Great story hooking you in from start to finish and with some fab twists along the way. Some you suspect but some you don't...

Another gripping read from this great author. This book pulls you in straight from the start; you instantly feel for Kathryn, whose five year old best friend, Elsie, was murdered 25 years ago and who’s now returning to the scene for the first time, coincidentally (?) as another local five year old girl is reported missing. Struggling with her feelings for her own father, who confessed to killing Elsie, Kathryn is determined to help find this new victim.

What you could never expect is the twist the search takes and the eventual outcome.

This was everything you need for a thriller and crime story. It is not as black and white as you first think and like most typical thrillers, is full of twists. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

This is so well written, definitely would recommend for those a fan of this genre. A solid 4/5 rating

I read and enjoyed all of Jenny Blackhurst’s books in the past and then, Jenny disappeared due to personal issues and I lost track of her. Sorry, Jenny! So when I accidentally came across ‘The Girl Who Left‘, I got a little overexcited and possibly let out a sound only dogs can hear. Because Jenny is back and then some!

Every month, Kathryn sets out to visit her father in prison. Every month she asks him the exact same question. “Where is she?” Every time her father refuses to answer. You see, Kathryn’s father was convicted of the kidnapping and murder of five year old “cute as a button” Elsie Button on Anglesey twenty-five years ago, even though her body was never found. These events have obviously had an enormous impact on Kathryn. To be honest, she’s a bit of a screw-up. Can’t hold down a job, can’t form decent relationships and likes to get behind the wheel of her car when she’s had too much to drink. Kathryn thinks that closure and knowing where Elsie’s body is buried will lift this dark cloud from above her head and she might just be able to lead a normal life. Why won’t her father tell her where Elsie is, when he’s already confessed to everything else?

On the day of the twenty-fifth anniversary of Elsie’s disappearance, another young child called Abby vanishes from the same house on the same island. Coincidence? If Abby was taken, is there a copycat afoot? Is there a monster in the woods behind the house? Was Kathryn’s father wrongly convicted? So many answers, very little questions. To find out more, Kathryn decides to head back to Anglesey. But the island residents are a tight-knit community, they look out for their own, and they don’t for one second hide the fact that they don’t want Kathryn anywhere near their island.

Even a blind bat can pick up on the suspicious behaviour of some of the residents, but if they are really hiding something what on earth could it possibly be? What really happened to Elsie all those years ago? And where is Abby? Then there are Kathryn’s family members who also don’t seem to be acting like regular folks. Before you know it, you have a long list of people you wouldn’t trust if they were the last person on the planet. The investigation into the disappearance of Abby is led by DI Maggie Grant and I’d love to see her and her team again in another story some time, if someone can make that happen.

But ‘The Girl Who Left‘ isn’t just about solving these mysteries. There is more of a thought-provoking layer to it when the author tackles the impact of a killer’s acts on the family that is left behind. A wife who has to come to terms with the fact that the man she loved so much killed a little girl who was the same age as their own daughter. A wife who surely must have known the kind of monster her husband was. A son who was forced to grow up quickly and feels it is his duty to take care of the family. And then Kathryn herself, who can’t seem to figure out what to do with her life at all. A family who is forced to move time and again, change their names, doesn’t know who to trust or even if they can ever trust anyone at all, and a family who constantly has to defend itself against public scrutiny and a relentless media. Even decades later. I can, thankfully, not even begin to imagine.

I did figure some things out and I will never not be smug about that, for your information. However, that didn’t bother me at all because I felt ‘The Girl Who Left‘ was just that good. It’s incredibly addictive, engrossing, compelling and it had me swiping the pages so fast I almost pulled a muscle in my finger. It is at times also surprisingly witty. There were various moments where I chuckled, despite the rather dark topic. I flew through this story and enjoyed every minute of it. This, for me, is Jenny Blackhurst at her best and I’m thrilled that she’s back!

Firstly a big thank you to the publishers for my copy to review on netgalley. And apologies for the delay as I lost my ipad…

Anyway I inhaled half of this is one go… its so good!!

Been a big fan of her books for years so was excited to read this one.

Unpredictable ,tense and incredibly gripping.

Fantastic thriller that will have you hooked from start to finish desperate to know the truth.

Thought provoking and gets under your skin especially as a parent.

Published 30th June.

On July 18th, twenty-five years ago, Kathryn Bowen’s father, Patrick, admitted to taking 5-year-old Elsie Button and killing her. Kathryn was also 5 years old and Elsie was her best friend. Patrick is in prison and each year Kathryn visits him asking what he did with Elsie. He never answers her. The crime was so scandalous, that Kathryn always has to hide out on the anniversary of Elsie’s disappearance. Her older brother, Jordan, always checks in with Kathryn on the anniversary. She has not kept in touch with her mother but the family moved from their home after the crime.

This year, another child, 5-year-old girl, Abigail Warner, has gone missing from her yard. It so happens that the family lives in the house where the original crime happened. Now, DI Maggie Grant is on the case and they are working frantically to find the missing child.

Kathryn decides to return to the town and, hoping no one will recognize her, help to find the missing girl. But some people do recognize her and are determined to get her to leave town. However, Kathryn is equally as stubborn wanting to learn more and help if possible. As she learns more from the people close to her family during that time, an explosive truth reveals itself leaving her devastated.

I thought I had figured out the ending but was totally wrong. While this is a scary and action-filled book, I couldn’t help but feel bad for all those involved in this sad story.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and thought there were some great characters. I did have my suspicions early on who I thought was behind it all but it certainly didn’t take any enjoyment away from the book. I loved DI Maggie Grant and hope to hear more about her in the future

what would you do if at the age of five. you lose everything .that's what happened to Kathryn .her best friend Elsie was murdered and her father Patrick Bowen confessed to her murder but never told the police where she was buried. Kathryn has gone to see her father twenty six times just to ask where he has buried her but he never answer's. its twenty five years since she has died. and on that anniversary a five year old girl goes missing from the same house that Kathryn lived at. Kathryn wants to go back to her old home town. DI Maggie Grant is leading the case. she hears that Kathryn is back in the village and keeps an eye on her. but Kathryn starts digging in to the past and someone wants her stopped. its so gripping and twisty i so love this authors books always keeps you gripped to the end

Thank you NetGalley, Canelo and Jenny Blackhurst for letting me read “The Girl Who Left” in exchange for an honest review.

“One Missing… One comes home”

I ADORE novels set in Wales, one day I will get there myself. I am totally in love when there is some Welsh thrown in that I have no chance of ever pronouncing correctly. LOVE IT!


Kathryn’s best friend Elsie disappeared when they were five. From her backyard! Fast forward 25 years, Kathryn’s father is in jail having confessed to be the guilty one. But they never found the body. Kathryn is desperate to find out where the body is buried. What happened that faithful day 25 years ago.

It does not stop here. On the “disappear-averse” another child is taken from the same backyard as Elsie. Abigail is similar in looks and also five. Coincidence, when the perpetrator is in jail?! Kathryn, who could never get over the whole ordeal, goes home to investigate herself.

It’s told from a dual POV, Kathryn and DI Maggie Grant. While Kathryn occasionally drowns in a pity party, I really liked Maggie. A kick ass woman. I find her character real, flawed and still so relatable, she doesn’t take anything from anyone, tough as nails. She is tough, sarcastic and funny at times. Maggie makes the story real. I always like the real investigations more than your heroine who thinks she knows more than the police herself. Kathryn is not a bad character, but she should realise she is not the victim. Yes, her family has gone through hell, too, but she is not alone in this.

The writing is fluent and the story gripping. From the start I had my very own theories. You can choose, either I am a crap detective or Jenny Blackhurt is bloody brilliant. Either one is true, I think😆 the ending was a bit of a mixed bag. Yes it surprised me. It was not bad at all, but felt a bit off.

A solid 4,5 ⭐️ read for me

Pros: excellent writing, interesting story, Wales, kick ass DI
Cons: debatable ending, the name Elsie Button…

Twenty-five years ago, a local girl went missing. Now, another girl comes back…

Five year old Elsie Button disappeared back in 1994 on the Welsh island of Anglesey, a local man confessed to killing her, but her body has never been found, it rocked the local community, especially as the perpetrator was the father of Elsie's best friend, Kathryn. Unable to deal with the fallout from the murder, Kathryn and her family left town and her father refuses to tell her where Elsie is buried or even why he did it. Fast forward twenty five years to the day and another little girl has been taken from the same garden, Kathryn is determined to help find her so returns to the town for the first time since Elsie disappeared, but she's not prepared for the welcome she gets from some of the locals and someone is desperate to stop her uncovering the truth!

The Girl Who Left hits the ground running right from chapter one, the story is a dual narrative told from the perspectives of Kathryn and DI Maggie Grant, the detective covering the investigation of missing five year old Abigail Warner. Kathryn has never been able to move on from the death of her best friend back in 1994 so to have this happen twenty five years later to Abigail, a girl so similar in description to Elsie, dredges everything back up again and she knows she has to return to Anglesey to get some answers. I had my own theory as to what happened to Elsie, but I was so way off the mark, although I did have my suspicions, like others, about one particular person, but once again I was wrong and this is what Blackhurst does with her stories, she throws in red herrings and twists which keeps you second guessing and on the edge of your seat throughout. The premise is clever, the chapters are seamless, the characters are solid and I'd love to see more of Maggie in future books, she's a real kick ass detective who reminds me of Angie Marsons Kim Stone, and I think she has a future! It's been three years since this authors last book, but it was well worth the wait, I loved it.

I'd like to thank Canelo and Netgalley for the approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

I really enjoyed how this story built and built throughout! A real page turner that I would definitely reccomend!

An enjoyable read which I couldn’t put down!

The storyline progressed at a good pace and kept me interested throughout.

I did guess some of the twists, but this didn’t detract from enjoying the story.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

We meet Kathryn. Kathryn is a lost soul, running away from everything and feels her life isn’t worth anything, due to her history. Her father killed her best friend when they were 5 years old, and he’s currently serving a life sentence in prison. And she visits every month to ask him where he buried her body, as he confessed to killing Elsie, but wouldn’t reveal where her body is. This has plagued Kathryn for the whole of her adult life, and she’s sure that her dad will tell her where Elsie is, but every month he stays silent, refusing to give up this last piece of information. Then one morning, on the anniversary of Elsie’s disappearance, Kathryn hears the news of another child going missing from the exact same area. Kathryn feels these cases are somehow linked to her, and travels back to her hometown of Anglesey, where secrets and lies happen, but Kathryn is determined to find the truth among all of that.

This was a good solid psychological thriller. The writing was excellent, and every page held another little twist or turn. It was fast paced, and character driven. The characters were all really well written, and I especially liked the no nonsense DI Maggie Grant, and Kathryn’s friend, Miriam. They were both straight talking, and witty. This book had a creepy feel to it, with the settings described, and this made the story have the right atmosphere. Highly recommended!!

Two five year old girls (Elsie and Abigail) who look eerily similar go missing on the same day on the same town years apart while the murderer, Patrick, is still o. Prison for Elsie’s murder, so what’s going on?

I have mixed feelings on this one. A lot of the buildup and background was really excellent and riveting. A lot of the twists were really surprising and therefore great fun to read.

I didn’t really love the final twist that brought the story all together and found it hard to believe that certain choices of other characters would have been made based on this revelation, when sticking to the truth would’ve been better for everyone involved in the long term.

Three stars!

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank You to NetGalley and Canelo for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book and read it in one sitting. Loved the characters and I hope there's another book coming with Maggie, Beth, Miriam, and Kathryn in it and on the Island. I highly recommend this book. While I did guess some of the ending. It certainly didn't ruin it for me.

I loved this book by Jenny Blackhurst, thanks to netgalley and the publisher for this arc.

Elsie Button went missing 25 years ago and and a local man later confessed to her murder, it sent shockwaves through the community forcing the family of the man to move three or four times to escape the fallout.

Fast forward to now and 5 year old Abigail goes missing from the same house on the 25th anniversary, where is she and who took her,

Katy wants answers and goes back to search and by the end we find out where Abigail is and who really killed Elsie Button.

It's a long time since i read a book by this author. I did enjoy the read and getting to know the character. Would recommend.

When five year old Elsie Button was snatched from a garden in a sleepy town in the Welsh Island of Anglesey, and a local man later confessed, it sent shock waves through the tight-knit community. How could one of there own do such a thing? Especially when his own little girl was the same age - and the victims best friend. Kathryn and her family left under a cloak of darkness one night, unable to bear the shame and the anger of their neighbours. When another child is taken from the same garden, twenty five years to the day of Elsie's murder, Kathryn is determined to join the search and atone for her father's deed.

I was constantly trying to figure out who had taken Abigail and why she had been taken on the same day that Elsie Button was taken twenty five years ago. The story is told from Kathryn and the senior investigating police officer, DI Grant's perspectives. I liked that the people of Anglesey were tight-knit. Someone doesn't want Kathryn back on the island.. But who and why? There's plenty of twists to choose from. I was quickly pulled in and it didn't let me go until the last page. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

I would like to thank #Netgalley #Canelo and the author #JennyBalckhurst for my ARC of #TheGirlwhoLeft in exchange for an honest review.

Okay I have to say I loved everything about this book except the last roughly 15%. I'm not going to spoil, but it just felt unresolved/fast and I had a serious existential crisis about what the "right answer" would be in that scenario. I also struggled with the point of what happened with Kathryn outside of the pub (iykyk, but also no spoilers!!). Also, did we ever find out about what happened with her mom, and who Shakespeare was (because that character felt kind of important and I feel there could have been a good twisty arc there)? Not gonna lie though, that may be on me bc I was reading so fast wanting answers so dang bad LOL But, I so truly enjoyed everything else - the characters, the plot, the mystery, the build up, the red herrings, the intertwining between the characters, and Maggie Grant is goals, I loved her. And I loved Kathryn's friend Miriam. This was a mystery read that kept me hooked, and will definitely have me digging in to more in this genre!