Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Girls Who Disappeared by Claire Douglas Narrator: Joanne Froggatt, Clare Corbett
Published by HarperAudio on January 10, 2023
Genres: Mystery, Suspense
Length: 9 hours, 29 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
Amazon, Audible, Libro.fm, Barnes & Noble, Apple
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 . . .
The Girls Who Disappeared is the second audio I’ve read from this author. I have to say I am a fan. The woman are often in bad situations and many times the men are horrible. In both stories, the murder was many years in the past.
The primary characters for me here were Jenna, the reporter, who is being given a chance to start a new format in a podcast, and Olivia, the only girl who survived the car crash. There are supporting characters and one called Stacey that it isn’t clear what connection she has until the end.
Jenna has great instincts and does an admirable job of having people, including law enforcement, talk to her. But she is putting herself, and others, in danger and is not really smart about it. She misses her son and is worried about her recent separation from her husband.
Olivia still struggles with some physical weakness from the car crash. Her legs are not the same and she has some pain, all these years later. She has sheltered herself at home with her mother and Wesley, her boyfriend. She finds she doesn’t agree with their stances more and more. Wesley has been good to her at times but I don’t feel he cares for her, she is just convenient for him.
Between Jenna, her research, and law enforcement, there are plenty of details to ponder. Olivia has never talked to anyone and when she and Jenna talk, it is an unburdening for her, to tell her own story. Olivia definitely feels some survivor’s guilt. My heart hurt for these two capable women, Jenna and Olivia, who weren’t getting a fair shake but doing well with what they had.
Eventually, all the details and twist come together and we know what happens. I’m really happy we also get to see the aftermath of how people end up once it is all out in the open. I loved this mystery with its well-developed characters, twists and the aspects beyond what happened to these girls.
Narration:
One narrator was new to me and one I have heard previously. I was satisfied with the male and female voices. There was differentiation, with the points of view predominantly female, so female voices were comfortable for the story. I don’t know if the regional accents were accurate but they were easy to understand. I listened at my usual 1.5x speed.
Listen to a clip: HERE
About Claire Douglas
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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I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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The sounds like an intriguing mystery novel and I’d like to know that happened to the other girls. Wonderful review Anne!
Thank you Jodie. I’ve only read the two books by this author but I really enjoyed them. I will try to keep reading her latest and maybe try for some of her backlist.
Interesting and intriguing!
yes, I’ve been enjoying this author.
I listened to The Couple at No. 9 and really enjoyed it. I requested the audio version but I’m still pending. If I don’t get approved I’ll request a library copy. Looking forward to this one!
Thanks Rachel. Things are tough right now since this is from HarperCollins. I’m going to try to hold my other reviews until the strike is resolved.
I can see myself enjoying this one. I will have to look into this one.
I really enjoyed it Nadene.
Too bad I let this one get by. Excellent review, Anne💜
Sadly we all have to make choices. I try to get all the releases from this author now.
This does sound like a good twisty mystery.
I really enjoyed it. There are plenty of bad guys so hard to pick the actual culprit.
This sounds like something that I would enjoy!
I think you would enjoy it. I try to read all this author’s releases now and may try to fit in some backlist.
Yes, this does sound like my kind of mystery. I’m so curious.
I think you might like it. Her books are not series and more mystery thrillers and not police procedurals. Set in England at least the ones I have read.
Sounds interesting; I like stories of women as victims or injured who manage to survive and come out on top. Thanks for the review.
That would apply here. I always enjoy books about strong women.
I have enjoyed this author, so I am glad to see this delivered Anne.
I’ve only read two by this author but I’m a fan and will try to read more.
I love cold cases and this sounds like a good read with interesting characters. I like that Olivia and Jenna are both such fully realized characters with flaws and strengths. I haven’t read anything by this author but am going to add her and this book in particular to my TBR. Great review!
Both books I’ve read by her are cold cases. They are all set in England, so I’ve enjoyed them on audio because of the accents.