I'm a great fan of Claire Douglas so was delighted to be able to read her latest book. The story had me hooked from the very beginning to the end and what an ending! Twists I didn't see coming. Loved it.

Family secrets, two violent murders, a woman in a coma and a disgraced journalist returning to her hometown; what more could you ask from a gripping thriller? This is another tense and twisty novel from the excellent Claire Douglas.

As teenagers Jess and Heather were best friends and Jess, rather neglected by her mother, found solace in the company of Heather and her family. This friendship falls apart when Heather’s older sister goes missing and is never found. Twenty years later, Heather lies in a coma after, allegedly, shooting dead a mother and son. Jess is now a journalist and returns to her home town to cover the story. She is pressured by her editor to use her personal knowledge of the family to get a scoop. As Jess wrestles with her conscience and her disbelief that Heather would commit such a crime, we are drawn into the history of her life and those of Heather and her family.

This is a really intriguing read with excellent characters and a clever narrative which creates tension and serious anticipation of the outcome. I was totally gripped.

Thank you to NetGalley and Michael J Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I fell in love with Jess as soon as her car was mentioned, as a fellow Figaro owner Claire’s description of leg room made me laugh!
Then She Vanishes was a great book full of horrible humans and I loved it! I thought I had it all figured out but there’s some brilliant little twists that will leave you shocked.
5/5

Family, friends, lies and secrets.

It can all be found in Then She Vanishes.

Jess could never have predicted that a suspicious double murder and a suspected suicide would lead her back to a past that she thought was long forgotten and buried.

Old tales are re-visited and loved ones who were thought to be lost seem to be at the front of a mystery despite being dead for many years.

Cleverly put together, this is a novel that will keep you on tender-hooks until the very last page.

And those last few sentences will make you gasp (don't skip to the end though!)

I really liked the mix of characters and the way that it showcased how sometimes journalism and policing can in-fact go hand in hand.

An abundance of suspense is packed into what could be a true-to-life story.

I'd happily re-read this book.

I'm a huge fan of Claire Douglas and have read her four previous novels, so I was delighted to be approved this advanced copy. Luckily, it lived up to my hype!
Then She Vanishes is a twist filled story about Jess, a journalist, and her ex-best friend Heather. When Heather is accused of shooting dead two seemingly random people, Jess must return to the family she loved so much as a teen.
What transpires is the slow, but incredibly tense and exciting, reveal of how their lives, and the life of Heather's missing sister Flora, entwine with the murders.
I loved the characters, and was gripped at once. It's so intriguing from the off, and cleverly written to keep that suspense throughout. Recommended for fans of thriller novels.

When I was offered the chance to read an ARC of Then She Vanishes by Claire Douglas, I could not resist! Boy, I was not disappointed.

Her latest offering opens up with a bang.... Literally! A young woman enters a house and shoots dead a mother and her son before seemingly turning the gun on her self. Nobody, not even those closest to her can fathom what her motive could possibly have been but with all Claire's book, you know to expect the unexpected.
She certainly delivers in Then She Vanishes, it was full of twists and turns at every corner and kept me guessing until the very end. Just when I thought I had figured out what was going on, the author had another surprise up her sleeve and this book is just full of them.
This story take me place in the past and the present and is told from various POV but with Claire's easy writing style, I had no problem keeping up with the story. Everybody in this story has skeletons, some are just buried deeper than others and are bought to the surface in dramatic fashion!!

I have read and enjoyed other books by Claire Douglas and this was no different. Told in the present but with regular reference to and occasional chapters linking back to the past, the story unfolds. It starts with a bang (literally and figuratively) and the bangs continue as the story does. I enjoyed the conflicting roles for Jess of journalist and friend. Ending is satisfactory too!

Ever sine I read Claire's first book I have always looked forward to her next one. This one was another solid read, a good storyline with twists and turns. Well written and stylish.

Another great read from Claire Douglas. I enjoyed the characters interactions and the realisim. I think is her sadest yet, but also shows how far you could go for a sibling/best friend.

I found this book a bit slow in the middle but then it really picked up towards the end with lots of twists!
I did notice a continuity issue so I’ve put this on the notes to the publisher.

I have read several of this author’s books and I was looking forward to reading this one and it certainly lived up to expectations.

Heather Powell walks into a house and shoots an elderly woman and her son dead. She is then found with a self inflicted gunshot wound and is in a coma. What made her do it and why?

Jess Fox is a journalist investigating the story. As a teenager, Jess was welcomed into the Powell family until the night when Heather’s sister Flora vanished.

A story full of twists and turns with a good mixture of characters; some likeable and others not. The story alternates between the present with Jess trying to understand what turned Heather into a killer, and the the past where we discover what exactly happened to Flora. A clever thriller that keeps you guessing and which I would recommend.

I love Claire Douglas as an author and every book she writes gets better! This book is so full of fantastic twists, you think you have it all sorted in your head and Claire throws a spanner into your ideas! I was so gripped by this book I had started and finished it in less than 24 hours....I couldn't put it down. I loved the characters, the storyline.....and that ending?! An absolute must read for all thriller fans ❤

This is a new author for me and this book had good reviews so I thought I would give it a try. I am so glad I did. It took me a couple of chapters to really get into it but it went flying of after that. Plenty of twists and turns to keep me engrossed and the main characters were really likeable. I thought I had it all figured out a couple of times but it proved me wrong and it was a great ending. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys this genre of books.

A fantastic read. A thriller going back through 20 years in a small town. Relatable characters lots of twists and a great ending. Fully recommend

Jess, with her boyfriend Rory escape to Bristol, an area Jess grew up in, form London to escape the recent scandal Jess has caused whilst reporting on a story for the national paper she works for. Now working for a local rag there are high expectations of her.
Jess stumbles across a story she had past connections with. For two years when she was about fourteen she became best friends with Heather and her family. Tragically Heather’s sister, Flora, disappeared, fowl play was suspected but a body was never found. Now Heather is suspected of a seemingly random shooting of an elderly woman and her grown up son. Jess cannot reconcile this with the Heather she knew and manages to become close, once more to Margot, Heather’s mother. She is torn though with what she is told as a reporter and what she is told as a friend.
There are lots of surprising revelations throughout this mystery story. The characters are sympathetically described, and there’s plenty to keep you guessing until the end. Moves at a good pace and I’d recommend giving it a try if you like this genre. You won’t be disappointed.

I have read by books by this author before and enjoy her style of writing. This one certainly lived up to my expectations.

The story started very quickly with a double murder.. There were many characters to ‘get to know’, and the author made this very easy with her descriptions: so much so that I felt emotional attachments to the ones I liked. Having said that, the ‘bad’ characters I hated with intensity! The book was very clever and, at times, I thought I had it all worked out but I was wrong every time.

I found it a gripping read and highly recommend it.

This is up there with Gone Girl, Big Little Lies, Girl on a Train. Bound to be a big hit. Fast paced, interesting characters and an ending you don’t see coming!

I've learnt from reading other books by Claire to question everyone and everything. Something may seem small but later on it can explode to something else.
Although I did figure out a few things throughout the book I was still questioning if I was right up until it actually happened. You never know what could happen at the last second.

I'm a big fan of Claire Douglas and have read many of her books so was really excited to be approved to read her latest - thanks Netgalley, Claire Douglas and Penguin!

This book has a strong plot which keeps you guessing, likeable characters and plot twists that keep you on the toes and second guessing what you think has happened / did happen - it's really well paced..

A 4.5 star read that I devoured in a day. Looking forward to Douglas' next book.

I loved this book and would highly recommend it to all. It has a great story line, brilliant main characters and is a real page turner. I couldn't put this book down.