This is the second book by Claire Douglas that I have read and she is now on my ‘must read’ authors list. The story is told from various characters’ viewpoints and the story also switches from present day to the past, however it is not too difficult for the reader to keep up with it all!

I particularly like the reporter Jess’s character as she faces some tough choices when reporting on the case as she is personally and emotionally involved.

If you enjoyed TV dramas such as ‘Broadchurch’ I would heartily recommend this book as each of the main characters have a skeleton or two in their closets and these impact on the story as the book progresses.

Highly recommended.

Claire Douglas has yet to disappoint me, continuously producing books that are engaging, exciting and full of twists; Then She Vanishes was no exception. This book is filled with everything, a disappearing teenage girl, threats, homicide, family, lost friends and gun shots. The story is abotu three teenage girls; Flora, Heather and Jess, who drift apart one summer. Skip forward 20 years and circumstances bring Heather and Jess colliding together. But it's not under the best circumstances and can they make their way back to the way their friendship was?

I particularly like the way that the twists come slowly, you know they're coming, but you never know where to expect them. The characters are wonderful, well built, complex, engaging. This was a really good book and I'd definitley keep reading Claire Douglas as you know you're always on to a winner.

Well, I didn’t see that coming! What an ending ! Well told, story with great characters that you really enjoy being with. It jumps between timeframes and characters however these are well flagged and do not interrupt the flow.

I won’t say anything to spoil the enjoyment, sufficient to say it’s a very good read and I recommend it

Claire Douglas manages something astounding with "Then She Vanishes". For large portions of the book, the actual mystery takes second place to the characters. When a book opens with the brutal murder of two people, as told by the killer, it could easily be painted into a corner, but Douglas avoids that trap and instead paints a complex mural of people on the simple walls of a double murder.

With a small town, rural setting and a small group of characters, Douglas shows that the sum truly is greater than the parts. Jess, a reporter, is a superb foil for the story. Her job makes her one step removed from the mystery, it also makes her the ideal focal point for the book. She is at the hub of the story in both the book and the local paper she works for. It allows the plot to unfold gradually, focusing so much on giving the characters an identity. They acquire amazing depth, fleshing out and sucking you in.

As the book nears the end the mystery comes more into focus once more. Loose ends start to fall into place and the questions gnawing away for pages slowly come into view. But more importantly, that investment we have in the characters pays off. It gives the revelations more power and meaning. The characters turn a simple mystery into a magnificent read.

"Then She Vanishes" is a sleeper of a book, one that grows on you while you're not watching. You should read this book..

Another book from this author that I could not out down. Flora has been missing for 18 years and now her sister is in hospital suspected of 2 murders. For once I didn't guess the ending, and was kept guessing until the final page.

Then She Vanishes is a fast paced and well written novel.

Jess is a journalist, struggling to come to terms with decisions she’s made in the past. An old friend, Heather has just been accused of a double murder... but why? And does it have anything to do with Flora, the missing sister?

I enjoyed this book and will look to read more by this author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.

Then She Vanishes by Claire Douglas
Thanks @netgalley @penguinrhuk @clairedouglasauthor for my ARC
Publication date 27th June 2019
‘The fair came to town, Flora Powell disappeared’.
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I was so excited to receive this ARC as I am a huge fan of Claire Douglas and I was not disappointed. An absolutely perfect crime thriller.
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Journalist Jess returns to her hometown to investigate a crime that involves her was once best friend. Can Jess find the answers or will she uncover even darker secrets than she ever imagined? This book was amazing and I was completely enthralled and entertained. So many secrets and twists. Highly recommended for crime mystery and psychological thriller fans xx

I'm a great fan of Claire Douglas so was delighted to be able to read her latest book. The story had me hooked from the very beginning to the end and what an ending! Twists I didn't see coming. Loved it.

Family secrets, two violent murders, a woman in a coma and a disgraced journalist returning to her hometown; what more could you ask from a gripping thriller? This is another tense and twisty novel from the excellent Claire Douglas.

As teenagers Jess and Heather were best friends and Jess, rather neglected by her mother, found solace in the company of Heather and her family. This friendship falls apart when Heather’s older sister goes missing and is never found. Twenty years later, Heather lies in a coma after, allegedly, shooting dead a mother and son. Jess is now a journalist and returns to her home town to cover the story. She is pressured by her editor to use her personal knowledge of the family to get a scoop. As Jess wrestles with her conscience and her disbelief that Heather would commit such a crime, we are drawn into the history of her life and those of Heather and her family.

This is a really intriguing read with excellent characters and a clever narrative which creates tension and serious anticipation of the outcome. I was totally gripped.

Thank you to NetGalley and Michael J Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I fell in love with Jess as soon as her car was mentioned, as a fellow Figaro owner Claire’s description of leg room made me laugh!
Then She Vanishes was a great book full of horrible humans and I loved it! I thought I had it all figured out but there’s some brilliant little twists that will leave you shocked.
5/5

Family, friends, lies and secrets.

It can all be found in Then She Vanishes.

Jess could never have predicted that a suspicious double murder and a suspected suicide would lead her back to a past that she thought was long forgotten and buried.

Old tales are re-visited and loved ones who were thought to be lost seem to be at the front of a mystery despite being dead for many years.

Cleverly put together, this is a novel that will keep you on tender-hooks until the very last page.

And those last few sentences will make you gasp (don't skip to the end though!)

I really liked the mix of characters and the way that it showcased how sometimes journalism and policing can in-fact go hand in hand.

An abundance of suspense is packed into what could be a true-to-life story.

I'd happily re-read this book.

I'm a huge fan of Claire Douglas and have read her four previous novels, so I was delighted to be approved this advanced copy. Luckily, it lived up to my hype!
Then She Vanishes is a twist filled story about Jess, a journalist, and her ex-best friend Heather. When Heather is accused of shooting dead two seemingly random people, Jess must return to the family she loved so much as a teen.
What transpires is the slow, but incredibly tense and exciting, reveal of how their lives, and the life of Heather's missing sister Flora, entwine with the murders.
I loved the characters, and was gripped at once. It's so intriguing from the off, and cleverly written to keep that suspense throughout. Recommended for fans of thriller novels.

When I was offered the chance to read an ARC of Then She Vanishes by Claire Douglas, I could not resist! Boy, I was not disappointed.

Her latest offering opens up with a bang.... Literally! A young woman enters a house and shoots dead a mother and her son before seemingly turning the gun on her self. Nobody, not even those closest to her can fathom what her motive could possibly have been but with all Claire's book, you know to expect the unexpected.
She certainly delivers in Then She Vanishes, it was full of twists and turns at every corner and kept me guessing until the very end. Just when I thought I had figured out what was going on, the author had another surprise up her sleeve and this book is just full of them.
This story take me place in the past and the present and is told from various POV but with Claire's easy writing style, I had no problem keeping up with the story. Everybody in this story has skeletons, some are just buried deeper than others and are bought to the surface in dramatic fashion!!

I have read and enjoyed other books by Claire Douglas and this was no different. Told in the present but with regular reference to and occasional chapters linking back to the past, the story unfolds. It starts with a bang (literally and figuratively) and the bangs continue as the story does. I enjoyed the conflicting roles for Jess of journalist and friend. Ending is satisfactory too!

Ever sine I read Claire's first book I have always looked forward to her next one. This one was another solid read, a good storyline with twists and turns. Well written and stylish.

Another great read from Claire Douglas. I enjoyed the characters interactions and the realisim. I think is her sadest yet, but also shows how far you could go for a sibling/best friend.

I found this book a bit slow in the middle but then it really picked up towards the end with lots of twists!
I did notice a continuity issue so I’ve put this on the notes to the publisher.

I have read several of this author’s books and I was looking forward to reading this one and it certainly lived up to expectations.

Heather Powell walks into a house and shoots an elderly woman and her son dead. She is then found with a self inflicted gunshot wound and is in a coma. What made her do it and why?

Jess Fox is a journalist investigating the story. As a teenager, Jess was welcomed into the Powell family until the night when Heather’s sister Flora vanished.

A story full of twists and turns with a good mixture of characters; some likeable and others not. The story alternates between the present with Jess trying to understand what turned Heather into a killer, and the the past where we discover what exactly happened to Flora. A clever thriller that keeps you guessing and which I would recommend.

I love Claire Douglas as an author and every book she writes gets better! This book is so full of fantastic twists, you think you have it all sorted in your head and Claire throws a spanner into your ideas! I was so gripped by this book I had started and finished it in less than 24 hours....I couldn't put it down. I loved the characters, the storyline.....and that ending?! An absolute must read for all thriller fans ❤

This is a new author for me and this book had good reviews so I thought I would give it a try. I am so glad I did. It took me a couple of chapters to really get into it but it went flying of after that. Plenty of twists and turns to keep me engrossed and the main characters were really likeable. I thought I had it all figured out a couple of times but it proved me wrong and it was a great ending. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys this genre of books.