Thank you HarperCollins360, #partner, for the advanced copy of When She Disappeared in exchange for my honest review. I borrowed the audiobook from the library.
Publisher: Avon
Published: September 20, 2022
Summary:
‘On May 26, 2004, Jessie Germaine went to school as normal and cheered at the end of year rally. That evening, she rode her bike into the forest and disappeared…into thin air.’
Margo hasn’t been back to Lake Moss since her school friend went missing. But as she returns, running from a failed marriage, the news breaks. Her hometown’s swimming hole has been Jessie’s grave for fifteen years.
Digging out her old diary, and steeling herself to face unfriendly ghosts of the past, Margo sets out to help a documentary crew as they investigate the infamous case the police bungled.
In a town where everyone knows everyone – but they all have secrets – the killer is certain to be close to home…
My thoughts:
As soon as I saw that this writing duo had another book coming out, I knew I had to read it. I read, and really enjoyed, their first book, The Family Tree, and I am pleased to say that they have another winner on their hands! They are definitely on my must-read list now!
This was so binge-worthy read and I loved how so many of my favorite tropes were woven into the story – cold case, true crime reporting, unreliable narrator and small town. It all comes together to give us such an addictive murder mystery that has that true crime feel to it.
Right from the start I found myself totally immersed in this story. The way it was told, alternating between the present and diary entries from the past kept me on edge and while I did figure out part of the ending early on, I didn’t know the full picture – meaning I didn’t know the motivation and all that lead up to it – and believe me, I never would have guessed. This in no way detracted from my enjoyment of the book. In fact, it was quite the opposite, because I found myself paying more attention to see if I could pick up clues that would prove or disprove my theory.
I really enjoyed this book and found the character development to be stellar. It is full of twists and turns and even though I did figure that one part out early, there were so many other things I didn’t see coming into play. Well done, ladies, well done! I cannot wait to see what comes next from this talented writing duo!
Audio thoughts:
I decided to listen to this one and it translated really well onto audio. This is exactly the type of book I love listening to because I get so caught up in the story that I just keep finding things to do so I don’t have to stop listening. The narrator, Laurence Bouvard, does a great job bringing the story to life.
