This was a truly exciting and entertaining story with identical twins, a Netflix series, an ongoing investigation, a dash of romance and the best pack of motley dogs ever! Stella, always searching and grieving her missing sister is telling us the narrative in the present day, with flashbacks while the Netflix transcripts interspersed throughout were spot on in terms of style, content and delivery. Stella, a no nonsense forty-something dog trainer (who often views humans in dog terms - perfect analysis, by the way) spends her days and nights thinking and reliving the circumstances of the evening her twin disappeared and has resolved to find her, one way or another. Details emerge at this latest anniversary and we are there to witness them, good bad and ugly. Beautifully written characters and you feel as if you are right there, waiting, just as is Stella for the killer to be revealed. I even thought it might have been her at one point and never guessed who it was.

This one started a little slow for me, but once I got into it, I couldn't put it down. The Girl in the Missing Poster is filled with suspicious characters and red herrings, which kept me hooked until the very end. I especially loved how the author used the documentary and other devices to explain what happened the night Leila disappeared, rather than leaning on the often-used method of flashbacks.

My only complaint is there were a few inconsistencies that ultimately didn't match up. While I'm sure these were unintentional, they took away from how methodically the rest of the book was thought out.

How exciting to have a new book by this author, as I’ve loved the previous books she has written. Based on the disappearance of Stella Hawkins’ twin sister, Leila in 1994, the synopsis of the book seemed intriguing, and I have to admit I loved the title and cover!! Told from Stella’s perspective, this was one twisty and thrilling story! I liked Stella, and empathised with her in wanting to find out what happened to her twin sister, Leila all those years before. Stella has built up her life as a dog behaviourist and appears to have a strong personality on the outside, but the years of not knowing what happened have obviously dented her character. The opportunity of working with a production team in making a documentary about Leila’s disappearance is one way of hopefully jogging people’s memories and find out if Leila is alive or dead.

The storyline was an unusual one, and interspersed between the chapters were the transcripts of the interviews done for the documentary. These transcripts filled in the background history for Leila and Stella, leaving the main story concentrating on what was happening in Stella’s present day. I loved her relationship with interviewer, Euan and really hoped that he was the one for Stella. I didn’t however liked Keshini, the researcher who was determined to not let that happen! There were a host of other characters to help add further weight to the storyline, with my favourite being Stella’s old friend, Mary. I also liked DCI Dave Burns, who was the original investigating officer, and had kept in touch with Stella over the years. The new team looking at the case didn’t seem as friendly as Burns, but were certainly more super-efficient in working out what happened to Leila.

This was a gripping thriller, which not only gave us a disappearance to solve, but had lots of emotions running through the storyline also. There were plenty of twists, turns and red herrings, and these were all wrapped up with an ending I just didn’t see coming!! My radar for the ‘baddie’ in this book was completely off, and I was happy to be proved wrong for the extra suspense it provided!! It’s been a true delight to see this author back on my To Be Read list, and I can’t wait for future books by her!!

#TheGirlInTheMissingPoster #NetGalley
I was glued to my kindle.
Nineteen-year-old Leila Hawkins was last seen on 24 June, 1994, when she left her parents’ anniversary party early and ran into the stormy night wearing her twin sister Stella’s long red coat. She was never seen again.I wrap my arms around the tree trunk, pressing my cheek against it until the bark digs in and the missing poster is finally secured. I try not to look at the photograph on it. At the features so similar to mine. Perhaps this will be the year someone comes forward.Were crucial mistakes made by detectives from the very beginning?Could the pressure of living two lives have led my sister to run away – or even end it?
Or did someone in her tight circle of friends and family have reason to want her gone?
Someone out there must know something.
But the last thing I ever expect is a direct response from the person who took Leila. Wracked with guilt and completely alone in the world without the other half of me, I have no choice but to agree to his strange request: private, intimate details of my life in return for answers.As the final moments of my sister’s life play out before me, I feel closer to her than I ever dreamed I’d be again. So close, it could almost be happening to me. But when I finally realise who is behind this terrifying tragedy, will I make it out alive?
Barbara doesn't fail to impress her readers. I loved this book.
I'm doing more promotion on the release date among my fellow Authors Bloggers Family Friends and followers. I hope they will love it too.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me an advanced copy of this psychological thriller.

This is a great psychological thriller that really kept me on the edge of my seat until the last page. The characterization was great and they were very many twist and turns that left me spellbound. I highly recommend this book