I’m a big fan of Sheila Bugler’s writing, so was delighted when I saw this Arc was available. This is the third outing for journalist Dee Doran and I’m pleased to say it was as riveting as the first two books in the series.

Dee Doran is an easy to like protagonist. She has all the insecurities which bother most of us, alongside some great traits such as tenacity and a keen intelligence.

In this novel Dee helps her cousin Emer Doran solve the mystery of what really happened to her sister Kitty twenty years earlier. Although Kitty supposedly drowned while on a family holiday, Emer is convinced she saw her on a London tube. The family dynamics in this are anything but cosy, giving the reader plenty of reasons to empathise with Emer. However, for reasons which only become clear much later in the book, she is an unsympathetic character – or is she?

Family intrigues, unreliable narrators and murder all come together in this enjoyable book. I highly recommend it.

I’m guilty of being a bit of a fan girl for Sheila Bugler along with a couple of Canelo Crime authors. When I saw that this Arc was available, I requested it immediately.
Once again, we travel to Eastbourne into the complicated life of journalist Dee Doran. Burdened with a whole host of issues, Doran is a complex protagonist who wrestles with overindulgence and self-doubt. This time, we visit Dee’s patriarchal line and find the story coming together in Ireland.
Emer is an interesting character and it took me a while to warm to her, you’ll understand why when you read this book; her true nature doesn’t become immediately obvious.
Sheila Bulger’s books take you on a rollercoaster ride of twists and turns, it’s impossible to guess what’s going to happen next. Just as I thought I’d got it sussed, a new twist hit me.
One great aspect of Sheila’s writing is her ability to handle multiple characters and still add layers to their story. Dee’s heartache at seeing Ella and Jake leave was a tearjerker even though it was written in a such a way matter of fact way. That, in itself, added to the poignancy.
I hope that you’ll follow my recommendation and read this fantastic book.

Kitty, Emer's sister, died 20 years ago. Everyone presumed she had drowned as the 2 girls had been playing on the beach when Kitty wandered off. Now 20 years later Emer is convinced she has just seen her sister. She tried calling her name, but the woman took off. Determined to get to the bottom of this, Emer enlists the help from a cousin Dee, whom she hardly even knows. What they uncover is a lifetime of secrets and lies.
This mystery is entertaining. I did read it and enjoyed it for the most part, but the ending got a little confusing with new names appearing in the story. I did like it though and thank the author, publisher and Netgalley for giving me the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wow wow wow! This book gripped me from the first page and never let go! I enjoyed the back and forth style of writing and the characters were so real and three dimensional. What a pleasure to read something that is so hard to put down because you have to know what is going to happen next. I haven't read this author before but I certainly will again. I highly recommend this riveting story.

Thanks to Net Galley for allowing me to read this incredible ARC for my honest opinion.

Enjoyed it. Some things bothered me a bit but I don’t like to give spoilers in reviews so I won’t list them.

Not a great fan of storylines that move backwards and forwards in time, however became fully engrossed in this story. A fascinating and most unusual gripping theme. Well worth reading, thoroughly recommended.

Emer Doran’s life is a mess. Her sister Kitty drowned 20 years ago, but Emer has never believed the story she was told. Emer’s mother is anything but maternal, and if it were not for her stepfather intervening, their arguments would never end. When Emer goes to London for a job interview, she can hardly believe her eyes. She spots Kitty, though she quickly loses her in a crowd. No one believes her, but she knows what she saw and is determined to find her sister.
Emer begs her cousin Dee to help her find Kitty. Dee is an investigative journalist and Emer is sure with Dee’s background, she will be able to locate Kitty. Dee finds herself doubting Emer’s memory, but when her digging into the past ends with a murder, she may have put herself directly in the killer’s line of sight.
Is Emer an unreliable narrator or not? I kept changing my mind throughout the book. When all the puzzle pieces came together, I was surprised by the picture they provided. An engaging mystery and Dee Doran was an extremely interesting character. I will look for more books by this author.

Kitty Doran died as a teenager. So why is her sister Emer convinced she saw her on a train?

This mystery jumps about rather a lot and is filled with a whole host of characters- many of whom are completely unnecessary to the plot. Dee was quite a bizarre character who was only to keen to get herself involved in everyone’s issues with no hesitation. I didn’t realise she was the main character in earlier novels and perhaps she makes more sense of you’ve met her before!

The story itself is quite complicated as there are just so many parts. It’s not entirely enjoyable as it’s all quite confusing. Towards the end when everything comes together it’s a bit easier, but there weren’t any major twists- just an excess of information to sift out.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.

Imagine living through your childhood and into you adult life thinking your big sister had passed away, only to think you spot her years later. Emer’s whole life is turned upside down when she learns that everything she knew was a lie. I really enjoyed this book just as I have the others I have read by Sheila Bugler. It was fast paced and kept me turning pages.

Set in Ireland and the UK, this is a crime novel which concerns the death of Emer's (the main character) sister. She drowned as a child, but Emer is not convinced that she is dead. This feeling is heightened when she sees her sister on the tube in London. The sisters'cousin, who lives in Eastbourne is an investigative reporter. She (Dee) starts to delve into the case, ruffling a few feathers along the way. The book is written from different viewpoints , Mainly Dee (the cousin) and Emer, but also in the childrens' childhood (Kitty)
Some chapters are set a month earlier, 2 months earlier and around the original incident in 1997. I found this quite muddled and confusing to keep track of. Some parts of the story and links between characters seem a bit contrived and at times repetetive and some parts of the story did not fall into place until quite late in the book. This was a turning point for me, the story then started to make sense and the pieces fell into place. As previously mentioned, it was confusing at times before that.
All in all not a bad read, but could have been better. I did not feel anything much about any of the characters, all seemed pretty prone to emotional outbursts and changing opinions within a very short time. Dee is a strange character who has few social contacts and who involves herself with the concerns of others at the drop of a hat . The parents all seem overly involved in the lives of their grown children. Small irritations which spoilt the book for me

Thank you to Net Galley for the read in exchange for an honest review

Complex story and I may have been more drawn in if I had read the two previous tales with Emer Doran's investigative skills although I remain unconvinced. Yes there were plenty of twists and turns but many were, to me, predictable and I really couldn't feel much of anything for the heroine. Convinced that a woman she saw passing was her allegedly long-dead sister (apparently drowned when they were children) I felt it hard to be convinced that 20 or so years on you would visualise how that child had grown up. Thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was full of twists and turns, I couldn't put it down.
It was well written and gave satisfying ending

Fast-paced, full of twists and turns and a satisfying ending: Before You Were Gone is a great holiday read.

Thank you to Sheila Bugler, Canelo and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dee Doran is back. Often drunk but constantly determined, this time her investigation is personal. When a cousin contacts her asking for help to trace a drowned sister who she has just seen alive in London Dee becomes immersed back into her family in Ireland and a mystery of a sister who disappeared many years ago.
The first two books in this series focused more on Eastbourne where Dee lives on the beach and the web of friends and ex husband and lover who now dominate her life and become linked to previous murders she has helped to solve. But now past family secrets and connections to her own father's involvement in a serious concealment of relatives exposes a tragic and often violent web of deceit.
The plot is tense, often complicated as we unravel alongside Dee the many twists and turns of this story. I liked the character of seemingly good Irish politician Robert O'Brien, knowing full well he was bound to be a bad 'un. The author explores the politics and often corruption that occurred in Ireland especially during the time of the Celtic Tiger and I particularly liked the way she explored the prejudice against the travelling community that is endemic across the country.
Travelling between Ireland, London and around Sussex (local references I loved as I live here myself!) brought the novel to a very dramatic ending. Dee always finds herself so involved she too becomes threatened. The love of sisters and the misplaced loyalty to parents is also exposed and overall the novel is a worthy follow up to her previous outings with Dee Doran.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

This book was a bit predictable and formulaic but it’s very engaging and the characters are like able and fun enough that it keeps you sucked in and turning pages through the plot. Solid 3.

“Before You Were Gone,” is a literary masterpiece written by Irish crime writer Sheila Bugler. Although this is the third book in her Eastbourne Murder Mystery series, it can stand alone. For lovers of crime fiction, this completely gripping suspense with strong potential for screen adaptation, is a must-read and worth pre-ordering before publication date of January 28, 2021.

Ever since her sister Kitty drowned 20 years ago, Emer Doran’s life has continued to go downhill. In addition to losing her sister, her parents have separated, her mother has remarried, she’s been unable to keep any relationship for very long, and she’s suffering depression at the hand of her overbearing and controlling mother. The fact that her sister’s body has never been recovered has given Emer hope that she’s still out there somewhere. Then one day she spots her sister, or someone very like her, on the tube in London. Convinced it’s her sister, Emer devotes every waking moment to finding Kitty. They say the truth can’t stay buried forever. Is her mind playing tricks on her or is Kitty really alive?

This is my first read by Bugler and I’ve just added her to my auto-buy list. What an amazing nail-biting, roller coaster ride. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book with so many twists, turn, loops and cutbacks! Just when I thought I had it all figured out, I had to ditch my hypothesis and start again. I love it when that happens. The multi-layered characters with rich backgrounds are the star players in this novel. Not only does the author craft her characters with superb lifestyle and expertise, but also allows her readers to see their thought process. For example, Emer’s step-father is involved in Irish politics and is in the running for Prime Minister. This position gives him opportunity to help or hinder his step-daughter and his wife. Dee, the investigator, is Emer’s cousin. This gives her insight into the family dynamics. It’s in unravelling the nature of the relationships and seeing their vulnerability that we identify with the characters. Woven throughout the plot is the thread of empathy. Readers want Emer to find Kitty because we understand her pain and loss. We may not have been raised deprived of a sibling relationship, but we identify with it and it causes us to be invested in her character. Bugler’s characters steal the show and the reason becomes obvious after reading that the author crafts her characters prior to building a plot. I can see why this book is part of a series; readers want to know more about these spectacular people. Bugler deftly explores the dark secrets that lurk beneath our public persona to produce a stellar novel that has us wondering if the truth can be as fatal as the secret.

Thank you Sheila Burger, Canelo Publishing, and NetGalley for this adrenaline rushing advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

In most novels, there is very little difference between investigative journalists and private detectives except that perhaps the firmer writes better prose in their reports. Here Dee Doran outperforms any detective in an extremely complicated, conflated and crazy story about family and the search for truth. - if you can bear the pain and destruction of the discovery. Dee is a wonderful slightly older, wiser protagonist that most a d I’m really enjoying getting to know her. Here Dee unravels a disappearance in her extended family and the pacing, tension and resolution is excellent.

Sheila Bugler's novels get better and better. Her latest two have given me find memories of when I first discovered the great Robert Goddard, now a CWA Diamond Dagger winner. Sheila is heading in the same direction with her structural perfection and clever mysteries that have twist after twist after twist.
Dee Doran, a lovely, endearing character seems to have a knack for finding herself in the thick of things and at great risk. The tension builds to a fabulous denouement.
I can't recommend this book highly enough.

I received an advance copy of, Before You Were Gone, by Sheila Bugler. I liked this book, it was a quick read, I liked the characters, the setting, and the plot. Lies, and what we do with the.