The Vanished Girl

by Kathleen McGurl

The memories of that summer won’t stay buried forever…1976. It’s a long, hot summer, and all Jo Salway wants is to bask in the freedom of the holidays with her life-long friends. But when little Pippa Jenkins suddenly vanishes without a trace, the friends must close ranks to protect themselves. And in doing so, change the course of their futures forever …

2024. Haunted by the events of fifty years ago, Jo has never returned to her childhood home of Hareton Wick. But in the aftermath of trauma and with her only respite found at the bottom of a bottle, Jo knows that the only way to start afresh is to unravel the secrets of her past. But when the tangled web of Pippa’s disappearance starts to lead closer to home, who will Jo be able to trust, and who will she betray …

319 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication March 12, 2026

About the author

Kathleen McGurl lives in Bournemouth with her husband and cat. She has two grown-up sons who have now left home. She always wanted to write, and for many years was waiting until she had the time. Eventually she came to the bitter realisation that no one would pay her for a year off work to write a book, so she sat down and started to write one anyway. Since then she has sold dozens of short stories to women's magazines and written three books for writers. These days she is concentrating on longer fiction and has published several dual timeline novels with CarinaUK and HQ. She works full time in the IT industry and when she's not writing, she's often out running, slowly.

Reviews

[Karren Sandercock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hampshire, Hareton Wick, 1976. Jo Salway, her brother David and their best friends Lynne and Rick have been eagerly awaiting the summer holidays. They hop on their bikes and off they go exploring the lane-ways, woods and an old abandoned farmhouse in the area called Four Oaks.

Pippa Jenkins is younger, her parents are divorced and her mum works during the day. Jo and Lynne look out for her, but being almost teenagers and a four year age gap is an issue and they don't want to be babysitters. When Pippa goes missing, everyone is quick to judge her mum, and remember this was before childcare existed, the police and local men searched and no trace of the little girl was found.

Hampshire, Hareton Wick, 2024. Jo is divorced, has an adult son, and she moves back to her childhood hometown. Jo has had her fair share of heartache, she turned to alcohol to cope, numb her feelings and she’s now sober. Jo knows returning will give her a fresh start, she’s keen to help her dad, see Lynne and it will bring back the memories of the summer and Pippa’s disappearance.

I received a copy of The Vanished Girl from HQ Digital and NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Kathleen McGurl is the undisputed queen of dual timeline historical fiction and with a link to old houses.

I had no trouble immersing myself in the narrative and could resonate with the characters, I grew up in the 1970’s, we had so much fun heading off for the day, our mum would pack us lunch and cold drinks and we would return home for tea.

It was a different time, Jo, Lynne, David, Rick, Horace and Pippa were young and innocent, and they never considered anything bad happening. The story highlights how feelings can ferment and bubble up, you shouldn’t dwell on the things you can’t change, use of alcohol as a crutch, the consequences of relationship breaks downs, and how people are quick to judge others, grief, types of loss and the importance of closure.

Five stars from me, what's between the pages is just as brilliant as the stunning cover and I highly recommend.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

For many, 1976 brings back memories of the long, hot summer but for Jo Salway, those halcyon days have been tainted by the disappearance of little Pippa Jenkins and the guilty feelings that followed. Now, nearly fifty years later, Jo has returned to her childhood home of Hareton Wick but the memories of that day still haunt her. As she begins to make contact with the people from her past, Pippa is never far from her thoughts and soon she finds the truth of what happened may be close to home…

Fans of Kathleen McGurl’s previous dual timeframe novels are going to love The Vanished Girl which sees us with the same character in two different years rather than two different people in two separate historical eras. I really liked this as it gives us the opportunity to see Jo as a fully-rounded person and enables us to see how Jo the adult was clearly shaped and affected by events from her past.

This is a very well-written story of friendship and regret and how a person’s life can be permanently affected by a tragedy from the past. Behind it all, though, is a powerful mystery involving the disappearance of Pippa Jenkins. This really is a tragic tale, told with great sensitivity and I found myself throughout the story eager to find out what had happened to her, desperate for her family (and Jo) to receive some sort of closure.

The Vanished Girl has a satisfying ending with several sub-plots along the way that all fit neatly into the overall story. I have been a big fan of Kathleen McGurl’s work for quite a while and I think that this may be one of my favourite books to date.

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

In The Vanished Girl, Kathleen McGurl weaves a haunting dual-timeline mystery that lingers like mist on the moors. With her signature blend of historical intrigue and emotional resonance, McGurl invites us into a world where secrets echo across generations and the past is never truly buried.

Set between the present day and a shadowed chapter of history, the novel follows two women—each searching for truth, each shaped by silence. As their stories entwine, McGurl delicately unspools themes of identity, loss, and the quiet courage it takes to confront what’s been hidden.

The prose is graceful, the pacing assured, and the emotional undercurrents run deep. This is a novel for readers who love their mysteries with heart, their history with humanity, and their fiction tinged with the bittersweet ache of memory.

A quietly powerful read—elegant, evocative, and deeply satisfying.

With thanks to Kathleen McGurl, the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of ‘The Vanished Girl’ by Kathleen McGurl, due to be published on 12 March 2026 by HQ, HQ Digital.

A dual timeline story, set in 1976 and 2024 that follows the main character, Jo, as she returns to the village she grew up in.

Jo reconnects with old friends, reminiscing over their childhood and the events of the Summer of 1976 when a local girl, Pippa, vanished.

Hampered by thoughts of what she and her friends could have done differently, Jo’s life has been defined by events in her life that have had a long lasting impact on her, her internal battles and sense of loss.

A beautifully written story of friendship, loss, grief, acceptance and finding the courage to move on. The characters are well developed, the writing crafted to let your imagination take you back to the sizzling Summer of ‘76. The underlying story is one of tragedy that is handled with sensitivity and care. A recommended read.

[Farah G · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's 1976, and Jo is having a wonderful summer with her small, close group of friends which includes her brother David. A minor fly in the ointment is their attempt to avoid spending too much time with Pippa, a much younger child who is one of their neighbours and is left home by herself very often, because her mother is a single parent with a job. But then the little girl goes missing...

This is a fantastic coming of age tale by a very talented writer. The mystery comes with a twist, but probably not the one that most readers expected, which I liked. Well worth checking out! It gets 4.5 stars.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

[Alayne Emmett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a brilliant book which drew me in. A dual timeline set in 1976 and present day. I loved the way this story unfolded until you want to know what crime was committed. Another great read from Kathleen. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

[Carole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book didn’t hit the mark for me I’m afraid. There was nothing to excite or intrigue me but I thought the actual writing was good. It was a decent read, but nothing that will stay in my memory or that I could recommend. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc.