This is the first book I’ve read by Claire Douglas, and it’s safe to say I’ll be reading her others. I really enjoyed this book and it was very easy to read. I didn’t realise I was getting through it so quickly, when all of a sudden I was half way through. With so many twists and turns, you really have to pay attention. So much happens in this book that it really keeps you guessing. I really liked the characters and like that you get to know them on a personal level, with insights into their pasts and their lives. I love the strong female lead character. The plot was really good and the book is very well written. The reason for my 4 star rating, instead of a 5, is because I half predicted the ending. I wasn’t as shocked as I’d hoped I would be, but I was surprised. If there was a more shocking twist at the end then I would have given this 5 stars. However this is still a great read and I’m very happy that I have finally read a book by Claire Douglas!

Thanks netgalley for letting me read this early copy of then she vanishes.
It was a great story. Two sisters heather and flora, with heathers best friend Jess were given the task of looking after flora when she met an unsavoury character at the local fair. But one day flora slipped away, and went missing.

Many years later Jess came back into their lives as a reporter after two people were killed, and she then wanted the truth about flora and suspected killing of two people by heather.

Well done Claire Douglas when can I read your next book.

I really tried to enjoy this book but it just wasn’t gripping me. The main story at the beginning was good but then it morphed into something that had happened 18 years before. Maybe this should have come first, I’m not sure. But I just wasn’t gripped enough to carry on I’m afraid

I really enjoyed this book and it kept me enthralled right to the end. The characters are intriguing and the plot is very strong.
There’s lots going on in this book, however the author manages to get this to flow together really well; other authors may have made this confusing.
It’s a great thriller and another fab book by Claire Douglas.

Wow as always, Claire delivers!
This book had me gripped from the start even with me thinking I knew the ending which you don’t...
The plot was set in my local area which was an added bonus.
The characters were believable and they definitely reached out of the pages.

I had to know what happened and why it happened, it was tragic in places but hey that’s life and what is made it sadly a fictional story that could of been very well based on real life.
I really enjoyed this book and I have no hesitations with picking up a Claire Douglas book as I know it’s going to be great, a rare find amongst authors!
I’m already looking forward to her next one. Well done and confirmations on another bestseller (it will be)

I feel like this book could have a better title because there's so much more to it than the disappearance of a 16 year old girl. In fact, that's the least compelling storyline in a novel about a woman who shoots a mother and son then attempts to kill herself, putting herself in a coma - or did she?

There's lots of twists and turns and unexpected revelations but there was something about this book that is lacking and I can't put my finger on what. I guess I just didn't feel it was all that compelling even though I found it interesting.

3.5 stars out of 5.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

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.
This book has it all! Intrigue, murder, drugs, lies, love, I could go on all day about this book it's full of action

A really good thriller with shocks right up to the end. There is a lot to this story and it is definitely a page turner. I liked the characters and their back story and the way everything came together.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Page-turning and twisty thriller that grabs you with a dramatic opening scene.
A few too many coincidences, but still a solid read that will keep you hooked.

Wow I thoroughly enjoyed this book with lots of twists and turns running through. Keeps you gripped throughout

A gripping page turner, that ramps up in mystery the further you read – I couldn’t put it down from halfway.

Flora disappeared 18 years ago, Flora was Heather’s sister. Heather is now in hospital, shot and in a coma; Clive and Deirdre Wilson are dead, allegedly shot by Heather. Jess was best friend to Heather all those years ago, and is now covering the story as a journalist on the local paper.

Gradually the pieces of the jigsaw build to reveal what happened to Heather, and who killed Clive and Deirdre.

I found this a little slow to start with, but stick with it – you’ll soon be accusing everyone!

Wow wow wow, this book is amazing. It's the type of book that has it all. It's a definite page turner, I didn't want to put it down once I started reading it. I thoroughly enjoyed playing guess who in amongst all the twists and turns. The shocks & suprises just kept coming.

When a man and his mother are killed in their seaside home, a neighbour sees the killer, who then goes on to attempt suicide. It seems like a straightforward case that will be solved as soon as Heather wakes up from her coma and explains what happened that fateful morning.

However, nothing is simple and the case has roots in the disappearance, nearly 18 years before, of Heather's sister, Flora. Now Heather's childhood friend is back living in the area and working as an investigative journalist, it seems that the past will soon be uncovered. But nothing is as it seems and there are plenty of people hiding secrets from the past.

This is a twisty and fast-paced thriller that I raced through in so little time! I couldn't wait to uncover the next secret and work out the true story, although I'll have to admit my guesses were often very wide of the mark. This is an engaging mystery with a cast of believable characters and a plot that will keep you reading long into the night.

I’m fairly new to this genre of books and I find that they are slowly becoming my favourite! This is not my first book by Claire Douglas (definitely won’t be the last).

The book has such a good plot with many plot twists that really keep you on your toes. I actually love trying to guess how a book will end but in this case I was way off.

If your looking for a good suspenseful book then you must give this one a go.

I enjoyed this, but wasn't quite as gripped as the blurb would have me believe. I think I never really understood Jess nor liked her hugely. I found the ending a bit convoluted and rushed, all the ends did come together but I am not sure that the narrative gave the story the tension it needed to fully succeed. Good but not fantastic in my opinion.

It seems that there are hundreds of books on the market with a similar theme. Teenage friends, a secret, a missing girl and years later, it all coming to a head. Then She Vanishes is a readable novel on this theme. 32 year old Jess is a journalist who has returned to her home town following a scandal at her previous place of employment. She is desperate to prove herself and scared that if she doesn't she will be sacked. So when there is a double murder followed by an attempted suicide by the suspected murderer, she realises she is perhaps onto a good story especially as the suspect is Heather, a friend from her teenage years. Putting aside qualms about using her friendship in this way she contacts her ex friend's mother and manages to persuade her to give an interview. In so doing she finds herself drawn back into the bosom of this family. This in itself would have made an interesting novel, the conflicts she faces in using her friend in this way but there is a mystery to be solved, that of her friend's missing sister and whether her friend is in fact a murderer.

I was ultimately quite disappointed in this novel. I think perhaps this genre is a very crowded market and it is becoming more difficult to stand out. Certainly I guessed from very early on what was going o.n. This alone doesn't matter but I found it hard to engage with the main character and although certain scenes should have been very moving I just didn't get the emotion. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for the opportunity to read the ARC.

A story of absent parents, troubled girls, predatory men and long-term secrets, ‘Then She Vanishes’ by Claire Douglas is carefully plotted and could well be a popular ‘beach book’ this summer.
Ambitious journalist Jessica Fox has moved back to her childhood haunts, working and living in Bristol with dependable boyfriend Rory. She soon realises that the main suspect at the centre of a double murder is Heather, her teenage-years best friend, and is immediately conflicted. She wants – needs – this story but knows that Heather’s mother, Margot Powell, is unlikely to welcome her with open arms. The 90s was a traumatic decade for them all.
Douglas introduces us to a large cast and is careful to ensure that all of her characters are memorable, and mostly credible, through her careful attention to physical and emotional detail and plausible motivations. The many loose ends are tied together neatly by the end of the story even though the finale is a little too well-ordered to simulate real life.
This novel deals with serious and difficult themes, but with a light touch. Few will dwell on the topics of child abduction, domestic abuse and drug addiction after the final page has been read because all of these issues are dealt with in a sanitised way. Whether or not readers will rate this novel will come down to whether they are looking for entertainment or something more besides.
My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House UK for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

A page-turning mystery with a dramatic opening scene and a twisty plot. This was certainly readable although I didn't feel there was anything in particular to make it stand out from an already crowded market - there's no particular "hook" that makes it easy to recommend in a nutshell.

A twisty mystery that's hard to put down

This book grips you from the first page, written in the first person to make it more compelling. It starts with the murder of two seemingly blameless people in a small seaside town near Bristol. They are apparently unknown to the perpetrator, Heather Underwood, a young woman who then tries to kill herself. But are they really unknown to her? Reporter Jessica Fox is asked to investigate, as she knew the accused as a teenager. A good, fast-paced thriller with a slam-dunk ending.

My first Claire Douglas and oh boy what a an eye opener it was a real murder mystery with loads going on and and the big question is not just who did it but why which made it a real hard book to put down.
The story goes from past to present and is told from the point of view of Jess a local journalist who has personal connections with the family and Margot the mother of the suspected killer and this really adds to the suspense. I liked the style of the writing it was easy to follow even though there were plenty of characters and most of them with secrets to hide which were teased out slowly as the book progressed. The plot was unusual with a fabulous twist of an ending and this was a refreshing change as I read a lot of thriller’s and sometimes plots can become a little stale, but with this book the storyline just grew on me and I was very impressed with both the quality of the writing and plot.
From me it’s a 4+ star read and if you love a good mystery then this one is certainly going to be for you it’s stunning read.
My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.