Cover Image: The Missing Sister

The Missing Sister

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Member Reviews

I love historical fiction – it’s such a diverse and varied genre. I was delighted when I got approved for an ARC of The missing sister by Dinah Jefferies. I have looked at a couple of her books previously but until very recently I hadn’t gotten around to reading any.

Well, that was a mistake.

A big mistake.

Because as it turns out – I am a Dinah Jefferies fan.

She writes the sort of historical novels I love.

And I enjoyed The missing sister by Dinah Jefferies, a lot.

The missing sister by Dinah Jefferies was a great read and I knew from the very beginning that it was going to be a book for me. I loved the writing, the setting, the characters – well most of them, and I really enjoyed the mystery element of the plot.

It was all very atmospheric of a bygone era.

Going into the novel I knew very little about Burma in the 1930s, and I very much enjoyed getting immersed into the world Belle was living in. In fact, I would love to know more. It was clear from reading the story that Dinah Jefferies had done her research. I would love to visit Rangoon, which is now called Yangon – and from having a look through google images, it looks like an immensely beautiful place that is steeped in history.


When I was reading The missing sister by Dinah Jefferies I was reminded slightly (and in a very positive way) of The man in the brown suit by Agatha Christie – which is one of my all-time favourite Agatha Christie reads. It was maybe the mystery element or that Belle reminded me of adventurous Anne, but while I was reading the story I really wanted to go back and revisit with The man in the brown suit.

Belle was a fantastic character, but I thought that some of the others fell a bit flat. In particular, I didn’t connect with Oliver even though I wanted too. He was a bit boring. A bit one-dimensional and I felt he lacked substance. I could have taken him or left him. Edward was only a bit better, I still felt he could have been written a lot stronger. These are only very small criticisms because as I’ve said I did very much enjoy the book from cover to cover.

Since finishing The missing sister by Dinah Jefferies I have gone and purchased several of the author’s earlier books, which I intend to get stuck into whenever the mood strikes.

Absolutely worth a read.

The missing sister by Dinah Jefferies is due to be published in Kindle format on the 28th Feb 2019.

I received a copy of The missing sister by Dinah Jefferies from the publisher via NetGalley, the review is my own opinion.

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I loved this book. It is a really enjoyable easy read. I loved the characters and the descriptions and the story. It was really well written and I could imagine the scenery and the characters. Dinah Jefferies has written another brilliant book.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

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Dinah Jefferies never disappoints with her beautifully told stories. This story transports you to Rangoon in the 1930's and Belle's adventure which starts off as just a curiousness in to her parents lives before she was born in to a mission to solve the mystery of her missing sister with a few twists and turns on the way.
A very easy book to read.

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I haven't read any of Dinah Jefferies' previous novels, but enjoyed this light read. The author is excellent at describing people, places, and events - one feels transported back to a different age in an exotic climate.

I would recommend this novel as ideal travelling or on holiday, or for a light read as a "book at bedtime".

I'll be looking out for more by this author.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for my honest review.

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An atmospheric story of a young women’s quest to find out the truth about her sisters disappearance as a baby in 1920’s Rangoon
Annabelle - Belle only finds out she even had a sister when her father dies and she finds a hidden newspaper cutting describing the event and how the suspicion fell on her mother.
She decides to go out to Rangoon to she if she can find out the truth. She meets Gloria on the boat and then on her arrival in Rangoon, her brother Edward. She also meets the enigmatic and very handsome Oliver. All of them seem to want to help her and when she receives some threatening notes Belle isn’t sure who she should believe.
Lovely descriptions of Rangoon but a rather predictable storyline.

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A beautiful combination of powerful description and captured emotions makes this a must-read for those who like a historical setting with the grit of a family disappearance to be solved. Just as the main characters struggle to know who to trust so does the reader.and you find yourself transported between the accounts of the mother and daughter as they struggle to untangle the web of secrets so affecting their lives.

The conclusion is perhaps, for some, inevitable, but it is certainly satisfying and leaves the reader with a sense of well-being as justice is finally served. A definite must-read for fans of Dinah Jefferies but also for those who are unfamiliar with her work.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

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A story of love and determination to find out what happened to her sister who was stolen from her pram at only weeks old.
Set in Burma during the mid 1939s Bella a singer comes to Rangoon following revelations following her fathers death that she had a sister.
Bella determined to find out the truth sets out on a journey that will put her in danger but also help her to find the love of her life.
Beautiful written Dinah Jefferies yet again does not disappoint.

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I'd recommend this - good solid writing and a great story to immerse yourself in.

As I said, the writing is very good and draws you into Burma at the time, and the central characters all work well for me and are believable. The mother's story is a sad, side narrative and this book encapsulates several themes, of loss, depression and misunderstanding. But there is balance and the ending works well.

I enjoyed following the character of Belle and her interactions with the environment and the other characters, all seemed fully rounded and believable, so you could just relax into the story-telling. I really enjoyed this.

An atmospheric read with two narrative threads that compliment each other. I also enjoyed the romance, as it added to the story and did not overpower the central mystery and richness of the environment of Burma and the mystery.
It would be a perfect summer beach or garden read as well. I'll look out for more from this author, as this was my first encounter.
Many thanks for the arc!

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This is a really good book. It is set in Burma in the 1930s under British rule. Bella is a singer in her twenties who arrives by boat from England. She is completely alone following her father's death, but she is intrigued by the idea of Burma because she knows that her parents lived there before she was born.
The story has everything! There is a lot of historical detail about the political upheaval that is going on throughout the British Empire. There is also a mystery about a crime that took place while Bella's parents lived in Rangoon, which runs throughout the book. We also have excerpts from Bella's mother's diaries during the time of her stay in Burma and then later on her return to England, giving a different dimension to the events. And, as you would expect from a Dinah Jeffries story, there is a romance set against the exotic background of the country. I was completely entranced by it. I could picture the gardens so clearly, and the hotel where Bella lives and works is vividly described.
I would definitely recommend this book. If you have read the other books by this author you will know how much research goes into her stories. If you have yet to do so, I would urge you to seek them out as they are well worth reading. I would like to thank the publisher for supplying me with a free copy of this book in return for an honest review. #netgalley #TheMissingSister

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This book has some lovely descriptions of Burma towards the end of the colonial era.
A baby girl goes missing from the garden of an English couple in Burma in the early 1920s and the distraught parents return to England, where the mother is haunted by what happened. Some years later, their grown-up daughter returns to Burma to work and decides to try and find out what happened to her sister...
As ever with Dinah Jeffries' books, this is an easy read. The plot is not complex, but it's an enjoyable page turner. Perfect for reading on the beach, or if you are planning a trip to Burma/Myanmar!

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I like Dinah Jeffries and this book didn't disappoint. I very quickly engaged with Belle, the main character and became intrigued with the story. It is a tale of loss, mystery, depression, misconceptions, trust and many other things! The setting in colonial Burma was beautifully written. It was an easy read and I enjoyed this story and would recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley for my free copy in exchange for an honest review.

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I love Dinah Jeffries’ books and was thrilled to receive this copy. The story of Belle and her missing sister who she eventually discovers the truth around her disappearance. A lovely, sweeping tale, rich in description.

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Belle Hatton travels out to Burma in 1936 to be a singer in a swish colonial hotel in Rangoon. She is befriended on board ship by the rich, mysterious Gloria de Clemente who introduces her to the glamorous colonial life. Parallel to Belle’s story is that of her mother looking back from 1920’s England, at her former life and marriage in Rangoon.

In her recently deceased father’s papers Belle discovers newspaper clippings about a baby girl that went missing from a Burmese garden in 1911. Belle’s curiosity is piqued. She discovers she has a ‘missing sister’ and is determined to find out what happened. She meets Gloria’s brother Edward and the attractive American journalist, Oliver who both try to help her discover what happened – but who is she to trust? Things start to get dangerous as she realises that much has been covered up.

An exciting adventure, but also very comfortable to read ; I couldn’t help feeling the story was a bit too ‘pat’ at times – particularly at the end where things fall into place almost too comfortably. But to balance this is the beautiful, evocative writing about the country, the attitudes to, and of the colonials, and the troubles between the Indians and Burmans which is so interesting. The story is fast paced and exciting – I found it at times to be a bit superficial, but at the same time I could not leave it alone. I found the mother’s story so sad - a victim of the patriarchal attitudes of the time with no knowledge of postnatal depression. I would have liked it twice the length with more character depth, however that is my personal preference. It was an entertaining and imaginative read.

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Everything you would expect from Dinah Jefferies and it doesn't disappoint. There is mystery, tension, violence, romance - but who could Annabelle trust as she uncovers the tragic story that, over the years, has impacted on so many lives in her family? Who is bent on stopping her and to what lengths are they prepared to go to do so? A spell-binding mystery set against a pulsing, exotic Burmese background. A novel that you won't be able to put down.

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Dinah Jeffries once again whisks us off to the other side of the world and another time.
In this book we are in Burma both in 1921 where we hear Diana's story and in 1936 where we hear Belle's.

Belle's father has died and she is travelling to Burma to take up a job singing in a hotel.
She also has another reason for choosing Burma. It is the place where her parents lived and where she has just found out her sister mysteriously disappeared when she was three weeks old. Her mother Diana was blamed partly because she had post natal depression and was acting strange. Her parents moved back to England soon after.
Belle didn't receive much attention from her mother as a child then one day her mother was gone and a few years later her father told her Diana had passed away.
Diana's story is heartbreaking. Losing her baby takes over her life and no one understood about post natal depression. Her husband is only sympathetic for a limited time then Diana has to face the consequences of what he decides for her.

Once Belle begins her quest to find out what happened to her sister various people appear to want to help her but she doesn't know who to trust. Are they helping or are they trying to prevent her from finding out the truth.
This was definitely a page turner. There seems to be danger for Belle at every corner.
I was swept up with the descriptions of Rangoon and Mandalay. The markets, the crowded streets and the feeling of unease as Belle walked them.
Belle seemed quite naive at first but gradually she became a strong woman who would stop at nothing to find out the truth. She had choices to make. Did she trust Oliver or Edward. Both seem willing to help but as she is warned off the one she is falling for, does she follow her heart or her head?
I always enjoy a Dinah Jefferies book and this one lives up to my expectations. A really good read.

Review will be posted on my blog on publication day, and to Amazon and Goodreads.

Not in my review but this arc was very difficult to read as one chapter merged into another. I didn't know what part of the story I was reading.

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A joy to read, i found this book very easy to read mainly because the setting of Burma was so vividly depicted and also because, Belle, Oliver, Diana and the other characters were so well described. Easily accessible this book, to me, had echoes of The Painted Veil in the way it described colonial Burma.

The character of Diana with her postpartum depression who is put out of the lives of her family and pretty much abandoned in the Cotswolds is sad and probably typical of the period. Very sad.

Engrossing book which is a straightfoward enough read I recommend it to anyone with an interest in the lives of colonial expats and those who simply love a great story.

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A little smalzy & predictable but nonetheless an enjoyable read. It’s written in a slightly innocent & old fashioned way which is quite a pleasant change. A great holiday read.

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This book is an interesting mix of mystery and romance set in 1930s Burma, and swaps between the stories of Belle, a nightclub singer and Diana, her mother. I found it a gentle read, as Belle explores the mystery of her missing baby sister, although there are a couple of points of high tension. It’s nicely woven together and there’s clearly a huge amount of research that’s gone into the historical background of colonialism in that region. A nice, comforting, warm coffee kind of a read.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Penguin Books for the advance copy.

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I find Dinah Jefferies’ style easy to read so finished this book in a couple of days. I loved the setting and the characters, all highly believable and atmospheric. It’s a great page-turner and I loved all the twists and turns, not really knowing who to trust. It’s another great book (along with all her others).

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This is a lovely book, a tale of two sisters, one thought to be lost, one growing up not even knowing she had a sister.
Annabelle comes to Burma as a singer in high class hotels. She has a complex background with a difficult father and little good memory of her mother, whom she has been told is dead. Finding that she inherits her parents old house brings back more memories and she is determined to find her lost sister.
The plot thickens when two very different men become involved. Which one of them is trustworthy?
It took me a little while to get used to leaping from one decade to another with no warning. The sounds, smells and colour of the cities were so well written and you could feel yourself with Belle exploring the different areas.
I did enjoy reading this book. Thanks to NetGalley for a review copy.

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