Book Review: The Girls Who Disappeared by Claire Douglas

The Girls Who Disappeared by Claire Douglas was published in 2022 and was a Richard and Judy book club pick.

I’ve read two Claire Douglas novels so far and have found them to be a bit of a mixed bag. I was disappointed with Local Girl Missing and yet I found The Couple at No 9 to be a really good read.

I therefore wasn’t really sure what to expect when reading her latest novel, The Girls Who Disappeared, but I hoped it would be as good as The Couple at No 9.

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Genre: Thriller

Author: Claire Douglas

Buy: Amazon | Waterstones

Published: 2022

Plot

20 years ago, in a quiet rural town, four girls drive home from a night out. The car crashes and when Olivia, the driver of the car wakes up, her friends have disappeared.

On the 20th anniversary of their disappearance, journalist Jenna is covering the case for an upcoming podcast. Jenna starts to uncover long-held secrets and when she starts to receive threatening notes, she releases that somebody is lying.

Can she find out the truth before the author of the notes finds her?

The Girls Who Disappeared Book Review

I found The Girl Who Disappeared to be a really compelling read.

It felt less like a thriller and more like a mystery which I actually prefer. I love Eve Chase books where there’s an old mystery to be solved in a current setting and this felt like a similar read.

There was the main story that focused on the current events, but there was also a parallel story set in Thailand with seemingly unrelated characters. I was intrigued to find out how the two stories were connected.

I honestly didn’t know where the story was going. I did predict one of the twists related to the side story but I honestly couldn’t figure out what happened to the girls 20 years ago. I loved how the two stories combined at the end, and all loose ends were tied up.

The author created realistic characters and the atmosphere in and around the cabin was really unsettling. The tension at the story’s climax was palpable and I found the ending to be a satisfying one.

I’ll definitely be reading more books by Claire Douglas.

What should I read after The Girls Who Disappeared by Claire Douglas?

If you enjoyed The Couple at Number 9, I would definitely recommend you read some of Claire Douglas’ other novels. I particularly enjoyed The Couple at No 9 and The Wrong Sister.

If you’re looking for other crime and thriller authors to read, I’d recommend books by Lucy Foley and Gillian McAllister.