“Then She Vanishes lifts the stone on a cold case disappearance and asks chilling questions about friendship, loyalty, love, and obsession.”—New York Times bestselling author Gilly Macmillan
A twisty, compulsive thriller full of jolting shocks and startling secrets involving two sisters, a disappearance, a double murder, and a reporter determined to find the truth from the bestselling author of … disappearance, a double murder, and a reporter determined to find the truth from the bestselling author of Local Girl Missing, Last Seen Alive, and Do Not Disturb.
Everything changed the night she disappeared . . .
On a summer’s night in 1994, sixteen-year-old Flora Powell vanished from her sleepy seaside town without a trace. Their hearts shattered, Flora’s mother, her sister Heather, and Heather’s best friend Jess had to somehow carry on not knowing what happened.
Twenty-five years later, tragedy strikes again when Heather walks into a stranger’s house and allegedly kills two people in cold blood.
Why would this loving wife and doting new mother commit such a heinous crime? Jess, now a reporter, returns to the hometown she left behind to cover the case and dig for answers. But this isn’t like any other story. Jess was like a sister to the Powell girls, until the summer that tore them all apart.
What happened to the girl she used to know?
The question haunts Jess and propels her to find the key that may unlock the mysteries involving both sisters. But the search may reveal more . . . a darker side to this idyllic place she thought she knew.
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Riveting and wonderfully tense, I adored Claire Douglas’s psychological suspense novel. I was particularly impressed as the story is more a why-dunnit than a who-dunnit, and these can be tricky to pull off. But Douglas manages to set up a double murder, one in the past and one in the present, so smoothly that I couldn’t stop flipping the pages to find out what was going to happen.
Set in a small seaside town with a deftly woven cast of characters, the story starts with a woman murdering a man and a woman, then neatly explores the story behind why. When local journalist Jessica Fox gets wind of this story, and finds out it was her childhood best friend who committed the murder, she begins a balancing act between the job she loves and her sense of loyalty to her old friend.
I highly recommend this compelling, wonderful novel.
Then She Vanishes by Claire Douglas writes like a runaway- subway car. Full throttle with no stops. Douglas writes with stolid conviction using multiple points of view from the protagonists in this superior mystery. The story moves quickly, and bombshells are presented with the aplomb of a veteran storyteller. Questions are posed without answers leaving the reader wanting to read on until the last dilemma is resolved. the characters are nicely drawn which contributes to the veracity of the entertaining story.
Heather and Flora Powell and their mother Margot were more like family to young Jess when she was growing up than her own mother ever was. That was until everything went wrong in the summer of 1994,Heather and Jess’s friendship was never the same after Flora mysteriously disappeared whilst on her way home one summer’s night.
Twenty five years later their sleepy seaside town is rocked by another shocking tragedy when Heather tries to kill herself after the loving wife and doting new mother kills two people in cold blood.
Jess,who is now a reporter is sent back to her hometown to report on the case. Can Jess find the key to both mysteries ? Or will her search reveal a darker side to the place she grew up – and put her in danger.
This gripping,enthralling thriller is written in chapters that alternate between Jess and Margot in the present day and Heather and Flora in the chapters set in 1994. In the chapters set in the present we follow Jess’s search for the truth behind the deaths of the couple and her struggles to do her job diligently whilst staying loyal to Margot and Heather. In the chapters set in the past,we learn about the events leading up to Flora’s disappearance and what happened on the night she vanished. The details of that fateful summer are drip fed to the reader,building up the tension and anticipation until Flora’s fate is finally revealed. The cast of this thrilling story are a mixed bag of vivid, realistic personalities. Some likeable,some not so likeable,some very shady and untrustworthy and some were not who they appeared to be. I liked Jess,really liked poor Margot,didn’t like Adam or Heather and for various reasons felt so much sympathy for poor Flora.What happened to Flora on that summer’s night so many years ago? Did Heather kill the couple and if she did,what was her motive? And why does Jess constantly feel like she is being followed?
And Then She Vanishes is a exceedingly,well written,mesmerising thriller that had me hooked in from the very first page. The reader is drawn in by a chilling prologue and kept guessing throughout as the many layers of the story are revealed. This is Claire Douglas at her best,her words flow with ease,drawing the reader into her characters fictional world and making you care about some of their fates. I loved this book and couldn’t put it down. Worth far more than five stars and highly recommended by little old me.
A great read that kept me both intrigued and guessing.
An unusual spin on a missing person story. The novel hits the ground running with a shocking double murder that loiters as a puzzle in the reader’s mind until the end. You never really know who you can trust:
Jess, the journalist investigating a story while trying to deny her own involvement in the cold case of missing girl Flora;
Jack, Jess’s young colleague with secrets and ambitions of his own;
Heather, Jess’s former friend and Flora’s sister, now embroiled in a devastating new tragedy;
Adam, Heather’s gruff and brooding husband;
Dylan, Flora’s ex-boyfriend who kept some very unsavoury company and may know more about her disappearance than he ever let on;
Margot, mother of Heather and Flora who took neglected Jess under her wing during her teenage years and who lost one daughter and might now lose the other.
Nicely plotted, nicely told.
Then She Vanishes by Claire Douglas takes readers to Bristol in March of 2012. Jessica Fox is a reporter with Bristol & Somerset Herald, and she is working on a hot story. A woman is accused of murdering a man and woman in the early hours before returning home to Tilby where she takes the shotgun to herself. The woman was found alive but unconscious. Jessica is shocked when she hears the woman accused of killing two people is her old friend, Heather. Jessica and Heather were friends as young teens until the night Heather’s sister, Flora vanished without a trace. Jessica is sent to Tilby by her boss to dig for information, but she has her own agenda. She cannot believe Heather would commit such a heinous crime. Jessica with help from her co-worker, Jack begins searching for answers.
Then She Vanishes is the first novel I have read by Claire Douglas. It is a dark story that touches on the topics of drug dealers, abusive partners, people hooked on illegal substances, predatory older men, and a stalker. The subjects are dealt with lightly (no depth). Then She Vanishes is a slow starter and the pace does not improve. I would have liked a peppier speed. The mystery is straightforward with a red herring or two. Then She Vanishes is more mystery than suspense. With a suspense novel, I want to feel anticipation (be on the edge of my seat). The point-of-view alternates to give readers different perspectives plus it goes back in time (and then back to the present) to tell readers what happened when Flora disappeared. It was too much back-and-forth for me. The story failed to engage me, and I found the ending predictable. I knew how the story would end from early in the book. All the loose ends are tied up neatly at the end (a little too neatly). Then She Vanishes needed more depth, a faster pace and some unexpected surprises. While Then She Vanishes was not the right fit for me, I suggest you obtain a sample to see if it suits you. Then She Vanishes takes readers down a rabbit hole as a reporter searches for the truth after two murders.
Then She Vanishes by Claire Douglas a four-star read that will have you searching. This is one that you have to pay attention with as the alternating chapters and POV and timeline will keep you on your toes, but once you get into it, you will be gripped. You need to be a detective to figure out who done it in the end, as it’s so well done, it starts with a bang and unfolds like a flower before your eyes and reveals the story. Jessica is a great journalist as she tells a great story, set in a seaside town so well written you can taste the salt in the air.
This book throw me through so many loops and twists that it’s amazing I didn’t get a whiplash. Great story and writing, kept me hooked from the start and I highly recommend it.
Loved this one it was just amazing.
My third book by this author and by far my favourite.
I just adored how this was all connected together and I’m blown away with how the author has managed to connect the dots to make sense of everything while still managing to keep me in the dark through the journey.
This was such an impressive feat and managed to keep me guessing as well as constantly surprising me with its many twists and turns.
From that shocking beginning where two people are shot down in cold blood seemingly at random to that final end-game, I was seriously transfixed.
This had such real characters with flaws and all and I loved that nobody here was perfect.
I thought Jess herself was such a raw and real person who was by far her own worst critic.
I felt such sorrow for Margot who had lost one daughter only to potentially love another.
I changed direction in my mind so many times over where this might go.
This really was a work of pure genius and I really can’t recommend this enough.
I voluntary reviewed a copy of And Then She Vanishes.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
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