The Night She Disappeared was a 2021 release by bestselling author Lisa Jewell.
I really enjoy reading Lisa Jewell books. She’s a fantastic thriller writer who is an expert at drawing you into the world she has created.
I was therefore excited to get my hands on a copy of The Night She Disappeared, especially when I saw it was selected as a Richard and Judy Book Club pick.
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Plot
In 2007, teenage mum Tallulah heads out with her boyfriend for an evening out, leaving their baby at home with Tallulah’s mum, Kim. At 11pm Tallulah sends Kim a text message saying they are heading to a gathering at a friend’s house and they would be home in an hour or so. However at 4.30am, neither Tallulah nor her boyfriend have returned home. Their phones are going straight to voicemail, and Tallulah’s friends tell Kim they were last seen heading to a pool party at a house in the woods called Dark Place. They never returned.
In 2018, Sophie moves to the country with her boyfriend where he has just started work as a headteacher at a local boarding school. When exploring the woods behind the school Sophie spots a sign nailed to a fence – “dig here”.
Could Sophie’s discovery finally help piece together what happened that mysterious night in 2017?
The Night She Disappeared Book Review
The Night She Disappeared instantly grabbed my attention. It’s a definite page-turner and I found myself constantly saying “I’ll just read a little bit more”.
I started devising all kinds of theories to what had happened to Tallulah and her boyfriend and Lisa Jewell had me guessing until the end.
Novels with a creepy old house always appeal to me and this book did not disappoint. I love the atmosphere an old mansion can create and the sinister goings-on at the aptly named Dark Place had me hooked. Lisa Jewell is brilliant at creating tension and suspense with clues and misdirections dropped throughout the book.
I enjoyed how the narratives from Kim, Tallulah and Sophie all entwined to give us a greater insight into the story and the vast array of supporting characters were also well developed.
Overall, I really enjoyed The Night She Disappeared and it had me hooked to the very end. Another typical Lisa Jewell book with masterful storytelling and lots of twists and turns.
What to read next
If you enjoyed The Night She Disappeared, I would definitely recommend reading more of Lisa Jewell’s other books. My personal favourites are The Family Upstairs and None of This is True.
If you’re looking for other thriller writers to try, my favourites are Clare Mackintosh, Gillian McAllister and Claire Douglas.
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