I’m always excited to read a new Lisa Jewell book and this one was no exception.

The Night she Disappeared is another masterful psychological thriller from one of my favourite authors, that kept me hooked from start to finish. It has everything – mystery, tension and plenty of twists and turns and is skilfully told from multiple viewpoints and timelines.

Compelling reading and highly recommended.

Lisa Jewell has done it again! How has she managed to create another gripping page-turner so soon after ‘The Family Upstairs’? I love a thriller I can’t put down, but I also need characters I can believe in. Lisa Jewell gives you both.

There is an ordinary family at the heart of this ‘missing persons’ tragedy. The novel opens as Kim, who is babysitting for her 19-year-old daughter Tallulah and boyfriend Zach, starts to wonder why they haven’t come home. She adores her grandson, Noah, but at 39 she feels she should be out at the pub herself.

The morning arrives and the couple still aren’t home, but no one else is worried. Zach’s selfish mother, Megs, suggests that the young couple have run away from their responsibilities. But Kim is sure that Tallulah would never leave her baby. She knows that Zach bought an engagement ring before the date night, but isn’t sure how Tallulah feels about him. Did Zach lose his temper when Tallulah turned down his proposal of marriage? Because Zach is a good boy, thinks Kim, but he has a temper.

Kim searches desperately for clues, but the couple appear to have disappeared into thin air, leaving no traces, and the police have to drop the investigation through lack of leads. Kim is a character you instantly sympathise with and you’ve just got to keep turning the pages to find out what has happened to the daughter she’s missing so much.

We pick up the story nine months later when the clever and resourceful Sophie, a writer of ‘cosy’ detective stories, moves into the area with her new partner, a head teacher. Sophie finds a cardboard sign saying ‘Dig Here’ and discovers the first clue to the disappearance. Who is leaving clues for Sophie? It seems that someone knows what happened to Zach and Tallulah.

Lisa Jewell turns up the tension as Sophie investigates, becoming obsessed with the case as a distraction from relationship problems with her increasingly distant partner. Whilst we follow Sophie’s investigation, flashbacks skilfully reveal the events leading up to the fatal date night. We learn more about Tallulah’s relationship with the possessive Zach and a rich girl from college, ‘cool, edgy’ Scarlett, who targets Tallulah and makes her dissatisfied with her ordinary life. Lisa Jewell is bang on the money in her description of a young girl who goes to college to achieve a better life for herself and her family. Having taught on an Access to University course, I’ve known a lot of girls like Tallulah whose partners put them under pressure to leave.

Lisa Jewell keeps us guessing until the end and drops tantalising clues on the way. I loved the gothic elements in the novel: the ‘odd, damp bonfire smell’ in Sophie’s cottage, the clues hidden in paintings, an abandoned mansion called ‘Dark Place’ with a gruesome history and a subterranean passage no one can find, and of course the dark woods in which, it is said, people get lost and disappear.

And talk about a dramatic, nail-biting ending! There was no way I was going to bed until I’d finished this book. Pure reading pleasure.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Books for an ARC in return for an unbiased review.

What an incredible read. I am already a huge fan of Lisa Jewell’s work and this did not disappoint. It gripped me from the very first page until the last. Highly recommended.

Loved this book, it gripped me from the very start. I would never have guessed the outcome. As usual brilliant style of writing from Lisa. Would highly recommend.

What's the last thriller novel you read?

Who doesn't love a good thriller? If you don't, you're weird.

Missing people, anonymous clues, a mysterious forest, and a school with a confusing reputation - are you ready for this?

'The Night She Disappeared' is a book set in three timelines, all correlating to a single incident - the disappearance of Tallulah Murray and Zach Allister. People involved? A queen bee, a 2 year old baby and an exploited boyfriend.

The beauty of Lisa Jewell's writing is reflected in the solving of the mystery, which doesn't happen until you're 90 percent into the book! Never deviating and always engaging, this book was a fun and light read, and it really gave 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' vibes!

Looking for a good mystery novel to keep you engaged? This is your pick.

Absolutely fantastic! Loved it. If you read one book this year make it this one. Well written. Great story. Suspenseful and just all round great.

A brilliant read from Lisa Jewell, and in my opinion her best yet. A great storyline that really had me guessing throughout. Narrated in different timelines to add extra layers, the characters really come to life.

Lisa Jewell’s latest offering, The Night She Disappeared, is yet another delight for her readers.
Tallulah’s boyfriend, who left the scene when she got pregnant, has now experienced a change of heart. But his family fantasies fail to excite Tallulah who is now only happy when in the company of one-year-old Noah. She struggles to see any escape route away from Zach’s jealousy and his controlling behaviour.
When they both disappear without trace after a night out, the police have no leads to follow.
Two years on, cue the appearance of a set of completely unconnected characters with their own issues, suddenly a set of clues and the action hots up.
Many of the decisions made by the characters as the plot progresses are unusual to say the least, but in the hands of Lisa Jewell what transpires appears perfectly reasonable. This writer is skilled at getting inside the head of all her creations; from young to old, damaged or rounded and the haves and the have-nots. Even though she fully exploits the unpredictable and crazy behaviour of young adults, sure why not.
I loved this book, the ultimate in entertainment.

Another brilliant read from Lisa Jewell. Totally compelling and a real page turner with it's many twists and turns that just grips the reader's attention. The plot builds slowly but develops as it covers events leading up to the crime, the crime and 15 months later but with tantalising progression at each time point to keep the reader guessing the outcome . Good strong characters, flows well without being too heavy or macabre.

Tallulah and her boyfriend go missing on a rare night out, while Tallulahs mum Kim babysits.

Told in several time lines and viewpoints.

A mysterious house owned by the Jaques family called Dark place.

The story runs at a good pace, lots of twists and a satisfactory ending.

This was a really interesting book. Someone gives up their life to find missing girls, having minimal possessions and an ability to fit into many different groups in the USA. Locations were well described and I felt that I was there. This was one of Lisa Jewell's best novels.

LISA JEWELL – THE NIGHT SHE DISAPPEARED

I read this novel in advance of publication through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Yet another engrossing page-turner from the master of suspense, Lisa Jewell.

It must be a parent’s worst nightmare. To have your teenage daughter and her equally young boyfriend disappear one night without trace, leaving you literally holding the baby they both love. They had only gone out for a drink. They would never abandon it. There must be foul play. What is the alternative?

But as usual, in a Lisa Jewel novel, not everything is as it seems in this twisting tale of then and now. Of relationships that are not quite what they seem.

There are so many twists and turns that to attempt to describe the plot would create spoilers. Suffice to say, the girl’s mother and a mystery writer, who has just moved into the village with her schoolmaster husband, team up with a detective in not so much a race against time, but a dogged determination to discover the truth.

Before it is too late.

Well worth a read.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Lisa Jewell is one of my favourites authors. The night she disappeared is one of her best-if, not the best. I like the way Lisa writes fast-paced with a hint of suspense all the way through.. This will be a best-seller a fabulous read. Recommended.

Just wow! Take a bow, Lisa Jewell! This thriller is based on the disappearance of two young people, where did they go? Who knows what’s happened to them? It has some really unexpected twists in it, and I enjoyed how it kept going back in time to explain different parts of the story until it all came together and what happened that frightful night is finally unveiled. I really felt for tallulah- the young woman who goes missing, I felt the book highlighted what it feels like to be trapped in an unhealthy relationship. A great read

19 year old Tallulah and her boyfriend live together with their baby son at Tallulah mother’s house.
Tallulah goes out on a date - a rare occurrence. At 11pm, Tallulah messages her mum to say that they were going to a friend from college house and would be an hour. At 4am, they hadn’t returned and their disappearance reported to police. Despite an investigation, the couple have disappeared without a trace.
Fast forward 15 months, Sophie moves into a cottage that belongs to the school where her boyfriend is headteacher. She is the author of detective novels and her interest is piqued when she spots a sign that says ‘Dig Here’.
The book moves easily between current day with Sophie’s life and discovery’s to the happenings in 2016/2017 leading up to the night she (Tallulah) disappears.

It’s a gripping mystery of the evolving relationships of teenagers living in a quiet cul-de-sac and the the very rich bohemian family living in a mansion known as Dark Place and the proximity of the school where Sophie now resides.

It’s not a book to relate to (well I’d hope not) but pure escapism involving twists, death and mystery, slightly dark but definitely gripping sucking you in and wanting more. I had to finish the last few chapters quickly and bring it to a close, to the point that I became irritable with anyone who dared interrupt me!

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a gripping mystery. It’s a real page turner.

The end is satisfying because just as you think it is all wrapped up, there is a surprise tying up that loose end adding revenge to close the mystery.

I would like to thank #NetGalley for this preview read in return for an honest review.

This review has also been shared with Goodreads.

It took my breath away it was so good it’s about a couple Tallulah and Zach who go on a night out and don’t come home they have a baby so very unusual behaviour as they adore being parents the baby is being looked after by Kim Tallulah’s mum. It appears they went to a party at a place called Dark Place and never returned home it is a very gripping story and a real page turner I loved it. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy.

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House and Lisa Jewell for this ARC in return for my honest review. This book had me hooked from the start. I loved that it was told from multiple perspectives over three different timelines. This definitely helped to build the tension. I enjoyed how the story slowly unravelled. The only downside is having to wait another year for Lisa's next book.

In the end, I enjoyed The Night She Disappeared. It is the first Lisa Jewell I have read and while I thought there were some very good things about it, I had some reservations.

The narrative is in three timelines: it opens with Sophie moving to live next to a boarding school in the country where her partner is starting as Headteacher. I emerges that two young people went missing 18 months earlier and Sophie, a writer of cosy detective fiction, becomes involved in trying to solve the mystery of their disappearance. The other time frames are immediately after the disappearance and, intermittently, events leading up to it.

It’s a decent story, well told. Lisa Jewell writes well and unfussily, and she is especially good at creating believable characters and relationships. For example, I thought her depiction of an increasingly controlling partner was very good and seemed fresh, even though it’s a pretty well-worn idea in fiction now. The psychology and motivation of her characters was good, too, and far more plausible than is often the case. No-one came up with absurd reasons for not going to the police, nor went into obvious danger without telling anyone, which was another big plus.

The thing is, I almost gave up about a third of the way through because I got pretty bored and it seemed like some rather tired tropes were being introduced to build up tension. In fact, I went back to the book, which had picked up very well by half way, and I enjoyed the second half very much; it was thoughtful, tense, plausible and involving

So...overall a good read, but be prepared for a bit of a turgid start.

(My thanks to Century for an ARC via NetGalley.)

I have read several Lisa Jewell novels and this is an author I follow more and more. Her writing is clever, well plotted and original in every sense.

In 2017, Tallulah and Zac live with Tallulah’s mum, Kim, and head out for a ‘date night’ leaving Kim to look after their baby. Kim receives a message at 11pm telling her the two of them are heading to a friend’s house for a party.

Neither Tallulah nor Zac return and Kim begins the search for her daughter who she knows would never abandon her baby boy. It leads her to a house called Dark Place which is owned by the Jacques family and their daughter Scarlett knew Tallulah from the college they both attend.

In 2018 a new head teacher arrives at the public school which backs onto the same woods as Dark Place. His girlfriend sees a sign in the woods saying ‘Dig Here’ and she finds a ring. Sophie is a detective fiction novelist.

There are so many aspects to the story and it is cunning, tense and, as always, an excellent ending.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK, Cornerstone and Lisa Jewell for my ARC of The Night She Disappeared in return for my honest review.

Super read and highly recommended.

Lisa Jewell’s latest offering The Night she disappeared is another great gripping thriller with a tangled web of secrets and lies.
2017 Nineteen-year-old Tallulah Murray is a young mother to 1 year old Noah. She decides to go out on a date night with Noah’s father Zach and leaves Noah with her mother Kim who she lives with. They decide to go out for a meal at the local pub.
But when Kim wakes up in the morning the pair still has not come home and when Kim investigates, she hears that they have gone to a Pool party at a House called The Dark Place. Kim thinks they might be sleeping it off somewhere, but the pair never come home.
2019 Sophie a Cosey Crime mystery writer moves in with her friend who starts a job as the new headmaster at the local school. Sophie decides to go for a walk in the woods behind the cottage that she has must move into and comes across a sign that say Dig here. When she delves into the earth, she comes across a ring that when investigated was brought by Zach. This new lead opens the investigation up again, on his and Tallulah disappearance.
I had read several books by Lisa Jewell and you know when you hear a new Lisa Jewell books comes out you know you are in for a ride. Her quality of her writing is immense. This has a great multi layered story line, told in several points of view that is cleverly concluded at the end that will keep you turning the pages to the end. I really enjoyed The Night she disappeared except for the ending I thought it could have been more than it was. 4 stars from me.