire Douglas’ other books – Do Not Disturb (read my 5* review on my blog here: https://www.kindig.co.uk/post/review-do-not-disturb).

I’m happy to say that even with high expectations going in I wasn’t at all disappointed! Then She Vanishes is a slightly odd and hard to remember title but holds a great story within. There is a nice balance of perspective – from both mother Margot and friend Jess so we get a detailed insight into both women (although we are heavily aware they are both hiding secrets!) There are also flashbacks scattered throughout the narrative at various points to drip feed us extra information or provide details at just the right pace – something that I praised Douglas for in Do Not Disturb as well. I had not guessed where the story was going to go at all which is unusual for psychological thrillers and the ending surprised me but still felt realistic and in keeping with the rest of the book. There’s a lot of threads, topics and red herrings to keep you guessing all the way up until the last moment which was great.

The only criticism I have is that perhaps a few plot devices felt a little too convenient at times. There is a point where a conversation holding important information is cut off by something minor and not referred to again until much later which was a little frustrating.

Overall this is a complex and gripping read that keeps you guessing until the very end. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin UK – Michael Joseph for a chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A genuine page turner; it took less than a day to read. Who was the killer, what were the motives - the reader 'knows' the answer(!) and then everything changes; but it is believable, realistic.

To be recommended to anyone who enjoys a good book.

Another gripping book by Clare Douglas. I could not put it down until I found out why Heather would have killed two people with whom she appears to have no previous relationship.
Jess, a newspaper reporter, has recently returned to live in Bristol after living in London. What prompted her to make the move back home?
Jess is shocked to discover her childhood friend, Heather, who she hasn’t seen for many years, is critically ill in hospital, having shot two people. Can Jess get the scoop which will boost her career at the local paper? Is she too close to the story to get an objective account of what happened? Will Heather’s family be more or less receptive to Jess, than to other journalists, due to what took place when Heather and Jess were children?
Such a well plotted book; an excellent read.
Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Very good. Gripping and exhilarating to the very end. This story deals with a young girls disappearance and the lasting effects on not just the family but a whole community. Loved how the story twist and turned and that right till the end you are surprised as there is a twist on the twist.

A riveting thriller that had me relentlessly turning the pages! Fans of Gillian Flynn and Elizabeth Haynes will love it. I found it refreshing too to read a thriller set outside the metropolis - especially as I recognised some locations myself!

Thanks to Penguin Books for inviting me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It's hard to write a review for this book without giving away spoilers.. but what I will say is this is a fast paced, easy read with many twists and turns. You think you've figured it out, and then something else is discovered and you find you were completely wrong. I would definitely recommend this for mystery lovers.

A gripping story from start to finish. The pace is perfect, the characters are believable and the story so real. You can’t help but feel invested in the outcome and once started, you won’t want to put the book down. Plenty of twists to keep you guessing and a must read for anyone who loves a good psychological thriller.

A double murder shakes the small seaside town of Tilby. Heather, a 32-year-old mother of a small boy has killed Clive Wilson, 58, and his mother Deirdre, 76, in the early hours before attempting suicide. But why did she do it? Did she even know them? Her mother is devastated and so is Heather’s childhood friend Jess, now a journalist with a newspaper in Bristol. For almost twenty years, they had not been in contact, but now she is reaching out to the family Jess once regarded as her own. How can one single family be stricken by fate that often? Heather’s father was killed in an accident when a gun was fired, her older sister Flora went missing at the age of sixteen, and now this. There’s something rotten, obviously, but can Jess figure it out?

Another page-turning mystery by Claire Douglas that hooked me immediately. I had high expectations that were totally fulfilled: many mysteries to solve, twists and turns, unexpected links and whole lot of characters that are not to be trusted. Just what you would expect from a great thriller.

What I liked most about the story were the secrets that everybody keeps, those small things that seem to be without any importance but suddenly become crucial but then it’s already too late to tell them. And then, people have to live with the knowledge that they are keeping some major facts that when being told could have saved somebody or prevented a lot of things. The plot is quite complex, at the beginning it all seems quite obvious, yet, the more it advances the more characters are added and the more multi-layered it becomes. Whenever you think you have seen through it all, your theory simply crumbles and falls – and this works out until the very last page.

Simply a great read that I could hardly put down.

Then She Vanishes was my first read by Claire Douglas and I doubt it will be my last. She introduces a terrific cast of characters, all of whom have flaws and/or insecurities and that just makes for a more immersive read. Most of the story is written in the first person from the POV of the deeply insecure journalist Jess who has moved back to the seaside Somerset village of her childhood and becomes embroiled in a storyline which opens old wounds and tests relationships to the limit. Margot Powell (the other POV) and her daughters Flora and Heather have already witnessed tragedy but when a couple - mother and son - are gunned down Heather is firmly in the frame. And Heather was Jess’ closest friend during their teenage years until their friendship floundered. There are so many twists and turns in this story, and numerous threads to follow and I was kept guessing, stomach in knots and rather teary, to the very end. Thanks to Penguin - Michael Joseph for the ARC.

And Then She Vanishes
Claire Douglas
Publisher: Penguin Books

A double murder. A missing girl. A story of love, family, friendship and revenge. Well written and compelling. A riveting read. The denouement was twisty and ultimately satisfying. I couldn’t put it down.
Highly recommended


Big thanks to the author, publisher and netgalley for providing me with a free advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Lots of twists and turns, so you are kept guessing. The characters are believeable, but I did find it a bit long.

This is an exciting, pacey thriller that grips and twists and lives up to its promise. A rollercoaster read that keeps you guessing to the end. Opening with a shocking double murder and an unknown assailant, it moves seamlessly between timelines to help flesh out the potential culprit and motive. All is not as it seems on the surface. Just when you think you’ve got to grips with the plot development, yet another red herring is thrown into the mix.

With varied, totally relatable characters, this book examines family dynamics, aspects of complex relationships and friendships. The friendship between Jess and Heather and her sister Fiona provide the mainstay of the mystery. They demonstrate how a shared personal history insinuates itself into the present. And this suggests the extremities they might go to in the name of fear, protectiveness, loyalty and love. The backstories alone provide enough interest and intrigue to keep you glued to the page.

As a small-time reporter with a painful past, Jess seeks to excel herself in her current job when she is assigned to investigate this crime. Yet the lines become increasingly blurred because of her personal links with the suspected culprit. She also feels sad and stressed by the way their friendship fizzled out, and doesn’t know if she can or should trust her former best friend.

Heather’s sister, Fiona, is the obvious missing person in the story but she’s not the only one. Heather and Jess also act like lost souls who have vanished into themselves. I was entertained and gripped by it all. This is the first book I’ve read by Claire Douglas but it won’t be the last. Grateful thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Books for the ARC.

It's first book I read by this author and it was a great discovery.
It's brilliant, cleverly plotted paged turner that will keep on you on the edge and make turn pages as fast as you can.
It's well written, the cast of characters is fleshed out and there's no plot hole.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.