I have enjoyed most of the author's books in the past and this one was no exception. I liked the fast pacing and the multiple twists and turns (something that Rachel does with such finesse) kept me glued and guessing throughout the book. I was a little bummed by that ending though - cliffhanger!! Which means we have to wait to unravel all the secrets of her characters till the next book comes out

That's my only grouse with this book. I now wish I hadn't read it until the next one was already out!!

I love all of Rachel Abbott's books and this one was also excellent. Gripped from the first page the storyline was fast paced and well written and cleverly switched from past to present with ease. I liked all the characters and enjoyed the story told from Nancy's perspective. So many twists and turns and the book was left on a cliffhanger so hopefully there will be a follow up book. I for one can't wait. Bring on the next book!!

Third book in the Stephanie King series. An intriguing story which must be unravelled, full of secrets and lies. But of a cliff hanger ending,more to come.

I have read all of Rachel Abbotts books so was excited to pick up this one. Brilliant story about a girl whose family has experiencing multiple tragedies including deaths, disappearances and untold stories. Returning to a small seaside town following a death of an aunt she starts to unravel the true story behind the sadness her family suffered. Brilliant character development and a twist that picks up the pace in the book part way through. Read it, you won’t be disappointed

From the moment I open my eyes, I know. Her bed is made, the wardrobe empty.
There was something she wanted to tell me, but I didn't listen.
Now she's gone.

Eleven years ago my sister Lola vanished from my aunt's cottage in Cornwall. Now I'm back, and I'm no closer to understanding why she ran away. What secrets was she keeping?

Memories come to me in snippets, but something is still missing. Then a body is discovered in a cave below the cliffs. No one knows how long it's been there. Is it Lola?

The next night I wake, knowing someone is there, standing by my bed. I can hear them breathing. What do they want? Am I getting too close to the truth?

Did Lola ever leave? I was so pleased to read this book the 3rd in the Stephanie King series.After a slow start the story picked up perfectly and was very well written,told through past and present narrative with secrets galore.
Hope there will be more in the series.
Recommended
Thanks to Netgalley and Headline for the ARC.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Nancy’s great aunt dies and leaves her a vacation cottage in a beach town where Nancy’s family vacationed years ago, shortly after her mother died. Nancy had been her mother’s caregiver for a couple of years in her late teens and her father took Nancy and her younger sister, Lola, to the town for vacation. During that trip, Lola disappeared and was never seen again. The father died shortly after. Now, back in that same town years later, Nancy is searching for the missing Lola.

4.5 stars.

Rachel Abbott is a must read author for me. I have read all of her books and for some reason I like the Tom Douglas series a little bit more than the Stephanie King series but both are great. This was another twisty turny mystery with lots of secrets to uncover. Can wait to read her next novel.

Loved this book and was instantly engaged in the storyline. It is very well written and a very easy read flitting seamlessly between the past and the present. There were some very difficult issues that were dealt with well that really made you think about spotting signs that are easy to ignore and explain away. The ending was excellent and perhaps an opening for a sequel?

This is a fabulous novel, the third in the Stephanie King series and the first since 2020.

Past and present are woven together as a family’s past is exposed in a close-knit Cornish village. It is a beautiful evocation of a Cornish community and a compelling storyline.

The background story (the relationship between DI King and her DCI) develops from a very challenging starting point. It offers an excellent subplot alongside the central story of Nancy and her lost sister. There is a third story of the identity of a body found in a sea cave that draws the police inspectors together in a professional as well as a personal sense.

The threads of each story link together unexpectedly. There are some real twists and it builds to a thrilling finale. All the stories are memorable and the personal journey of Stephanie King is an important part of the whole. Readers will hope the next book in this series comes more quickly.

I have read all of Rachel Abbott's novels and they have all been brilliant, including this one. Although part of a series this can easily be read as a stand-alone.

Nancy makes her way to Cornwall as she has inherited a cottage from an aunt she didn't know that well. She is in trepidation of the journey and staying in the cottage which is where she was staying just after her mother's death and when her sister went missing 11 years before.

This is clever, sharp and with twists and turns that I did not foresee. A must read.

Highly recommended

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the advance digital copy of this book.

I absolutely loved this book. It was fast paced and kept my full attention.

This is the 3rd book in the Stephanie King series. Nancy has just inherited a cottage from an a stranger great aunt. She goes to Cornwall to get the cottage ready to sell with no intention of moving in due to her sister going missing there when they last visited, after the death of their mother.

When she gets there lots of memories are remembered but someone doesn’t want her looking into her sister disappearance and strange things happen. Will Nancy uncover what happened when she visited 11 years ago with the help of Detective Seargent Stephanie King.

I have read all the books by this author, and I this is in my top two along with her debut novel, Only the Innocent. I found this book to be very well written and I loved how the story was mainly told from Nancy rather than from a police prospective.

Although there was a lot going on, I was able to follow the story well and was gripped by what would happen next. The twists and turns of the story were not glaringly obvious, so did keep a high level suspense.

If you are a fan of Rachel Abbott this is a must read. If this is your first by this author then you don’t need to read the first two Stephanie King novels in the series to enjoy this one.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

Nancy Holland cared for when mum after she had a stroke while her dad worked on their farm. She had a younger sister called Lola.

On holiday at their great aunts cottage in Cornwall Lola disappeared. The police investigated it but she was never found. Nancy was left the cottage in her great aunts will and returns to Cornwall to sell the cottage. She is terrified of returning there as the last time she was there it was in such horrible circumstances.

Nancy thinks about Lola every day and feels sad about all the years they’ve lost together. Somebody doesn’t want Nancy back in the village . Nancy makes an awful discovery and calls the police.

Sergeant Stephanie King worked on the case of Lola’s disappearance when she was a young PC and she can see that things could have been carried out much better on the original investigation. She assures Nancy that she will make sure they do all they can this time.

I loved this book, it kept me guessing right to the end and was full of plot twists and turns. A fab read.

This is the third Stephanie King novel, again, set in Cornwall.
After more than 10 years, Nancy Holland has had to return to a cottage in Cornwall, where events occurred that have blighted her life ever since. Her younger sister Lola disappeared, and her father died soon after.
Nancy reconnects with people from that time, and begins to suspect that all was not as she remembered.
Stephanie has a case where a skeleton has been found in a cave only accessible from the sea, and her investigation connects with Nancy’s search.
After a slow start, the tension ramps up and the plot veers off into very unexpected directions as the truth about Nancy’s family slowly emerges, and she finds herself in danger, as Stephanie’s case becomes more complex.
A great read, addressing a lot of current issues.

Thanks to Netgalley and Headline, Wildfire for the opportunity to read this book.

A slow start but it built up to quite an intriguing twist thriller with a few real surprises thrown In. I liked the writing style but it us a very character based story and there are a few plot points that have been done to death by now. I'm surprised anyone still moves to seaside towns with the way things always go in these books. I found the writing style easy to get into and once the book gets 1/2 way then it really does turn into a really cleverly written and captivating thriller. The tension is built slowly and its all paved put really well so it doesn't feel rushed to the big finale or like there are plotholes left open. Be aware of the slow start but I'd still recommend

This was the second Stephanie King book that Rachel has written and she is slowly developing her character and personality. Rachel never disappoints with her books and I’m sure Stephanie will grow on me more and more as we learn more about who she is in each book that follows. Don’t look away told the story of Nancy and Lola and what happened to them as teenagers. It wasn’t a predictable story and was full of unexpected twists. I really enjoyed it.

Nancy has been left a cottage in Cornwall and returns to a load of memories from the past, when her sister Lola vanished eleven years ago. The events which follow show that the mystery isn't over and that Nancy may just find out some secrets from the past. But could she be in danger...?

Another great story in the Stephanie King series. Thrilling and creepy plot that keeps you turning the pages until the shocking ending. Loved it!

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

The very first book I bought for my kindle way back in 2011 was Rachel Abbott's "Only The Innocent" and that was it, I was hooked. On both the e reader and the author. Now I eagerly await every book she releases and I've never been disappointed. This is a tension filled, exciting thriller with twist after twist that I never saw coming. The last couple of pages saw me go through a gamut of emotion from confusion to shock to understanding. An absolute stunner of a book by a very clever author.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

I love Rachel Abbott's writing style and am always excited for the chance to read a new book by her.

I did find this one a little slow to start, and I found it a little cheesy how the main character moved to a small town and all of a sudden had someone wanting to be her new bestie (this always seems to happen in books about little towns in Cornwall, and speaking as someone from a little town in Cornwall we're really not quite that friendly!)

Minor quibbles aside, from the halfway point I found myself much more invested in the story, which actually turned out to be a lot more exciting and interesting than I first thought. Stephanie King is an intriguing character and I look forward to finding our more about her and Gus in future books.

Very excited to see a Rachel Abbott on netgalley as I always enjoy her books. I enjoyed the way the storyline didn't go as I'd initially predicted, leaving me more and more hooked.
Great read!

Not read many of her books but I will be in the future, great from the very first page, I love her style of writing and looking forward to more in the future