This is the second novel I have read by Claire Douglas and it was brilliant. I read this within 24 hours as the storyline ebbed and flowed with such skill. We have all been in some of these situations, at least I have – best friends falling out, trouble with sisters of best friends and gorgeous guys at the fair, which rolls into town every year.

The story is mainly told by Jess, who is a journalist on a small local paper within the Bristol area. It is clear that something untoward has happened in her career when she was based in London. She is living with Rory in Bristol and they appear to be an ideal couple.

There is a double murder in the town where Jess was raised as a teenager and it appears as if her one time best friend, Heather, is the murderer. Going back to her roots with her best friend, Jack, who works with her on the paper we begin to uncover secrets from the past. Heather’s sister, Flora, disappeared when she was sixteen and has never been found and both Heather and Jess have secrets about the last night she was seen.

The characters were all excellently developed and the intertwining and surprises were many and carefully plotted. The novel covered difficult subjects with empathy and understanding.

Full of twists and turns right up to the final page this is an excellent read and highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley, Penguin UK, Michael Joseph and Claire Douglas for my ARC in return for my honest review.

I get excited when I hear a new Claire Douglas book is coming out. And then she vanishes doesn’t disappoint. This is the 4th book of the authors I have read and loved them all.
Jess is a Journalist for the local weekly newspaper. She has returned to her hometown of Bristol after living and working in London on a daily tabloid. She has returned with her boyfriend Rory, who is a teacher. Her Assignment is to investigate a woman that has shot dead two people and tried to kill herself. Heather is her name and presently in a coma. When she goes to the hospital, she finds out that the woman in question is her childhood friend Heather and she meets her mother Margot. When she was sixteen Margot was more of a mother, than her actual mother. Jess and Heather were close, until something happened one day, and Heather’s sister Flora disappeared never to be seen again. Heather suddenly feeling apprehensive of her task. But her boss is glad of their relationship and wants her to delve deeper to what happened that fatal day.
The story is told in two points of view of Margot and Jess and go back and forth in time, showing the background story for each character which made it more suspenseful. This had an intriguing plot, with lots and characters and many twists and turns, especially the ending I wasn’t expecting. This is another great novel from Claire Douglas.

Another brilliant read by Claire Douglas. If you've not read any before I do recommend that you do.

This one is about family secrets. Brilliantly written with you being drawn into the plot and you just have to hold on and find out who dunnit!

Then She Vanishes by Claire Douglas a four-star read that will have you searching. This is one that you have to pay attention with as the alternating chapters and POV and timeline will keep you on your toes, but once you get into it, you will be gripped. You need to be a detective to figure out who done it in the end, as it’s so well done, it starts with a bang and unfolds like a flower before your eyes and reveals the story. Jessica is a great journalist as she tells a great story, set in a seaside town so well written you can taste the salt in the air.

What a compelling read! Every chapter seemed to have a further ttwist. I could not wait to read on. It is a brilliant book well worth a read.

The disappearance of Flora when she was just 16 is seared into the minds of most people in her small seaside town but they have all moved on with their lives.  For her mother, Margo, sister Heather, and Heather's best friend, Jess, things are different. Almost without realising they have stagnated; carrying on their everyday activities but with memories are never far from the surface until without warning a devastating tragedy brings everything back into sharp focus once again.

Everyone, it seems, has something to hide in this story and gradually, as secrets are revealed, the story of what happened the day of Flora's departure begins to inextricably link the past to the present. The two main parties can't put their side of things into the mix however and so it's left to Jess,, newly returned home and now a journalist to speak for them.

The main characters in this book are well written and believable. Their stories are told in two timeframes and in the first and third person but still they behave as I would expect the circumstances they find themselves in would dictate. All play an important part in dissecting their history until what really happened is revealed in a satisfying ending I absolutely didn't see coming.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to fans of both Claire Douglas and twisting, turning, exciting, crime fiction.

I enjoyed this book. It discusses the problems families have with teenage children from an adult perspective and explores the impact of loss and uncertainty on the parents - and friends. I felt that it took a while to get going but then I wanted to pick it up and continue the story. It was easy to engage with the characters as the story continued and there are interesting twists as the book reaches its conclusion.
The main focus is the disappearance of a teenage daughter and the impact of the lack of information on the family. Some of the detail is harrowing but not gory.
I recommend this book.

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.