This is not really very exciting. It is quite convoluted and hard to believe. The main character, so-called journalist Jess, who tries to do a bit of detective work at the same time as writing an article (which is never ready on time to be published), is not a particularly nice person. She cries a lot. I felt sorry for Rory. Heather is in hospital for the duration of the book, most of it in a coma. There is not much happening in the first half but clues are thrown at us, some of them red herrings, in a failed attempt to build up tension. The writing is unsophisticated, with short simple sentences and a lack of description. I have not read Claire Douglas before, and based on this I will not bother, although she has good ratings from others, I prefer something a little more subtle.

Fantastic twisty murder mystery that will keep you guessing until the end and even then you are unsure. All the characters are well described and you get to know them and their hidden secrets throughout the book.
The story starts with the chilling murder of 2 relative newcomers to a sleepy seaside resort near Bristol and the discovery of a local woman with gunshot wounds in a barn. Jess a reporter on a local paper realises that the woman in the coma in hospital is Heather, her childhood friend from 20 years ago. She realises that Heather stayed in the same house on the family’s campsite and that Margot ,who she viewed as more of a mother to her than her own, is still living there. The friendship ended suddenly when Heather’s older sister Flora disappeared after a night out , will Jess be able to get back into the family to help her research ? Jess sets out to unravel the mystery of both the recent murders and the events that happened years ago .The story is told from the points of view of various characters but is easy to follow even with a fabulous twisty plot

I've read and enjoyed Claire Douglas before so I was delighted to get this e-copy in exchange for an honest review and I wasn't disappointed! Claire writes really great characters – that you actually care about – which makes the suspense even greater than the average suspense novel.
I always love a mystery that is from the point of view of a reporter, rather than a detective, it is slightly different, less formal and has an extra moral element (which Claire took even further in Then She Vanishes as the reporter knows the accused personally). I was gripped and I didn't see the ending coming.

I'll look forward to reading more from Claire Douglas in the future.

A great twisted tale of family secrets. Fantastic characters in a very intriguing story. I couldn't put it down.

This is the first book I have read by Claire Douglas and none of it rang particularly true to me. First the guns, the author has absolutely no idea what a shotgun is. She keeps referring to bullets and only once from memory calls it a cartridge. Shotguns fire cartridges and if you shoot someone at point blank range you will make a big hole in them. Farmers as a rule have a 12 bore shotgun, no way would one leave a gun lying around for a child to pick up and more to the point farmers don't normally shoot their cows with one.
While the story of why did Heather shoot the two people and then seemingly try to commit suicide was fairly interesting, it was all very long winded and PC.
While not wanting to give anything away, the ending doesn't make sense and would easily be pulled apart by detectives.
A good idea but poorly thought through.

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story of Jess who is a reporter for a local newspaper. She is sent to report on Heather, a woman who has shot two seemingly innocent people and then turned the gun on herself. herself. Heather has survived and is now in a coma. It turns out that the woman who shot the two people is the former best friend of Jessica and her boss wants an exclusive. Jess and Heather lost touch 20 years ago when the Heather’s sister Flora went missing. There are several different storylines running through this book. We go from past to present to find out what really happened.

I really enjoyed this book. I really enjoyed the character of Jess and I also had great empathy for the character of Margot who is the Mother of Heather. There are lots of twists and turns in this story and I didn’t guess some of the twists. At 420 pages long it is a longish book but I was never once bored reading it. It is a fantastic read and I would highly recommend it.

The past has a way of catching up with you and in Claire Douglas new book it does exactly that. The characters in the book are interesting and I become fond of a few but not so with everyone. Some I wanted to get killed off as they were so nasty!! Well written and a clever plot which keeps readers attention throughout.
An intriguing read with a great twist at the end.

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!!