I am delighted to share my review today for The Girls Who Disappeared by Claire Douglas. This is such an atmospheric and creepy read. My thanks to Michael Joseph Books who granted my request to read this title via NetGalley.

Three missing girls. A twenty-year mystery. A woman who may be able to crack this cold case.

In a rural Wilshire town lies The Devil’s Corridor. A road which has witnessed eerie happenings from unexplained deaths to the sounds of a child crying at night.

But nothing more puzzling than the Olivia Rutherford case. Four girls drove home but after their car crashed only Olivia was found.

Twenty years later, journalist Jenna Halliday is covering the case. But the locals aren’t happy with this stranger’s arrival. Least of all Olivia.

Jenna soon starts receiving threatening notes and it is clear someone wants her out of this town before she suffers a dark fate . . .

MY REVIEW

This was a brilliant one-sitting read for me, it began with a prologue before getting into the story proper. The story is told in two parts, the main story is a present-day where Jenna, a journalist, looks into the disappearance of three girls 30 years ago. There is a second timeline line in this story and it took me a while before I realised where it fitted, this section is written in italics so you realise what is happening as you flit back and forth.

This is a complex storyline and one that had me addicted from the very beginning. As Jenna arrives in this small out of way rural in Wiltshire she has to drive along a road called the Devil’s corridor. From the outset, the setting of Wiltshire and the name of this road added a wonderful psychological atmosphere. with the area known for its standing stones, ley lines and various other occult, supernatural and legendary tales. The author uses this atmospheric vibe throughout the story and it adds a wonderful suspenseful, nervy and tense feel.

AS Jenna works on her story for a podcast, the author gives more details about her and also the locals that she interviews. As an outsider, there is the obvious expectation that people will not be completely open or honest with their answers to telling of their memories.

As the author delves deeper into the main story, the italicised story is also starting to emerge, this is one that is just as addictive as the main one. When I suddenly realised how things connected I realised how cleverly the author had woven her tales.

this is a fabulous read and one that I literally could not put down. It has that eerie mysterious spookiness and is a tense thriller with a good psychological vibe and is brilliant reading. It is one I would definitely recommend.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Claire Douglas always wanted to write novels and, after many years of trying to get published, her dream came true when she won the Marie Claire Debut Novel Award in 2013 with THE SISTERS.

Her second and third novels, LOCAL GIRL MISSING and LAST SEEN ALIVE (Penguin), are Sunday Times bestsellers.

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