It took a bit for me to get into the story because of the nonlinear timeline and shifting points-of-view, but once I got into it I was intrigued. I thought the ending was a bit predictable but I appreciated that the author wrapped up every aspect of the plot -- that was very satisfying! I also liked that there were so many likeable characters. Often in murder mysteries there are a plethora of unlikeable characters and a list of suspects, whereas in Douglas' Then She Vanishes, you truly can't picture anyone having committed the murder. The story didn't blow me away but it was a nice change of pace, and was an interesting read from start to finish.

The music filtered along with the soft breeze and the lights from the ferris wheel glittered in the fading light, swirling and twirling in her mind as her eyes grew heavy. The smell of fried food permeated her nose, making her feel nauseous.
She tried to take some steps forward, the laughter from the fair goers pulling her into a trance, but she couldn't move.
Her legs were like lead, weighing her down, dragging her toward the ground. Her eyes finally couldn't stay open a moment longer and she closed them and let her body fall.
Then She Vanishes was such a good thriller. It kept me guessing the majority of the time and although I figured things out, it didn't make this book any less entertaining for
me.
Jessica, a reporter, finds out a former best friend, Heather, has supposedly committed murder and she's determined to find out the truth. They may have had a falling out years ago, but they had been such good friends before... before the incident.
I enjoyed the fact that this book had both dual timelines and dual perspectives! Murders to solve, an unsolved disappearance from the past, multiple people with possible motives? This book had a lot and will keep you turning pages
It did have some moments that were a bit far fetched and some of the "protocols" were a little off, but overall it was a Really good thriller.

I loved this psychological thriller by Claire Douglas. Initially I struggled with the multiple POVs and flashbacks between past and present, but once I got used to it (probably by around 10%) I flew through Then She Vanishes. I was invested in the plot, characters, and storyline.

I have enjoyed all of this author’s books!
This one is about a teenager that goes missing one night.
Her family is destroyed.
25 years laters, the missing girl’s sister murders someone….
As the stoy unfolds, the timelines intertwine.
Definitely recommend!

Douglas sure knows how to write a mystery! I love getting sucked into her worlds and trying to piece everything together! Such a clever plot & it just got crazier and crazier as it went on. While a slow burn. It was worth it

Summer as a teenager is supposed to be carefree and fun, but one summer night in 1994 changed all that. 16 year old Flora vanished.
.
25 years later Heather walks into someone’s house and murders two people. All that is left now is Jess who is left to report on the case.
.
Only secrets remain to be discovered and Jess finds nothing she expected.
.
Thank you #penguingroup and #NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

Then She Vanishes is a solid thriller with dual timelines and seemingly unrelated crimes. In 1994, Heather's sister Flora disappeared without a trace. Twenty five years later, Heather goes into a strangers home and murders two people before shooting herself ending up in a coma. Heather's former childhood best friend Jess is a journalist determined to find out why her old friend could such a thing. The story has plenty of twists and suspense. If you enjoy domestic suspense mysteries, this is an excellent one to check out. Highly recommended!

Back in 1994 16 year old Flora vanished. 18 years later her younger sister goes to the home of two people she has no connection to and shoots them, killing them both. She the returns home and shoots herself and doesn’t die but falls into a coma. Jess, a reporter and former best friend of Heather, can’t believe it’s true. While she and Heather had a falling out after Flora disappeared she still has a soft spot for Heather and her family. As Jess and the police begin finding out what really happened that night they also may uncover what happened to Flora.
This was a long and intricately woven story. With so many questions at the beginning I was t sure I was going to stick with it at first but I’m glad I did. We get multiple POV’s: Jess, Heather, Flora and Flora and Heather’s mum Margot from both past in 1994 and present. We watch as Jess slowly begins to repair her friendships with the only family she’s ever really felt at home with and discover what happened with both sisters.
I thought this was beautifully written and if you enjoy UK police procedurals I think you’ll love this one. It was equal parts dark and mysterious with each detail of the story unfolding and eventually knowing the significance. It was quite long and I do wish it had been a bit shorter, but also appreciate how detailed Douglas was. Overall, I really enjoyed this slow burn mystery.

Claire Douglas is one of my absolute favorite Brit authors. I will read anything she writes. Then She Vanishes was a fantastic thriller that I devoured and, as usual, And the breathtaking opening chapter just gripped me. As with most of Claire's books, I questioned everyone and everything in the story. This one is full of twists that will have you turning the pages. Thank you to Harper and NetGalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. I can't wait to read Claire's next book, Just Like the Other Girls.

On a summer night in 1994, beautiful, 16-year-old Flora Powell disappears after sneaking out of her house. She was last seen at her local bus stop coming home, but after that, her whereabouts are unknown. Flora’s mother has already gone though so much with her husband being accidentally shot and killed, but her heart breaks after her eldest daughter disappears. She carries on for her other daughter, Heather, a couple years younger than Flora.
Two and a half decades later, more bad news befalls the Powell family. Now a mother and wife, Heather, apparently shoots two strangers in cold blood and then turns the gun on herself. Why? Did she know these people? Is it related to the previous tragedy that happened?
Jess, Heather’s former best friend from school, is one of the protagonists of this story, and now, she is an investigative journalist who is writing a story on the murders that Heather allegedly committed; however, is she too close to the story? Back in school, she always found herself drawn to the Powells – their loving mother who was a far cry from her own distant mom who never had time for her. Is she being pulled back in? What happened to the kind, sensitive Heather that she used to know? Jess delves into the past and present to found out what really happened on that morning when Heather apparently snapped and what happened to Flora all those years ago?
I really wanted to like this book more than I did, but I found Heather’s circumstances a bit hard to believe – why hasn’t anyone gotten her help for her obvious anger issues? I felt sorry for her in the beginning, but by the end, I thought she was a bit of a psychopath with definite anger issues. Jess was, by far, the more relatable character, and Flora, to me, just seemed silly – as most teenager girls are. I liked all the twists at the end and found myself yearning to know what happened to Flora. The only characters I was drawn to were Jess and Mrs. Powell. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the eARC.

Author interview with Claire Douglas

Today’s author interview guest is Claire Douglas, author of Then She Vanishes.

I was in the mood for a suspenseful thriller/mystery when Then She Vanishes by Claire Douglas popped up in my email. This was my first Douglas book, and she quickly pulled me in and held me captive as we searched for the truth.'....

Caffeinated Reasons To Pick Up Then She Vanishes

I love a twisty tale and Claire Douglas delivers with a present day murder and an unsolved missing person’s case from 1994 in a small seaside community.

We meet Jess, a reporter working for a small paper when news comes in of the double murder. The reported perpetrator is Heather, her estranged teenage friend. We learn that their friendship fell apart after the disappearance of Heather’s older sister Flora. Heather is currently in a coma after allegedly trying to take her own life after killing two strangers.

-A murder-mystery that seems like an open and shut case until you look at the evidence, characters and circumstances. Douglas gave us an interesting back-story and characters who make us question the obvious.

-Douglas takes her time introducing Jess and giving us her backstory, all while giving us flashbacks of her friendship with Heather. As a reporter, Jess gains access into Heather’s home and is kept in the loop by Heather’s mother. This allowed us to learn more intimate details about Heather, her husband and the case(s).

-Jess does a lot of self-reflection and is struggling when we meet her. Reconnecting with her past is a journey that creates character growth.

-Present day timelines, discoveries and evidence lead to questions about the disappearance of Flora. The author did a great job with checks and balances, allowing things to unfold gradually and making them feel authentic and suspenseful.

-Heather is a dynamic character whose story is told through recollections by her mother and Jess until she awakens from her coma.

-The timeline in 1994 pulled me in as we meet Flora, the carnie, and were witness to Heather’s behavior.

-A twisty ending that answers questions while weaving things together that will leave the reader satisfied. Perfect for book club discussions.

Then She Vanishes satisfied my need for thriller with a solid mystery and plenty of twists. I look forward to reading more from this author.

This mystery s is set in the U.K.. The lead is reporter Jessica Fox. The story opens on the article she's writing about the shooting of a local businessman and his elderly mother in seaside Tilby.

It turns out that the suspect, Heather Underwood (unconscious in hospital) was Jess's close friend when they were younger.

25 years before, Heather's sister Flora disappeared and has never been found. The story moves back and forth in time between past and present events.

Finally, past and present collide in a shocker of an ending ... with one final twist.

This was a bit of a slow start for me, I mean after the initial scene which was crazy good. I also had a hard time connecting to the location. Overall though, I thought it was a interesting thriller and I appreciate the opportunity to review.

Pub day: August 3, 2021 (Canada/US)

Thank you @harperperennial & @netgalley for the eARC to read and review.

Clear you calendar because Then She Vanishes is a thriller you will want to devour as soon as you open the page!

Flora Powell disappeared at age 16. 25 years later, her sister Heather walks into a strangers house and kills two people in cold blood. What made her snap?

Claire Douglas is a fantastic writer and draws you in right from the beginning. The multiple POVs and time periods flow naturally through the story and the character development is stellar. I loved our intrepid report Jess and the role she plays. I love a thriller where I get to know and care about the characters while still brings the twists, turns and drama.

Go into this one blind for the optimal reading experience!

I enjoyed the writing style of this book with the alternating between timelines and multiple POVs, but felt like it could’ve been wrapped up sooner / much shorter. This was the first #ClaireDouglas novel I’ve read, but it won’t be my last!

Then She Vanishes is a solidly told story as a journalist struggles to understand why her one time best friend would have done the heinous crime she's accused of. With bits of their history interspersed with the current events, readers will find that it's both more and less open-and-shut than it seems.

Then She Vanishes is a fantastic thriller that definitely took some twists and turns I was not expecting and I thoroughly enjoyed that! Claire Douglas was and still remains an author to watch and I look forward to her next novel.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for gifting me a digital copy of this thriller by Claire Douglas - 4.5 stars for a book that's tough to put down!

Jess and Heather were best friends when they were teenagers, up until the night when Heather's older sister, Flora, didn't come home. The secrets and lies that Jess has kept since then have haunted her. Now, Jess is a journalist and is sent back to her hometown to investigate the story that Heather has killed an older copy and tried to kill herself.

This story will pull you in from the very beginning and you won't be able to come up for air until it's finished. The author takes you back in the past when Jess and Heather were younger, as well as hearing the perspective of Margot, mom of Heather and Jess. There are lots of questionable characters in this book to keep you guessing. Plus, the author is so skilled at putting you in the scene - you can picture the atmosphere of the fair and feel the angst of young girls on the cusp of adulthood.

The initial premise of this one reminded me a lot of All The Missing Girls, given a teenage disappearance and a fair.

I was immediately drawn in by this thriller. The plot was gripping and entertaining, and I couldn’t wait to find out what happened to Heather to make her suddenly decide to kill two people and whether it would connect to her past.

The story was told from an interesting angle: the POV of Jess, Heather’s former best friend who is now a journalist. Jess was constantly struggling to balance her responsibility as a reporter with her desire to protect Heather’s family. The scenes from the past are told from the POVs of Heather’s mom and Flora. I thought the whole plot flowed really well, and while I was constantly hunting for clues and learning more about the characters, there were never any whiplash-inducing twists that left me blindsided.

In the end, I love how the past explained the present. This thriller is definitely one to add to your summer TBR!