Yet another beautifully described story by Dinah Jefferies, this time in Burma (today's Myanmar). Loveable characters with a beautiful setting. 2 men are wanting to help Belle with the mystery of her sister Elvira. Who to trust? The area is researched well by Dinah even by a stunning method of transport! There is romance, there is tragedy, there is wonder. I do love a good Dinah Jefferies books to get away from it all.

The only part that annoyed me and I don't think it was a fault in the story, or an error by the author but the way I read the story it flips back and forth between Belle in 1930s Burma and her mother in 1920s Britain but sometimes it didn't label clearly switching from one character to the other. One paragraph it was mother talking and then the next it was Belle. Maybe my copy was a draft copy so this may have been sorted.

Thank you #netgallley for allowing me to read and review #themissingsister #dinahjefferies

A story full of twists and turns, amid the backdrop of another country and cultures. The weather, flora and fauna were described so well, I felt that I was there. I have read a couple of books about missing sisters recently, but this one held the most intrigue. It is obvious that the author does a lot of travelling and talking to people, to ensure her books are entertaining and authentic

A glamorous new job in Burma brings romance and family peace

A new Dinah Jefferies is always a treat, full of colour, life and romance. As with many of her books, this one is set in the far east. Burma between the two world wars is very much a colonial outpost. Unrest is rife, both against British rule and between local Burmans and the Indian workers imported by the British as cheap labour. The story is split between two time-frames: Belle's new life in 1930s Burma and her mother Diane's both in 1920s Burma and in Britain.

Belle has discovered, going through her mother's old possessions, that she once had an older sister. Abducted as a baby, the child had never been mentioned by her father, who has recently died. Belle barely remembers her mother, whose sad story of loss and mental illness is gradually revealed to us, though not to Belle until much later.

Through Belle's eyes, as she arrives in Rangoon to work as a nightclub singer, we see and hear the glorious colours, amazing sights and strange sounds of the teeming city. These seem so real because the author has experienced it all herself. For young Belle it must have been quite a culture shock, being so different from Cheltenham, where she grew up with mostly her Nanny for company.

Jefferies' vivid description of the life of wealthy British colonials is juxtaposed against the poverty and harsh conditions in which many Burmese lived, the Indians' lives being even worse. Belle is a girl with some experience of men, not particularly looking for romance, though she soon has a choice. Charismatic Gloria, who befriended her on the boat to Burma, introduces her to her brother Edward, a married man with connections in the police force. He's willing to help Belle in more ways than one, if she'll let him! Then there's Oliver, a handsome journalist who she can't help being drawn to, despite being warned off by Gloria.

Will either man be able to help her find her missing sister? Will she find true love with one of them? What really happened to her mother? Is Gloria involved? A cracking story with a beautiful heroine in a lovely setting.

As always a fantastic story. This time we are transpoerted to Burma prior to WW2 and immersed in the sights and senses of Rangoon and Mandalay as Belle investigates what happened to her sister and tries to solve the mystery of the baby’s disappearance. I always find that I am engossed in Dinah’s books from the first page and eagerly await the next one. There are certain authors where you just know that their books will be excellent and Dinah is at the top of my list.

It was a beautifully descriptive book and a thoroughly enjoyable read. The descriptions of Burma in the 1930’s was excellent. Really atmospheric. The mix of romance and mystery was enjoyable and although the final revelations about the baby’s disappearance seemed rushed I did enjoy the book. I did wish more had been included about Diana as I just felt she was touched upon and then the story reverted to 1930’s again.

Having never read a Dinah Jeffries novel before I will definitely be reading more.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.I have to say it's a fabulous read I have read all of Dianes book over the years and I would put this as one of my favourites.I will review on Amazon also thanks so much.

The Missing Sister is a perceptive intricate story filled with fabulous descriptions of Burma where this novel is set during the 1930s with a throw back to a mystery in 1911. Belle, the novel's heroine takes on a job as a singer in a Rangoon Hotel. She has recently emerged from a failed relationship and has recently lost her father. Her mother whom she hardly remembers is apparently deceased as well. Her parents spent years in Rangoon before World War I. Belle has an older sister who is supposed dead having been stolen from the Rangoon house's garden as a baby. The story follows Belle's search for information concerning her sister's disappearance and her desire to discover what really happened.

This is a superbly plotted novel and without doubt Dinah Jefferies best since The Tea Planter's Wife. As we follow the narrative with its twists and turns we met a gallery of brilliantly and convincingly depicted characters with intriguing histories. These include the novel's romantic interest. Very soon it is obvious that Belle has no idea whom she can trust as danger stalks her investigation and the jeopardy heightens. A description of an Indian Massacre she stumbles into will have you on the edge of your seat as you read and frantically turning the pages. No one is whom they seem and this includes the prosaic Harry whom accompanies our protagonist on a journey up River to Mandalay in pursuit of clues.

I was impressed by the powerful scene setting, the vivid lush descriptions, the Historical research seemlessly integrated into the story. I liked the novel's structure as it slipped back into Belle's mother Dinah's story after Rangoon and after Belle's birth. The scenes dedicated to Dinah are moving. As is often with a Jefferies novel the predominant theme is loss but also reconciliation and love. The sadness is lifted by her depiction of two determined women overcoming obstacles to their happiness. It is a message reinforced as Dinah says, 'The doctor tells me that when we do not face our inner darkness, it has the power to make us feel very sick indeed.' As for this novel's ending it left me close to tears of joy for the characters. It is hopeful and this novel is an excellent read.

Belle has started an exciting new life far from home as a nightclub singer in 1930s Burma, however she is haunted by a mystery from the past - a 25 year old newspaper clipping found in her parents' belongings after their death, saying that they were leaving Burma after the disappearance of their baby daughter, Elvira.

Belle is desperate to find out what happened to the sister she never knew she had - but when she starts asking questions, she is confronted with unsettling rumours, malicious gossip, and outright threats. Oliver, an attractive, easy-going American journalist, promises to help her, but an anonymous note tells her not to trust those closest to her. . .

There follows a lot of intrigue and mystery...is her sister really dead? who should she trust? What are the bomb attacks about?

As with all Dinah Jefferies' books this was fabulous, I loved every minute, we all say that books are 'unputdownable' but this truly was, I couldn't wait to find out what happened as the mystery unravelled then a few twists and turns suddenly happened to make me start guessing again. Superb! More please Dinah!!!

This is yet another beautiful atmospheric story by Dinah Jefferies which was a joy to read. This latest book transports us to Burma, where Belle the leading character has been employed as a singer but she secretly longs to discover exactly what happened to the mystery surrounding the disappearance of her baby sister Elvira many years earlier. All Belle knows is that she disappeared from the family garden one day changing the family’s life forever. Woven in between this intriguing and intoxicating story are chapters set in England relating to Diane, Belles Mothers early life. It is in these chapters that we learn of Diane’s grief and how the loss of her baby Elvira and Belle affects her.

During her time in Burma Belle has to decide just who to trust in the hope of unravelling secrets, lies and corruption, as well as keeping safe as danger appears to be close by.

There are many interesting characters in this book and I found myself trying to decipher who are the honest and trustworthy ones as each appear to befriend Belle in a true way. It is obvious that a lot of research has gone into this book as the attention to detail and exceptional descriptions are second to none.

My thanks to Net Galley and Penguin Books for the ARC digital copy.

I love Dinahs books and this did not disappoint. Not only do you get to love and hate her characters she is brilliant in leading us through new countries. Her main characters time is split between different times and situations which I found added to the book and kept me guessing as to the outcome. This is a must read for those who like true to life stories and those who want to take a new adventure

My mother has loved Dinah Jefferies' novels in the past and enjoys her writing style; one of her absolute favourites is 'The Tea Planter's Wife'.

For 'The Missing Sister', while the research and attention to detail were excellent as ever, she found it a little hard work with all the back and forth between the two time periods and would have preferred a simpler structure. And there was a surprising lack of depth in the male characters for her, often quite peripheral appearances.

The surprise at the end of the story was a nice touch which she didn't see coming and the length was well-judged.

Overall, a pleasant read but possibly not as much romance and dynamism as she would have liked. The more romantic tales of Ms Jefferies are the ones you are really able to get lost in.

Another quick and easy read from Dinah Jefferies and none the worse for it. As ever, Jefferies beautifully evokes Eastern landscapes helped for me by also having been captivated by ballooning over Bagan and knowing it to be as magical as she depicts it.. Intriguing characters, you know just enough about them to make the story sound plausible and to place them realistically within it. Maybe a little too easy for the story to unravel when the truth had been evaded so long ago, but isn't that what fiction is all about?

‘The Missing Sister’, a mixture of mystery and romance, tells the story of Annabelle Hatton, known as Belle, who travels to Rangoon, Burma, in 1936 in order to become a night club singer. Although to be a singer is the purpose of her trip, she’s discovered from some old newspaper clippings that had been hidden in one of her late father’s dusty books, that she’d had an older sister, who’d disappeared twenty-five years earlier, in 1911, from the family home at the time when her parents lived in Burma. Her sister, Elvira, had been three weeks old when she vanished Gradually, Belle’s resolve grows to find out what happened to the sister she’d never known she had.

The situation in Burma, both the political turmoil and the personal story of Belle’s search for the truth, are interspersed with scenes set in Cheltenham, England, which tell the story of Diana. The first Cheltenham scene is set in 1921. Through the eyes of Diana, Belle and Elvira’s mother, the reader follows her story throughout the 1920s, and in this way, the story of Belle’s parents gradually comes to light, and eventually dovetails with what Belle finds out for herself.

The romantic element in the story is an American journalist, Oliver. However, anonymous messages threatening Belle make the reader unsure whether Oliver is to be trusted or whether Belle would be wiser to thrown in her lot with Gloria de Clemente, an influential wealthy British socialite, who lives in Golden Valley, the valley in which her parents once lived, and Gloria’s brother, Edward, who occupies a position of power in Rangoon. Both offer to introduce Belle to various associates, who might be able to tell her more about her parents and about what happened in 1911.

As with all Dinah Jefferies novels, this book is full of rich, descriptive passages, which capture the colour and vibrancy of the Burmese people, their towns, and the scenery that surrounds them, both urban and rural. A profusion of colours and plants tumble across almost every page, bringing to life the atmosphere of Burma in the 1930s and the natural environment.

Personally, I should like to see a little of the enthusiasm with which Dinah Jefferies applies herself to her many descriptive passages diverted towards her characterisation. Generally, I found the characters little more than cardboard cyphers. Whereas a garden alone might merit a page of description, the characters were given little more than a couple of descriptive lines per character and never, as a result, came alive on the page.

The fact that the story kept the reader’s interest, and moved at a good pace, went some way towards redressing this, and I enjoyed reading the book, but characters with real depth, who didn’t feel like mere pawns, brought on to the page when the moment required them, and then effectively forgotten, would have enhanced the novel.

But it’s a good escapist read, and I recommend it.

Thank you, NetGalley and Penguin Books, for an advance copy of the novel.

I have read all of Dinah Jefferies books but although the descriptive writing was brilliant (as you would expect) the story was not for me.

I have never read a book by this author before but it definitely won't be the last. This really is my kind of book. Full of beautiful and colourful detailed descriptions, it feels like you really are in each page. Beautifully written. Thoroughly enjoyed.

A beautiful and atmospheric novel!
I loved the characters, well written and interesting, and the setting.
The plot was engaging and enthralling, this book is a page turner you cannot put down.
I look forward to reading other books by this writer.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Penguin Books (UK) and Netgalley for this ARC

A beautiful descriptive novel filled with smells and atmosphere of Burma. However I found the actual atody to be a bit too slow and found myself skim reading. I loved Di ah Jeffries previous books but this one wasn’t for me.

There is an intriguing mystery of a missing child at the heart of this novel set in Burma in the later years of the Empire. Dinah Jeffries recreates the British community in Burma at this time with her customary attention to detail and thorough research, resulting in an immersive experience for the reader, The plot is well structured to keep you guessing who to trust and what really happened. A good read.

The Missing Sister by by Dinah Jefferies is the story of Belle who travels to Burma to become a night club singer in the 1930s. She is also looking for her sister who was taken from the family home as a baby when her parents lived in Burma many years ago.
This book is atmospheric and is descriptive of the time, it paints a very colourful picture.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Books UK for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Part-romance, part-mystery thriller which switches between two timelines. The narrative oozes the glamour of the 1930's, but is also juxtaposed with rising tensions in colonial Burma. This is a well-written page-turner which follows the story of nightclub singer, Belle newly arrived in Rangoon who is seeking to discover the fate of her missing baby sister, Elvira. Along the way the seeds of romance are sown with enigmatic American, Oliver. This is, coupled with anonymous threats, tense situations and the gradual emergence of her parents' backstory, which helps Belle to ultimately make sense of the curious aspects of her childhood. This is a pacy and enjoyable read providing a slice of perfect winter escapism.