I love reading Claire Douglas’ books. This one was no exception. Kept me guessing to the end and I couldn’t put it down

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read The Girls Who Disappeared!

Sacrificed a few hours of sleep last night to finish this book and did not regret it!

Brilliant story line with so many twists and shockers, easy to read and really gripping.
One of those books you can read and forget you’re reading!

Would definitely give this 5stars and recommend reading!

Switching between two main timelines, and including a third (from around the time of the accident) in flashback, the story’s told from the dual perspective of Jenna (the journalist) and accident survivor, Olivia. The author brings several local characters (including two distinct friendship groups) into play, while also creating the creepy atmosphere in the woodland surrounding the small Wiltshire town of Stafferbury and the growing sense of unease which Jenna (and this reader!) quickly began to feel.

Claire Douglas keeps us guessing as to how that second timeline fits in with the girls’ story, along with what secrets the townspeople are hiding but I can’t fault the timing of each reveal, which made it hard to put the book down. She ensures that we never lose sight of the central mystery while making Jenna’s arrival trigger some troubling new goings-on. With both past and present-day events set against the backdrop of local legend—something which Claire Douglas uses to great effect here—these take on an altogether more sinister aspect which only serves to heighten the mystery surrounding them. I loved this blend of local lore with the enigma of the three girls’ disappearance all those years earlier and the resurgence in strange occurrences during Jenna’s time spent there on assignment. I thought it worked well and, given how Claire Douglas brings it all together so deftly, was a particular strength of the book.

While I warmed to her for the most part, Jenna does have some moments of utter stupidity, such as when she takes off on her own through the woods near where someone’s been found dead, for example. I found myself repeatedly telling her that no-one knew where she was and wouldn’t be able to help, if she ran into trouble. But moments like those also helped to make her more relatable as a character. After all, she’s a journalist under pressure to deliver by a deadline and desperate to get to the bottom of a 20-year-old mystery. And besides, sometimes it’s all too tempting to take off and do things on impulse.

While Jenna interviews the townspeople and tries to find a way to approach her, we also hear things from Olivia’s perspective. This builds a more complete picture of how far and in what ways the ripples of impact travel, as we not only discover how the accident has impacted the town and its inhabitants but also, the young woman directly involved. I really felt for Olivia, the survivor of the accident, and the girl who is left behind by it, in so many ways. Especially since she stays within that same community, with all the suspicion, stigma, and survivor’s guilt which that entails. It makes the revelations, which come later in the book, all the more impactful and devastating for having met her early on and heard her story this way.

I thoroughly enjoyed seeing how all the pieces of the puzzle came together and thought that the local myth and legend, which had grown up around the small town, added this intriguing, extra dimension to the story. What starts out as a decidedly creepy and chilling cold case mystery becomes a cruel and disturbing domestic thriller, written by an author who only goes from strength to strength. The Girls Who Disappeared might well be Claire Douglas’ most complex and assured novel to date, and I thought it was exceptional.

I struggled a little with this one, and found it a little hard going and a little difficult to follow. However, if you are a fan of crime and mystery, then I am sure you would enjoy it.

I also enjoy reading stories that Claire Douglas has written and this enthralling book is no exception. I could not put it down!

Wow, what a ride! The girls who disappeared was one one those thrillers where another story is told in the background at the same time as the main plot; you’re not sure how it’s going to fit it and when it does - what a twist!

I loved Jenna’s character - the journalist in her never lets things lie and I was routing for the subplot of her and Dale to become something as the sexual tension between them was so tangible.

Olivia and her waster of a boyfriend, Wes, were a great contrast and she was definitely stronger than she let the reader believe.

A great mystery with spooky undertones perfect for this time of year. It was atmospheric and gripping and just what I needed!

This was the perfect holiday read. Lots of twists and turns, and although it was quite implausible at times - and I am a bit bored of the unreliable female trope - it was a quick, pacey read.

Brilliant and twisty mystery. I loved the remote setting. The 20 yr call back mystery and the folkloric elements. The perfect autumn read.

This was a brilliant one-sitting read for me, it began with a prologue before getting into the story proper. The story is told in two parts, the main story is a present-day where Jenna, a journalist, looks into the disappearance of three girls 30 years ago. There is a second timeline line in this story and it took me a while before I realised where it fitted, this section is written in italics so you realise what is happening as you flit back and forth.

This is a complex storyline and one that had me addicted from the very beginning. As Jenna arrives in this small out of way rural in Wiltshire she has to drive along a road called the Devil's corridor. From the outset, the setting of Wiltshire and the name of this road added a wonderful psychological atmosphere. with the area known for its standing stones, ley lines and various other occult, supernatural and legendary tales. The author uses this atmospheric vibe throughout the story and it adds a wonderful suspenseful, nervy and tense feel.

AS Jenna works on her story for a podcast, the author gives more details about her and also the locals that she interviews. As an outsider, there is the obvious expectation that people will not be completely open or honest with their answers to telling of their memories.

As the author delves deeper into the main story, the italicised story is also starting to emerge, this is one that is just as addictive as the main one. When I suddenly realised how things connected I realised how cleverly the author had woven her tales.

this is a fabulous read and one that I literally could not put down. It has that eerie mysterious spookiness and is a tense thriller with a good psychological vibe and is brilliant reading. It is one I would definitely recommend.

This is a twisty page-turning thriller set over 5 days.

Two seemingly separate stories that makes you wonder if and how they are connected.

There is a terrible crash nearly 20 years ago and 3 out of the 4 girls in the car are missing with Olivia the sole 'survivor' Now in the present day and Jenna a journalist is doing a pod cast on the missing girls and travels to the girls hometown to try and interview and find out more information.

There is a nice slow build up and the book flips between now and also a John Paul and Stacey who are on holiday in Thailand with friends but we soon realise John Paul may not be who she thinks he is.

I raced though the pages to find out how it all fitted together. Good writing and great story with lots of twists.

I will be recommending this book to others

Creepy and atmospheric thriller.

After a slow start The Girls Who Disappeared takes off and keeps the reader engrossed as the complicated story unfolds.

Mainly a dual narrative from Jenna and Olivia’s points of view, it deals with Jenna, a journalist going to unravel details about three girls who disappeared on a haunted lane twenty years before.

After a crash only Olivia is found alive and broken, the others have vanished without a trace.
Olivia has never spoken to reporters about that night and is steeped in survivors guilt fostered by her suffocating boyfriend and her mother who smother her with care while she is largely ostracised and blamed by the rest of the villagers.

Jenna is genuinely trying to get information for her podcast rather than dig top dirt and poke at old wounds but it seems there is no one Jenna can trust. How many people are lying? Even Dale, the detective charged with looking into the cold case isn’t always straight with her. The villagers are surly and unwilling to help on the whole and the whole place has a gothic air.

Interspersed is a seemingly unrelated sub plot which is cleverly woven in and revealed later in the book.

This is a twisty tale which keeps you guessing and reading on late into the night.

The Girls Who Disappeared is a story crafted by the Queen of the unfathomable twist. It’s like an itch you can’t quite reach, a brilliant character study with razor sharp writing.

The girls who disappeared is a strong novel about friendship, family, and the spreading virus that is lies and betrayal. We can all remember what it was like being eighteen, right? That taste of freedom has seeped into our veins, and we want more of it. A driving license, a car, and a group of friends – the possibilities are endless, well they would be if it wasn’t cut to a drastic end with a car accident on the notoriously mysterious Devil’s Corridor – a stretch of road where dark figures and baby’s cries have been heard. Four girls were involved in the crash, but only one was found still trapped at the wheel – Olivia.

A group of friends traveling in Olivia’s car through rural Wiltshire is involved in a catastrophic car accident. It’s left the driver, Olivia, with serious injuries to her leg twenty years on. The girls were never seen again, and with no conclusion to their disappearance or the accident, she’s got a severe case of survivor’s guilt. She doesn’t know what happened to her friends, but she knows that it can’t be good. They’d never leave without telling their families – only one conclusion makes sense, and that’s that someone must have hurt them further. It’s not something she can dwell on.

That night is burned into Olivia’s memory. She recalls seeing a bright white light and talking to the local weirdo – Ralph. The fact that he was first on the scene instantly got the family’s back up, and he was questioned, but no charges were brought. The entire event was a mystery to the police, Olivia, and the missing girl’s families. It’s twenty years on and Manchester Journalist, Jenna Halliday has been tasked with covering the story on behalf of the BBC for a podcast. It’s something to really get her teeth in after the collapse of her marriage.

Jenna’s arrival doesn’t go down well with the locals. Reinvestigating the case has stirred up some strong emotional responses and Jenna is very quickly reminded just how vicious people can be. She strikes up a good working relationship with the detective tasked with reinvestigating the case, Dale. She starts receiving threatening notes and it’s becoming clear that she’s getting a little too close to the truth.

The Girls Who Disappeared felt like swimming in a murky pool, just when you thought you had a handle on where it was going, the currents pulled you back under. A story spanning two times, a story that makes you audibly gasp. It leaves you questioning the action and consequence of characters. They’re all multi-layered and the ending will make you grateful the quiet life you lead.

Claire Douglas is an incredible storyteller with a wonderful imagination that gradually unfurls within the pages of this brilliant thriller. Jenna is a journalist who is making a podcast on the twentieth anniversary of the mystery disappearance of three teenage girls. Driving home from a night out with her friends, Olivia is struggling to see in dark and very wet conditions through a forboding forest when a figure appears in the road before her and, attempting to avoid the person, she crashes. When she wakes in hospital she finds to her horror that her friends have disappeared without trace. Fast forward twenty years and Olivia is still living with the pain both physically and emotionally. Jenna, excited by the mystery, leaves her son and estranged husband behind in Manchester and sets out to spend five days interviewing people who were in the village of Stafferbury when the accident happened. As she digs deeper and long buried secrets threaten to be exposed, she finds her own life in danger. Someone doesn’t want the truth to be known but who can she trust? A clever plot that has the reader guessing throughout. With great characters, dips into a holiday in Thailand that is confusing for quite some time together with several twists, this book certainly delivers.

A creepy setting, past missing people, dark and stormy nights this book kept me up late reading. I admit to being a little disappointed with the ending and it’s annoyed me but has also kept me thinking about the book and it’s characters which is I suppose the sign of a good read.

I enjoyed this book - it was quite a complicated story which I really got into - very few characters were straightforward and it trotted along nicely to the conclusion. Recommended.

The plot for this book sounded so intriguing!
I didn’t overly enjoy this book but I did want to know what happened to the missing women and that kept me reading
Almost every character in this book was awful. Jenna was an extremely annoying and pushy journalist who lacked any sense of self preservation. Olivia was very passive and her character made sense but wasn’t enjoyable as a reader. Stace was an absolute idiot who romanticised Gatsby (which famously ended very badly)
I enjoyed the multiple POV but I really disliked the internal monologues. All of the characters had internal monologues where they posed the questions that perhaps the author wanted the reader to ask. I didn’t like that as it felt like forced intrigue. I just don’t think this author’s writing style is for me but there are people who will enjoy it.
I guessed the plot twists as they felt very obvious but I hoped that they were red herrings. I was wrong
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

This book was equal parts frustrating and captivating. I wanted to grab some of the characters and shake them, yet I couldn’t stop reading to find out whether they prevailed or not. It has a twisty turny plot, which if not careful you could lose track of. However it was definitely worth a read.

Its the 1990s and four 18 year old girls are involved  in a  car accident on the way home after a night out. When the driver, Olivia, wakes up she is injured and trapped in the car, alone... her friends have disappeared!

The girls are from a  small town which is a tourist attraction, famous for its historic ancient stones. With the girls' disappearance baffling the police, rumours  are that mysterious forces may be at  hand. Could they have been taken as part of a sacred ritual?  Are the lights Olivia saw when she awoke something to do with aliens?

20 years later journalist Jenna visits the town to record a podcast about the story and meets Olivia, the  girls' families and some of their friends. However, as she interviews them she begins to think that some of the locals are hiding things...

The book also has a sub story about another group of teenageers on holiday in Thailand, which seems unrelated at first, but as the story unfolds it all becomes clear!

This is both a  thriller and a whodunnit and I was hooked from the start! I really enjoyed this book!

A good physiological thriller. How can three girls completely disappear. Many years later a journalist goes to investigate. A closed town, menacing messages and a survivor who won't talk. A great adventure finding out the backstory and the conclusion.

On the face of it, this was a promising story about a journalist revisiting a 20-year old mystery and encountering reluctant and unreliable witnesses who claim to want to move on. In the end, however, the fairly predictable outcome, characters that were difficult to empathise with and the distracting local legends about the supernatural made the mix a little bit too rich and made it feel plodding and heavy going.

With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an opportunity to read and review.