I read this book over the space of two afternoons, I was compelled by the characters and the plot line with all its twist and turns was very engaging.

Starting the first chapter this book is one of those you can not put down any more until you are finished. Well written, good storytelling with many twists and turns.
Up until the end the story is open and keeps you guessing.

I wanted to enjoy this book but it didn't quite grab me or act like the page-turner that most reviewers seem to suggest that it was for them.
It's a bit of a slow burning family drama for the most part and didn't really give me any sense of suspense as a lot of the revelations are made after the fact.
I've got another Claire Douglas book on my reading list and will give it a go for sure but this one wasn't quite for me.

As ever, thanks for the preview copy.

Another addictive read from Claire Douglas, a twisty tale that involves you right from the start.
The mystery element is perfectly done, leading the reader down various intriguing paths before the final truth is revealed. It is at once an absorbing story and a tense psychological thriller, written with wonderful descriptive sense of people and place.
Very good indeed. Recommended.
4/5 on goodreads

My expectations for a Claire Douglas novel are high and always will be. I'm a massive fan and I can safetly say this book does not disappoint.

What a gripping thriller. Not at all what you expect and instead is about family, love, and community.

Margot is my favourite character within the book. A mother with so much love.

You will be hooked from the very first page which is what Claire Douglas always manages.

The writing is seamless and the tension build is fantastic. Highly recommend.

Great read. Claire Douglas creates believable characters and a fast moving plot. The story gallops to a great ending. Worth aread

Another very readable book from the pen of Claire Douglas. This is the third book I've read now by Ms Douglas and I'm really enjoying her style.

The story tells of two best friends who were close in their during secondary school years in a small coastal town. That is until Heather's sister, Flora, disappeared and then their friendship just fell apart. Jess comes back to town as a journalist some 18 years later. She is tasked with working on a story that involves her old friend in a crime. What follows is a slow unravelling of events that took place all those years ago and how the two now women reacquaint themselves.

Secrets long hidden become uncovered as the truth starts to unfold. It's an absorbing story that kept me pretty gripped. Kudos to Ms Douglas for that!

If you haven't read anything by this author before then I suggest you rectify that and give this one a go. Hopefully you won't be disappointed!!

Recommended. Many thanks to those for my review copy.

I am very much a fan of this author and once again she did not disappoint. I found myself just turning each page being absorbed into the story and finding the twist and turns in the story to grip me at every moment

I highly recommend this book to any avid thriller lover this was one of those books I could not put down ina long time ......

I could not put this book down! So many twists and turns, just when you thought you had it all figured out boom there was another curveball thrown in.

Absolutely brilliant, will definitely look for more books from this author

I've read all clare books but this one I flow through, its a page turner. Flora, Heather, magot really enjoyed the story line

Jess was a promising journalist in London but a mistake forced her out. Now shes in Bristol working for a weekly newspaper covering local events. But then in a small local town there is a shocking crime. An elderly woman and her middle aged son are shot for no discernible reason on their own doorstep. The shooter is believed to be a local mother who is found unconscious with her own bullet wound. When Jess sees the name of the woman she cant believe it. Heather was her best friend as a teenager but they grew apart after Heather's sister Flora went missing. She finds it hard to reconcile The Cure loving gentle friend she had with a cold blooded murderer. As she heads home to cover the story she wonders how this could possibly happen and if she can remain unbiased and attached enough to get the story.

This is a well written and compelling mystery, just a good as you would expect from the excellent Claire Douglas. The reveal really twisted my gut, it was actually a little heartbreaking. I was expecting the prologue to be fair but it didn't detract from an excellent read

A really good story about what at first seems to be a random double murder of a man and his mother, the shooter then turns the gun on herself . The story flicks between the present and the 90's . In the 90's a young girl goes missing and no body was ever recovered.
All is not as it seems as a journalist Jess starts to piece together what really happened that led to a seemingly normal mother and housewife to kill two unsuspecting people.
Lots of twists that keeps the reader guessing throughout.

I loved this book, Claire Douglas has again created a book which I couldnt put down. I can;t wait to see what she comes out with next

Given all the praise for this book, I was thoroughly underwhelmed reading it.

No twists, no real suspense. It was pretty clear to me why Heather shot those two people and the supposed to be "shocking" last chapter was no shock, nor a surprise.

Heather and Jess were more like sisters than friends, with Jess feeling more at home with Heather's family than her own. Then in 1994, all that changes as Heather's sister Flora vanishes…

We then fast forward to twenty-five years later and despite there being a saying that lightning doesn't strikes twice, it does. The sleepy seaside town is once again shaken awake and rocked when tragedy hits for that second time as Heather tries to take her own life after taking the lives of two other people in cold blood. The quiet community where it all takes place are left shell shocked and can’t make sense of it all.

Jess, now a reporter had moved away to get on with her life, but she is sent back to her hometown to report on the case. How will it be for Jess, can she bring herself to find out what happened to Heather to make her do such a thing? Does she know what happened to Flora? Can she find the answer to both questions or does she want too?

Absolutely loved reading this, definitely not how I thought the story would pan out, but it has plot twists and turns, it moves at a fairly quick pace to keep you on the edge of your seat!

Wow the ending, what a whopper!
Didn’t see that coming, nor will you, a fast paced thriller with everything you’d want from a good book, greedily devoured it in one sitting and refused to sleep until it was over, but then found myself still thinking about the book anyway!

New author for me and one to look out for, outstanding novel.

Already a fan of Claire Douglas after reading 'The Text' and 'Last Seen Alive', both of which I'd highly recommend, I was looking forward to this latest thriller.

'Then She Vanishes' tells the tale of two inseparable friends Heather and Jess , who grew up in a small seaside town. When Heather's sister Flora goes missing, never to be found, their relationship changes.

18 years on and Jess is now a reporter who is assigned the task of covering the news story of a murder committed back in her home town, apparently committed by her former best friend. Will she be able to discover the truth and what implications will there be for Heather?

This is a gripping tale. Douglas draws the reader in from the first chapter and manages to maintain the suspense throughout. While elements of the plot become deducible as the narrative unfolds, the ending still comes as something of a shock and this is where the author really demonstrates her writing talent as a series of twists and turns keeps the reader guessing until the end. Highly recommended!

Jess and Heather used to be best friends, until Heather’s sister disappeared and Jess started to pull away from her. Years later, Heather is the prime suspect in a brutal double murder, but no one can understand why she did it. With Heather in a coma having attempted to kill herself, Jess – now a reporter – returns to her childhood town to get the inside scoop on Heather and the inexplicable shootings.

I didn’t love this story as much as I loved some of Claire Douglas’ other books. Then She Vanishes is well-written throughout, but it’s a bit predictable and I didn’t like the characters, particularly Jess. I think it’s important that the main character in this genre of book be likeable, and I simply couldn’t get on board with Jess. I found her quite self-involved, and her personality didn’t seem to match up with the outwardly playful character that the author was trying to make her, based on her fashion choices.

Then She Vanishes was a thrilling and easy read, but it isn’t anything special. The predictability was a shame, and there was just something about this book that makes it very easy to forget.

That being said, the opening chapter is truly excellent. It’s a shame the rest of the book couldn’t match up.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed Then She Vanishes by Claire Douglas. As with the author’s previous books, this was tense and fast paced, keeping the reader engaged and keen to continue. There were several themes within the story notably family loyalty, friendships, domestic abuse and sexual abuse. The final twist caught me out as I didn’t see it coming.

I loved this book so much it kept hooked and on the edge of my seat through out the entire book 5 star read