Member Reviews
This twisty one with great narration is told in mainly 2018 with parts told in 1980. It’s about 4 girls who wreck on an infamous stretch of road called the Devil’s Corridor in 1998. Three girls vanish never to be seen again with one girl, Olivia, the soul survivor with no memory of what happened to her friends.
Twenty years later, Jenna Halliday, comes to town to make a podcast about the missing girls and hopefully talk to Olivia who has rarely talked about that night.
But there is more to this town and this story than Jenna ever realized.
This was a binge listen for me that kept me guessing until the resolution.
Thanks to HarperAudio for the copy of this book.
I love thrillers with dual narrators, and enjoyed the back and forth between Olivia, who was in a car accident in 1998 where the rest of the passengers mysteriously disappeared, and Jenna, a reporter with a podcast who is trying to figure out what happened 20 years later. There is a plethora of shady characters, lots of information thrown in for twists and potential red herrings, and an eerie setting. This book had really great potential, but in the end, I thougth there were too many attempts to create red herrings and twists, and way too many characters with similar names. I did really enjoy the narration and think audio is the way to go for this one!
This story had a lot of potential, but in the end, I did not love it as much as Douglas’s previous books.
What I enjoyed
-The atmospheric setting and spooky vibes
-The three parallel stories that merged together
-Jenna, the BBC podcaster, was a great main character
-The audiobook was great, and I loved the narrators!
What didn’t work
-The ending fell flat and was anticlimactic
-There were a ton of side characters with similiar names, which made it hard to distinguish between them
-There were some loose ends I wanted answers to (e.g Jenna’s family)
I really wanted to enjoy this one, but it wasn't for me. I think it might have best been read on my kindle vs. listening to the audiobook. The narration was difficult for me keep up with and the dual POV got confusing, and that's not usually the case with me and audiobooks. This story did not pick up for me until about 70% into the audiobook. I found myself rewinding and re-listening to entire chapters because I felt like I was missing pertinent information to the story, but that wasn't the case much of the time. I'd read this at a later date, but not as an audiobook. I was interested in the story, but I guess the execution just didn't hit right with me due to the narration.
I am extremely appreciative of the opportunity to listen to this ALC. So, thank you NetGalley and Harper Audio for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
This is a interesting story. I liked how the main character was investigating the girls disappearance. Along the way she encounters the townsfolk who can be helpful or mean. The story is interesting and at times the story slows pace but it still kept me engaged. The ending felt a bit rushed for me or perhaps it was the multitude of characters that I couldn’t keep straight and was a tad confused. I got the ending it just took me a bit to remember who the characters were.
The narrators, Joanne Froggatt and Clare Corbett did a great job portraying the characters and I enjoyed the British accents. It was interesting to hear how they pronounce some words. All in all it was an enjoyable listen.
Special thanks to Netgalley and Harper Audio for the ALC.
I received this book from the publisher through netgalley.com I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Jenna travels to a small town in England to investigate the mysterious disappearance of 3 young women for her podcast. She finds very few people want to talk about the accident and what may have happened that night but those that do create an even bigger mystery.
Then people start dying and Jenna gets the feeling someone is following her. Dead birds are being left on her doorstep and she is starting to receive menacing notes.
This is a very atmospheric eerie book that keeps you on the edge of your seat while you try to figure out what happened to the three missing women. There are quite a few people who seem to be hiding things and worried about Jenna's story. No one seems to want her to dig too deep.
The narrator was excellent, really kept me engaged and I flew through this book. Great debut.
Good story about how one small choice can change everyone's lives you touch. Long time best friends have kids that are also best friends. Until one night 3 of the four girls disappear. Does one of the friends know more than she lets on? Has the past finally caught up with everyone?
This book started out with great promise, but I ended up not loving it. I thought the characters of Olivia and Jenna were both well developed and each woman’s story was intriguing, but in the end it all dragged on a bit too long and seemed extremely convoluted—or maybe I just felt that way because my attention wandered quite a bit in the second half. The narrators were absolutely excellent, a pleasure to listen to. I’m giving it 3 ½ stars, rounded up to 4 both for the original plot points, even if I didn’t always love them, and for the quality of the narration. Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Audio for the audio e-ARC.
Despite having a few Claire Douglas titles on my TBR shelves, this was my first! I look forward to reading her others!
One fateful night 20 twenty years ago, a group of 4 young women have an accident after a night out. The accident took place on The Devil's Corridor, a stretch of highway steeped in supernatural superstition. When the car was finally discovered, only one of the girls was inside -- Olivia. The other three completely disappeared without a trace. While theories bounce around town -- even claims of alien abduction -- investigators were never able to solve the mystery.
As the twenty year anniversary approaches, podcaster / journalist Jenna Halliday arrives in town, with the goal of finally solving the mystery. Unfortunately she is not warmly welcomed, and begins receiving threats, attempting to send her packing. But Jenna is set on uncovering the truth of that night, and what exactly happened to the girls who disappeared.
This was a creepy, atmospheric, dual-POV (Olivia's and Jenna's), mystery/thriller. The audiobook was narrated by two people, and I enjoyed Jenna's performance much more. It's a bit of a slow burn, but full of unexpected twists and turns. I was torn between 3-4 stars, but eventually rounded up. ☺️
Thank you Harper Audio and NetGalley for my gifted ALC in exchange for my honest review.
Engaging and atmospheric, THE GIRLS WHO DISAPPEARED is a recommended purchase in all formats for collections where mysteries and thrillers are popular.
The premise of this was intriguing from the start. Twenty years ago, Olivia swerved and crashed her car while driving her and three of her friends. Mysteriously, only Olivia was recovered from the wreck. Where did the other three girls go? A reporter in the present day is eager to find the truth.
In the beginning I was captivated. The writing style, the narrators, the story. They all gripped me and pulled me in. However, after the initial story setup and investigating, I found that the middle was a bit slow. When that happened, my mind easily wandered with the audiobook and I found it hard to distinguish between the two narrators on which perspective they were speaking from. Nonetheless, I did continue the book and it felt like it picked back up near the discovery of the truth. I was not overly "wowed" or shocked by the revelation at the end but it was still interesting.
I was really excited for this one, and while it was good it was not a great read for me and fell a little flat. However I do think this would be a good fit for someone who enjoys slow burn mysteries and seeking a little twist at the end!
Thank you to Harper Audio and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
It's been twenty years since Olivia lost her three friends in a car accident that nearly claimed her leg too. Ironically, that injury, which pinned her in the car, could have saved her life because no one has ever heard from or seen her friends again. Now a journalist, Jenna, is bringing it all back up for a podcast. Will she finally find out what happened or does this mystery go even further into the past than anyone can imagine?
I gave four stars because I truly had no clue where they were going with the story, and I appreciate that. Otherwise, I didn't love the choppiness of the story.
This was a really good thriller. I listened the audiobook which had great narrators with the different points of view. This one kept me on the edge of my seat and actually surprised me at the end.
This was good but not my favorite Claire Douglas book. The mystery held my attention through the entirety and there was an abundance of suspense but I wasn't totally sold on the ending. The audiobook did not always hold my attention and I had to go back and relisten a few times. It was partially the narrator's accent.. Claire Douglas still continues to be one of my favorite authors.
I have really enjoyed Douglas as an author. This was another good story and had a couple twists I wasn't expecting at the end. The narration was good too.
I am giddy with excitement to write this review...
I have only just recently had my interest peeked with delight over audiobooks. Initially, I had declared, audios just were not for me. I had tried a few times and I often felt distracted and unable to pay attention BUT as I watched the love for audiobooks glitter across the screen of every blogger, I thought to myself, maybe I just have not found the right book?
Whether I was not reading the right books for audio, or maybe it wasn't the right time for me, all I can say is that I absolutely love them now and I loved The Girls Who Disappeared.
I am a huge fan of Claire Douglas and have read everything published to date. So I knew going into this book that there was no way I would be disappointed. I mean, come on, its Claire Douglas we are talking about.
As the first chapter opened up referencing a bunch of intoxicated girlfriends belting out a Spice Girls song, I knew I was in for a treat. I was born in the 80s but grew up in the 90s so the nostalgic reference warmed my heart.
But then there is an accident, and three out of the four girls have gone missing....
The missing girls have not been found and the case has gone cold. As 20 years have past, we are introduced to Jenna, a journalist a determined to find out what happened on that tragic night. The locals are not happy about this, they want Jenna leaving the pas in the past, along with their deceitful secrets.
Jenna was warned, will she finally figure out what happened to the missing girls, or will she become another victim of the Wilshire town.
You are going to have to pick up your copy on January 10 to find out ! This one is a doozy and I promise you, you do not want to miss it!
This book started off really strong for me!
Twenty years ago, Olivia is driving with her friends down Devils Corridor where they are involved in an accident. Olivia saw a man in the road and swerved to avoid hitting him. Olivia is rescued but her three friends who were passangers mysteriously disappeared and were never seen again. Where could they be?
Twenty years, Jenna, a podcaster, arrives around the anniversary of the accident and disappearance to investigate and get a story. She doesn't feel welcomed and there are clearly some that don't want her there. Strange things start to happen. Jenna is threatened and told to go home. What are the people hiding?
The second half of the book was not quite as engaging for me. It dragged on and I feel could have been shorter with the same impact.
I would definitely check out more books by this author. I had both the audio and ebook, and I found the audio more engaging.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Harper Perennial and Haper Audio for my copies in exchange for my honest review.
I had enjoyed couple at no.9 so I was excited to go into this. I enjoyed the narration for this book but the story fell a bit short for me.
Three missing girls. A twenty year mystery. A woman who may be able to crack this cold case.
In a rural Wilshire town lies The Devil's Corridor. A road which has witnessed eerie happenings from unexplained deaths to the sounds of a child crying at night.
But nothing more puzzling than the Olivia Rutherford case. Four girls drove home but after their car crashed only Olivia was found.
Twenty years later, journalist Jenna Halliday is covering the case. But the locals aren't happy with this stranger's arrival. Least of all Olivia.
Jenna soon starts receiving threatening notes and it is clear someone wants her out of this town before she suffers a dark fate...
💭 I loved the beginning! I was invested in the story and couldn’t wait to find out more. It starts out fast paced, but then the middle starts to slow down. I liked Jenna’s character and her POV of trying to solve the mystery through her podcast. The setting was creepy, but never really felt any supernatural vibes? I was surprised with the ending, but not super satisfied. Overall enjoyed the mystery!
I enjoyed the narrators in this one! Their voices were easy to listen and follow along to.