I just finished this book two hours ago, and I'm struggling to remember the names of the main characters. Oof. Unfortunately, although I think this mystery has some solid points in its favour, it's also bloated in length, repetitive, and predictable. It struggles with its main character - JESS (just remembered), who is a bit of a paper doll. She doesn't really have many thoughts of her own - just seems to absorb whatever is happening to the person nearest to her and allows that to affect her day or her judgment.

The beginning is promising. A woman enters a home in a quiet seaside town and guns down its two residents - a middle-aged man and elderly lady. She then turns the gun on herself, only narrowly avoiding taking her own life.

When Jess - a disgraced journalist living in Bristol - learns of the shooting, she realizes that the alleged killer is her childhood best friend Heather. Jess wants the story, but she's also mindful that she and Heather did not part on the best of terms. Should she travel back to where she grew up, and risk digging up old hurts?

Naturally, she does, approaching Heather's mother Margot - one of the stronger, best developed characters - and finding herself once more embroiled in the lives of other people.

From there, the story meanders. There's so much repetition. In chapter after chapter, Jess heads out with her colleague Jack (who suffers from gay best friend trope), investigates the murders, talks to Margot, walks home alone, is frightened someone is following her, and fights with her partner Rory (who suffers from clueless boyfriend trope). A more careful editing of this novel could have ratcheted up the tension. Instead, it just feels like Jess is going in circles, and not very exciting circles either.

While I didn't mind the denouement, it felt messy and rushed - weirdly so, since the rest of the book is so long. Douglas' writing is strong in parts, but this mystery could have been cut in half, and I would have enjoyed meatier characters, and less tidy explanations for some pretty huge questions.

Claire Douglas negotiates her way through a clever and complicated plot which is tight and maintains interest right to the very end. I find many books within this genre that deliver a cracking story, often fade out with a whimper at the end leaving the reader very dissatisfied; 'Then She Vanishes' by Claire Douglas does not!
The story opens with a bang, quite literally, as two people are shot dead, murdered in their home; it appears to be a cut and dried case with a clear suspect and motive. The events leading up to the murder are explored using flashbacks seen through the eyes of both Flora and Heather, the two sisters around who the main action unfolds, and childhood friend Jess, now a journalist who is investigating the case for a local newspaper. Heather's mother, Margot, fills in gaps here and there to complete the plot.
I didn't engage with the story as fully as I expected to, hence my 3 star rating, but if you're looking for a psychological thriller with a good plot, then this is sure to satisfy!

A well written, well plotted story with likeable characters and a good pace. I enjoyed this book and certainly didn’t see the ending - which is always a bonus.

There isn’t just one mystery at the centre of this slow burning but ultimately highly engaging thriller. The disappearance of Flora - Heather’s sister- 16+ years ago- and now Heather herself in a coma having shot herself but not before she’s shot two neighbours dead. So many questions and the answers do come but frustratingly and delightfully slowly. Jess as the long standing friend is now the journalist investigating. It all wraps up neatly in the end or does it?

Jess and Heather were best friends as young girls. Jess kind of adopted Heathers family as her own mother was often absent. We know that they moved apart over the years but we do not know why. Heathers sister Flora disappeared around that time also. Jess has worked as ajournalist but has suddenly moved back under a cloud. She is sent after a story and hears that a man and his mother have been shot. Another woman is found with gunshot wounds and is the suspect in the nurder/suicide, that woman is Heather. Jess gets close to Heathers mother again and the story unfolds.
I enjoyed the relationships between the women and the way the story unfolds. The story jumps between the present and the past until the secrets are revealed.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and Claire Douglas for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

This book draws you in from the first chapter when a mother and son are shot dead in their home and the woman who shot them is in hospital after trying to take her own life. We are then introduced to Jess, a reporter. She is asked to go report on the shooting incident which proves quite difficult for her as it took place in her home town and the accused was her childhood friend, Heather. Jess is then forced to face her secrets from the past when Heather’s sister, Flora, went missing. The story then goes back and forth between the summer of 1994 when Flora disappeared and 2012. This book has a complex storyline with plenty of interesting characters, betrayal and guilt and deals with topics of domestic abuse and drugs. There are plenty of surprises and shocks along the way that make this book a highly recommended read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

First of all thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.
This is the first Claire Douglas story I have read, but it certainly won't be the last.
Well written, strong characters, twisty storyline - what's not to like?!
You go on a bit of a rollercoaster journey with the characters as the past and present collide.
I liked that the story was written from different viewpoints rather than follow just one characters prose.
I will definitely be recommending this book.

Jessica Fox is shocked to hear that her old best friend is accused of a double murder after two apparent strangers are shot. Heather is found in a barn after seemingly attempting to shoot herself. Jessica hasn't seen Heather since 1994 when they drifted apart after Heather's sister, Flora disappeared.

Jessica is now a journalist and is given the task of getting the inside story but her old loyalties and affection for the family conflict with trying to satisfy her bosses demands. She desperately wants to believe Heather is innocent and more investigations and research turn up connections, she starts to doubt just how well she knew her friend.

A great story that flips between the present and the past and the events that lead up to that fatal shooting.

I’ve read and enjoyed 3 books by Claire Douglas but I struggled to become immersed in Then She Vanishes. It really was a slow burner. I always like to read the book to the end even if it’s not gripping me in order to be fair in my review and it did get better towards the end.
On the whole I found the storyline quite fragmented, but in addition a pet hate of mine is when the present and past tenses keep switching inconsistently, eg, “Margot understands how that feels. And in that moment she knew Heather hadn’t tried to take her”. When the title of the chapter is the name of the character, it seems strange that throughout that chapter, the story is told in the third person instead of the first person.
It took me a long time to get into the characters, I kept thinking that maybe I wasn’t concentrating, and although they continued to develop as the story progressed, I really didn’t feel emotionally invested in them. There were a few gaping holes in the denouement, which stretched credibility.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for the opportunity to read and review Then She Vanishes.

A Great read:
Claire Douglas is an accomplished thriller writer and her latest novel, "Then She Vanishes", doesn't disappoint.
The novel has two focal events. One is the current day with a double murder crime and the other 20 years earlier when the sister of the Prime Suspect in the current day's murder disappeared without trace.
Newspaper reporter, Jessica Fox, is tasked with reporting on the double murder. The Prime Suspect, Heather, used to be Jess's best friend. Jess's Editor, Ted, expects Jess to wangle the paper, The Bristol and Somerset Herald, an exclusive. The main character, Jess, has a topically tainted background and is keen to repay the faith shown in her by the Bristol and Somerset Herald's Editor.
But Jess has hardly spoken with Heather, her childhood best friend, for 20 years, ever since Flora disappeared. Jess can't believe that the Heather she once knew could be a cold-bloodied killer and as her investigation progresses, secrets are uncovered which show that the present day murders and the disappearance 20 years earlier of Flora are linked.
An absorbing murder mystery, "Then She Vanishes" makes for a great read: red herrings, twists and turns, an original plot and the characters are believably flawed.
Well worth packing in your suitcase for a holiday read. You won't be disappointed.

Great read. Gripped me from the start. Thank you to both NetGalley and Penguin Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest unbiased review

Claire Douglas just gets better and better. Then She Vanishes is a great book that kept me interested from beginning to end. Loved it.

I was given a copy of Then She Vanishes by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I have read several of Claire Douglas books and this one didn't disappoint. It is about Jess who returns to her home town, she is a journalist and must cover a story about an old friend Heather who has been found with a gunshot and is suspected of shooting 2 people. Heather sister disappeared when she was 16, at that time Heather and Jess' friendship fell apart. This is a classic psychological thriller and another great story by Claire Douglas.

Jess is a journalist. She is struggling, working for a small time newspaper since she had to flee her job in London and move to Bristol with her boyfriend. She gets a big break when a murder is committed by Heather, Jess's once best friend from her teenage years. She has a way in to get the big story she needs, but their friendship didn't end on good terms, and she doesn't believe Heather could have committed the crime of which she's accused. Things were never the same between them after the mysterious disappearance of Heather's sister Flora, who has been missing ever since. Jess starts to worry that she's being followed, and her past is coming back to haunt her in more ways than one...

This is a good, mysterious story. There are flashbacks to when the girls were teenagers and best friends, and this intermingles with the story playing out in the present day. Jess and her photographer Jack go around questioning various people and trying to find out what actually happened on the day of the murders. Jess is also struggling with her relationship with her boyfriend, and things that happened in her past that she isn't so proud of. There are a few twists and turns, and plenty going on to keep the story interesting.

The plot is good and it's a strong storyline all round. I didn't have any issues with that at all. I thought the ending was good and not something I was necessarily expecting. The last 10% of the book was probably the best bit, and I got through the last part of the book quite quickly.

The downside of this book for me is the writing. The characters were quite simple and not much personality came across to me. The dialogue I felt was a bit simplistic, and I was surprised that this wasn't the author's debut novel. It felt to me slightly amateurish, as though the writer was a little inexperienced. However, that's probably being a bit harsh and who am I to criticise anyone's writing anyway! It was a good story, but I didn't really get into reading it and I didn't enjoy reading this book all that much.

Actual rating: 3,5 stars

It has been some time since I finished Then She Vanishes so I will try to keep my review short and point-blank.

First and most important: this thriller was highly entertaining and that is it’s main plus.
It took me five days to finish it but that is because I was very busy in time I was reading it. I imagine if I had more time to read I would probably finish it in two days.

It was so easy to read, and I really wanted to turn those pages faster, even though the reason for that wasn’t that I was dying to know what will happen, but because I was purely enjoying spending my time with this book.

It main disadvantage, if I’m being honest, is it’s predictability.
There are many things that happened in the story and, of course, most of them weren’t as obvious, but the main revelation and the outcome were visible from the very beginning of the book.

The second flaw is that the story is just not rememberable.
As I already stated, it has been some time since I finished this novel and I already have hard time when I try to think about it’s side characters or subplots. Most of it is a blur.

In the end, I think this book would appeal to readers who like to read thriller from time to time, but if you’re an advanced reader of that genre, maybe you’d wish it brought more to the table.

3.5 Stars

The first chapter does lure you in and the last chapter is suitably twisty (though you’re also expecting that to be the case, given the blurb), the characters are well-drawn and the book is set in Bristol and its surrounds, so was an interesting change from the usual London fare. In order to give it the full 5 stars, I would have liked more meat in the middle. You could read the first few chapters and the last few and still make sense of the happenings of the book, once the characters have been established. There could have been a few more twists to keep things pacy in the centre.
Overall, well written and I do like this author’s work - The Sisters was one of my favourites and I would start there if this is the first of the author’s work you’re reading.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Michael Joseph publishers and the author for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a good psychological thriller with a captivating start and the rest being a slow, burn to the satisfying conclusion.

Written at good pace and switching between two timelines with complex and interesting characters, Then She Vanishes is an enthralling read and whilst it might not have the action or thrills of most books of this genre, it definitely has the tension and build-up to rival any of them.

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.

ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK. It was everything a good book should be. Believable and with an excellent narrative. I think anyone in the UK could imagine the small seaside town and caravan park. It was so familiar.
The plot was very unusual for modern day, in that it followed a course of events that was entirely plausible. No silly backwards and forwards, other than the necessary for the story. It was wonderful and i was so sad to finish it, having raced through it. One of those you cannot wait to get back to. I always enjoy Penguin publications and this was no exception. Wonderful. Thank you

I’ve read a couple of Claire Douglas’ books before so I was pleased to get offered this copy with Netgalley.

The book starts with someone walking into a house in a seaside town and killing a couple of random strangers. Or were they random? Heather is the person suspected of the killings however she is now in a coma in hospital after turning the gun on herself.
Jess has recently moved back to the area, after trouble in a job in London. She is now a reporter for one of the Bristol local newspapers. She is tasked with covering the murders, but Jess knows the prime suspect, or she used to. Jess was best friends with Heather as a teenager. The friendship came to an end shortly after Heather’s sister Freya went missing. Jess can’t quite believe her once best friend is a killer. Jess finds herself befriending Heather’s mum, Margot, almost as the 18 years hadn’t passed. All is not as it seems, Jess sets it her mission to try and work out why her old friend, a mum and a wife would turn into a killer. Can she get the scoop and be a good friend?

I enjoyed this book, it was an easy read, I can’t say that it surprised me particularly in how the plot developed, it pretty much panned out how I thought it would. The main character in this instance was a little weaker than in previous books, or maybe just not as likeable. Her relationship she formed with Margot, really does show depth from the author. The plot was well directed and although I didn’t think the twists were surprising, it still worked and made for a really captivating read. I am still a Claire Douglas fan.

I give this book 4/5.

Another great thriller by Claire Douglas beginning with a double murder and the pace doesn’t slow from then with twists and turns to keep you guessing right through to the end even though it’s clear who the accused perpetrator is alleged to be. The main characters are two young women who were very close teenage friends who drifted apart because of an incident, one of whom is the alleged murderer, the other a journalist who has to try and break down the trust barriers of the family she turned her back on to get the story but who also has her own personal and professional issues. This novel had me totally gripped.