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The Day She Disappeared
The gripping, unputdownable new thriller from the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Loving Husband
Your best friend will always be there for you...won't she?
Have you ever had that sense that you're being watched? And you turn, suddenly, but it's just a curtain, blowing in the wind? Or the dress hanging in the doorway? Nat knows something's wrong. Her best friend, Beth, would never have upped and left without saying goodbye to her. But no one believes that Beth was taken - she is a fly-by-night, a party girl who can't be trusted. No one's listening to Nat. But someone is definitely watching her...
Your best friend will always be there for you...won't she?
Have you ever had that sense that you're being watched? And you turn, suddenly, but it's just a curtain, blowing in the wind? Or the dress hanging in the doorway? Nat knows something's wrong. Her best friend, Beth, would never have upped and left without saying goodbye to her. But no one believes that Beth was taken - she is a fly-by-night, a party girl who can't be trusted. No one's listening to Nat. But someone is definitely watching her...
416 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 18, 2017
103 people are currently reading
1772 people want to read
About the author
Christobel Kent
23 books231 followersChristobel Kent was born in London in 1962 and now lives in Cambridge with her husband and four children; in between she lived in Florence. She worked in publishing for several years, most recently as Publicity Director at Andre Deutsch. Her debut novel A Party in San Niccolo, was published in 2003.
Series:
* Sandro Cellini
Series:
* Sandro Cellini
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 183 reviews
October 31, 2017
3 stars--I liked the book.
Kent has a strange writing style, almost a stream of consciousness, that at first bothered me but that I grew to like. In fact, this is a very clever book. There are many, many suspects, and we're reminded that we can't trust or truly know anyone--especially men. But of course, the protagonist has to trust men to answer the riddle of who murdered her friend. It's a subtle commentary that is expertly woven into the plot.
I'd give this 4 stars, but I found it depressing. The older I get, the harder it is for me to read about certain topics, especially domestic violence. There was a bit of that here, and combined with an aging man in the hospital and violence toward women, I found the book sad (despite an overall "happy" ending. Or at least, an ending where everything is resolved).
Still, recommended for fans of suspense fiction, especially if they like a lot of suspects and trying to determine who-done-it from subtle hints.
I received this review copy from the publisher on NetGalley. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review; I appreciate it!
Kent has a strange writing style, almost a stream of consciousness, that at first bothered me but that I grew to like. In fact, this is a very clever book. There are many, many suspects, and we're reminded that we can't trust or truly know anyone--especially men. But of course, the protagonist has to trust men to answer the riddle of who murdered her friend. It's a subtle commentary that is expertly woven into the plot.
I'd give this 4 stars, but I found it depressing. The older I get, the harder it is for me to read about certain topics, especially domestic violence. There was a bit of that here, and combined with an aging man in the hospital and violence toward women, I found the book sad (despite an overall "happy" ending. Or at least, an ending where everything is resolved).
Still, recommended for fans of suspense fiction, especially if they like a lot of suspects and trying to determine who-done-it from subtle hints.
I received this review copy from the publisher on NetGalley. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review; I appreciate it!
November 17, 2018
I did enjoy The Day She Disappeared by Christobel Kent but it did take me quite a while to really get into it, I would say I was about 30% in before I started to zone out.By this I mean when I am reading if I find a book good, I go almost into a book coma, unaware of anything else, I'm sure you get my drift. we've all been there.
So I'm gonna break it down into what worked for me and what I struggled with, but be aware this is just my personal opinion and what I struggled with may not bother you at all.
First of all, this was my first toe-dip into Christobel Kent's work, it was the story description that initially drew me to this book, I found it very intriguing.
As I said, I had difficulty at first connecting with the story. If I had to pinpoint what it was that caused this I think maybe I found the writing style quite hard to follow and as I was concentrating on deciphering the language and my brain failed to engage with the story properly.
The story follows Nat as she tries to decipher what has happened to her friend Beth.
Once I became engrossed in the story my mind was working overtime suspecting everyone.
You are kept guessing until the end and I never did work out who the killer was, so it came as I surprise, which in my opinion is a sign of a good murder mystery.
I also liked how we were allowed to creep into the killer's head, seeing the facts from his point of view while still being kept in the dark over his identity.
So, in conclusion, this is a great intriguing read, It's interesting and well paced with great world-building it just took me a small while to get my head into the game.
I received an E-Copy of The Day She Disappeared By Christobel Kent and this is my own honest opinion.
https://www.beckiebookworm.com/
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
So I'm gonna break it down into what worked for me and what I struggled with, but be aware this is just my personal opinion and what I struggled with may not bother you at all.
First of all, this was my first toe-dip into Christobel Kent's work, it was the story description that initially drew me to this book, I found it very intriguing.
As I said, I had difficulty at first connecting with the story. If I had to pinpoint what it was that caused this I think maybe I found the writing style quite hard to follow and as I was concentrating on deciphering the language and my brain failed to engage with the story properly.
The story follows Nat as she tries to decipher what has happened to her friend Beth.
Once I became engrossed in the story my mind was working overtime suspecting everyone.
You are kept guessing until the end and I never did work out who the killer was, so it came as I surprise, which in my opinion is a sign of a good murder mystery.
I also liked how we were allowed to creep into the killer's head, seeing the facts from his point of view while still being kept in the dark over his identity.
So, in conclusion, this is a great intriguing read, It's interesting and well paced with great world-building it just took me a small while to get my head into the game.
I received an E-Copy of The Day She Disappeared By Christobel Kent and this is my own honest opinion.
https://www.beckiebookworm.com/
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
July 15, 2021
I really wasn’t a fan of how the narrative was written - rushes, careless like thoughts were just falling into a story. I normally really like the author but couldn’t get into this. Didn’t enjoy the ending either. Wouldn’t recommend.
July 7, 2017
Didn't get on with this at all. The way it was written I felt was very disjointed and hard to follow. The plot had promise but it just never came together for me...even though, in my usual way, I had to finish it! Never give up on a book...it might get better....this one didn't so don't bother starting it.
May 1, 2018
Have always enjoyed Christopher Kent books and although this book seemed to drag on a bit I wasn’t disappointed with the ending!!
July 5, 2024
Insufrible. Lo siento, pero es que no me ha gustado nada. No lo he abandonado por pura terquedad y porque siempre tuve la absurda esperanza de que en algún momento lograría engancharme.
La premisa era intrigante: una chica desaparece y su mejor amiga debe indagar en los secretos que tenía para saber qué le pudo ocurrir. Sin embargo, nunca se llega a poner el foco en eso. De la chica que se esfuma lo que sabemos es que tenía una vida algo díscola. Repetimos ese dato mil veces. De resto, no se describe ni la investigación policial que presuntamente se lleva a cabo ni se perfila bien a los personajes. Tenemos un caos de implicados y de subtramas que únicamente sirven para enrollar la narración y para que no tengas ni idea de qué presunto objetivo tiene la historia. Es más, llegó un punto en el que yo ni sabía quién era quién.
La lectura es densa y los capítulos se eternizan. Desde mi punto de vista, hasta el final está impregnado de confusión, ya que hay interrogantes que no quedan del todo resueltos y nunca se llega a saber con seguridad cuál fue la perspectiva de un personaje clave.
Lamento ser tan negativa. Ojalá otros puedan disfrutar más de este libro, pero yo acabé leyendo en modo piloto automático solo por no dejarlo.
La premisa era intrigante: una chica desaparece y su mejor amiga debe indagar en los secretos que tenía para saber qué le pudo ocurrir. Sin embargo, nunca se llega a poner el foco en eso. De la chica que se esfuma lo que sabemos es que tenía una vida algo díscola. Repetimos ese dato mil veces. De resto, no se describe ni la investigación policial que presuntamente se lleva a cabo ni se perfila bien a los personajes. Tenemos un caos de implicados y de subtramas que únicamente sirven para enrollar la narración y para que no tengas ni idea de qué presunto objetivo tiene la historia. Es más, llegó un punto en el que yo ni sabía quién era quién.
La lectura es densa y los capítulos se eternizan. Desde mi punto de vista, hasta el final está impregnado de confusión, ya que hay interrogantes que no quedan del todo resueltos y nunca se llega a saber con seguridad cuál fue la perspectiva de un personaje clave.
Lamento ser tan negativa. Ojalá otros puedan disfrutar más de este libro, pero yo acabé leyendo en modo piloto automático solo por no dejarlo.
February 4, 2018
Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Sarah Crichton Books and NetGalley for providing me with an e-galley of The Day She Disappeared by Christobel Kent in exchange for an honest review. This is the first book of Kent's that I have read and I am looking forward to reading her previous novels. This murder mystery takes place in rural England and deals with one murder and the suspicious disappearance of Beth, a barmaid at the local pub. This is not a police procedural because the police do not seem very interested in the disappearance of a party girl and it is mostly left to her best friend Natalie to find out what could have happened to Beth. There are many suspects among the people who have crossed Beth's path and Natalie endangers her life to seek out the truth. The novel moves at a good pace and the ending is surely not evident. A great winter read. Highly recommended.
June 15, 2017
I love the cover on this book and have read both of Christobel's books before this one so was a must really! I enjoyed reading this book and finished it in just 3 days. Some would say that it dragged out until the last 5 chapters and I would agree but it all added up to that big ending! WOW. I did not have a clue who did it but wow. This book is easy to read, contains short chapters and has a thrilling story line of who did it? ... I loved the setting and all the individual characters facing their own personal challenges along the way. I awarded a fair four stars as it didn't wow me away but a story I enjoyed nevertheless. I look forward to reading more by Christobel Kent in the future. Enjoy.
February 16, 2019
More in my next Good Reads blog at https://www.sandiwallace.com/blog/ for February.
May 8, 2017
It took me a while to get to grips with this thriller but once I did I enjoyed it. I liked Natalie and was caught up in her search to find out what happened to her friend Beth. I read a lot of thrillers and this one kept me guessing until the end. I would like to thank NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
February 18, 2018
..... i tried..... i failed.... i just couldn't get through this ..... the writing seemed so disjointed and the whole story seemed so out of whack .....
thank you netgalley and publisher for the digital copy!
thank you netgalley and publisher for the digital copy!
April 12, 2018
Eh...I wanted to like this as I usually do enjoy this kind of book, but it just didn't grip me. There were too many irrelevant plot points, and I did end up skim reading large parts of it as I just got bored.
December 29, 2023
Superb! Many suspects, countless clues and red herrings and a story that rolls along quickly but realistically. An excellent, entertaining read that will leave you wondering until almost the end of the book. Recommended.
February 6, 2018
I found the first few chapters of this book so difficult to get through because of the strange way they were written. There were far too many split, overlong sentences here and they severely disrupted the flow of the story. I had to re-read many parts to try and make sense of them which was annoying when I was trying to settle into the plot. I was actually in two minds whether to continue from then on, but I'm so glad I persevered as the style of writing at some point changed. It became much more fluent and I found myself deeply absorbed in the story.
Natalie was a great character, fiercely refusing to believe that her friend Beth had upped and left with only a vague text message announcing her intent not to return. Victor, dear old Victor. Well, he was my favourite character and I loved the way Kent described his struggle to remember the perpetrator of the crime, it was so convincing. The range of suspects were cleverly woven into the story, and I was wavering all the time as to who I thought the guilty party was. Unfortunately, the actual reveal left me a little flat, not sure why as it was clever, but maybe because I'd invested all my thoughts on other possible offenders. Summarising, I'd say I enjoyed, even loved some parts, but the beginning and reveal prevented me giving it a high rating.
*I received a copy of the book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Natalie was a great character, fiercely refusing to believe that her friend Beth had upped and left with only a vague text message announcing her intent not to return. Victor, dear old Victor. Well, he was my favourite character and I loved the way Kent described his struggle to remember the perpetrator of the crime, it was so convincing. The range of suspects were cleverly woven into the story, and I was wavering all the time as to who I thought the guilty party was. Unfortunately, the actual reveal left me a little flat, not sure why as it was clever, but maybe because I'd invested all my thoughts on other possible offenders. Summarising, I'd say I enjoyed, even loved some parts, but the beginning and reveal prevented me giving it a high rating.
*I received a copy of the book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
March 12, 2018
Title...The Day She Disappeared
Author...Christobel Kent
My " in a nutshell" summary...
Nat and Beth are both working at a smallish pub in a quaint smallish town. Beth does not come into work one day and seems to have vanished. Nat does not believe that Beth simply went away. She left everything she owned behind. Strange things begin to happen in this peaceful town...another murder and lots of unexplained occurrences...Nat continues to search for Beth but the more she does the more her own life and the lives of others seem to become endangered.
My thoughts after reading this book...
This book took on an intense feel almost from its beginning. Nat was wise enough to know that her friend...Beth...would not just leave. She was persistent in her search for Beth.
What I loved about this book...
My favorite character was sweet 92 year old Victor. His sense of his daughter’s danger was strong and he did what he could to protect her.
What I did not love about this book...
There were quite a few characters that “I loved to hate” in this book...just some really nasty neighbors but in particular...jealous pub owner Janine.
Final thoughts...
Would this be a good choice for you...potential reader?
Readers who love a deeply engrossing I tense mystery should love this book.
I received an advance reader’s copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley and Amazon. It was my choice to read it and review it.
March 1, 2018
4.5 stars.
The Day She Disappeared by Christobel Kent is a slow burning yet completely mesmerizing mystery set in small English town.
Natalie "Nat" Cooper seems to be the only one concerned about her co-worker and close friend, Beth Maxwell's disappearance. Their boss, pub owner Janine is not overly troubled that other than a handful of texts, no one has seen or heard from Beth since she abruptly left weeks earlier to care for her mum. Now discovering Beth is not returning, Nat is worried enough to do a little digging around and she is distressed to learn that her friend did not go to her mum's after all. But it is not until Beth's landlady makes a shocking discovery that Nat is convinced that something terrible has happened. No one, including the police, will take her fears seriously so Nat decides to investigate Beth's disappearance on her own.
Nat's life has not exactly gone as planned since after going off to college and living briefly in London, she is back in the town she grew up in. Now close to thirty, she is struggling to make peace with the choices she has recently made. She and Beth may not have much in common, but the pair were quite close. Initially a little hurt that Beth left without warning, Nat was not worried that something was amiss until Beth's out of character failure to return to work as scheduled.
Beth is a bit a free spirit who is quite popular with the male customers who come into the pub. Spontaneous and without many inhibitions, she enjoys going out with a variety of men. Beth is a surprisingly supportive friend and a reliable employee. Despite their close friendship, Nat is very surprised by some of the information she uncovers about Beth when she begins trying to find out what happened to her.
Around the same time Beth fails to return, Nat's friend, Victor Powell has been hospitalized after a fall. In his early nineties, Victor is quite active and well-liked by the rest of the townspeople. While still in hospital, he is afraid for his safety but the reason for his fear remains tantalizing out of reach. Although he cannot quite recall why he is danger, Victor is fully cognizant of his concerns that his daughter, Sophie, might be in danger from her controlling husband.
The Day She Disappeared is an intriguing whodunit that unfolds from three very different points of view: Nat, Victor and the killer. There is an underlying feeling of menace since Nat feels like someone is watching her but no one will take her fears seriously. Victor is a fantastic secondary character who desperately wants to recall information that might be relevant to what happened to Beth. Brief passages from the killer's perspective paint a very chilling portrait of a smart but twisted person who has absolutely no remorse for their actions. Through a series of red herrings and misdirects, Christobel Kent brilliantly keeps the perpetrators identity cleverly under wraps until the novel's action-packed conclusion.
The Day She Disappeared by Christobel Kent is a slow burning yet completely mesmerizing mystery set in small English town.
Natalie "Nat" Cooper seems to be the only one concerned about her co-worker and close friend, Beth Maxwell's disappearance. Their boss, pub owner Janine is not overly troubled that other than a handful of texts, no one has seen or heard from Beth since she abruptly left weeks earlier to care for her mum. Now discovering Beth is not returning, Nat is worried enough to do a little digging around and she is distressed to learn that her friend did not go to her mum's after all. But it is not until Beth's landlady makes a shocking discovery that Nat is convinced that something terrible has happened. No one, including the police, will take her fears seriously so Nat decides to investigate Beth's disappearance on her own.
Nat's life has not exactly gone as planned since after going off to college and living briefly in London, she is back in the town she grew up in. Now close to thirty, she is struggling to make peace with the choices she has recently made. She and Beth may not have much in common, but the pair were quite close. Initially a little hurt that Beth left without warning, Nat was not worried that something was amiss until Beth's out of character failure to return to work as scheduled.
Beth is a bit a free spirit who is quite popular with the male customers who come into the pub. Spontaneous and without many inhibitions, she enjoys going out with a variety of men. Beth is a surprisingly supportive friend and a reliable employee. Despite their close friendship, Nat is very surprised by some of the information she uncovers about Beth when she begins trying to find out what happened to her.
Around the same time Beth fails to return, Nat's friend, Victor Powell has been hospitalized after a fall. In his early nineties, Victor is quite active and well-liked by the rest of the townspeople. While still in hospital, he is afraid for his safety but the reason for his fear remains tantalizing out of reach. Although he cannot quite recall why he is danger, Victor is fully cognizant of his concerns that his daughter, Sophie, might be in danger from her controlling husband.
The Day She Disappeared is an intriguing whodunit that unfolds from three very different points of view: Nat, Victor and the killer. There is an underlying feeling of menace since Nat feels like someone is watching her but no one will take her fears seriously. Victor is a fantastic secondary character who desperately wants to recall information that might be relevant to what happened to Beth. Brief passages from the killer's perspective paint a very chilling portrait of a smart but twisted person who has absolutely no remorse for their actions. Through a series of red herrings and misdirects, Christobel Kent brilliantly keeps the perpetrators identity cleverly under wraps until the novel's action-packed conclusion.
May 20, 2018
The Day She Disappeared: A Novel is my second Christobel Kent novel and it is so much better than the first The Loving Husband. Nat becomes concerned about the “disappearance” of fellow barmaid Beth, even though at first no one else is. Finally, allied with Victor, an elderly and beloved bar patron, with concerns of his own, Nat tries to find out what exactly has happened to Beth. The atmosphere here is tense and closed in feeling and the pace becomes frantic as Nat gets closer to some answers and the danger seems to be looming closer over both Nat and Victor. A real sense of menace and dread and intriguing, intelligent characters make for a good mystery read here.
May 22, 2018
I listened to the audio, which on hindsight probably wasn't a good idea. The narrator was not able to "make" different voices for all the characters (and there are a lot) so sometimes when she started another sentence and it did not make sense it was because it was actually a different character in a different situation.
Because of this I found this book incredibly exhausting and not very good. I thought it was repetitive and way too long.
Because of this I found this book incredibly exhausting and not very good. I thought it was repetitive and way too long.
April 18, 2018
I can’t say as I enjoyed this book. It was very difficult to get into and to be honest it didn’t get much better. I read half and I’ve put it to one side while I read another book and then I’ll come back to it.
January 1, 2023
Just not satisfying at ALL and poorly written. Should have DNFed it a while ago #shameonme
April 8, 2018
This book took me quite a while to get into. It started really graphically - the sort of graphic that should have a warning on the front. Then it kept jumping between characters and I found it quite hard to follow. But, about a quarter of the way in it started to flow better and the story was great. The ending wasn't what I expected but I found the ending just happened a bit... fast. The story unravelled so quickly after taking such a long time to get into it that I was left feeling a bit... meh afterwards.
May 17, 2017
This is a perfect mystery for me - complex, involving no shortage of characters to suspect and ponder over.
Having previously enjoyed The Last Husband by this author, I was more than happy to be able to read and review this one and I'm delighted to say that it is completely different to it's predecessor. The only link is that both main characters have the dogged determination and fearlessness to get to the bottom of things.
Every character in this book was the guilty party in my mind at some point during the story! Multi-layered and gripping, it was truly puzzling and led to many hours of turning over events in my mind whilst the kindle was out of my hands. Happily, the offender wasn't revealed until the last few pages.
A terrifically intriguing book, and one which I heartily recommend to all lovers of a darn good believable and captivating novel. A well-earned five stars from me.
I received an arc via Net Galley in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
Having previously enjoyed The Last Husband by this author, I was more than happy to be able to read and review this one and I'm delighted to say that it is completely different to it's predecessor. The only link is that both main characters have the dogged determination and fearlessness to get to the bottom of things.
Every character in this book was the guilty party in my mind at some point during the story! Multi-layered and gripping, it was truly puzzling and led to many hours of turning over events in my mind whilst the kindle was out of my hands. Happily, the offender wasn't revealed until the last few pages.
A terrifically intriguing book, and one which I heartily recommend to all lovers of a darn good believable and captivating novel. A well-earned five stars from me.
I received an arc via Net Galley in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
February 14, 2018
Everyone is a suspect!
Trust no-one, because you can never really no anyone. That seems to be a string theme here as suspicion falls on nearly all the characters at one point or another in the story, and I loved that! It was nice to be kept guessing instead of instantly knowing or working out who the baddie was. (Think Broadchurch, where you were convinced that they were ALL guilty!)
I read and loved The Crooked House by CK, and I’m pleased it has a similar sense of creeping dread and paranoia that make it very difficult to put down as you’ll just be desperate to get to the end and find out the truth!
Perfect for fans of Emily Winslow, Eva Dolan and S.K.Tremayne.
Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
Trust no-one, because you can never really no anyone. That seems to be a string theme here as suspicion falls on nearly all the characters at one point or another in the story, and I loved that! It was nice to be kept guessing instead of instantly knowing or working out who the baddie was. (Think Broadchurch, where you were convinced that they were ALL guilty!)
I read and loved The Crooked House by CK, and I’m pleased it has a similar sense of creeping dread and paranoia that make it very difficult to put down as you’ll just be desperate to get to the end and find out the truth!
Perfect for fans of Emily Winslow, Eva Dolan and S.K.Tremayne.
Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
April 30, 2017
If you like Christobel Kent,this won't dissapoint.
It's fast paced,with a whole host of characters who may or may not have done away with our missing character.
the voice of the murderer gives it an extra layer of creepiest,but I didn't feel too convinced it suited what we knew of the character... but you know,he was a psycho,so what do I know?
Entertaining in a way a murder mystery should be,having you doubt nearly every character,the males for being possible attackers,and the females for trusting any male that crosses their path.
Ramps up towards the end. Can't really fault it.
It's fast paced,with a whole host of characters who may or may not have done away with our missing character.
the voice of the murderer gives it an extra layer of creepiest,but I didn't feel too convinced it suited what we knew of the character... but you know,he was a psycho,so what do I know?
Entertaining in a way a murder mystery should be,having you doubt nearly every character,the males for being possible attackers,and the females for trusting any male that crosses their path.
Ramps up towards the end. Can't really fault it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 13, 2017
I found this really hard going for most of the way through this book. It took a long while to engage with the characters and most of the time I didn't really care very much about Beth and her disappearance!
The last quarter of the book was better. I really felt for Victor. I did begin to root for Natalie and want to know what had happened and why.
The author does capture the atmosphere of the place well. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read and review this book.
The last quarter of the book was better. I really felt for Victor. I did begin to root for Natalie and want to know what had happened and why.
The author does capture the atmosphere of the place well. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read and review this book.
February 27, 2018
The premise is good but this book was unfortunately dull, dull, dull. The writing is flat, the characters boring, and nothing to draw the reader in and keep them. I was not invested or interested in the outcome. Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an advance reader in exchange for my honest review.
May 3, 2020
Book club notes:
Towards the end of the book I was excited to know what had happened but the writing style was so airy fairy I didn’t really have a clue what was going on and when I did I didn’t know why.
Towards the end of the book I was excited to know what had happened but the writing style was so airy fairy I didn’t really have a clue what was going on and when I did I didn’t know why.
February 21, 2018
This was a great read. I really enjoyed the way the story was written and how it came together.
Vicki FitzGerald, author of crime debut thriller, Briguella. https://mybook.to/Briguella
Vicki FitzGerald, author of crime debut thriller, Briguella. https://mybook.to/Briguella
February 26, 2018
very slow to get going, with lots of characters, but the final third was excellent and kept me guessing right till the end
March 3, 2018
From the bestselling author Christobel Kent, a high-strung, bone-chilling, heart-stopping plunge into the desolate byways of England's Essex, in search of a missing barmaid named, Beth.
Some say Beth's disappearance was to be expected. She's a rural barmaid from Cornwall, a fly-by-night party girl who can't be trusted. There wasn't really anything to keep her at the Bird in Hand, they said. But her best friend, Nathalie, doesn't buy it, not at all. Doesn't believe Beth would just vanish like that. Neither does the old lush Victor. He has seen something . . . something important . . . but he can't quite remember what . . .
Christobel Kent's psychological thrillers have been called "terrifyingly good," "perfectly paced," "addictive," "tense, dense, extremely well-plotted and beautifully written." Her most recent, The Loving Husband, was an international bestseller, and it is in no way hyperbole to declare The Day She Disappeared her very best. It is as brutally unsettling as The Loving Husband, but even more complexly detailed and surprising; as claustrophobic and atmospheric as The Crooked House, but even more heartbreaking in its truths.
Kent has been compared to such masters as Daphne du Maurier and P. D. James. With The Day She Disappeared, a new crop of writers will be compared to Christobel Kent.
MY THOUGHTS:
I received this book in exchange for my honest review.
Kent's writing style may not be for everyone. It has a unique approach to the murder in that we are taken on a journey for answers along with the Protagonist and there is hardly any police involvement, and absolutely no forensics conducted. It's a search for truth that a friend desperately needs to learn. I found the plot flowed, transitioning from one plot moment to the next smoothly. This is mostly a plot driven story, however, there are a few strong character developments involved.
You're given a lot of suspects and learn right away that not everyone can be trusted.
A few topics were present that left me uncomfortable--domestic violence being one and the ill-treatment of women in general. I think some may find this too sad and caution the reader to consider this before reading. With that said, I absolutely loved Victor! It was great seeing a feisty ninety-year old giving the murderer a run for their money!
Overall, I would say that this book certainly is an emotional read and while you're on an emotional roller coaster ride, you do make it to a startling conclusion and wrap-up of the story perfectly.
Filled with great moments of suspense but it does begin as a slow burn. I love the short chapters and the wonderful (very worth it) ending. You do have a solid plot and the story is written from an interesting angle.
I recommend you give this book a try. I would love to hear what you think of it.
Some say Beth's disappearance was to be expected. She's a rural barmaid from Cornwall, a fly-by-night party girl who can't be trusted. There wasn't really anything to keep her at the Bird in Hand, they said. But her best friend, Nathalie, doesn't buy it, not at all. Doesn't believe Beth would just vanish like that. Neither does the old lush Victor. He has seen something . . . something important . . . but he can't quite remember what . . .
Christobel Kent's psychological thrillers have been called "terrifyingly good," "perfectly paced," "addictive," "tense, dense, extremely well-plotted and beautifully written." Her most recent, The Loving Husband, was an international bestseller, and it is in no way hyperbole to declare The Day She Disappeared her very best. It is as brutally unsettling as The Loving Husband, but even more complexly detailed and surprising; as claustrophobic and atmospheric as The Crooked House, but even more heartbreaking in its truths.
Kent has been compared to such masters as Daphne du Maurier and P. D. James. With The Day She Disappeared, a new crop of writers will be compared to Christobel Kent.
MY THOUGHTS:
I received this book in exchange for my honest review.
Kent's writing style may not be for everyone. It has a unique approach to the murder in that we are taken on a journey for answers along with the Protagonist and there is hardly any police involvement, and absolutely no forensics conducted. It's a search for truth that a friend desperately needs to learn. I found the plot flowed, transitioning from one plot moment to the next smoothly. This is mostly a plot driven story, however, there are a few strong character developments involved.
You're given a lot of suspects and learn right away that not everyone can be trusted.
A few topics were present that left me uncomfortable--domestic violence being one and the ill-treatment of women in general. I think some may find this too sad and caution the reader to consider this before reading. With that said, I absolutely loved Victor! It was great seeing a feisty ninety-year old giving the murderer a run for their money!
Overall, I would say that this book certainly is an emotional read and while you're on an emotional roller coaster ride, you do make it to a startling conclusion and wrap-up of the story perfectly.
Filled with great moments of suspense but it does begin as a slow burn. I love the short chapters and the wonderful (very worth it) ending. You do have a solid plot and the story is written from an interesting angle.
I recommend you give this book a try. I would love to hear what you think of it.
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