BOOK REVIEW: Then She Vanishes by Claire Douglas

Everything changed the night Flora disappeared.
Heather and Jess were best friends until the night Heather's sister vanished.
Jess has never forgiven herself for the lie she told that night. Nor has Heather. But now Heather is accused of a terrible crime.
And Jess is forced to return to the sleepy seaside town where they grew up, to ask the question she's avoided for so long:
What really happened the night Flora disappeared?

Publisher: Michael Joseph

Then She Vanishes is a well paced and beautifully plotted psychological thriller. Jess returns to the seaside town she grew up in but this time in her role as a journalist. She discovered that her childhood friend Heather is accused of shooting dead a mother and son in their own home. Heather has a tragic past, her sister Flora went missing and her father was killed in a tragic accident at their home. Jess cannot believe that her old friend is capable of murder and her investigation leads her to finally ask questions about the summer that Flora disappeared.
Claire Douglas takes you into the thick of it from the very first chapter, I was so impressed with the pace that she set and maintained. The book flits between the present day and the summer that Flora disappeared. I thoroughly enjoyed both parts of the story and Douglas brings them together so well.
Then She Vanishes is full of secrets, every single character is hiding something from other characters. It's such a clever device as the reader is left guessing and you are never 100% sure who you can trust within the story.
Douglas includes many twists and turns along the way. I worked out a couple but then had the rug pulled out from under me when these were followed by more revelations.
Then She Vanishes is an excellent read that I can highly recommend. It is gritty, addictive and entirely believable.

Many thanks to Michael Joseph for allowing me to read a review copy via Netgalley.