The Woman Who Lied: The thrilling Sunday Times bestseller from the author of THE COUPLE AT NO 9

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One of the strongest elements of the novel was certainly the two main characters at the center of all the action. Both Jenna and Olivia were genuine and relatable with just flawed enough to make them wholly believable. Don’t get me wrong, the other characters were equally superb, each adding just enough color to provide a well-rounded plot that thoroughly kept me in suspense. This book is another addition to my loved list for 2023. The book is gripping, creative and hugely entertaining from start to end. I cannot find anything I did not enjoy about this story. Why have I not read more of this author’s work? The premise of this novel is really good and the author makes you want to understand the truth behind the escalation of the threat levels. The characterisation especially of Emilia and her family is good with all of them being well fleshed out. There are plenty of plot twists and turns and the author keeps on coming right to the very end with the final one being especially good. I like the extract from the book that are also included in the narrative. I think the premise of this one was so good and I think it had so much potential to be really great however I think what let it down for me was maybe the pacing, the last twenty five percent felt quite rushed and some of the twists and turns just felt so rushed that it left me feeling as though they must have been an afterthought. The thing that I normally like about Claire Douglas' writing is that its at times antagonising slow filling you with details for it all to come together in the end however the end just didnt deliver in that way for me and left me wanting more.

Claire Douglas is the Sunday Times number one bestselling author of novels including, The Sisters, Local Girl Missing, Last Seen Alive, Do Not Disturb, Then She Vanishes and Just Like The Other Girls. Kudos where kudos are due, this is a clever plot. However, I think Claire Douglas was trying to do too much. As a reader I think we were expected to suspend reality a bit more than I think was necessary. Because Kirsty knows that once you invite trouble into your home, getting rid of it can be murder. Then She Vanishes (2019) Anyways I still loved so many things about this book! Even though I had hard time to connect with the characters and disliked how things wrapped up, I’m giving my solid three stars for promising, intriguing beginning!

Emilia Ward is happily married to her second husband, Elliot, and is mother to Jasmine and Wilfie. She’s not just a wife and mum though, as she is also the bestselling author of the Miranda Moody detective stories, the 10th of which she has just written. However, after a few unsettling and weird incidents, Emilia realises these occurrences are mirroring events in her book, real life imitating art. Emilia is clearly concerned and is hyper alert, but things totally plummet when a friend dies in exactly the same way as in her new book. What is going on? How is it even possible that someone knows the contents as it’s not yet been published? Are Emilia and her family going to be the next targets? 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.

Emilia Ward lives very quietly in a London suburb with her husband and two children. You'd never guess that she's the author of the Detective Miranda Moody books. While she's writing the tenth in series, something happens which mirrors a crime in a previous book and unsettles her, but she manages to shrug it off as coincidence. However, when someone dies in the exact same mannner as in the book she's currently writing, it's obvious that there's more going on. Who could know what Emilia's writing - and is her family in danger? I am a fan of mystery author, Claire Douglas, and her previous novels, “ Then She Vanishes” and “ The Couple at Number 9” were four star reads for me. The premise of her newest novel, “The Girls Who Disappeared” was unique and caught my attention right away, and sure enough, Douglas did not disappoint. There are a few townsfolk that aren't too keen on Jenna sniffing around and bringing up old wounds. I wasn't a super big fan of Olivia's boyfriend, Wesley (even though that's my hubs name). He was a bit controlling. I can't say the twist surprised me, but that didn't bother me too much. It was a bit slow going in some spots, but overall I liked it well enough. 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. A tightly plotted, dazzling thriller, filled with Claire Douglas's trademark suspense. An up-all-night read' LUCY CLARKEThis was a creepy, atmospheric, dual-POV (Olivia's and Jenna's) mystery/thriller. The audiobook was narrated by two people, and I enjoyed Jenna's performance much more. It's a bit of a slow burn, but full of unexpected twists and turns. I was torn between 3-4 stars, but eventually decided to round up. ☺️