It took me longer than I liked to figure out who the killer was.
There were so many red herrings, twists, and turns that I couldn't put this down once I got into it.
There were a few loose ends for me, anyway. Like was there a legitimate accusation against Nicole's father, or was it the killer stirring up trouble as revenge?
Did Nicole's husband cheat on her with Lori when they were teens?
Was Nicole's father as creepy as Lori thought, or was the idea planted in her head?

I will definitely be checking out more from this author.

I received a copy via NetGalley and all opinions are my own.

The Night She Vanished is my first book by Wendy Dranfield. Oh what a thriller it was! Going back and forth from 2008 and Summer 2022, It starts off with Nicole getting a call from her parents (who she hasn’t talked to in many years) saying her sister is missing. Nicole’s best friend Lori went missing back in 2008 and her father (who’s the sheriff) was a suspect. Lots of secrets throughout and it just pulled me in from the very first page!! I really enjoyed this thriller and loved the twists at the end. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review. To be published March 2023.

Fast moving standalone thriller
Nicole hasn’t been home since she left 12 years ago. Now her younger sister has gone missing and she dreads seeing her parents again.
The narrative moves between the now (2022) and 2008 when Nicole’s best friend Lori was alive. What happened to Lori? How involved is Nicole’s father – the town Sheriff – in secrets from the past and present. Nicole’s concerns about her parents and relatively few characters makes this a very exciting and enjoyable thriller where the suspicion falls on many, but what is the truth – and where is Nicole’s sister?
Plenty of suspense kept me involved, and turning the pages longer than I should have been. Nicole is a great, and likeable, character; the others – well you will have to decide.
Another excellent standalone thriller from this great author, with a fast moving plot that throws up surprises, characters that may not be as they seem and a great story that had me racing through the pages.

I really enjoyed the story line and plot of this book but found the characters very difficult to like. There’s an awful lot of accusations going on with very little evidence and i just kept thinking why don’t these people talk to each other, it just felt a little unbelievable. Unfortunately this wasn’t my favourite Wendy Dranfield book. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest review.

I love Dranfield’s Detective Madison Harper series. And was so excited to read her upcoming novel.

Nicole’s parents are these loved, well respected people in the town of Henderson. Everyone believes they are the perfect couple with this perfect family.
Her father is the town’s sheriff and her mother a midwife.
However, no one knows them better than their daughters.
Nicole leaves town after her best friend disappears when they were 15. Making a promise to herself that she’ll never return. Until….
12 years later she gets a phone call from her mother. Aimee her little sister has vanished. She is sure her parents has something to do with it. Having no other choice but to go home to find her and pretend like they are this happy family.
Soon bones are found in a farm, and all evidence points to Nicole’s family.
Will this be it? Will her family’s secrets they’ve been hiding all these years finally come out?
Will Nicole find Aimee before it’s too late? Soon she sees that coming back was the most dangerous thing she could have ever done.

In true Wendy Dranfield fashion, this was a fast paced twisty thriller that kept me truly engaged!
The Night She Vanished by Wendy Dranfield was so entertaining, with a tense atmosphere and the urge to keep reading just one more chapter.
I was absorbed throughout this psychological thriller.
It is filled with tension, drama, family, suspense, lies, secrets and murder.
Amazingly written, Wendy Dranfield knows how to hook and pull her readers straight into a wild and crazy ride.
This is a very good mystery as the suspense builds until you can't turn the pages fast enough.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Thank You NetGalley and Bookouture for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Holy crap on a stick this book was absolutely enthralling and so compelling that I finished it in one day!

The Night She Vanished is a stand-alone thriller by Wendy Dranfield. This is the second stand-alone I've read after reading all of her two series, and I have to say that I prefer her series over the stand-alone.

What was missing for me in this book is character development. I didn't find any of the characters particularly likable or relatable, and I didn't care about or connect with them. This could be because I'm so used to Dranfield's series, where I've come to know and love the characters over several books. The stand-alone didn't leave as much time to flesh them out thoroughly.

The book's premise was interesting, and there was enough mystery around the who-dun-it to leave me guessing until almost the end, which I appreciate. However, a few aspects of the story were too far-fetched to be believable. And I found it ended rather abruptly.

All-in-all, this book moves along at a decent pace. It's a quick and easy read that is enjoyable enough and keep you guessing.

Thank you to Bookouture, NetGalley, and Wendy Dranfield for a complementary E-book copy. This review has been left voluntarily; as always, all opinions are my own.

It was a twisty story that I didn't see coming until the very end! If you like a miscommunication trope, you'll love it bc the whole story could have been avoided if people would have just told the truth. Though that's rarely the case, isn't it? The only real likeable character was dead, the rest of these people were insufferable. That did not keep me from wanted to see how it ended!

3.5 stars for me.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. I can see that the author is a good mystery writer and perhaps other books are better than this. But I could not connect with the main character on this one. Her hysterics, her constant crying, her constant accusations... I get it, she was traumatized when very young, she probably has a paranoiac mind, mental illness or PTSD but everyone else falls into her collateral damage. So regularly jump into conclusions about your LOVED ONES accusing them of very horrific acts so easily is beyond my any beliefs. Wouldn't you know your husband better than this? I was horrified by every single encounter. These actions ruined so many lives... and how quickly someone's affections jumps from one to another. Lastly, her need to go to a journalist and make things public. I wish the author described less hysteric crying, more resilience and strength. I wish it made more sense. If not for all that unnecessary emotional drama, it could have been a very good book.

Thanks to Netgalley for a free copy in exchange of an honest review.

A brilliant read. A story of a small town featuring a couple who seem to be perfect. He is the Sherriff and she works in a hospital, but they have a lot of secrets which they have kept from their daughter who returns home to look for her little sister. There are so many twists and turns in this one. The reader is held until the end.

A fabulous book as all are from this Author. This book is a standalone. Nicole left home as a teenager believing her parents were involved in her best friend’s disappearance. She hasn’t seen her parents or younger sister in many years. She returns home after her sister goes missing. Lots of twists and turns and an ending I did not see coming. Read this book. I highly recommend it. Thanks to NetGalley, Bookoutre and the Author for allowing me to read and review this book.

Mind boggling twists and turns will give you whiplash as you turn a page and another surprise awaits you. Nicole escaped from her home and her parents after the unexplained disappearance of her best friend over a decade ago. She does not feel welcome in her home, and dysfunctional family does not even begin to describe the family dynamics of this family. However, when she gets the news from her mother that her younger sister, Aimee, is missing, she knows she has to go back. When she arrives, her parents hit her with another shot to the heart when they inform her that not only is her sister missing, but she is 8 months pregnant. Nicole's father is the sheriff of Henderson which is a key point to this story. The story goes back and forth from today (2022) to 2008. The 2008 chapters are told from the viewpoint of Nicole's friend, Lori. You slowly learn about Lori's last day on earth.

The story gets richer and more complex as human bones are discovered, which they are quite certain are the bones of Lori. Nicole is more frenzied than ever to find her sister. Nicole has believed for years that her father was responsible for Lori's disappearance, and now she feels that he is responsible for Aimee's disappearance.

The family dynamics of this family were completely mind blowing, but as you dig deeper into the story, you will understand more. I got really upset with her parents at times with their general attitude toward their oldest daughter. I mean who treats their child the way she was treated? The suspense was sensational and intense. The characters were multi-layered and real while at times somewhat unlikeable. I was completely invested in finishing this book in one sitting (which I did). I would think I had it all figured out, and then boom - another twist that I did not see coming would leave me shaking my head. I would gladly give this book ten stars if that was available! My mind is still reeling from the plot twists. My regards to the author for this compelling thriller.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Nicole Rivers is called home by her estranged parents, who just happen to be a respected sheriff and midwife. Her younger sister, Aimee, is 17, pregnant, and missing. Nicole's estrangement was a direct result of her friend, Lori's death, back when they were 17 - and her remains were never found. Told in current time and with flashbacks, Ms. Dranfield weaves an wonderful tale of what we believe and what might actually be true. A very compelling lead character who is trying to sort through not only her friend's death, but also her sister's life (and where the heck is she?). Thank you to Bookouture for an advanced reader of this book - the opinions expressed are my own.

This story had SOOOO much going on that my head started to spin. The story intrigued me and kept me engaged but it seemed to jump around a lot. Each character seemed so wishy-washy to me.
Main character, Nicole, left home when she turned 18 and has never gone back. Something happened to Nicole’s best friend, Lori, and she blames her father. She receives a very unexpected call from her parents asking her to come home….after 15 years….because her little sister is missing. Nicole decides to go because she has always regretted leaving her little sister behind when she left home.
I have to say, every time I thought I knew what was going on….I would be way wrong. Talk about layer upon layer of suspense. I was literally shocked with the ending.
I would have liked an epilogue of maybe a year later to see where all the characters were at in their life.
Wendy Dranfield once again writes a enthralling and captivating psychological mystery/thriller.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is a great thriller with family well and truly at its heart.
Nicole receives a call from her parents who she has not seen for years, and immediately heads back to them. Her sister is heavily pregnant and has gone missing and Nicole suspects her parents know more than they’re telling her.
Being back there brings back bad memories as Nicole’s best friend disappeared when she was younger. With blood being found but no body, Lori’s parents have never known what happened to their daughter.
Quite a few of the characters are hiding something and as the story unravels, more and more secrets are revealed.
This is a great mystery thriller with a few storylines coming together to create a nail biting conclusion.
A great read.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Stayed up to finish this book. It tells the story of Nicole who has no choice but to go back home now her younger sister Aimee has disappeared. Her father is a cop and Nicole doesn't think that he is trying hard enough to find her. She escaped from her parents because of what happened to her best friend. She is frightened that her sister has met the same fate.
There are tiwsts and turns through out this book and was very enjoyable to read.

Full of twists, The Night She Vanished gives us an inside looks at the lives of the residents of Henderson, a small midwestern town. Nicole is the daughter of the town sheriff and a reputable midwife, but are they who the town thinks they are or have they been hiding secrets all along? After the unexpected disappearance of her little sister Aimee, Nicole is back in town to find her sister and is met face to face with the reminder that her best friends disappearance at fifteen may be traced back to her own front door. This book kept me on my toes from start to finish, just when I thought I had it figured out, new information would reveal I was wrong. This is definitely a must read for my fellow thrill seekers!

This was my first book by this author and I was NOT disappointed!! The book did a great job laying out the plot and providing details which made you think you knew who the guilty party is, but as time goes by, nothing is as it initially seemed! Loved it! Thanks to NetGalley and Wendy Dranfeild for the ARC electronic copy of this book!

Earlier this year, I marked several 2023 thrillers as TBR after reviewing a Goodreads list that noted them as must-read books. The Night She Vanished by Wendy Dranfield was one of them, and after beginning it on Friday, I can totally understand why. From the first page, the story drew me in, and while I thought it had become quite obvious what was going on, the writing and suspense were so fantastic I couldn't put it down. Imagine when I hit the shocking points that began revealing the true killer's identity, where I learned I was completely wrong because the author had two mega twists built into the plot. For sure, I have read so many suspense novels, I easily pick out the hidden clues. But in this one, while I was on the right track, there were way more layers than I could've predicted. Really enjoyed the book, which had headed down the path to a 5-star read. For me, the ending was a bit of a letdown, tho... not because it wasn't filled with shock but because it kinda just revealed the killer and saved someone else and then it ended. I don't want to spoil anything, but so much tension had built up, we missed a payoff between a few characters where things settled themselves some more. We needed a "6 months later" epilogue that helped us transition back to normalcy. For others, this kind of ending isn't necessary and would be the 5-star read, so don't just take my word for it. You may absolutely love the enter piece. Definitely will be reading more from the author in the future.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC of The Night She Vanished. I really loved this book. There were so many twists and turns and the ending was a big surprise. This story of a group of friends and their families who kept secrets in order to protect the ones they loved. I look forward to reading other books by this author.