The Disappearance of Emily Marr

by Louise Candlish

When Emily Marr begins an affair with her married neighbour, the celebrated surgeon Arthur Woodhall, she has no idea of the tragedy and scandal their actions will cause. With shattering speed, she becomes the object of a media witchhunt, her only choice to change her identity and vanish.

Soon after, Tabby Dewhurst arrives on the Ile de Ré in France, estranged from her family and unable to afford even a room for the night. By chance, she meets Emmie Mason, whose offer of friendship is at odds with her obsession with privacy. As Tabby sinks deeper into Emmie’s strange, hidden world, she begins to form suspicions - suspicious that will lead her back to England and to a revelation so shocking she must question everything she knows.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Mystery, Audiobook, Chick Lit, Crime, Womens Fiction

417 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2013

About the author

Hello and welcome to my page... You may already know my domestic noir thrillers or perhaps you're curious and not sure which to try first - either way, you're in the right place!

My latest is OUR HOLIDAY, a Sunday Times bestseller, WHSmith Richard & Judy Book Club pick and Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2025 nominee. It features my favourite ever love-to-hate characters Perry and Charlotte, second home owners in the idyllic English beach resort of Pine Ridge. It's now in development for the screen - I'll share news on that as soon as I can.

Next up is A NEIGHBOUR'S GUIDE TO MURDER, published in July 2025 (UK) and 2026 (US), available to pre-order now.

Last year I celebrated my 20th anniversary as an author with the news of two prestigious awards for my 90s-set thriller THE ONLY SUSPECT: the Capital Crime Fingerprint Award for Thriller of the Year and the Ned Kelly Award for Best International Crime Fiction. Stay tuned for TV news on that one too - it will be the next of mine to hit our screens!

OUR HOUSE is the one you may know me for as it's now a major four-part ITV drama starring Martin Compston and Tuppence Middleton (watch the full series free on ITVX). This is the novel that turned my career around, winning the 2019 British Book Awards Book of the Year - Crime & Thriller and shortlisted for the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award, the Capital Crime Amazon Publishing Best Crime Novel of the Year Award​, and the Audible Sounds of Crime Award. It was also longlisted for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award and the Specsavers National Book Awards. A Waterstones Thriller of the Month, it recently received a Nielsen Bestseller Silver Award for 250,000 copies sold.

A bit about me: I live in a South London neighbourhood not unlike the one in my books, with my husband, daughter and a fox-red Labrador called Bertie who is the apple of my eye. Books, TV and long walks are my passions - and drinking wine in the sun with family and friends. Authors I love include Tom Wolfe, Patricia Highsmith, Barbara Vine, Agatha Christie and Evelyn Waugh. My favourite book is Madame Bovary.

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Reviews

[Julie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't understand why this book gets such high reviews. None of the characters is likable. Tabby and Emily are both women obsessed with previous lovers. Both need to hear that "He's just not that into you." One was involved with a married man, the other currently is. The media scandal created because of the consequences of Emily's affair is totally unreal. I don't care how powerful Nina Meeks supposedly is, NO editor would allow a column like hers (which generated nation-wide hatred of Emily) to run. And finally, the ending has no closure! I don't know that I've ever been left hanging like that before. If you read the author's notes you'll see that she invites readers to contact her so that can tell you what sort of ending she's thought up for the characters. Seriously?! I bought your book. That should include an ending.

There's only one redeeming quality about this book. It includes a curve ball that no one will see coming. I pride myself on being able to figure out those moments well in advance of the author fully revealing them, but this one was well-hidden up to the last moment. Still, not enough to save the book.

[Malia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed The Sudden Departure of the Frasers by Louise Candlish, and for some reason thought it was her only novel. Happy surprise, then, when I discovered such was not the case and I could continue with The Disappearance of Emily Marr!
The story is a sort of light mystery, where there is no gore or violence, but plenty to speculate about. Candlish offers one twist after another, both of the big ones I did not see coming.
The multiple viewpoints, and the setting, shifting from a posh street in London to a holiday town in France, and the jump from past to present kept the story moving at a fast pace and me turning pages.
The ending felt a little rushed, but overall, definitely an engaging, well-written and plotted read. I look forward more of Candlish's books in my reading future!

Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

That title, a lovely cover, and an intriguing post caught my eye and I decided, even though I wasn’t sure it would be my kind of book, that I should read ‘The Disappearance of Emily Marr.’ And now that I have read it, I’m very glad I did.

Tabby Dewhurst had been travelling with her boyfriend, but they had parted company, her funds had run perilously low, and she was managing as best she could. She didn’t want to go home – there had been losses and there had been bridge-burning in her past – she just needed to get back on her feet again.

When she was passing through Ile de Ré – a holiday destination favoured by the wealthy, set just off the coast of France – and wondering where she might stay for the night – she saw a woman leaving a cottage carrying a suitcase, and heard her saying the numbers out loud – in English – as she worked the property’s digital lock. Hardly believing her nerve – but knowing that she hadn’t enough money to pay for a place to stay, and telling herself that she would just rest for the night and do no harm – Tabby entered the cottage.

But then the woman she had seen leaving the cottage – Emmie – came back. She was horrified to find Tabby there, but as soon as Tabby explained herself she welcomed her with open arms. She offered her a room for a nominal rent, she found her a job, with an agency that looked after second homes and holiday lets. It seemed that they were kindred spirits, and that they were becoming close friends.

Tabby told Emmie everything, but Emmie told Tabby nothing. And that made Tabby curious. She did some digging and she uncovered the story of Emily Marr.

Emily Marr worked in a pottery, she loved vintage dresses, and though she and her long term-boyfriend were splitting up they were still good friends. She made a mistake – a mistake many young women make – she fell in love with the wrong man. A married man. She thought that everything was going to fall into place, but something went terribly, terribly wrong, and Emily paid the price. It destroyed her life.

The two stories ran in parallel.

I loved Emily, and her story was heart-breaking.

I liked Tabby rather less, particularly as I watched her looking through the owners’ possessions and entertaining her married lover in the properties she looked after, and looking for clues about Emmie’s past in her cottage whenever her back was turned. But I was curious to find out what she found out.

The first twist I saw coming. It was good, it was right, but I saw it.

The second twist was stunning. It came out of the blue, it turned everything on it’s head, and it took this story to a whole new level.

I found myself turning the pages more and more quickly, wanting to find out how things played out. They played out beautifully. And the story works on two levels: you could read it as a wonderful entertainment, a story of secrets and scandal, set in two lovely locations; and you could read it as a story of the iniquities of modern life, of infidelity, of family breakdown, of trial by tabloid …

There are some lovely details, and I particularly loved the way she threaded similar themes through Tabby’s and Emily’s stories. They worked together very well. There were moments when Tabby’s story seemed to drift, maybe because it wasn’t as strong as Emily’s. And there were practical points I might question, but the story rang true emotionally and psychologically.

It captured me with a wonderful opening, that foreshadowed later events, and it held me until a beautifully judged ending, that answered some questions and left others for me to ponder …

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent read by one of my favourite authors Louise Candlish. I was initially put off a little by the cover thinking maybe not my sort of story but loved it anyway.

This is a mystery story that has all the emotions included in the story, there is love, tragedy and outrage. The story is told through the narratives of Emily and Tabby. Tabby is in France, recently split from her boyfriend she finds herself alone, penniless and generally down on her luck. She is very lonely and down but reluctant to return home but most of all she is tired and needs to find somewhere to sleep. Emmie is English and lives on the island alone and is a very private person. Emmie shows an interest in Tabby and puts a caring arm round her to help her out. Although Emmie is keen to listen to Tabby’s troubles she remains silent regarding her own life which only makes Tabby more intrigued.

It is not long before Tabby’s inquisitive nature takes over and her suspicions lead her back to England and to a scandal with shattering consequences.

Great storytelling and a book full of suspense and twists. Enjoyed the characters and the carefully crafted plot which made it so difficult to put the book down.

[Cleopatra Pullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a small French town Tabby has become desperate, she has a broken heart and is pondering on some home truths and now she’s travelled from Paris to this unknown, quiet town with no money on a whim. She needs to go home, but is reluctant, she needs to earn money but her French is weak at best, but most of all she needs somewhere to sleep.

Emmie is virtually a hermit venturing out only to work so was it fate that bought Tabby to her door. Although Emmie is reluctant to speak of her own troubles, she is inquisitive about Tabby’s life. She listens to her woes and even fixes her up with a temporary job. Emmie’s spare time is spent working on her story, and what a story it is.

So far so chick-lit? We need the inclusion of a hunky man and we’re set to go. Well there are some men, one falls into the hunky category and is unavailable but that isn’t the point of the story. The story is about Emily Marr a woman who was in every paper, on every internet site, a woman hounded for her actions! Her picture was on the top-ten lists of worst women and the news articles always garnered plenty of spiteful comments. This is the age we live in, no longer do we put people in the stocks to humiliate them, instead campaigns are run to pressurise their employers to sack them for their perceived or real transgressions. If the object of our fury is a woman it is likely that their bodies are discussed in horrifying detail while we call up the sound-bites, attention-seeking, narcissistic, bullying, selfish…. And once it has started there doesn’t seem much that the object of our disgust can do except lay low and wait for the public to move onto a new target. I am as guilty as the next person as I read (although never add my voice to the throng) the latest ‘news’ which is often pulled from social networking sites as a warning that should you warrant it, the past will come back to haunt you!! Anyway I digress… I do like books that reflect the changes in our lives and technology is a big part of those changes, whereas in years gone past only those closest to someone vilified in the press were likely to add their voices to the tidal wave of condemnation, now people can comment from the other side of the word all day long. How does Emily Marr cope? What should she do?

With Emmie’s narration being told in her own words in the past and Tabby’s the story is also one of a different kind of friendship than normally portrayed in women’s fiction, here Emmie is far more secretive about her past, only giving Tabby the barest of details about her life before France despite Tabby wanting to support her friend but Tabby has a secret too and it may just cause both their lives to unravel.

An entertaining book with some really well-drawn characters from the major to the minor, recognisable, three-dimensional personalities are a must in a book where the root of the book is in their actions and Louise Candlish has proved herself extremely accomplished in creating them for our enjoyment.

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Major spoilers ahead
Great story and writing, I was totally invested...I highly recommend and will def read more of her books...interesting twist toward the end..my only complaint is that Arthur and Emily got their HEA after all...I wanted both of them to remain broken and alone forever haha
Also, when Emily was being vilified in the press, why was Arthur's name not mentioned once? Surely he was just as bad (worse, actually) than Emily? I found him to be a heartless asshole throughout the entire book; his wife was way too good for him, but I doubt he even remembered her name by the end of the book

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Setting: England and France; modern day.
When English traveller Tabitha is abandoned by her boyfriend in India, she travels back to Paris but soon finds herself alone and penniless on a holiday island near Saint Rochelle, having been taken there by a man she met in Paris. Desperate for a place to sleep, Tabby overhears an English woman entering the security code on a holiday let in the village and, later seeing her leave, decides to use the accommodation in her absence. But the woman, Emmie, returns to the property yet does not throw her out - instead, the pair become quite close friends and Emmie even finds Tabby a job with her employer, cleaning holiday cottages on changeover days. Tabby finds herself identifying with Emmie, who is herself alone and seems to be making every effort not to be noticed. As her suspicions about Emmie's past mount, she finally persuades Emmie to tell her secret...
Emily Marr lives in London and works in a pottery studio which hosts children's pottery-making parties. She and her on-off boyfriend have just moved into a flat at the bottom of a street of very large houses but find themselves invited to a party by their next-door neighbours - where Emily meets well-known eye surgeon Arthur Woodhall, who is a serial philanderer. When Arthur and Emily begin a relationship, they soon find themselves besotted with one another. But then a tragic accident, and a vicious campaign by a journalist on the street, leads to Emily being regarded as 'public enemy number one' on social media and Arthur disowns her - so she ends up going on the run and lands up in France....
The story was told from the respective points of view of Tabitha and Emily, as Tabitha details her story and Emily goes back in time to relate her tale of her relationship with Arthur and the subsequent fall-out. It was quite a good story but, for me, took quite a while to really get going with the surprise twist not happening until quite near the end - but it was a good twist! I have read other books by this author which I have enjoyed more but this was still quite a good read - 8/10.

[Zarina · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Disappearance of Emily Marr is a beautiful, sad, intriguing and exciting read all at once. The storyline is immensely gripping so that from the very start I found it difficult to put the book down (when I needed to go to work for instance, or you know... sleep), a feeling which only increased with every new page I devoured.

After her travelling and life partner abandons Tabby in India she sets out on her own. The only thing she requires from the foreign locations she visits is that they are not England. She's been cut off from her former life for months now and rarely having any contact with those back home suits her just fine. But as her savings dwindle down and she is unable to support herself it becomes harder and harder to find somewhere to spend the night. From shabby hostels she goes to a one-night stand and eventually ends up in Ile de Ré, a tourist destination for the wealthy located off the coast of France.

While searching for a safe location to spend the night she overhears an Englishwoman, Emmie, speaking out loud when entering the password into a cottage's alarm system as she leaves. In a moment of moral compromise Tabby enters the code to gain access to the property and inside she finds a very welcome bed to rest her tired body. But while Tabby assumes that the other woman would be gone long enough for her to have a restful night, Emmie actually returns the same day to find Tabby asleep in the spare room. Instead of kicking Tabby out of her home, as she has every right to do, Emmie decides to let the younger woman explain herself. After hearing the story she feels sorry for the way Tabby has been left stranded in a foreign country by the love of her life and it sparks the feeling that she has found a kindred spirit, so Emmie decides to help this random stranger by offering her a cheap room to stay in and putting her in touch with her own boss in the hopes of finding her new roommate employment.

The Disappearance of Emily Marr is a heartbreaking story of two women who have both had a lot to deal with in their lives. Most of the unfortunate events leading them to where they are now were beyond their control, and it's surprising they turned out quite as well as they have. Sure, Emmie is wary of other people and likes to keep to herself and Tabby is perhaps a little too hung up on her ex Paul, who she sees as the most important person in her life, but both of them have good reasons for acting the way they do and they are still functioning reasonably well despite all this. While reading I felt sorrow for their individual melancholic pasts, intrigued by the secretive details yet to be unveiled and hopeful of their recovery, as their growing friendship provides a much needed positive change in both their lives.

And then author Louise Candlish drops a bombshell onto her unsuspecting readers. I will not spoil what happens but let's just say that it completely turns around the 300+ pages that have come before and I exclaimed "WHAT?!?" out loud in a public place when I got to this point. This sudden change in the storyline is what elevates an already solid 4 star novel into a brilliantly put together 5 star book.

It doesn't happen often nowadays that a story manages to take me completely by surprise several hundred pages in, but this one did. So take my humble advice and order your copy now, I can guarantee that you will not be disappointed if you decide to pick up this fantastic read.

Review originally posted on my blog:

http://www.pagetostagereviews.com/201...

[Bella (Kiki) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, my, I really don't know what to say about this book.

I actually began reading it in February 2022, then put it aside because the beginning chapters were dragging a bit for me. (Had that not happened, I would have given it five stars.) I picked it up again in mid-March, and it took off with a bang, though not a literal one (no one gets shot in this book, and that's not a spoiler). (I had read the fabulous-in-every-way OUR HOUSE previously, and I don't know if any book can live up to that one.)

The book is structured from the point of view of two women, Tabby and Emily. Sometimes I liked Emily and sometimes I didn't. I really didn't like Tabby at all, probably because I'm prejudiced against the name, Tabitha, but I tried not to hold that against her. She does indulge in several very selfless acts toward the book's end, showing empathy and emotional growth, I'll give her that. I went back-and-forth on liking and disliking Emily. In the beginning, I didn't like her much at all, but she was treated so horribly, I did feel sympathy for her near the book's end. Arthur wasn't really a very nice person, in my estimation, but circumstances made my heart go out to him at one point.

At first, I didn't care for the book's structure, though the writing is lovely. However, as I read and became involved in the story, I began to like the structure more and more. I admit, I flew through Tabby's parts, so I could get back to Emily's, who was the more interesting character for me by far.

This is the kind of book Louise Candlish absolutely excels in writing. It's a family drama, more, rather than less, and much of it is set in a posh London neighborhood, just the kind I love to read about.

Louise Candlish is definitely the Queen of Surprises. There are three surprising events in this novel, and I certainly didn't see the first two coming. The third, which occurred in France near the book's end, I did see coming. I love being surprised by a mystery, so I loved these unexpected twists, though one is extremely sad.

Some people would say this is more of a woman's book than a man's. It's definitely not chick-lit, it's a wonderful mystery, but it probably is the kind that women enjoy more than men. It's definitely not a hard-boiled thriller that many men enjoy over a family mystery.

Unlike several reviewers, I did not feel the ending was rushed. I thought it was perfectly paced. I also did not feel it was ambiguous. I did feel one of the earlier surprises had an element of ambiguity, and I've contacted the author here and asked a specific question. I can't tell you what, exactly, I found ambiguous. That would involve a spoiler.

I can recommend this book highly, especially to female readers who enjoy family dramas and family mysteries. I didn't think it was quite as good as OUR HOUSE or THE OTHER PASSENGER, but, in the end, I really loved it, and I look forward to my next book by Ms. Candlish.

[Hilary Greenleaf · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the unravelling of the story; it was an easy read but interesting enough to keep me going. My main problem was that I found all of the main characters infuriating. Tabby was annoyingly wet as she yearned after Paul who had all but told her to bugger off before her abandonment when travelling. I did not like the fact that she merrily jumped into bed with a married man and the fact that she had no purpose in life or aspirations. Likewise Emily Marr had nothing going for her apart from looks. Lacking ambition and happy in grotty lodgings and dead end jobs, she frankly needed a kick up the bum! All the posh folk that lived on the Grove were clichés of the rich and famous and all needed a slap round the face with a wet fish! Arthur Woodhall had the personality of a dead snail and apart from his money I could see no reason for any spark between him and any female. I also felt that Emily Marr was particularly stupid if she felt that a serial adulterer would really change his ways when faced with her and her lack of personality and drive permanently. The twist in the end was a bit of a disappointment and it ended - just ended! I wondered if the last pages had been ripped out!

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book as a couple of friends had really enjoyed it. Sadly I can't say the same and I have given it 3*** rating.
I found the book a very sluggish read until nearly 3/4 the way through it.
I liked Tabby , she was a great leading character and also Emmie who I had great sympathy for as her story was revealed.
For me , the enjoyment of reading The Disappearance of Emily Marr was when Tabby started investigating and trying to sort out emmie. The travelling to London gave it some added excitement
I wanted more of an ending in discovering what happened with Emmie , and I wonder if there will be a following on book. It felt a abrupt ending & I felt a little cheated by it.

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

The title and the blurb for this book grabbed my attention. It seemed to promise drama and mystery - my perfect combination. But I need to like at least one character in a story and I neither liked the characters nor 'believed' in the premise of the story in The disappearance of Emily Marr. A tale of selfish,shallow people. Only at the end could I feel some compassion for one of the characters but by then the author had lost me. Disappointed.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story unfolds as we alternate between two voices, Tabby and Emmie - two women who meet on an island off he coast of France. As the story progresses we learn what personal trials have brough the women here and Tabby begins to unravel a mystery about Emmie's past. I didn't want to put this book down, was surprised by the ending, and can't say anything more because I don't want to give anything away :) Do yourself a favour and pick up The Disappearance of Emily Marr!

[Ivy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was duped into reading this book. It sounded mysterious and good, but really it was all about adultery. What a waste of time.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good and interesting read with an unusual ending.

[Susan Potts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the author's more recent novels, I felt the story was quite drawn out until the twist at the end, after which the book just sort of trundled along with the conclusion being a bit anti-climatic.

[Fay Flude · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audio version of this book and I felt in very good company as I entered the lives of Emily Marr and celebrated eye surgeon Arthur Woodhall as they embark upon an affair which does not end well.
To start with though the opening and subsequent first chapters seem unconnected. There is an account from Lisa Hawes of a terrible road accident in Sussex and then we meet Tabby Dewhurst being unceremoniously packed off after a one night/few days fling, without knowing where she actually is in France.
The story then alternates between the affair between Arthur and Emily in the leafy London suburb of Walnut Grove and Tabby's Goldilocks type stumbing upon a bed to sleep in and being found by Emmie Mason.
Tabby lives with her unsociable and intensely private English saviour, both living off the record, being paid cash in hand for cleaning rental holiday homes in the expensive resort of Ile de Ré.
We learn of Tabby's shocking time at home with her Mum's boyfriend, and we are pulled into the terrible scandal and following publicity when Arthur and Emily's affair is uncovered.
This is a long novel of adultery, the media circus, the need to vanish and reinvent oneself and a couple of twisty reveals which left me open mouthed and eager to read on.
Penelope Rawlins and Noreen Leighton do a fantastic job of narrating this excellent story. Their voices and accents added a depth that made this very easy to listen to.
A complex storyline which Louise Candlish, who is one of my favourite authors, uses her trademark insight into the lives and loves of women to weave an engrossing drama well worth a read. Loved it!

[Lizzi Crystal · Rating 1 out of 5]

What started as a promising mystery descended into a thinly-veiled moral monologue in favor of adultery, or specifically, pretty young women having affairs with older married men. It's okay if you're sad and self-obsessed, apparently, and if their wives are middle-aged, as all middle-aged women are jealous, insecure, and vindictive nags. It's not a leap to deduce why an author would write an entire book devoted to gaining sympathy for the young, pretty, and morally bankrupt; a quick Google search indicates this is a letter written to her public, defending her choices. My real complaint is that by doing so, she completely lost focus on building a decent plot, killed the mystery with the "big reveal" that wasn't a reveal at all, and stole five hours of my life.

[Helena Wildsmith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy this deceptively dark tale but the ending felt quite flat.

[Stu Cummins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exquisite drama, resplendent with social critique and a jaw-dropping twist!

I’m continuing my binge of the wonderful Louise Candlish’s backlist, but this time with a re-read (which was prompted by none other than @lisajewelluk - thanks Lisa!). I read The Disappearance of Emily Marr a number of years ago (before I was reviewing) and remember being absolutely stunned by the shock revelation in the final portion, which I hadn’t seen coming in the slightest! It’s one of those literary moments that turns a novel completely on it’s head and makes you rethink everything that has gone before. It’s perfectly executed, with not a single hint to have you anywhere remotely close to the truth before it is laid bare. I absolutely love when a book floors me like that! Whilst I could clearly remember this twist upon re-reading, what that allowed me to do was really lose myself in all the other aspects of what makes this book such a fantastic read. However, I will firstly say that if you enjoy Candlish’s more recent psychological thriller novels and like a book that is character driven and evenly paced, you should definitely give this one a go whilst eagerly awaiting what she brings us next!

During this read, I really appreciated how much of a nuanced and important social critique this novel is. Candlish focuses on the impact of sudden infamy and being thrust into the immediate (negative) spotlight in a raw and emotional way. She focuses on the distinctly 21st century problem of an ‘always on’ media and the incessant public consumption of click-bait articles and sensationalist headlines. It’s an epidemic in our culture and Candlish puts a very human and relatable story at the heart. It caused me to question my own media consumption and how easily I can be drawn into stories that scream of scandal. Emily Marr is an average woman, who isn’t guilty of anything obscene and yet she is catapulted into notoriety and made a pariah of illicit virtues. She is not a fluffy, perfect character, but the absurdity and heartache of what happens to her makes her painfully human and much more likeable. Her experiences are also the gateway into a wider theme that is explored and touches upon all of the main characters: loneliness and isolation. Emily feels this when she moves into the new flat on Walnut Grove. She doesn’t feel like she fits in with the other residents and her relationship with Matt is no longer romantic, merely one of convenience for the purposes of affording rent. This leads her to meet Arthur, a married neighbour, who feels isolated in a marriage he hasn’t wanted to be in for 20 years, finding solace in working all hours under the sun. Tabby is a young woman who has escaped a troubled past, but has found herself in France alone, after being dumped by the boyfriend she went travelling with. On the Île de Ré she meets Emmie, a lonely woman who has been keeping herself to herself for reasons that Tabby unravels over the course of the plot. Isolation ironically binds these characters to each other, but their stories are a heartbreaking look at the fragility of modern life. No-one is unscathed in this novel and Candlish paints a beautifully fraught and thought-provoking portrait of each. This book challenges societal norms that we have all too readily accepted (and shouldn’t have), as well as tenderly exploring subjects such as mental health, love, privilege, power and voice. It’s a fascinating story on so many levels.

I highly recommend this novel if you enjoy in depth characterisation, a gradual development of a mystery and a social commentary to sink your teeth into. If you enjoy this kind of read, you’ll be rewarded with a fantastic novel and one of the most proficiently delivered twists I remember reading!

[Sarah AF · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a Louise Candlish fan, I'd previously swerved this on the basis of the cover which looked a bit..."fluffy" for a Louise Candlish novel. Having seen it reissued under a new cover, I decided to take a punt and it occurred to me both that you really shouldn't judge a book by its cover (I doubt I'll stick to that lesson though, I'm a sucker for a striking cover) and also how book covers that target female readers have changed over the past 10 years.

Anyway, I'm so glad that I was drawn to the reissue cover because I enjoyed this book so much. The split timeline with different focal characters was really effective. Through Tammy's timeline, we were drawn into the world of a vulnerable, young woman with no choice but to come into the orbit of "Emmie" and the dark secret that you can sense is lurking in her past and is the reason for her shadowy existence. In the past, we follow Emily's narrative and the parallels between the two women in the different timelines were so clear. Both grieving, both drifting through life, both drawn to the ideal of a man being a protective force in their life. I think I connected slightly more with Emily's strand, perhaps purely because that was where the mystery lay and both characters were incredibly engaging regardless.

In Emily's timelines, as her life became increasingly dominated by Arthur, the married man she was having an affair with, I was so sure that this was building up to a woman scorned and driven to extreme revenge by a man stringing her along with promises of a future and then, about halfway through, came the truth that linked up the two timelines. This offered the most interesting aspect of this novel, the villification that women can face in the press, misogyny underlining what is and isn't considered "acceptable" behaviour for a woman, and how women pit themselves against each other in the wake of a man's actions.

While I did always have queries about "Emmie" and how the two timelines linked up through Tabby's narrative, I felt that this aspect of the novel was the most under-developed. Candlish's intention was very clear, but she perhaps wrote herself into a corner with a twist that simply couldn't be given the substance that it required or it would have dimished the twist. Despite that, I really enjoyed this book and perhaps need to give a second though to Candlish's other "fluffy" covers!

[LeAnn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting. But more romance than thriller. The ending was a bit convoluted. Yet, I enjoyed it for the most part. I know this is a totally lukewarm review, but this is how I felt when I finished the book.

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the story but I didnt love it. It was an interesting concept and I like the author's work. Unfortunately, I found it did take a long time to get through and the ending just wasn't right for me.

[Michaela Schmidt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great and unputdownable read. Hooked from the beginning. And that completely unexpected twist towards the end! Don't want to include any spoilers, but absolutely recommendable, well written, lingers on your mind. Would like this book to be made into a film.

[Donny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, couldn't put it down. I was desperate to know what happened to Emily and it's not what you think! 😊

[Christine Parkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells the story of the aftermath of an affair and how many people it affects. I loved the way this book was written and it was heading for a 5 star rating. What let it down was the ending, which felt rushed and in my opinion, spoiled the book.

[Jo_Scho_Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was going to be your average kind of chick lit but it actually had an excellent plot with a great twist that I didn't see coming. But... it has to lose a star for its ending. I turned the page, realised it was finished and went ‘wtf???’ Argh, ambiguous endings bug the crap out of me! Wrap it all up nicely authors, please!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. Bit disappointed with the ending.

[Agi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must be totally honest. I have thought that I am never going to finish this book. Twice or thrice I have already put it away and tried with another book but... BUT I knew that something is going to happen, that there is some secret, some mystery and so I came back and read further. Although I must admit that the first half, or even more, of the book was a hard candy for me, I have struggled with reading, I have skipped some paragraphs. I know it was essential for this book, this part was an opening to this what's going to happen, nevertheless, it was much too long for me, it didn't keep my interest.
So to page 300 or something this book was 2 stars for me. But then came the twists. Bang. Like this. And I couldn't put this story down anymore.
Reading the book I couldn't believe what I'm reading and I just myself who gave all those people right for this witch - hunt, to judge a person not knowing her version of the story. And I don't mean any celebrity here, I mean an ordinary public person whose private dates, address, telephone number and maybe even dessous size is being published.
"The Disappearance of Emily Marr" is wonderful, sad, heart - breaking story. Brilliantly written and researched, even the bits about the mental illness were not boring anymore. The two stories of two main characters run parallel although we got more Emily than Tabby. Emily's story was unbelievable and although maybe from the ethic point of view she was not an angel, there are always two people needed to have an affair. So in my eyes she was not guilty. And this is why I was so shocked with all this what happened, how she was treated, how one can make other's life a horror. In my opinion she didn't deserve all this what has happened and that she felt guilty because of the accident just shows that she is a decent person.
The story of Tabitha was not so important but was nevertheless also heart - breaking. As she was a young girl I guess one can forgive her some of her behaviour. But she a lot to deal with her life as well and I only can hope everything will work out for her.

The twists were amazing. I haven't seen any of them coming, they came out of the blue, they took the whole story to other levels. It doesn't happen often in books that they take me by surprise as much as this one.
I finally loved the writing style, the style, the language, the plot. It was mysterious, provoking and intriguing book and it was worth the time and I am extremely happy that I didn't put it away.

I received a copy of this book from publisher in exchange for a review.

[emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Disappearance of Emily Marr was officially my first taste at Louise Candlish's writing and I absolutely loved every second of it. Her storytelling is exquisite and her character building is amazing - I was utterly enthralled reading this.

Plot:
Emily Marr is a woman living in an expensive suburb when she begins to have an affair with an esteemed surgeon, Arthur Woodhall. She is in love. As is he. Both unaware of the chaos they are causing. Arthur's fame causes the news of the affair to hit the headlines and Emily has no choice but to disappear from all the scandal and slander from the press.

But now meet Tabby Dewhurst. A young woman who began a worldwide trip backpacking and eventually ends up in a small town in France. This is where she meets Emmie Mason. Both Emmie's and Tabby's worlds collide, as Tabby thinks that she has found a new friend in Emmie, she is thrown into her world of mystery and secrecy. Tabby begins to discover the truth behind the real identity of Emmie Mason and begins her own investigation.

Will she solve the disappearance of Emily Marr?

Style:
Candlish's writing style is amazing. The world/character/atmosphere building at the start was incredibly detailed and was something that made you feel like you were in the middle of France or the in the midst of the upper class in England. The scandal of the affair between Emily and Arthur was portrayed smartly - taking in the POV of the rich, upper class that lived in Emily's area and also the thoughts of the small community around them.

The characters were built upon really well and I really loved Tabby's personality and character. When you learn what is actually going on in the world of Emmie, you relate to Tabby: who is intrigued to know more and at times nosy, snooping around in Emmie's business. But what would we do if we wanted to know the truth?

The novel was well balanced between the secret affairs, secret lives and deceit. Everything begins to unravel but isn't rushed one bit. You want to find out what is going to happen at the end, but nothing happens too quickly or all at once which I really did enjoy.

Summary:
This was my first read of Candlish and I will not be able to recommend this enough. It was a really well balanced and well written book with superb character/story building throughout. The mix of scandal, betrayal and never-ending lies creates an amazing story. I was hooked from the very start.

☆☆☆☆/5