This is my first book by Rachel Abbott but it won't be my last. It has a wonderful setting, interesting characters and plenty of twists and turns that kept me hooked. I will definitely be looking up the previous books in this series and looking forward to more books by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for my ARC.

Nancy is travelling back to Trevyan, a pretty village on the coast of Cornwall and the place that she last saw her sister Lola eleven years earlier. She never thought she'd return to this place as it holds too many bad memories, including her sister's disappearance, but their great aunt Helen has died and has left her cottage to Nancy. Will she finally uncover the truth of what happened back then, or could the fact she's returned put herself in danger from those who don't want their secrets revealed?

Don't Look Away is the latest in the Stephanie King series and, having read and loved the first two books in this series, I was looking forward to starting this one. The prologue drew me straight in and I knew it was going to be a dark and compelling read. The story is told across two timelines from the perspectives of both Nancy and Stephanie and, in true Abbott style, she had me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. I love the well crafted characters that this author writes about, especially Nancy who I really took to my heart and cared about where this journey would take her, it was also great to get reacquainted with Stephanie and Gus again too. This is another intense tale, with some great twists, that can be read as a standalone, but is better read in order of series to understand the background of some of the characters.

I'd like to thank Headline and Netgalley for the approval, I will post my review on Amazon and Goodreads.

I am new to Rachel Abbott books but I am hooked!!!
This story starts with the discovery of a skeleton in a hidden cave by a young boy. The police start an investigation there to find out who this person is, meanwhile a young woman, Nancy, returns to her aunty's cottage after many years as she has inherited it. The last time she was there 11 years ago was with her now deceased dad and her missing younger sister Lola. While having a meal with a new friend, she sees a face from the past and it makes her unsettled. This starts off a chain of events that change everything for Nancy and Stephanie,the police officer she confides in.
A five star read for sure!!
I received this free arc book for an honest review.
#Netgalley, #headlinebooks, #rachelabbotwriter.

I enjoy reading his author's stories. This book was set in Cornwall with DS Stephanie King investigating some old bones in a cave and also an old missing girl cold case.
I enjoyed this story.

This is book three of a series but, and I'm going to shock you here, it would work well as a stand alone. Obviously you could read the first two before this one, and they are both good books so...
In this book we meet Nancy who has been left a cottage in Cornwall by her Aunt. It is a mixed blessing as it was the place she was visiting with her father and sister Lola when Lola went missing. Nancy has always hoped that Lola just ran away - a probability as the family life wasn't that great once their mum started to get sick. Nancy being her main carer. But she decides to go back... well, it'd be a very short book if she didn't...!
As with all this author's books - this, and her Tom Douglas series - this book sucked me in right from the off. With the discovery of the bones. And then the discovery that Nancy herself also made... Interest and intrigue were definitely ramped up. And remained high all the way through to the very shocking and satisfying end.
Ok so there were a few things that I guessed a tad early but that didn't mar my overall enjoyment, just made me feel a wee bit smug! The story was well plotted and that plot ably executed with twists and turns aplenty. Characters all played their parts very well indeed although I did get to know an awful lot about Nancy that I probably didn't need to know all of which did slow it down a tad.
But, all in all, a good solid read that I have no hesitation in recommending for fans of the genre. Roll on next time. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

This is a brilliant crime thriller.
Nancy is left a cottage in Cornwall in her great Aunt’s will but returning there brings back some painful memories.
When she was their last it was following her Mum’s death and it was the last time she saw her sister, Lola.
Whilst going through some things she finds her sister’s rucksack which has her personal things inside.
Nancy has always thought that Lola had run away but now questions this.
With Stephanie investigating the discovery of bones in a cave, Nancy calls to speak to her.
Together they agree that Lola’s disappearance needs to be re-looked at but someone is trying to make Nancy leave as she’s asking too many questions.
The bones are not those belonging to a female so Nancy is determined to find out what happened to her sister.
This is a great crime thriller with some great twists that will have you racing through the pages to see what happens next.
I’d highly recommend this series if you enjoy crime thrillers.
Thanks to Headline and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I’d like to thank Headline, Wildfire and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Don’t Look Away’ by Rachel Abbott in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Nancy’s sister Lola disappeared eleven years ago and despite searching for her Nancy had to believe that she either didn’t want to be found or she was dead. In Great-Aunt Helen’s Will she leaves Nancy her cottage which she moves into temporarily but strange unexplained occurrences are happening there. At the same time a skeleton is found in a cave below the cliffs and DS Stephanie King thinks it could be Lola’s but as it turns out to be a young male she gets permission to open the investigation into Lola’s disappearance once again.

‘Don’t Look Away’ is an involving thriller about Nancy and Lola’s family and their secrets and lies. It has a complex plot made more confusing that it needed to be by the timespan jumping haphazardly from eleven years ago to around the present time, so much so that at times I lost track of what was happening and when. The first half of the story was slow to get going and then, when I found myself losing interest, it started to become more exciting and from there onwards there were numerous twists and turns, drama, intrigue and suspense as the story progressed. It ends with a surprising and totally unexpected conclusion that could well lead on to the next in the series. I live in hope!

Wow!! Another brilliant novel from Rachel Abbott. I think I have read all her stories and they just blow me away every time. I couldn't put this one down. The writing and pace were fantastic and the story came to life. It was a great plot with clever twists. If I could award more than 5 stars I would. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me access to another amazing read.

Nancy's sister Lola disappeared many years ago whilst staying at their Aunts cottage in Cornwall.

Nancy had now inherited the property and is reluctant to return, she is going to prepare the cottage ready to sell it.

The cottage brings back some forgotten memories and someone doesn't want her remembering too much about the night her sister disappeared.

This is a great read and will keep you guessing until the end.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book from the beginning to the end . Great characters and lots of twists and turns . I would highly recommend this book , it’s my favourite book this year so far . Can’t wait to read more from this author . Definitely a five star read

I had not read any of the author's previous books, but having just finished 'Don't Look Away', I am hooked.
A real page turner with surprises along the way and a twist I didn't see coming.
Nancy has been left a cottage in Cornwall by a relative, where eleven years ago she spent a holiday with her father and sister Lola, following the death of their mother. Young and inexperienced, Nancy believes she has fallen in love with a local man and spends all her time with him. Towards the end of the holiday Lola suddenly disappears and can't be found.
Now back to clear out the cottage, she tries to discover what happened to her sister all those years ago and enlists the help of DS Stephanie King.
Tension builds throughout.
Excellent storytelling and absolutely gripping.
Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC.

My thanks to NetGalley and Headline Publishers for a copy of “Don’t Look Away “ for an honest review.

I hadn’t realised this was part of a series when I began reading , but this was not a problem at all , it just made me want to read the others next.
This was in the beautiful setting of Cornwall but the storyline was very dark, covering lots of topical issues .
I was hooked from the beginning and the suspense carried throughout the book.
I’ll definitely be recommending Rachel Abbott to others

⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Don’t Look Away - Rachel Abbott
PUBLICATION DATE - 3rd August 2023

I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC of Rachel’s latest outing for Stephanie King from NetGalley - and like the two novels which precede this one, it certainly didn’t disappoint.

The writing is pacy and vivid - and towards the end, (without giving too much away) an ever increasing sense of jeopardy brings the whole story to a fabulous climax!

Secrets, betrayals, families and bucket loads of tension….it’s Rachel at her finest!

First book I have read from this author. Great writing and premise. Amazing characters. Page turner. Plenty of suspense to keep me guessing..Definitely looking forward to the next offering. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it

I absolutely love a Rachel Abbot book, and I was very keen to read this third instalment of the Stephanie King series - and what a great read it is! The tale flows seamlessly from past to present and along the way we encounter some very dark and shocking revelations, with the sub-plot being both believable and utterly heart-breaking. As with all her books, Rachel gives us a host of well rounded, and well written characters - I found myself caring about Nancy and her fate. Rachel also creates an incredible sense of atmosphere and tension, the ending being a prime example of this skill.

All in all, a gripping read which I couldn’t put down - very highly recommended.

This was the perfect crime thriller to loose myself in on an evening. The pacing was perfect, keeping me hooked and the pages flying by. It is twisty, but also very character-focused and draws strength from its relationships.

Welcome back DS Stephanie King. Nice to see you again. I do love a Rachel Abbot book. Love how she manages to create a really compelling mystery, one with characters who I find myself completely invested in and that always seem to have me turning the pages at a great rate of knots. That was most definitely the case with Don't Look Away, the story of Nancy Holland, a young woman who inherits a cottage in Cornwall from her Aunt. The cottage holds bittersweet memories for Nancy, not least of all because it was the last place her sister was seen before she disappeared some eleven years earlier. What was behind Lola's disappearance, and will Nancy's return summon ghosts from their past? Well ... of course they will. Stoking up former conflict through her stories is one of Rachel Abbot's specialities and I can tell you that in this case, she does not miss a beat.

What really works well in these books is that way that he author combines two very different points of view. We have the first person account of Nancy which drew me into the story really quickly. Whilst Nancy is an overly cautious character, someone who would gladly run from her past rather than head towards it, I actually found there was something about her that caught my attention. I wanted to understand her and to understand what had happened to make her so reticent. Rachel Abbot is great at creating character and gets the balance just right here, avoiding alienating readers by making her too nervous, or too introverted. She is surprisingly compelling and I found I could sympathise with her position which kept me on her side and invested in her fate.

On the other side we have the main police investigation and this is where DS Stephanie King comes in. Whilst this is a series in which she links all the investigations, it is not necessarily a series about her as a character. We do get the personal side of her life, in particular her romantic links to DCI Angus 'Gus' Brodie, a side of her life which comes with added complications this time around, but we are kept slightly at arms length, her part of the story told in third person as opposed to Nancy's first person narrative. I like King as a character. She is tenacious and capable, and most definitely down to earth. She is subject to the same highs and lows, moments of doubt in herself and her relationship, as any other, but there is always that sense that, in the end, she will come good. Whilst she is a large part of the story, it's more as a facilitator of the police investigation as the driving force behind what happens.

There is a good deal of switching up between past and present in this book, the story often taking us back to events from the fateful summer in which Lola disappears, leading us towards some very stark, and sometimes shocking revelations. There is a dark edge to the story, an undercurrent of unease that is echoed in the atmospheric and slightly isolated setting which is used to perfection by the author. The sub-plot the true driver behind this particular tale, is all too believable and a sad reflection of modern life. I had kind of guessed this side of the story, but it makes no difference to the flow of the book, or the surprises that come thick and fast as we near the final, pulse-thumping conclusion. High stakes, fast paced and fraught with tension, it's the kind of ending that kept me absolutely gripped.

If you love Rachel Abbot's Tom Douglas series and haven't yet taken the plunge with Stephanie King, I'd highly recommend you do. Start at the beginning of the series, And So It Begins. You won't regret a moment of it.

Absolutely brilliant read. When you pick up a book by this author, your expectations are always high and this really delivered on plot, characters and location. I was completely immersed in this story and the many surprises along the journey.

Thank u netgallery for my early review Copy.

Once again Rachel as wrote a gripping reading from start to finish.

The story is full twist and one I didnt guess.

Wow! Couldn’t put this book down!
Rachel has once again cleverly woven together a twisty tale.
Nancy has recently inherited her Aunts cottage, she hasn’t been there since her 15 year old sister ran away 11 years ago.
Worried by the memories returning there will cause she arrives full of trepidation.
Shortly after arriving she discovers something, which puts doubt on the fact Lola left on her own accord.

As the police reopen their investigation. D.I Stephanie King investigates along with her team

This book held my interest the whole time, I found it hard to put down and cannot wait for the next Stephanie King instalment and hope the ending is resolved some more

Thanks to Netgalley and Rachel for allowing me to be part of her Early Reader team.

Highly recommend