The Girls Who Disappeared: ‘I loved this twisty novel’ Richard Osman

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While I warmed to her for the most part, Jenna does have some moments of utter stupidity, such as when she takes off on her own through the woods near where someone’s been found dead, for example. I found myself repeatedly telling her that no-one knew where she was and wouldn’t be able to help, if she ran into trouble. But moments like those also helped to make her more relatable as a character. After all, she’s a journalist under pressure to deliver by a deadline and desperate to get to the bottom of a 20-year-old mystery. And besides, sometimes it’s all too tempting to take off and do things on impulse. Forensics indicate the bodies have been buried at least thirty years, which leads the police to question the cottage’s former owner – Saffy’s grandmother, Rose. While Jenna interviews the townspeople and tries to find a way to approach her, we also hear things from Olivia’s perspective. This builds a more complete picture of how far and in what ways the ripples of impact travel, as we not only discover how the accident has impacted the town and its inhabitants but also, the young woman directly involved. I really felt for Olivia, the survivor of the accident, and the girl who is left behind by it, in so many ways. Especially since she stays within that same community, with all the suspicion, stigma, and survivor’s guilt which that entails. It makes the revelations, which come later in the book, all the more impactful and devastating for having met her early on and heard her story this way. It is a book of stories, conversations, and interviews, about finding ways to serve Life, to serve humanity, to serve the Whole, through a process which has been emerging through the author-Constellating for the Collective-a process that itself has emerged from Systemic Constellation Work and the Knowing Field.

Twenty years ago, three young friends vanished from the scene of an accident, which left another badly injured. Now in Claire Douglas’ The Girls Who Disappeared, journalist Jenna Halliday arrives in town to cover the milestone anniversary, only to discover that loss, secrets and local lore still haunt the place and its inhabitants. Twenty years ago:One rainy night, Olivia Rutherford is driving three friends home when a figure in the road causes her to swerve and crash. Regaining consciousness, she finds herself alone in the car – her friends have vanished. Emilia Ward lives quietly in suburban London with her husband and two children. Just an ordinary wife and mother. But also a bestselling crime writer. When she starts writing her tenth Detective Miranda Moody novel, however, life takes a frightening turn: an incident straight out of one of her novels occurs in real life. Just an unsettling coincidence, she thinks. Until it happens again. Then someone she knows dies exactly like a victim in the book she’s still writing . . . As Rose’s fragmented memories resurface, and the police dig ever deeper, Saffy fears she and the cottage are being watched . . .

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A chilling novel showcasing Claire Douglas's trademark brilliantly claustrophobic settings and tightly plotted twists. Impossible to know which of the well-drawn characters to trust and very hard to put down.”—Gilly MacMillan, bestselling author of What She Knew Douglas is the queen of the unexpected twist, and this is her best wrongfooting yet' GILLIAN MCALLISTER Twenty years ago: One rainy night, Olivia Rutherford is driving three friends home when a figure in the road causes her to swerve and crash. Regaining consciousness, she finds herself alone in the car – her friends have vanished.

Claire Douglas is a mistress at weaving the reader into a web of domestic deceit."--Jane Corry, author of The Dead ExRose’s Alzheimer’s means her memory is increasingly confused. She can’t help the police – but it is clear she remembers something. Devotees of domestic noir will love the multiple perspectives and shifts in time that Claire Douglas uses to complicate her nervy narrative' Sunday Times Crime Club

Now:Journalist Jenna Halliday visits the close-knit community of Stafferbury to persuade Olivia to talk and solve the mystery of the girls’ disappearance. But Olivia won’t speak. Because Kirsty knows that once you invite trouble into your home, getting rid of it can be murder. Then She Vanishes (2019)Genres: Fiction, Thrillers, Crime, Suspense, Psychological, Family Life, General, Mystery & Detective Jess and Heather were once best friends – until the night Heather’s sister Flora vanished. The night that lies tore their friendship apart. A cleverly plotted dark and twisty thriller that will keep you guessing until the end' ALICE FEENEY

Claire’s books have been published in fifteen countries. She lives in Bath with her husband, children and two very fluffy cats. The Girls Who Disappeared is a story crafted by the Queen of the unfathomable twist. It’s like an itch you can’t quite reach, a brilliant character study with razor sharp writing.

The girls who disappeared is a strong novel about friendship, family, and the spreading virus that is lies and betrayal. We can all remember what it was like being eighteen, right? That taste of freedom has seeped into our veins, and we want more of it. A driving license, a car, and a group of friends – the possibilities are endless, well they would be if it wasn’t cut to a drastic end with a car accident on the notoriously mysterious Devil’s Corridor – a stretch of road where dark figures and baby’s cries have been heard. Four girls were involved in the crash, but only one was found still trapped at the wheel – Olivia.