Its the 1990s and four 18 year old girls are involved  in a  car accident on the way home after a night out. When the driver, Olivia, wakes up she is injured and trapped in the car, alone... her friends have disappeared!

The girls are from a  small town which is a tourist attraction, famous for its historic ancient stones. With the girls' disappearance baffling the police, rumours  are that mysterious forces may be at  hand. Could they have been taken as part of a sacred ritual?  Are the lights Olivia saw when she awoke something to do with aliens?

20 years later journalist Jenna visits the town to record a podcast about the story and meets Olivia, the  girls' families and some of their friends. However, as she interviews them she begins to think that some of the locals are hiding things...

The book also has a sub story about another group of teenageers on holiday in Thailand, which seems unrelated at first, but as the story unfolds it all becomes clear!

This is both a  thriller and a whodunnit and I was hooked from the start! I really enjoyed this book!

A good physiological thriller. How can three girls completely disappear. Many years later a journalist goes to investigate. A closed town, menacing messages and a survivor who won't talk. A great adventure finding out the backstory and the conclusion.

On the face of it, this was a promising story about a journalist revisiting a 20-year old mystery and encountering reluctant and unreliable witnesses who claim to want to move on. In the end, however, the fairly predictable outcome, characters that were difficult to empathise with and the distracting local legends about the supernatural made the mix a little bit too rich and made it feel plodding and heavy going.

With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an opportunity to read and review.

SPOILERS

I do like these kinds of 'mystery missing persons' books with a dual timeline. This wasn't one of the best but still quite an enjoyable read.
I didn't get how the passages from the past fitted in to the modern setting until quite late in the book so enjoyed that discovery, but felt Olivia to be quite a plodding, boring character who I had little interest in being helped, she felt just too pathetic. I liked the more dynamic Jenna and was keen for her to uncover the story, but there were quite a few red herrings, such as the supernatural references which didn't go anywhere and the 'man in the woods'.
I also felt the ending to be rather downbeat because (SPOILERS!) the missing girls everyone was searching for and hoping would be found, were dead from the day they disappeared! So that all felt a little pointless, but still a distracting, engaging book.

This was a great read that started with a full impact bang describing the crash and the 3 girls all missing. I was totally hooked as to what could have happened and even more why take them and stay quiet about it. The story is told from 3 viewpoints, Olivia, Jenna and the aspects of seemingly unrelated long ago vacation in Thailand. At the start I could not figure out what Thailand parts were really giving to the story but this became clear towards the end. What a lovely idea to bring a journalist with plans to make her name and do a podcast on the anniversary of the disappearance.
Although it started with a real bang there were parts in the story that felt a little flat but in no way did it detract from my urge to keep on reading. The scenes were so well described that I could almost think that I was in the Devils Highway myself and as for the creepy woody cabin area I certainly would not have stayed there and even though Jenna felt uneasy she managed to stay brave throughout.
I highly recommend this book and indeed all Claire Douglas’s books as she is a great author and writes easy to read stories full of impact.

An exciting premise at the start but one you felt would have an inevitable outcome given the number of victims from one incident. The journalist angle was good, the natural hostility by the community towards anyone sensationalising their tragedy but by the end I felt the twists were just a bit too far fetched and the complete lack of empathy towards the families who never knew the fate of their lost children (by someone who knew what had happened) stretched reality a bit too far. I read to the end but it wasn't a stand out thriller for me.

Olivia is driving her three friends home from a night out in 1998 when she crashes the car whilst driving along Devil's Corridor. When she regains conscious her three friends are missing. Fast forward twenty years and a BBC Podcaster tries to investigate and unravel the mystery of their disappearance.
This book instantly hooked me in, and in its clever writing it creates a creepy atmospheric setting. The only misgiving I have is that sometimes the pace us a little slow. However I would still definitely recommend this book and the author.
Thanks to netgalley for this read.

In Autumn 1998 Olivia Rutherford is driving back from a night out with her three friends, Sally, Tamzin and Katie. The rain is lashing down and she crashes the car when swerving to avoid something in the middle of the road. Olivia is out cold and when she comes round she is pinned in the car, her legs trapped and her friends are nowhere to be seen. Some twenty years later, Jenna Halliday is to be presenting a podcast on the case.

The Girls Who Disappeared is highly intriguing and eerie. The brilliantly crafted atmospheric setting is deeply chilling which is one of the novel's highlights. Another of my favourite aspects is the emotive, complex characters. This one is a hit for me!

This review was written voluntarily and my rating was in no way influenced by the fact that I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel from Michael Joseph via NetGalley.

It's a well plotted, gripping, and twisty story that kept me hooked on the edge.
There's an eery atmosphere, a sense of supernatural and a pinch of folk horror. I thoroughly enjoyed the solid plot, the well thought characters, and the solution that surprised me.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Loved the intrigue with this one. I suspected everyone and loved the twists as we got to understand more of the characters and how they linked to the stories. Such clever writing and so descriptive- the detailing of the cabins in the woods added such an atmospheric feeling.

The Girls Who Disappeared was a book I was looking forward to reading as I am a fan of anything written by Claire Douglas. This book didn’t disappoint.
In 1998 Olivia Rutherford is driving back from a night out with her three friends, a figure appears in the road and she swerves to avoid it but crashes the car, she is knocked unconscious and has bad injuries to her legs but when she comes round her friends are gone, she believes they have gone for help but it soon becomes clear they have disappeared without trace. It’s approaching the twenty year anniversary when we meet up with Olivia, she still struggles with her leg but manages to help her mum with the riding stables they own, BBC reporter Jenna has arrived to get interviews off everyone to form a podcast and try and find out new evidence but it soon becomes clear she’s not wanted and strange and slightly scary things start to happen to her.
This was a great thriller with an eerie side to it, I liked how the book was split between Olivia’s and Jenna’s chapters and then dotted throughout chapters from a time way back in Thailand that has you wondering who and what do these people have to do with this investigation. I didn’t guess who did what so that was a big plus and thought it all came together well leaving no unanswered questions.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first Claire Douglas novel and I really enjoyed it. More so at the beginning than the end as I felt the end almost became unbelievable and about 70% of the way in, it became clear who was who and what had happened. That said, the characters of Jenna, Olivia and Dale were strong enough to carry the story and intrigue as it all unfolded. For me, the Thailand sections initially seemed disjointed and thrown in however it does become more clear later on. Overall, worth the read and whilst I was not as hooked by the end as the beginning it was enjoyable throughout.

Thank you Netgalley, Penguin publishers and the author for this ARC in return for an honest review.

The Girls Who Disappeared is a fab book i simply had to whizz through to discover what the truth was. If you enjoy suspenseful, twisty mystery thrillers, this book is a must read. Perfect to immersive yourself in either on a beach holiday while lazing on a sun lounger, or curled up in a comfy armchair at home.

I received an advance copy of this book from Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House, Penguin through Netgalley, however this did not influence my unbiased honest review of the book.

Really enjoyed this, a fast-paced page-turner which keeps you guessing and delivers some clever twists. Jenna is a journalist making a true crime podcast, she visists a small rural town 20 years after a car crash in which only one of four young women survived. Olivia was driving her friends home after a night out, she still lives in the small community but seems to know more about that night than she is letting on. Jenna digs deeper, the more she discovers the more danger she seems to be in. There is a dual timeline with a trip to Thailand and the two stories eventually come together. I also enjoyed The Couple at No. 9 by the same author, interesting characters and good plotting. Recommend!

A crazy and mind bending read which has an aura of supernatural with an eerie setting sculpted by impeccable story telling. All the ingredients for a terrific psychological thriller are present and make it impossible to put down as you want to understand what went on, Nothing is what it seems but this book is very clearly a massive need to read!

This book started off very well, very exciting but, unfortunately it slowed right down and dragged along. I was glad to reach the final page as it bored me. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

This was just OK for me, it started out with a great premise but then became very unbelieveable for me, I couldn't really wait for it to be over. I would class this an OK beach read but not something I would really rate highly. It was fast paced though and interesting start just more I read it let me down.

3.5

The Girls Who Disappeared is full of questions...where did the girls go? Who can be trusted? And what happened in Thailand? I spent part of the story utterly confused by some elements but knowing if I could piece them together I would likely solve the mystery.

The atmosphere of the town & the woods put me on edge but parts were a little slow while the story unfolded, but I was hooked enough to want to know what had happened 20 years ago. I won't give away the ending but it does answer all the questions & wrap everything up nicely. However, I was very frustrated with one of the characters & found their behaviour really difficult to comprehend which did leave me a little flat. I liked Jenna and suspected almost everyone else at intervals throughout the story 🤣

The mystery of a crash involving four girls but only one survivor is found. When the case is reopened the locals aren't happy. Someone wants the truth buried. Difficult at times to keep up with what is happening but very intriguing.

A historic car crash, 3 out of 4 girls disappear, never to be found. What happened? Why is a journalist now being discouraged from asking questions? Are rumours of hauntings to be believed?

This is a story with many twists, turns, ups and downs. The pace is generally good and, once you get into the book, the characterisation (at least of the main characters) is strong. Atmospherically the book shines.

I'm not, however, entirely sure what to make of this domestic noir. For the most part, whilst reading, I enjoyed the book immensely, but it's not without its faults. I struggled a little, at first with the fact that there were two tales afoot. Many authors now intertwine their stories (as also in visual media) and so this is not new, but I struggled a little with the apparent abruptness of the changes. I think this contributed to my not getting a grip on the characters until much further into the book that I would have liked.

Towards the end I struggled again with the suspension of belief that was required in order to progress the tale. What this means is that, one read book later, I struggle to recall exactly what happened, which perhaps is indicative of my mixed feelings.

I think I may have preferred the book, and it might have been more impactful, without the epilogue. Leave hanging that which is not fully resolved?

This is certainly worth a read if you are a fan of mysteries, domestic noir, and modern crime that is not procedural. It's a good read but may not linger.

With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.