The Night She Disappeared

Author: Lisa Jewell
Publisher: Century
Reviewer: Beryl Eichenberger
For all the thriller junkies out there, Lisa Jewell nails it with ‘The Night She Disappeared’.  It’s the perfect weekend read and fans of this prolific author will savour every word. Set in a small, picturesque village in the Surrey Hills, there are secrets waiting to be uncovered (of course), an on-going mystery of a teenage couple who disappeared in June 2017, an elite school for drop out teenagers and some fairly dubious characters. 

An innocent date night between Tallulah and Zach, the teenaged parents of baby Noah, has resulted in their disappearance leaving Kim (Tallulah’s mother) distraught.  Gossipers maintain they have run away from their responsibilities, I mean who wants to look after a baby at 18 – all too much? But Kim knows her daughter better.’ Lulla is responsible and devoted to her baby. Kim frantically contacts all her friends, is led to the wealthy Jacques family in the massive house ‘Dark Place’, where apparently the couple had last been seen. Scarlett, the rebellious daughter fobs her off as does her less-than-interested mum. How did the quiet ‘Lulla come to have a friend such as the manipulative and dangerous Scarlett? Kim is learning that her daughter also has secrets. Scarlett and her coven of teenage cronies close ranks. The silence becomes heavy and within months Dark Place has been abandoned and with it the secrets it contains.
But Kim is relentless. The police find no new leads.  Fourteen months have elapsed and Kim is caring for little Noah. Enter a young couple; Sophie and her partner Shaun.  Shaun has been appointed head teacher at Maypole House, the private boarding school for teenagers who have flunked GCSEs and A levels. Sophie is a crime writer and within days is finding village life rather subdued after London. Her writer’s block has certainly not improved and Shaun is working long hours so she is left to her own devices. Walking in the woods behind the boarding school one day she sees a poster on a gate which says ‘Dig Here’, which of course she does, discovering a charming ring. Who does it belong to? It is Kim who knows and, as she and Sophie join forces, the layers of deception are slowly and intricately peeled back.
The reader is taken on a cleverly plotted ride as Jewell unpacks the quirks of a cast of characters who are entirely not who they seem to be. The plot is as twisted as the main perpetrators and there are many ‘hold your breath’ moments.  She writes a great thriller, suspenseful and surprising. She uses the unexpected to hold the reader’s interest with mystery and drama creating an electric atmosphere. She is an astute observer, using current affairs to spin a yarn that grips and is mostly realistic. I say mostly as I felt the ending was a tad unbelievable however that’s just my take on it. You be the judge. One thing i can guarantee is that the book is un-put-downable and if you are looking for a suspenseful, weekend read, this is certainly the one. ​