The Night She Vanished by Wendy Dranfield
Genre: Psychological thriller, Suspense
Read: 10th March 2023
Published: 14th March 2023
★★★★ 4 stars
DESCRIPTION:
My parents seem to be the perfect couple. But no one knows what I know…
Everyone in the small Midwestern town of Henderson looks up to my perfect parents. With dependable jobs as a midwife and the town sheriff, they help this close-knit community feel safe. But the locals didn’t grow up in my parents’ house. They don’t know what I know. And they wouldn’t believe me if I told them…
After my best friend vanished when we were just fifteen, I left town and never looked back. I couldn’t prove it, but I think my parents killed her.
Now, years later, my little sister has vanished. I have no choice but to go home and play happy families again. Because I have to find out what my parents have done to her. I have to try to save her.
But when bones are discovered on a local farm, and all the evidence leads back to our front door, I realize I was wrong about absolutely everything. And that coming back was the deadliest thing I could do…
An utterly gripping read that will have you on the edge of your seat long into the night. If you like Freida McFadden, Lisa Jewell and Gone Girl you will love The Night She Vanished.
MY THOUGHTS:
My parents seem to be the perfect couple...but no one knows what I know...
.png)
Wendy has been a full-time crime writer for a number of years now, but during her career she has also worked for various charities who try to stop the exploitation of vulnerable children and adults, as well as with prisoners, and working as a coroner’s assistant. She has written a mixture of standalone novels and series, and short stories, several of which have been published in various anthologies in the UK and the US. She's also been shortlisted and longlisted for various writing competitions including the Mslexia novel writing competition.
Everyone in Henderson knows the Chambers. Ron Chambers is their Sheriff and he has run the town and kept law and order in place with the people firmly on his side. But all that's about to change when their daughter Nicole receives a phone call from them saying her younger sister has disappeared, begging her to come home. After twelve years away from Henderson and her parents, it's the last place she wants to be. But Aimee was six when she left, and she would do anything for her sister. Including going back to a place she never thought she would ever set foot in again.
When Nicole arrives, her parents waste no time in dropping the bombshell. Aimee is eight months pregnant though they claim to know nothing of the father, citing Aimee would never tell them. Knowing her parents as she does, she doesn't blame her. But the more time she spends with her estranged parents, the more Nicole suspects they know more than they're telling her. This leads to blame and accusations being hurled, and before long Nicole's mother throws her out of the house telling her not to come back. They are definitely hiding something. But the question is what?
Being back in town brings back the bad memories Nicole has tried so hard to forget. When she was fifteen years old, her best friend Lori disappeared. The only evidence that something untoward had occurred was the blood soaked ground at a nearby children's playground Nicole, Lori and their boyfriends Lucas and Kurt used to hang out. But with no body, no one knew what really happened that night, leaving Lori's parents in a world of pain never knowing what happened to their daughter.
Nicole has her own secrets from that night. The argument she had with Lori before leaving her alone and off her face, for which she has always blamed herself. Maybe if she walked her home Lori would be alive today. But even so, Nicole knows that her parents know something about what happened that night. She even has her own suspicions which lead her to her own sister's disappearance. Has something happened to Aimee as well? Did she uncover something she wasn't meant to and silenced for it?
In a town where everyone knows everyone and everything before you do, Nicole doesn't know who to trust. There's Kurt, one of her father's Deputies and her childhood friend; or Lucas, her husband and childhood sweetheart; her parents, but let's face it...she's not had the best relationship with them for over twelve years. Who can Nicole confide in? Suddenly, she isn't sure anymore. Everyone she thought she knew and trusted were all there when Lori disappeared. Someone knows something...and they're hiding it from her. What is it? And will it help her find Aimee before it's too late?
THE NIGHT SHE VANISHED is a tense and taut thriller that I didn't know where it was headed. It was almost a slow burn to begin with as Nicole arrived in town and started asking questions and ruffling feathers. Her father was a popular guy in town and no one appreciated her pointing the finger at him. But was he really so squeaky clean? And then just when you wondered which direction it was going to take, about 50% everything you thought you knew was turned upside down and you're left with whiplash...say what? No! But in true Dranfield form, she keeps you guessing and tossing red herrings left, right and centre that you couldn't pick the right path if it fell in your lap! And when the twist came, I thought I had it figured long before...but I was wrong and realised a beat just before the reveal. Dranfield certainly kept me on my toes throughout.
The story unfolds mostly through Nicole's third person narrative with the odd narrative from Kurt, her parents and Tommy. We are transported back to the summer of 2008 when Lori disappeared as Dranfield takes us through Lori's final days and moments little by little, drip feeding us as we go. When the reveal comes I'm like "I should have seen that coming"...lol
This was my second read by Wendy Dranfield, the first being "The Birthday Party" which was so phenomenal I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to see what else she had on offer. I wasn't disappointed. She had me hoodwinked again!
Overall, THE NIGHT SHE VANISHED is an intense and addictive thriller with plenty of shocks, surprises and twists that will leave you reeling. Highly recommended.
I would like to thank #WendyDranfield, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheNightSheVanished in exchange for an honest review.
.png)
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Wendy's current crime series, published by Bookouture at Hachette UK, follows Detective Madison Harper as she tries to reclaim her life after spending six years in prison for a crime she didn’t commit.
Wendy is active on social media and would love readers to look her up if you’d like to keep up-to-date with book releases and find out what happens behind the scenes with her, her characters and her writing buddies; Joey, Sookie and Teddy!
Social Media links:
No comments:
Post a Comment