✨The most intriguing part of the book was the the Thailand storyline. Trying to work out if it was past or present and who the characters were in relation to the main storyline kept me interested in the book.

✨Whilst the characters were developed well, I didn’t particularly care much for any of the characters except Olivia. You can’t help but want it to work out for her.

✨For me the outcome of the story was a little too much. So much came out and it felt like bits could have been made better if other parts had been left out. Whilst it felt a little much, it also felt a little flat. Like everything was just explained and it ended.

✨I will say that the author did set the scenes incredibly well. They were very descriptive and easy to visualise creating a creepy atmosphere whilst reading.

✨Overall, this book was average for me. The first 3/4 I found dreary and sluggish. It felt like we weren’t really getting anywhere. The last 1/4 did have me hooked and wanting to know how everything was linked.

Definitely one for all you psychological thriller fans out there 😎 I was a big fan of The Couple at No 9 so had high hopes for this one. It didn’t disappoint.

This story was cleverly plotted, lots of suspense, mystery and had an interesting storyline, which involved different timelines and character perspectives. The setting of Stafferbury, a small rural town felt really eerie and creepy. Some of the locals think there were supernatural things going on in the town. Is this Hawkins?!!! 😂 (Stranger Things reference) All the characters felt like they had something to hide and most did 😅 I lost track of all the secrets and lies. Some characters I warmed to (Jenna the journalist and podcaster) and some I did not (Wesley the walking red flag 😡) There are loads of twists and turns that I didn’t see coming and even one right at the very end which was a shocker 😯 I loved how all the storylines started to merge and fall into place. There were many OMG moments. I didn’t want to put this down and it had me hooked right until the last page. This was really entertaining and compelling mystery.

Firstly, I have to say that overall this is an enjoyable read.
The dual timeline plus the added mystery of the Thailand story (which seems random…. But of course is not!) is great, there is a good pace and mysterious underlining from the frost page.
However, though this book has a really strong synopsis and a promising beginning, it unfortunately fell short in the long run. Just over half way the book began to lose all its suspense and the vigour and pace from the beginning tails off.
Saying this, it had huge promise and after learning this book had a real cutthroat edit I wonder if a better job could have been done with that?! Again, the book was good overall and I would definitely try another book by Claire Douglas with The Couple at No.9 on my list already!

Twenty years ago Olivia is driving her three friends home from a night out. It is raining heavily when Olivia swerves to miss someone in the road.
When she comes round her three friends have gone and are never seen again.
Journalist Jenna Halliday has arrived in Shafferbury for the twentieth anniversary and to do a podcast on the disappearance.

Olivia has never spoken about the accident - will she now?
Who in the town is hiding the truth and how many people are involved.?

The Girls Who Disappeared is the latest novel form Claire Douglas. Three missing girls, a twenty year mystery and a woman who may be able to crack this cold case. This book is gripping, tense and twisty and will have you hooked. Thank you to NetGalley, Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House and the author for the chance to review.

Claire Douglas' latest book is a murder mystery with an ambiguously supernatural edge. It's set in the fictional town of Stafferbury, in a heavily forested part of Wiltshire, with its own set of standing stones. Twenty years before, three teenage girls disappeared from the wreckage of a serious car accident, never heard of again. Only the driver, Olivia, was found, trapped. Stafferbury is known as a place where spooky and unexplained things happen and many people think this was one of them. But Jenna, a journalist, is not so sure there is a supernatural explanation. She arrives to make a podcast about the events surrounding the mystery, as the anniversary approaches. As she starts to find new evidence that might uncover the truth, it becomes clear someone is determined to stop her.

The story is told from the perspectives of Olivia and Jenna, with occasional interludes relaying an unhappy holiday in Thailand taken by a group of friends, from the perspective a young woman called Stace. It is not clear how these episodes fit in with the main story until near the end. Douglas does a reasonable job of creating a menacing and unsettling atmosphere, particularly early on in the novel. The characters of Jenna and Olivia are both reasonably sympathetic, and I found the Thailand chapters intriguing particularly as I was constantly looking for clues as to how they related to the central mystery.

The plot isn't too obvious, although the solution doesn't bear too close scrutiny for plausibility. However that was always likely to be the case - for such a bizarre occurrence the explanation was never going to be watertight. It's reasonably compelling, and I didn't really work out the ending until I got to it.

Despite that, my overall impression is lukewarm. The writing style is fine but nothing unusual or special. It's perfectly readable and never overdone, but I can't rave about it. The thing that really irritated me was the way every female character's life seemed to revolve around a romantic partner. That made sense for the character who was obviously in an oppressive, manipulative relationship - which incidentally, was well written. It isn't healthy for every thought and decision to come back to your lover - it's probably a sign that they are controlling you to some degree. But there was no contrast as it seemed all three female characters spent 90% of their time thinking about their boyfriends. And these are mature women, not teenagers.

Maybe my friends and I are somehow abnormal but we do manage to go about our lives without every encounter needing to be a potential new romance and sometimes hold whole conversations that aren't about a man! Imagine. Why is it that some authors feel that they can't write a story about a woman (and it is nearly always women) without her having some form or romantic involvement with another character or undergoing some form of romantic crisis, or both? Real life isn't like that, and I don't know why people would want to read about a fantasy where it was either. Lots of interesting things can and do happen to women that are worth writing about, without needing to mention their relationship status at all.

I would consider reading another book by Douglas if the premise sounded interesting, but I fear it would be more of the same in terms of every character being a slave to whatever relationship they were in/not in/wishing they were in, rather than focussed on things that are more interesting to read about.

Olivia is driving her three friends’ home from a night out when her Peugeot crashes. When she comes around her legs are trapped in the car. Olivia is also alone; her three friends have vanished.

Twenty years later Journalist Jenna is interested in the unsolved case and comes to stay in the village of Stafferbury. Jenna is investigating the case for her new podcast. She finds very few people willing to be interviewed by her, including the friends and family of the missing girls, and particularly Olivia who refuses to speak to her. Olivia has in fact spoken very little to anyone about the incident since it happened.

Part way through the book a second plot is introduced. A group of friends travel to Thailand for a once in a lifetime holiday. The friends are wary at meeting their host at his villa and soon we discover they we right to be suspicious.

Meanwhile Jenna continues to research the case and begins working with a local policeman Dan, who is renowned for successfully solving cold cases. As the pair continue their investigation, residents of the village start to get upset and some of the hate is aimed at Jenna to frighten her into dropping her investigation. Jenna ignores the warnings and is determined to get enough evidence to fuel her podcast, but will she survive long enough to complete her mission?

When I started reading the second plot, I was a little confused as to why this was dropped in between the pages of the first. However, as you work your way towards the end of the book all becomes clear. It is a really clever way of writing and keeping the reader guessing.

This really is an edge of your seat thriller which is so well written and keeps you guessing until the very end. The twists are clever and certainly what you come to expect from a Claire Douglas book. Another great book from this author.

"Something really odd is going on around here. I don't believe it's mystical or supernatural, whatever some of the locals think. But I do believe it's calculated and linked to the events surrounding Olivia's three missing friends."

Present day and Manchester journalist Jenna Halliday, making a podcast for the BBC, is visiting the small Wiltshire town of Stafferbury, to investigate the disappearance of three teenage girls, twenty years ago. Recently separated from husband Gavin, she's left their ten year old son, Finn, with him and her mother. She's staying in a cabin in the forest and soon befriends the local police detective, Dale who's been assigned the cold case. A new death springs the case wide open.

Olivia Rutherford lives and works with her mother at the family stables; she doesn't know her father, he's never been in her life. The only survivor of a car accident on 'The Devil's Corridor', a lonely road that splits a supposedly haunted forest and runs near to the historic standing stones, it's an area many locals believe is cursed by mystical and supernatural incidents. The car accident saw her three friends, Sally, Tamzin and Hetty, disappear, leaving Olivia the only survivor, which damaged her physically and mentally. Vulnerable, she is over-reliant on manipulative childhood sweetheart, Wes.

Stacey, boyfriend JeanPaul and their friends are on the holiday of a lifetime in a luxurious villa in Bangkok. They're staying with JP's mysteriously wealthy friend, Derrek, who he seems to be beholden too.

Switching between present day (Jenna and Olivia) twenty years ago (Olivia) and an unspecified other time period (Stacey) has women at the centre of this mysterious tale. It's one of those novels that pulls you in, wanting to unravel the mystery with likeable Jenna. As the reader gets to know Olivia and her circumstances, it's good to see her and Jenna team up. The rural and supposedly mystic setting, with plenty of local characters is atmospheric and the pacey plot with cliff hangers shocks makes for a page-turner. As with the author's previous, The Couple at No9, this is a tense and creepy mystery, making for a great read.

The way Claire writes really had me thinking I was right therw in the story with everyone. It has a creepy atmosphere, that kept me on the edge of my seat a few times.

It is full of twists and turns and it had me guessing pretty much all the way until the end. It was a great page turner and I flew through it in a couple of days.

There are duel timelines going on and when you see why - OMG 🤯

Publication date is September 15 - for all my fellow thriller lovers out there you will want to add this your to tbr pile!

Thank you to netgalley for the ARC for a honest review 💖

I found The Girl Who Disappeared to be a really compelling read.

It felt less like a thriller and more like a mystery which I actually prefer.

There was the main story that focused on the current events, but there was also a parallel story set in Thailand with seemingly unrelated characters. I was intrigued to find out how the two stories were connected.

I honestly didn’t know where the story was going. I did predict one of the twists related to the side story but I honestly couldn’t figure out what happened to the girls 20 years ago. I loved how the two stories combined at the end, and all loose ends were tied up.

The author created realistic characters and the atmosphere in and around the cabin was really unsettling. The tension at the story’s climax was palpable and I found the ending to be a satisfying one.

You can read my full review at https://mmbbookblog.com/the-girls-who-disappeared-by-claire-douglas-review/

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

This was my first book by Claire Douglas although I have previously heard lots of praise for her writing and I can see why.
This thriller was engaging and excellently written which made for an fast paced easy read which I loved. There was great character and plot building throughout with excellent plot twists and a fantastic thriller storyline. Really enjoyed this book.

I am a huge fan of this author. Her book 'The Sisters' is one of my all time favourites and really got me into reading thrillers.
I enjoyed this book.
Its your typical twist filled story that keeps you guessing throughout.
However, like many of her latest books, this one fell just a little flat. It's hard to put my finger on exactly why.
Her first novels were so original and I really had no idea what was going to happen next. But his book and a few of her others it feels a little 'been there, read that'.
Don't get me wrong, it's still a great read and I highly anticipate what Clare Douglas will write next.

A gripping read which flows beautifully. As the story progresses you are shown flashbacks to a time twenty years or so earlier but it is not until near the end that you start to put two and two together although sometimes I came up with five. The characters are well written especially the flawed ones. The way the story finishes is such twist I had to read it twice to make sure I had read it correctly
A great read spooky in parts but well written.

Claire Douglas has a real gift of drawing the reader straight into the plot on page one with plenty of gripping twists and turns and plot on every page to the end. The Girls Who Disappeared is no exception and is yet another fabulous read from one of my favourite authors.

It all beings in 1998 when Olivia is driving three girlfriends home from a night out in the small town of Stafferbury in Wiltshire. The weather turns rainy and windy and she’s on a dead straight road through the forest which is known as The Devil’s Corridor and leads to some famous standing stones. Olivia sees someone stood in the middle of the road and swerves. Olivia is badly injured in the resultant accident and isn’t able to tell the police until almost a day later that her three girlfriends were in the car with her. Everyone is amazed as she was found badly injured and trapped in the car alone and the three friends had disappeared and haven't been seen since.

It is now 20 years since the accident and disappearance of the three girls and Jenna, a journalist, has been sent to Stafferbury to make a podcast about the mystery. Almost immediately, Jenna is unnerved about some incidents and learns that there is a lot of intrigue and tales of supernatural happenings in and around Stafferbury which may or may not explain the disappearance of the three girls.

In another story strand we learn of a group of friends having a luxury holiday in Thailand which starts to go pear shaped as their apparent generous host puts pressure on them all to take part in some very shady business. There is a clearly a link between these holiday makers and the mystery in Stafferbury but Claire Douglas does a great job of keeper the reader gripped until all becomes clear towards the end of the book. I highly recommend this book and author if you like psychological thrillers. with a well structured and gripping plot.

With thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


Great mystery. Original and gripping. Kept me riveted to the last page.

Thanks to the author, publisher and netgalley for this advance digital copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

One rainy night, twenty years ago, Olivia was driving her friends home from a night out when a figure on the road caused her to crash. When she woke, her friends had vanished, never to be seen again... Now journalist Jenna visits the community to try to solve the mystery all these years later. What she might uncover could be shocking and dangerous...

A brilliant thriller that keeps you turning the pages until the shocking ending. I liked how we get the chapters from the past as well, and how it all links together in the end. The story was really clever, and the characters all interesting. Loved it!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book in return for my honest feedback.

Wow, a fantastic read that is full of twists and turns, jam-packed with atmosphere and tension until the very last page.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book for many reasons, one of which being that the writing style was easy to read, flowed easily and developed many characters -some of whom you just didn’t know what to think of or trust until the end! I enjoyed the classic take on ‘rainy weather, mysterious figures and dark nights in a cabin in the woods’, although this storyline was far from predictable and typical.

The perfect book to cosy up with, cup of tea in hand, and (literally or metaphorically) rain lashing the windows as you are pulled into a tale about the Devil’s Corridor and the mysterious story of three missing girls…

Many thanks to NetGalley, Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House and Claire Douglas for my ARC of The Girls Who Disappeared in return for an honest review.

I am a huge fan of Claire Douglas and this was another page turner from start to finish.
Twenty years ago, a car with four women returning from a night out crashed and three of them disappeared whilst the other, Olivia, who survived but had severe injuries to her leg. A journalist, Jenna, arrives on the anniversary working on a podcast to see if anybody remembers anything that could help explain the mystery.
Jenna is greeted with suspicion and contempt by those in Stafferbury and she struggles to get any help. Everybody seems to have secrets to hide about the accident and the three women who disappeared.

A real page turner and highly recommended.

Twenty years ago, a car with four young women in it crashed on the way home from a night out. When the driver recovered consciousness, three of the four women had vanished, never to be seen again. Now, a journalist working on a podcast has come to town, determined to investigate the case and, with luck, find out exactly what happened to the girls who disappeared. But in this town everyone has something to hide.

The story is told in dual timelines, and of course it is obvious that there is going to be a link between the two, although it wasn't obvious what it was until nearer the end. There are a lot of interconnected characters, and it was quite hard at times to keep track of who was who. I was surprised that more of the secrets hadn't come out sooner, since this was a small town where everyone knows everyone else, it did seem fairly unlikely. I quite enjoyed reading the book, although I found it quite far-fetched in just how many characters either were, or were meant to seem, a bit shady.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

A well deserved Sunday Times best seller, a solid psychological thriller with an unexpected ending. It will keep you guessing until the end and with so many of this type of domestic psychological thriller in circulation it is an achievement to still be able to find another twist. In fact the end is so believable that it is hard to imagine not being able to guess by chapter 2, which is why Claire Douglas is so very good at this!
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC