The initial premise of this one reminded me a lot of All The Missing Girls, given a teenage disappearance and a fair.

I was immediately drawn in by this thriller. The plot was gripping and entertaining, and I couldn’t wait to find out what happened to Heather to make her suddenly decide to kill two people and whether it would connect to her past.

The story was told from an interesting angle: the POV of Jess, Heather’s former best friend who is now a journalist. Jess was constantly struggling to balance her responsibility as a reporter with her desire to protect Heather’s family. The scenes from the past are told from the POVs of Heather’s mom and Flora. I thought the whole plot flowed really well, and while I was constantly hunting for clues and learning more about the characters, there were never any whiplash-inducing twists that left me blindsided.

In the end, I love how the past explained the present. This thriller is definitely one to add to your summer TBR!

Claire Douglas has been on my radar for a long time now. I'm glad I took the plunge and asked for this book.

Then She Vanished is the first book that I have read from Claire Douglas, but it certainly won’t be the last.
Jess, a local journalist, has just had her whole career almost ruined and now works in a tiny local office reporting on smaller stories. When she gets news that a double homicide has happened and the suspect may possibly be her former best friend, she realizes that this may be the break she is in need of.

Jess and Heather were inseparable growing up. Heather was the friend that she had been looking for all her life, but when Heather’s older sister, Flora, goes missing, things are never the same between the two of them. When Jess shows up at the door to get an inclusive with Heather’s mom, she gets the door shut in her face, but this doesn’t stop her from continuing to try. She knows that she needs this story and will do whatever it takes to get it. After much persuasion, she finally gets the interview with Margot that she was after and quickly realizes how much she has been missing Heather and her whole family. She struggles to believe that her friend could do such a horrible crime and she is determined to find the motive behind it.

The story goes back and forth between present day with both Jess and Margot’s perspective and to the past when Flora goes missing. The book is hard to put down because it keeps you guessing throughout, and you really have no idea how it is all going to end. I wouldn’t have predicted how it all finished out which is something I am always looking for in a thriller. It was definitely a really great book and I would give it 4 stars!

What happens when you are called to write a story on your childhood best friend who's been charged with murder? Did she do it? Does this have anything to do with why you stopped being friends years ago? This one had a double story line: then and now. When Heather's sister Flora went missing when they were young, what really happened that night? How is it related to the current day murder? This one was good with some surprising twists. Definately recommended.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: August 3, 2021
Flora Powell disappeared without a trace one summer in 1994. Twenty-five years later, Flora’s sister, Heather, walks into a house and shoots two people in cold blood. Why would Heather, a wife and mother, kill two random people? Jess used to be close friends with Heather, until Flora’s disappearance tore them apart. Now a reporter, Jess is determined to get to the bottom of what happened and what caused Heather to snap.
Claire Douglas’ fifth novel, “Then She Vanishes” is full of pulse-pounding, page-turning twists and turns. Right from page one, the novel pulled me in, and I was immediately immersed in Heather and Jess’s world. “Vanishes” was well-told, with great flow and powerfully honest characters. The story is told primarily from the perspectives of Jess and Margot (Heather and Flora’s mother), but there are also segments told from Flora’s perspective, during the summer she vanished.
Heather and Flora have a close sibling relationship, rifled with competition, jealousy and a powerful protective instinct. Jess is the cast-away, looking for love and a family that she is not getting in her own home, headed by a cold and unloving mother. Each character has their own heartbreaking truth that allows a reader to instantly bond with them. Although exceptionally different, all three women are likable and relatable.
I made multiple attempts to guess the ending, as Douglas peppered the pages with any number of seemingly curious characters who could be suspects. But, to my great delight, I was wrong every time. When the ending finally came down, it was completely unpredictable, and yet utterly believable, which is what the best endings are made of.
This is my first book by Douglas, but I know it won’t be my last. Her creativity and almost-perfect writing style is difficult to find in this genre, and yet Douglas manages to do it with ease.

This story had such an intriguing premise that it had me hooked right from the beginning and I couldn’t put it down. One sister, Heather, murders a man and his mother who are seemingly strangers to her. Then Heather shoots herself and ends up in a coma. Go back many years and Heather’s older teenaged sister Flora goes missing. How are these events connected? The story weaves back and forth through dual time periods in which this family’s many secrets come to light. This was a fun and satisfying read with lots of twists at the end and a strong resolution.

More of a slow burn, sneak up and grab you type of thriller, rather than a fast paced in your fast thrill ride, but very well written, riveting, and hard to put down. Realistic in the plot and definitely realistic characters that make you more engaged to the story. Full of twisty turns, chills, thrills, and shocks. Very well written, which Douglas seems to know how to do flawlessly. Highly recommend to my fellow thrill seekers, as this book shows that Douglas is one to add to your must read thriller list!

Will buzz around and use Amazon top reviewer number for release!

This is a perfect thriller/mystery to read this summer. Told back & forth between the present day & 1994, merging the two stories together beautifully. Jess is a solid lead & I found myself flipping the book as fast I as I could because I really wanted to know all the reveals. There’s a good mix of mysteries to be answered from both times & I think it will definitely keep readers in suspense. If you like a good, solid domestic thriller, I think this is a book you should read.

I wish that I had DNFed this book, because I don't have many nice things to say. The plot was slow, the multimedia of the newspaper articles was lacking, and I didn't find myself engaging with the characters. Several of the twists didn't have enough build-up to make them seem foreshadowed, but others... I don't know. I felt like this book had a lot of potential in the plotlines, but we spent more time focusing on the theories about Heather.

*Thank you to Penguin and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Then She Vanishes by Claire Douglas - a classic who-done-it - was an engaging, fast-paced read that kept me guessing throughout the story. I enjoyed that the story was told from multiple points of view, in both the present and the past, so we were able to learn more of the story than if it were told in first person.

There were many twists and turns, but I have to say that the ending wasn't as unexpected as I thought it might be. But Douglas is an entertaining writer, and I will definitely be checking out more of her books. She knows how to keep the reader on their toes!

Holy hell, what a ride! If you’re a fan of Megan Miranda- then you are going to LOVE “Then She Vanishes”. I started reading this book last night around 11 pm for my bedtime read. Which was a mistake because it’s now 5am and I’m still up because I HAD to finish it. A classic mystery that leaves you guessing until the end.

The book revolves around sisters Flora and Heather and best friend Jess,
Heather is in hospital unconscious accused of a double murder. Jess is a journalist and out to reveal the true story of what happened. Flora at the age of 16 has been missing for 18 years and is presumed dead by the community.
Margot, the mother of Flora and Heather and surrogate mother of Jess during the summer of 1994, is still hopeful that Flora is alive. She and Jess are determined to prove Heather's innocence.
This book introduces many characters and how everything connects will keep you entertained.

This one was highly predictable but still enjoyable..though as it went on, it kind of got less gripping. The characters were quite simple too. But over all the writing style was good. Nothing made me go 'wow' but I kept turning the page. I can see this author writing maybe not the best books for me, but enjoyable guilty pleasures. I'd recommend just don't go in expecting lots of surprises and amazing twists and turns. You'll see it all coming.

This wasn't a bad book, I kept turning the pages to see what was going to happen. But, when I finished it I was sad at the predictability. I would still recommend it, but don't expect too many surprises with this one.

I liked the book. I didn't think any of the twists were very shocking. The story was good and there were a few surprises but nothing that made me want to go WOW!.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Paperbacks for this ARC in exchange for my review.
It took me a few days to finish it even though I could have read it in one day if I had the time. All of Claire Douglas's books have a way of sucking me in, twisting my thought process and throwing me into a world of nothing else matters but solving this crime. The present crime coexists with a past crime Jess reminisces concerning the disappearance of her childhood friend's sister Flora 18 years ago. With many shady characters being accused of her disappearance, they all appear to be connected or suspicious in the latest crime.
As a journalist now, Jess finds herself engulfed in the present crime because it involves her friend Heather accused of killing two people then turning the gun on herself. Although Heather has survived, she remembers little about the incident and Jess is determined to find out what happened while reliving the past and the dissolve of their friendship after Flora vanished.
There are so many questions throughout and fun to examine the characters, the setting and surprises
If it becomes predictable for you and draws you in, just wait the course will change: Claire's style!

Heather has possibly murdered two people then shot herself. She is in a coma. when she was ten she shot her father and killed him "an accident'. Her sister Flora went missing at 16, a bloody blouse the only evidence found.
her childhood friend is now a reporter who has secrets and is covering this case.

A thrilling ride with quite a few twists that you do not see coming. Jess, Heather and Flora were childhood friends. Flora vanishes without a trace one night when she is only 16. Heather and Jess’ friendship falls apart. 18 years later, Heather is suspected of killing two people then attempting suicide. Jess grew up to be a reporter and she starts her own investigation into the murders. She finds it hard to believe that Heather would’ve killed two strangers. This book is a pick it up and can’t put it down read! The final twist is the best!

I’ve read all of Ms. Douglas’s books; I wouldn’t say that I love them but they are certainly guilty pleasures. Nice atmospheric thrillers that allow you to read a bit mindlessly.

This was my first Claire Douglas book, and certainly won't be my last, as this is one of the better mysteries I have read in a long time.
Heather and Jess were best friends growing up in a beautiful seaside town in northern England. Jess's mother didn't have a lot to do with her, so she ingrained herself in the lives of Heather, her sister Flora, and her single mother. Until Flora goes missing and Heather and Jess's world falls apart.
Eighteen years later, and Jess is a reporter now investigating the shooting of an elderly woman and her grown son, shot by none other than Heather. How is that possible? This is NOT the Heather Jess knew, and Jess is suffering a self-inflicted gunshot to the chest, with no memory of what happened.
As Jess begins to get to the bottom of what really happened, someone begins threatening her. Is she still safe? Is this shooting connected to Flora's disappearance? You MUST read this novel to find out!