Cover Image: The Missing Sister

The Missing Sister

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When Belle’s father died she finds out she once had a sister who went missing at only a few weeks old when her parents lived in Rangoon. Desperate to try and find out the mystery surrounding her sister’s disappearance she accepts a job in Rangoon as a hotel singer to enable her a chance to discover any information that can help to find out more about the sister she never knew she had. It soon becomes apparent that there is more to the story in the press cuttings she found when she begins to receive anonymous threats as she begins her search.


Dinah Jefferies has such an extraordinary way with words unlike any author I know, her ability to describe everything so vividly from the aromas to the settings means I have no need to use my imagination as everything has been pictured for me so precisely it is as though I am walking the streets with the author and our main character Belle soaking up the atmosphere along with them. Dinah Jefferies manages to capture not only the exotic beauty of Burma but she also shows a dark devastation both visually and emotionally with the effects of corruption and vengeance.


Trust and hidden secrets are at the heart of this novel, not only does our main character Belle not know who she can trust around her but I had my guard up around every one of the supporting characters in this novel so I could feel the desperation and loneliness along with Belle.


The chapters jump back and forth between the present with Belle in 1930’s and back to 1911-1921 with her mother Diane as we begin to piece the events that took place back to the little baby’s disappearance. As much as I loved our heroine Belle I actually found myself more drawn to Diana’s character and longed for her chapters to come to build a better picture of what occurred at the devastating time for this families life. My heart went out to Diana and I found her storyline highly emotive.


The author has once again undertaken extensive research for this novel and this shows in her storyline without reading her author note in the book. The Missing Sister is another remarkable atmospheric novel that will keep you guessing the whole way through.

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Dinah Jefferies new novel The Missing Sister takes us back many years to the exotic location of Burma in the late 1930's. It is another colonial country controlled by the British but times are changing and turbulent and it might be for not much longer that the British continue to govern the country. A young woman Belle has recently arrived in the bustling city of Rangoon principally to start a new job as a singer at a luxurious hotel but also she has a personal mission. This quest makes up the backbone of the story and the sense of mystery, secrecy and intrigue is evident from the very beginning. So many questions simmer to the surface and the tension and suspicion apparent from chapter one is maintained right until the big final, breathtaking reveal.

I was instantly sucked into this story as I already have been with every book that Dinah has written and that's because the writing is excellent and so vivid. Every page is so descriptive and you get such a feel for the time and place. You are sucked back in time to a country vastly different from the one in which I presume exists today. It's clear extensive research was undertaken but also that Dinah enjoyed visiting Burma and was eager to transfer her visions and ideas on to paper in order to write a captivating story. I could feel the heat as Belle explores Burma as her journey takes her further away from Rangoon. The stifling heat and tropical climate along with the tension surrounding the plot just kept increasing and gaining in strength so you knew something would have to give in the end.

I could clearly visualise the setting in my head, the bustling streets crowded with people going about their daily lives. The colourful and vibrant trees humming with wildlife. The villagers eking out an existence in the countryside and the stunning temples amidst jungle vegetation. But in contrast is the luxurious hotels and specific areas for the British where opulence is always on show. It seems they didn't ingratiate themselves with the locals rather instead they brought a slice of Britain to foreign shores and with that a secret that has been buried deep for so many years and one which Belle is determined to solve.

Right from the outset I thought Belle was brave and courageous. Firstly to travel to the other side of the world on her own but it also showed how tenacious and how strong willed and purposeful she was. She had burning questions and had a strong desire for answers. At first she seemed like a fish out of water and that at every point she was met with opposition and a blank wall. For Belle is resolved to find out what did happen to her long lost sister all those years ago. Elvira was just three weeks old when she was taken from her parents garden in Rangoon. Suspicion fell upon her mother Diana with her father Douglas torn in two as to what happened. Since both upped and left Rangoon after the devastating event leaving Douglas' important job behind the enigma has remained just that.

Trust is a very important word throughout this book because there seems to be a shroud of secrecy surrounding the events which changed the life of a family forever. I admired that at all times Belle followed her gut. Gloria the woman Belle meets on the boat on the way over and who seems to slot herself into Belle's life at every opportunity came across to me as if she was trying to be the mother figure but then on the other hand I was wary of her as I was of most people who featured. Gloria's brother Edward who worked in the British administration seemed to be so helpful and wanted Belle to find the answers but then again I was second guessing everyone's actions.

As Belle delves deeper into the past she starts to understand why her mother was the person she was when Belle was growing up, how losing her baby so deeply affected her. What also really helped the reader to gain a more insightful understanding of the overall picture was the fact that running alongside Belle's story was the story of her mother Diana as told from her perspective. I was reading the first chapter and then randomly it jumped back to Diana without me even realising it. I genuinely thought there had been an error in the book and that I had missed out on a page or two but no it soon became clear that we were learning of Diana's experiences after her beloved child was taken and how she dealt with the blame falling upon her shoulders. How doubt, suspicion, intrigue and illness drove a family to despair. How decisions were made that had ramifications and repercussions for so many years. But now as Bella wades deeper into the seething, boiling den of complications and conspiracies danger lurks around every corner.

Belle was a young woman who was so loyal to her family and she desperately needed to know what had happened and why. She wasn't one to rest on her laurels and even when things go against her and it seems as if everything is happening to throw her off track and off the scent she just keeps ploughing on. She hopes that attempting to find out the truth will make up for what she has been missing in her life and allow her to move forward but what happens if she doesn't find what she is seeking? Will she be forever left wondering and it might drive her mad?

When an investigative journalist, an American by the name of Oliver, makes an appearance I was suspicious of him too. After all news reporters are only out to find the big story which will further their career. Were his intentions genuine or just too good to be true? I think I doubted Oliver because I felt that way about so many of the characters apart from Belle because of the way the story was written but I think that is a good thing as I was really left guessing right until the moment Dinah had chosen to reveal all to her readers. As Belle falls deeper into a bigger picture she wonders should she just stop and give up everything seeing as trouble, threats and warnings meet her at every turn. She worries about things she can't change but as answers come within touching distance I was urging her on. The union she had struck up with Oliver could have been fruitful after all if only she could keep pushing through and emerge even stronger and successful out the other side.

Dinah Jefferies has once again written another brilliant book that reels you in from the first page and doesn't relinquish its grasp until the final word. I felt initially it was a slow burner but then the tension just grew and grew and I was as eager as Belle to discover all the secrets. It was an interesting, detailed and absorbing read which shows what a talented and impressive author Dinah Jefferies truly is and reaffirms why I love her books so much. I'm already looking forward to what part of the world she will take us to next and what brilliant story she will bring us.

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A thoroughly beautiful novel. The sights and smells were almost intoxicating. Such a skill to convey surroundings so unbelievably well. Intriguing mystery and a ballsy heroine I loved.

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This has all the features fans of Dinah Jefferies have come to expect-exotic location,feisty heroine,strong plot.This book is set in pre-war Burma,still a British colony at that time.Annabelle returns there to work as a singer in a grand hotel but also to try and find out what happened when her baby sister was stolen from the garden of the family home in Rangoon twenty five years previously.This had all sorts of repercussions for Annabelle and for her mother,whose story is also told.
As always,Dinah Jefferies writes beautifully about the place,with all the sights,sounds and smells associated with the East.She doesn't shy away from the prejudice shown by the British to the native people of Burma,or the violent events of the time.
It's a strong plot which holds the reader's attention and reaches a satisfying conclusion which I enjoyed very much.

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A mystery, thriller and love story but who to love. Bella is a singer working in Burma. Her family lived in Burma 20 plus years previously when her sister, an infant, was taken but who took her, why or is something more sinister going on. Living in a foreign country Bella goes in search of her older sister but who can she trust?

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Another fantastic read from dinah Jefferies. Set in Burma, Jefferies weaves a brilliant tale- evoking the city and its sights and smells, the glamour and glitz, and the dark dangerous world of corruption. I couldn’t put this down and tore through it.

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A beautifully written book set in 1936 Burma, about Belle, a singer, looking for her long lost sister, Also looking back to Diana, Belle's mother, in 1921, when her daughter was stolen from her. An intriguing read, Belle never knowing who she could trust, Gloria, Edward, Oliver, Harry? It kept me intrigued and guessing about who I would trust in her situation.

I would not normally read a historical romance book but I shall certainly look out for other titles by Dinah Jefferies.

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I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is set in Burma and is about Belle; a singer who sets about trying to solve a family mystery. As a child Belle's sister went missing and whilst in Burma she finds out that her family once lived nearby. With the help of some new found friends she embarks on trying to find out what happened to her sister in the past... was she kidnapped, is she alive, what did her parents have to do with the disappearance?
This is the first book I have read by Dinah Jefferies but I will be looking out for more to read.

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I wouldn’t normally read historical books but having read Dinah Jefferies before I was keen to read this book, I was not disappointed. Another beautiful read, romance and intrigue without being sentimental. It lived up to my expectation and I now look forward to the next book by this author.

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The Missing Sister isn't my usual sort of read but when I saw the beautiful cover and read the blurb, I was intrigued. What followed was an enchanting and, at times, heartbreaking story of a British baby, Elvira, stolen in 1911 from her parents' garden in Burma.

Gossip-mongers suspect the baby may have been killed by the mother, Diana, but no charges are brought. Diana gives birth to a second child, Belle, but unable to recover from the loss of Elvira and now suffering mental health issues, her husband packs her off to England with an understanding that it's in Belle's best interest she never sees her mother again.

Fast forward to 1936 and an adult Belle has accepted a job as a nightclub singer in Rangoon, Burma. With both parents now dead, she's determined to discover what happened to her sister all those years earlier - is she still alive and if so, what became of her? But when Belle starts asking questions, it soon becomes apparent Elvira's disappearance has been covered up. . .

Although I have all of Dinah Jefferies' previous novels on my bookcase, The Missing Sister is the first I've read. I was transported to another time and place with the author's beautiful, vivid descriptions. It felt authentic - I could smell the spices in the marketplace and feel the sun's heat beating down on me. The expressive and faultless writing will stay with me for a very long time.

Characterisation was superb; especially Belle and Diana. To have a child stolen and then be expected to pick up the pieces of a shattered life is beyond comprehension and without compassion. The pre-war British 'stiff upper lip' was excellently portrayed with any hint of a scandal being swept under the carpet.

I thought this was a great piece of historical romantic fiction and it's opened my eyes to the possibility that actually yes, I maybe do kind of like this genre after all.

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Another solid read by Dinah jefferies. I found this one a little long but still as enthralling as the rest. A fab look into Burmese society on the cusp of Ww2 and the rising tensions as a backdrop to a mystery

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I loved the format of being with Belle in 1936 and Diana’s narrative moving forwards from 1921. As Belle becomes more caught up in the search for Elvira the past slowly unravels. The anxiety of fight or flight, of being hyper alert, is portrayed well and used to great effect. I had so much empathy for Diana and willed her to mental wellness. Belle has much strength in her quest to find the truth and I loved her spirit of adventure.

Dinah Jefferies settings are always vivid and vibrant and The Missing Sister is no exception. All of my senses and emotions were drawn in and as a ‘visual’ reader, I experienced it all. In fact, there is one particular scene in the Indian quarter in Rangoon that had more of an effect of me than I realised. It was only after I had related a dream to colleagues and friends and I was trying to pinpoint if anything had been going on in my life that I realised the connection! My subconscious had translated it as an experience into my world. Belle’s anguish and fear had become my own … One of my favourite scenes has to be the hot air balloon ride – not just for the things that I saw but the effect it had on Belle. Epiphany.

I really had no idea who I should trust. Gloria? Her brother Edward? Oliver? They all seemed to have their own agenda but who was trying to cover up this secret and what would they do to stop Belle finding out the truth? I was suspicious of Belle’s room-mate Rebecca and even Diana’s best friend Simone … This kept me ready to spot any inconsistencies and I wavered between them all. Except for Harry! It was obvious he was up to something but I didn’t think for one moment it would have the conclusion it did.

Near the end of the story I cried. Not just a few tears wending their way down my face but big ugly tears with sobs. Perfect.

This story will keep you intrigued as you journey the streets of Rangoon and on the river to Mandalay. There will be sights and sounds you never thought you would see or hear. You’ll see the worst of human nature and the best; the consequences of the past and how it affects people in the future. You’ll experience melancholy, sadness, fear and love. The Missing Sister packs a powerful emotional punch. Highly recommended.

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As with all Dinah Jefferies books you are instantly drawn into the mystery of what has happened to the sister. Burma and the intrigue of the place feels real and is obviously well researched and experienced. The characters feel real and take you on the journey with them, it soon becomes obvious who to trust and those that are more sinister. Will there be a happy ending? Yes but as the truth is revealed there are surprises along the way. Well worth the read.

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I can't tell you how much I have enjoyed reading this book, it is amazing! A story which spans over the years and is mainly set in Burma, about a young singer Belle who is trying to get her singing career going with the help of her friend Gloria and Gloria's brother Edward. After the death of her Father, Belle discovers that she had a sister who went missing as a baby, Belle decides to try and find out the truth behind what happened, she meets Oliver, a journalist who tries to help her but Belle has been warned about him by Gloria, Belle doesn't know who she can trust and when people try and stop her from finding out the truth Belle almost gives up. A wonderful, emotional book which has many twists and turns, very much recommended!

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Here's an author that writes with passion and describes everything with so much beautiful detail.
When you open any of her books to read, you become apart of the story. Her books are so addictive and you just want more.
So when The Missing Sister by Dinah Jefferies came available to read I had to request it.

WoW.........What a wonderful book this was......It just took my breath away. So beautifully written throughout, describing the smells, sounds etc and the atmosphere of the area's Bella visited.
This book came alive, You're living the story. This book was very hard to put down.

Her latest book takes us to Burma in the 1930's. Belle Hatton is the main character who has been employed as a singer in a nightclub. She becomes friends with lots of people and has lots of admirers as well. There is a reason why Belle went to Burma she is haunted by her past. An old newspaper clipping from 25 years ago was found in her parent's belongings after their death "Saying that the Hatton's were leaving Rangoon after the disappearance of their baby daughter Elvira"
Who is Elvira? Belle's parents never mentioned she had an older sister when they were alive!

Belle is desperate to find out what happened to the sister Elvira she never knew she had.
She starts asking questions, and is confronted with unsettling rumours, malicious gossip, and outright threats.

Will Belle find out what happened to her sister?

Is she still alive?

WoW.........What a book......Once you start to read this new book I couldn't put it down I was hooked.

I highly Recommend Dinah's new Book......It was brilliant!

Thanks to Netgalley, Dinah Jefferies and Penguin Books for the opportunity to read and review this wonderful book.

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Gorgeous book - did not turn out as I expected it to from the start, but yet again, Dinah Jeffries makes me want to travel to where she has set her book. Loved it. Can’t wait for her next one.

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When Belle Hatton arrived in Burma, she felt a mixture of excitement and apprehension. It was the 1930s and her father had recently passed. Among his papers she found an old newspaper clipping which told of a baby’s disappearance from her pram in her parent’s garden in Rangoon. Belle had been rocked to learn she had had a sister – she had thought she was an only child; her mother had died years earlier. Now, her determination to discover what had happened ran through her thoughts continually.

Belle loved her new job – singing was her passion; to become a nightclub singer felt glamorous and held promise that she could advance her career over the years. But Belle’s questions about that long ago kidnapping obviously made some people uncomfortable. Was Belle putting herself in danger? Oliver, an American journalist she had met, used his contacts to help her – but could she trust him? The anonymous notes were beginning to scare her…

The Missing Sister is another excellent historical fiction novel by this extremely talented author. I have loved everything Dinah Jefferies has written, and this one didn’t disappoint. Strong characters, mystery, intrigue and danger all blended with fascinating details of Burma and surrounds. Always well written, I have no hesitation in highly recommending The Missing Sister to fans of historical fiction.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

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Wow, I have just finished this book and was blown away. The description of Burma and Mandalay and the events throughout the 1930's were enthralling. Belle's story and family circumstances both in Burma and Cheltenham held me to the end. I will definitely be reading more of Dinah Jeffries books.

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Another excellent book by Dinah Jefferies. It is set in 1930's Burma and whilst working there as a singer Belle tries to find her sister. Has good background information about Burma and again is another brilliant book by this author.
I love her books.

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Belle is due to take up a job as a singer in a hotel in Burma in the 1930s when she comes across a newspaper cutting in her late father's belongings about a sister that she never knew she had going missing! Determined to find out the truth once she arrives in Burma she finds that she doesn't know who she can trust......and is she putting herself in danger!

Another great book by this author, I have visited Burma and loved it so jumped at the chance when I saw this book was about Burma. The storyline is compelling and works well with the dual timeline of Belle in the 1930s and her mother in the 1910s.

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