A story of love and determination to find out what happened to her sister who was stolen from her pram at only weeks old.
Set in Burma during the mid 1939s Bella a singer comes to Rangoon following revelations following her fathers death that she had a sister.
Bella determined to find out the truth sets out on a journey that will put her in danger but also help her to find the love of her life.
Beautiful written Dinah Jefferies yet again does not disappoint.

I'd recommend this - good solid writing and a great story to immerse yourself in.

As I said, the writing is very good and draws you into Burma at the time, and the central characters all work well for me and are believable. The mother's story is a sad, side narrative and this book encapsulates several themes, of loss, depression and misunderstanding. But there is balance and the ending works well.

I enjoyed following the character of Belle and her interactions with the environment and the other characters, all seemed fully rounded and believable, so you could just relax into the story-telling. I really enjoyed this.

An atmospheric read with two narrative threads that compliment each other. I also enjoyed the romance, as it added to the story and did not overpower the central mystery and richness of the environment of Burma and the mystery.
It would be a perfect summer beach or garden read as well. I'll look out for more from this author, as this was my first encounter.
Many thanks for the arc!

This is a really good book. It is set in Burma in the 1930s under British rule. Bella is a singer in her twenties who arrives by boat from England. She is completely alone following her father's death, but she is intrigued by the idea of Burma because she knows that her parents lived there before she was born.
The story has everything! There is a lot of historical detail about the political upheaval that is going on throughout the British Empire. There is also a mystery about a crime that took place while Bella's parents lived in Rangoon, which runs throughout the book. We also have excerpts from Bella's mother's diaries during the time of her stay in Burma and then later on her return to England, giving a different dimension to the events. And, as you would expect from a Dinah Jeffries story, there is a romance set against the exotic background of the country. I was completely entranced by it. I could picture the gardens so clearly, and the hotel where Bella lives and works is vividly described.
I would definitely recommend this book. If you have read the other books by this author you will know how much research goes into her stories. If you have yet to do so, I would urge you to seek them out as they are well worth reading. I would like to thank the publisher for supplying me with a free copy of this book in return for an honest review. #netgalley #TheMissingSister

This book has some lovely descriptions of Burma towards the end of the colonial era.
A baby girl goes missing from the garden of an English couple in Burma in the early 1920s and the distraught parents return to England, where the mother is haunted by what happened. Some years later, their grown-up daughter returns to Burma to work and decides to try and find out what happened to her sister...
As ever with Dinah Jeffries' books, this is an easy read. The plot is not complex, but it's an enjoyable page turner. Perfect for reading on the beach, or if you are planning a trip to Burma/Myanmar!

I like Dinah Jeffries and this book didn't disappoint. I very quickly engaged with Belle, the main character and became intrigued with the story. It is a tale of loss, mystery, depression, misconceptions, trust and many other things! The setting in colonial Burma was beautifully written. It was an easy read and I enjoyed this story and would recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley for my free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love Dinah Jeffries’ books and was thrilled to receive this copy. The story of Belle and her missing sister who she eventually discovers the truth around her disappearance. A lovely, sweeping tale, rich in description.

Belle Hatton travels out to Burma in 1936 to be a singer in a swish colonial hotel in Rangoon. She is befriended on board ship by the rich, mysterious Gloria de Clemente who introduces her to the glamorous colonial life. Parallel to Belle’s story is that of her mother looking back from 1920’s England, at her former life and marriage in Rangoon.

In her recently deceased father’s papers Belle discovers newspaper clippings about a baby girl that went missing from a Burmese garden in 1911. Belle’s curiosity is piqued. She discovers she has a ‘missing sister’ and is determined to find out what happened. She meets Gloria’s brother Edward and the attractive American journalist, Oliver who both try to help her discover what happened – but who is she to trust? Things start to get dangerous as she realises that much has been covered up.

An exciting adventure, but also very comfortable to read ; I couldn’t help feeling the story was a bit too ‘pat’ at times – particularly at the end where things fall into place almost too comfortably. But to balance this is the beautiful, evocative writing about the country, the attitudes to, and of the colonials, and the troubles between the Indians and Burmans which is so interesting. The story is fast paced and exciting – I found it at times to be a bit superficial, but at the same time I could not leave it alone. I found the mother’s story so sad - a victim of the patriarchal attitudes of the time with no knowledge of postnatal depression. I would have liked it twice the length with more character depth, however that is my personal preference. It was an entertaining and imaginative read.

Everything you would expect from Dinah Jefferies and it doesn't disappoint. There is mystery, tension, violence, romance - but who could Annabelle trust as she uncovers the tragic story that, over the years, has impacted on so many lives in her family? Who is bent on stopping her and to what lengths are they prepared to go to do so? A spell-binding mystery set against a pulsing, exotic Burmese background. A novel that you won't be able to put down.

Dinah Jeffries once again whisks us off to the other side of the world and another time.
In this book we are in Burma both in 1921 where we hear Diana's story and in 1936 where we hear Belle's.

Belle's father has died and she is travelling to Burma to take up a job singing in a hotel.
She also has another reason for choosing Burma. It is the place where her parents lived and where she has just found out her sister mysteriously disappeared when she was three weeks old. Her mother Diana was blamed partly because she had post natal depression and was acting strange. Her parents moved back to England soon after.
Belle didn't receive much attention from her mother as a child then one day her mother was gone and a few years later her father told her Diana had passed away.
Diana's story is heartbreaking. Losing her baby takes over her life and no one understood about post natal depression. Her husband is only sympathetic for a limited time then Diana has to face the consequences of what he decides for her.

Once Belle begins her quest to find out what happened to her sister various people appear to want to help her but she doesn't know who to trust. Are they helping or are they trying to prevent her from finding out the truth.
This was definitely a page turner. There seems to be danger for Belle at every corner.
I was swept up with the descriptions of Rangoon and Mandalay. The markets, the crowded streets and the feeling of unease as Belle walked them.
Belle seemed quite naive at first but gradually she became a strong woman who would stop at nothing to find out the truth. She had choices to make. Did she trust Oliver or Edward. Both seem willing to help but as she is warned off the one she is falling for, does she follow her heart or her head?
I always enjoy a Dinah Jefferies book and this one lives up to my expectations. A really good read.

Review will be posted on my blog on publication day, and to Amazon and Goodreads.

Not in my review but this arc was very difficult to read as one chapter merged into another. I didn't know what part of the story I was reading.

A joy to read, i found this book very easy to read mainly because the setting of Burma was so vividly depicted and also because, Belle, Oliver, Diana and the other characters were so well described. Easily accessible this book, to me, had echoes of The Painted Veil in the way it described colonial Burma.

The character of Diana with her postpartum depression who is put out of the lives of her family and pretty much abandoned in the Cotswolds is sad and probably typical of the period. Very sad.

Engrossing book which is a straightfoward enough read I recommend it to anyone with an interest in the lives of colonial expats and those who simply love a great story.

A little smalzy & predictable but nonetheless an enjoyable read. It’s written in a slightly innocent & old fashioned way which is quite a pleasant change. A great holiday read.

This book is an interesting mix of mystery and romance set in 1930s Burma, and swaps between the stories of Belle, a nightclub singer and Diana, her mother. I found it a gentle read, as Belle explores the mystery of her missing baby sister, although there are a couple of points of high tension. It’s nicely woven together and there’s clearly a huge amount of research that’s gone into the historical background of colonialism in that region. A nice, comforting, warm coffee kind of a read.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Penguin Books for the advance copy.

I find Dinah Jefferies’ style easy to read so finished this book in a couple of days. I loved the setting and the characters, all highly believable and atmospheric. It’s a great page-turner and I loved all the twists and turns, not really knowing who to trust. It’s another great book (along with all her others).

This is a lovely book, a tale of two sisters, one thought to be lost, one growing up not even knowing she had a sister.
Annabelle comes to Burma as a singer in high class hotels. She has a complex background with a difficult father and little good memory of her mother, whom she has been told is dead. Finding that she inherits her parents old house brings back more memories and she is determined to find her lost sister.
The plot thickens when two very different men become involved. Which one of them is trustworthy?
It took me a little while to get used to leaping from one decade to another with no warning. The sounds, smells and colour of the cities were so well written and you could feel yourself with Belle exploring the different areas.
I did enjoy reading this book. Thanks to NetGalley for a review copy.

My thanks to NetGalley and Publisher Penguin for the ARC.
I really, really enjoyed this book - I'm not usually attracted to historical/romance fiction, but was intrigued by the description.
Bella Hatton disembarks in Rangoon in the company of Gloria, a Colonial socialite, who befriended her during the journey. This is Burma in the 1930s and Bella has taken a job as a singer in the large local Colonial hotel. Gloria and her brother Edward are wealthy and are both socially well-connected, Edward particularly so, as he works within the British Administration. Bella's parents are dead - her father more recently - and she carries with her some old newspaper reports concerning her parents' sudden flight from Rangoon following the disappearance of Elvira as a baby - Bella's sister - from the family home there. 25 years previously.
The story follows two timelines - one from the early 1920s where we learn of the events leading up to Bella's parents leaving Burma and settling in Cheltenham, England, from her mother Diana's point of view, - the other is Bella's story presently pursuing any information available regarding the disappearance of her sister. She is assisted with her quest by Gloria and Edward, as well as Oliver, an American journalist who befriends her.
Along the way there are twists and turns - anonymous notes suggesting she may be trusting the wrong people - reports of the historical incident apparently unavailable - as well as life-threatening situations she finds herself in. Just WHO can she trust?
Without giving spoilers, suffice it to say that the story was concluded extremely satisfactorily in a literary sense..
I've not read any of Dinah Jefferies books before, but will definitely be looking out for them in future. The detailed attention she gives to the human senses experiencing Burma, from Rangoon to Mandalay, is just so atmospheric; mesmerising. At first I thought Bella would be a 'little-girl-lost' character at the prey of those who wished to thwart her, but no - she's strong and determined and will call-out those she thinks are not working in her interests.
Really worth the read. Thank you.

Yet another beautifully described story by Dinah Jefferies, this time in Burma (today's Myanmar). Loveable characters with a beautiful setting. 2 men are wanting to help Belle with the mystery of her sister Elvira. Who to trust? The area is researched well by Dinah even by a stunning method of transport! There is romance, there is tragedy, there is wonder. I do love a good Dinah Jefferies books to get away from it all.

The only part that annoyed me and I don't think it was a fault in the story, or an error by the author but the way I read the story it flips back and forth between Belle in 1930s Burma and her mother in 1920s Britain but sometimes it didn't label clearly switching from one character to the other. One paragraph it was mother talking and then the next it was Belle. Maybe my copy was a draft copy so this may have been sorted.

Thank you #netgallley for allowing me to read and review #themissingsister #dinahjefferies

A story full of twists and turns, amid the backdrop of another country and cultures. The weather, flora and fauna were described so well, I felt that I was there. I have read a couple of books about missing sisters recently, but this one held the most intrigue. It is obvious that the author does a lot of travelling and talking to people, to ensure her books are entertaining and authentic

A glamorous new job in Burma brings romance and family peace

A new Dinah Jefferies is always a treat, full of colour, life and romance. As with many of her books, this one is set in the far east. Burma between the two world wars is very much a colonial outpost. Unrest is rife, both against British rule and between local Burmans and the Indian workers imported by the British as cheap labour. The story is split between two time-frames: Belle's new life in 1930s Burma and her mother Diane's both in 1920s Burma and in Britain.

Belle has discovered, going through her mother's old possessions, that she once had an older sister. Abducted as a baby, the child had never been mentioned by her father, who has recently died. Belle barely remembers her mother, whose sad story of loss and mental illness is gradually revealed to us, though not to Belle until much later.

Through Belle's eyes, as she arrives in Rangoon to work as a nightclub singer, we see and hear the glorious colours, amazing sights and strange sounds of the teeming city. These seem so real because the author has experienced it all herself. For young Belle it must have been quite a culture shock, being so different from Cheltenham, where she grew up with mostly her Nanny for company.

Jefferies' vivid description of the life of wealthy British colonials is juxtaposed against the poverty and harsh conditions in which many Burmese lived, the Indians' lives being even worse. Belle is a girl with some experience of men, not particularly looking for romance, though she soon has a choice. Charismatic Gloria, who befriended her on the boat to Burma, introduces her to her brother Edward, a married man with connections in the police force. He's willing to help Belle in more ways than one, if she'll let him! Then there's Oliver, a handsome journalist who she can't help being drawn to, despite being warned off by Gloria.

Will either man be able to help her find her missing sister? Will she find true love with one of them? What really happened to her mother? Is Gloria involved? A cracking story with a beautiful heroine in a lovely setting.

As always a fantastic story. This time we are transpoerted to Burma prior to WW2 and immersed in the sights and senses of Rangoon and Mandalay as Belle investigates what happened to her sister and tries to solve the mystery of the baby’s disappearance. I always find that I am engossed in Dinah’s books from the first page and eagerly await the next one. There are certain authors where you just know that their books will be excellent and Dinah is at the top of my list.

It was a beautifully descriptive book and a thoroughly enjoyable read. The descriptions of Burma in the 1930’s was excellent. Really atmospheric. The mix of romance and mystery was enjoyable and although the final revelations about the baby’s disappearance seemed rushed I did enjoy the book. I did wish more had been included about Diana as I just felt she was touched upon and then the story reverted to 1930’s again.

Having never read a Dinah Jeffries novel before I will definitely be reading more.