I’m always in the market for a twisty crime novel and this one seemed to good to pass up!
The story opens with the past disappearance of three teenage girls. Four of them drove home in one car but – after an accident – only one injured girl remains. Where did they go? Now, twenty years later, Jenna Halliday has come to Stafferbury to make a podcast about the events of that night. She needs the co-operation of Olivia, the survivor, but why won’t Olivia speak about her missing friends? Jenna finds herself in danger as she starts to uncover the secrets held by the residents of the small town.
I liked the central premise of this novel – how can three teenage girls simply disappear into thin air? Douglas sustains and reveals the mystery well, with elements of the story told from both Jenna and Olivia’s perspectives. There are also intriguing sections about a holiday in Thailand told in flashback which seem a bit random at first – but stick with it!
The main characters are well written, even though Jenna seemed to walk into every dodgy situation that I definitely wouldn’t have! Staying in a remote cabin in the woods didn’t seem like a great choice from the start…
This is an engaging read with lots of surprises – I can’t say that I predicted much of what happened at all. The varied narrators, plus the unexpected events (some of which were a little unbelievable) definitely kept me on my toes while I was reading.
I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoys tense thrillers with plenty of twists – you’ll race through it, not sure who can be trusted and suspicious of just about everyone!
Thanks to NetGalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.
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Header photo by Evan Leith on Unsplash
