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The Girl in the Missing Poster
24 June, 1994 – Nineteen-year-old Leila Hawkins runs from her father’s birthday party into the stormy night wearing her sister Stella’s long red coat. Some say she was crying, others swear they saw her get into a passing car. Nobody ever saw her again.
Present – This time every year, on the anniversary of that fateful night, Stella decorates the small seaside town she grew up in with pictures of her beautiful missing sister. But after twenty-five years, is it even worth hoping someone will come forward? Perhaps the upcoming documentary will spark people’s memories by reuniting all the guests who were there the night Leila went missing.
As old friends gather and long-buried secrets begin to surface, the last thing Stella ever expects is a direct response from someone claiming they took Leila. They want private details of Stella’s life in return for answers. But as the true events of the night of the party play out once again, who is lying? And who is next?
From the bestselling author of The Perfect Friend, this absolutely gripping psychological thriller will keep you up all night and leave you sleeping with the light on. If you loved Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train and The Wife Between Us this book is for you!
Present – This time every year, on the anniversary of that fateful night, Stella decorates the small seaside town she grew up in with pictures of her beautiful missing sister. But after twenty-five years, is it even worth hoping someone will come forward? Perhaps the upcoming documentary will spark people’s memories by reuniting all the guests who were there the night Leila went missing.
As old friends gather and long-buried secrets begin to surface, the last thing Stella ever expects is a direct response from someone claiming they took Leila. They want private details of Stella’s life in return for answers. But as the true events of the night of the party play out once again, who is lying? And who is next?
From the bestselling author of The Perfect Friend, this absolutely gripping psychological thriller will keep you up all night and leave you sleeping with the light on. If you loved Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train and The Wife Between Us this book is for you!
360 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 23, 2021
260 people are currently reading
856 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Copperthwaite
11 books291 followersWhat people say about Barbara's books:
"Will have you looking over your shoulder and under your bed... Original, gripping, with a deep psychological impact," Sunday Mirror
"Enthralling, tense and moving," Real People magazine
"Totally gripping, and scarily believable," Bella magazine
Barbara is the Amazon and USA Today bestselling author of psychological thrillers INVISIBLE, FLOWERS FOR THE DEAD, THE DARKEST LIES, HER LAST SECRET, and THE PERFECT FRIEND. Her new book, THE GIRL IN THE MISSING POSTER, is out on 23 February but available to pre-order now!
More importantly, she loves cakes, wildlife photography and, last but definitely not least, her two dogs, Scamp and Buddy (who force her to throw tennis balls for them for hours).
Having spent over twenty years as a national newspaper and magazine journalist, Barbara has interviewed the real victims of crime - and also those who have carried those crimes out. She is fascinated by creating realistic, complex characters, and taking them apart before the readers' eyes in order to discover just how much it takes to push a person over a line.
When not writing feverishly, she is often found hiding behind a camera, taking wildlife photographs.
To find out more about Barbara's novels, go to www.facebook.com/AuthorBarbaraCoppert... or follow @BCopperthwait on Twitter. To find out more about Barbara go to www.barbaracopperthwaite.com
"Will have you looking over your shoulder and under your bed... Original, gripping, with a deep psychological impact," Sunday Mirror
"Enthralling, tense and moving," Real People magazine
"Totally gripping, and scarily believable," Bella magazine
Barbara is the Amazon and USA Today bestselling author of psychological thrillers INVISIBLE, FLOWERS FOR THE DEAD, THE DARKEST LIES, HER LAST SECRET, and THE PERFECT FRIEND. Her new book, THE GIRL IN THE MISSING POSTER, is out on 23 February but available to pre-order now!
More importantly, she loves cakes, wildlife photography and, last but definitely not least, her two dogs, Scamp and Buddy (who force her to throw tennis balls for them for hours).
Having spent over twenty years as a national newspaper and magazine journalist, Barbara has interviewed the real victims of crime - and also those who have carried those crimes out. She is fascinated by creating realistic, complex characters, and taking them apart before the readers' eyes in order to discover just how much it takes to push a person over a line.
When not writing feverishly, she is often found hiding behind a camera, taking wildlife photographs.
To find out more about Barbara's novels, go to www.facebook.com/AuthorBarbaraCoppert... or follow @BCopperthwait on Twitter. To find out more about Barbara go to www.barbaracopperthwaite.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 171 reviews
June 21, 2021
Twin sisters, 25 years, and an unsolved mystery. Barbara Copperthwaite has crafted another dark and twisted thriller. 25 years ago Stella‘s twin sister Leila left their father‘s birthday party in the pouring rain never to be seen again. Stella was never the same... faithfully spending every anniversary of her sisters disappearance papering the town with missing person posters. Now they are filming a documentary about Leila‘s disappearance and Stella is hopeful that this will bring her much needed answers. What Stella was not expecting was the killer to contact her directly. Coercing personal information from Stella in order for her to find out the truth about what happened 25 years ago. As Stella gets closer and closer to the killer an evil game of cat and mouse evolves.
This was a truly addictive read. The build up in the first half was a bit of a slow burn, but once things got going.... BAM! The story is told from the perspective of Stella, with snippets of the documentary and a peppering of flashbacks. There were plenty of twists and misdirections to keep me on my toes. The characters were all well drawn and the dogs were a nice added bonus. Another wonderful thriller from this stellar author.
*** Big thank you to Bookouture for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***
This was a truly addictive read. The build up in the first half was a bit of a slow burn, but once things got going.... BAM! The story is told from the perspective of Stella, with snippets of the documentary and a peppering of flashbacks. There were plenty of twists and misdirections to keep me on my toes. The characters were all well drawn and the dogs were a nice added bonus. Another wonderful thriller from this stellar author.
*** Big thank you to Bookouture for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***
February 7, 2021
I was intrigued by the title and the cover of the book and immediately wanted to know more. Unfortunately that was the high point of this book as I felt it never really turned into the book I was hoping for. I managed to anticipate most of the twists and turns which didn’t spoil it for me just made me think it was probably a little predictable.
Nineteen-year-old Leila Hawkins went missing on 24 June, 1994, when she left her parents’ anniversary party early wearing her twin sister Stella’s red coat. Twenty five years later Stella is still hoping that her sister will return and puts missing posters up hoping for a positive response a ever expects is but doesn’t expect a response from the person who abducted her. Stella holds a secret from the night Leila went missing and is full of guilt and still feels completely alone without her twin. Stela receives a letter off a person stating to be the abductor and agrees to his strange request to share private, intimate details of her life in return for answers.
I really expected more from this given the author and the premise and even though there were some decent characters the book still felt slow and forgetful. An ok read but not the authors best work.
I would like to thank both Netgalley and Bookouture for receiving a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Nineteen-year-old Leila Hawkins went missing on 24 June, 1994, when she left her parents’ anniversary party early wearing her twin sister Stella’s red coat. Twenty five years later Stella is still hoping that her sister will return and puts missing posters up hoping for a positive response a ever expects is but doesn’t expect a response from the person who abducted her. Stella holds a secret from the night Leila went missing and is full of guilt and still feels completely alone without her twin. Stela receives a letter off a person stating to be the abductor and agrees to his strange request to share private, intimate details of her life in return for answers.
I really expected more from this given the author and the premise and even though there were some decent characters the book still felt slow and forgetful. An ok read but not the authors best work.
I would like to thank both Netgalley and Bookouture for receiving a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
December 30, 2021
The Girl in the Missing Poster by Barbara Copperthwaite is a thriller novel that covers an old cold case. A girl went missing twenty five years before leaving behind her twin sister.
Stella Hawkins has hated her birthday for the last twenty five years since the night her twin sister Leila went missing. Every year since Stella has passed out flyers and hoped that one day she would get the answers to just what happened. This year things change when a media company shows interest in doing a story on Leila.
Having read Barbara Copperthwaite’s books before I knew going into this one that the writing would be solid and the story one I’d become engaged in reading. What I found with this particular story though was I felt it did start to feel as if it had slowed down and perhaps went a bit long. Still an alright read overall in my opinion but not the best I’d read from this author leaving my rating at three and a half stars.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
Stella Hawkins has hated her birthday for the last twenty five years since the night her twin sister Leila went missing. Every year since Stella has passed out flyers and hoped that one day she would get the answers to just what happened. This year things change when a media company shows interest in doing a story on Leila.
Having read Barbara Copperthwaite’s books before I knew going into this one that the writing would be solid and the story one I’d become engaged in reading. What I found with this particular story though was I felt it did start to feel as if it had slowed down and perhaps went a bit long. Still an alright read overall in my opinion but not the best I’d read from this author leaving my rating at three and a half stars.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
February 10, 2021
nineteen year old Leila Hawkins was last seen on 24th June, 1994, when she left her parents' anniversary party and ran into the stormy nightwearing her twin sister Stella's coat. She was never seen again. This time every year Stella decorates the small seaside town they grew up in with pictures of her missing twin. But after being misssing for twenty five years, is it even worth hoping that someone will come forward.
This story is told from Stella's perspective. Stella agrees to take part in a documentary about Leila's disappearance. Told in alternating chaters between the present day and the documentary transcripts. There's plenty of red herrings and it gets quite dark as the truth unfolds. The ppace is slow for the first half of the book. I could not put this book down, desperate to find out what had happened. It's been a while since Barbara Copperthwaite has has a new book out. I hope we don't have to as long for the next one. Fantastic read.
I would like to thank #NetGalley, #Bookouture and the author #BarbaraCopperthwaite for my ARC #TheGirlInTheMissingPoster in exchange for an honest review.
This story is told from Stella's perspective. Stella agrees to take part in a documentary about Leila's disappearance. Told in alternating chaters between the present day and the documentary transcripts. There's plenty of red herrings and it gets quite dark as the truth unfolds. The ppace is slow for the first half of the book. I could not put this book down, desperate to find out what had happened. It's been a while since Barbara Copperthwaite has has a new book out. I hope we don't have to as long for the next one. Fantastic read.
I would like to thank #NetGalley, #Bookouture and the author #BarbaraCopperthwaite for my ARC #TheGirlInTheMissingPoster in exchange for an honest review.
January 6, 2021
This was a twisty and unique thriller. It centers on Stella, whose identical twin sister Leila vanished without a trace 25 years ago. Stella hasn't fully moved on with her life, feeling that a piece of her is missing, and jumps at the chance to get involved in a documentary series that will bring the mystery to a wider audience and hopefully help her get some closure. The book is fun because there is a whole cast of characters acting just suspiciously enough that Stella can't rule anyone out when it comes to who knows more than they are letting on.
I really enjoyed the mystery and the various red herrings that the author put out there. When the villain was revealed, it was someone that I had considered but I had in no way officially landed on that person, and it all made sense. I thought the characters were well-developed and was fascinated by the relationship between Stella and Leila, told in flashbacks. Stella made some decisions that drove me crazy, though, and I found myself regularly frustrated by the way she seemed to isolate herself from those who were there for her (though she definitely grew as the book continued).
The ending of the book, and the decisions Stella made to get to that point, seemed a tad far-fetched for me, but definitely played into the overall drama and fast pace of the book.
Overall, I enjoyed this and think it was a good read- I would recommend to those who read mysteries and thrillers. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed the mystery and the various red herrings that the author put out there. When the villain was revealed, it was someone that I had considered but I had in no way officially landed on that person, and it all made sense. I thought the characters were well-developed and was fascinated by the relationship between Stella and Leila, told in flashbacks. Stella made some decisions that drove me crazy, though, and I found myself regularly frustrated by the way she seemed to isolate herself from those who were there for her (though she definitely grew as the book continued).
The ending of the book, and the decisions Stella made to get to that point, seemed a tad far-fetched for me, but definitely played into the overall drama and fast pace of the book.
Overall, I enjoyed this and think it was a good read- I would recommend to those who read mysteries and thrillers. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
February 25, 2021
Favorite Quotes:
I’m thrown by him, I admit. One minute he’s a gentleman coming to the rescue, the next he’s trying to sabotage me, then claiming he did it all for my good; he’s got more sides than a Rubik’s Cube.
It’s been a long time since anyone showed interest in me, and I’m not sure how to feel or how much to trust myself. Lately, there’s been a lot of blood rushing around neglected places, and lots of feelings churning around me that I thought I’d outgrown.
Leila wouldn’t have touched him with a barge pole – not even someone else’s barge pole. She liked the quieter, more studious type. The kind you could settle down with and introduce to your parents without cringing.
That woman doesn’t grab life, she hugs it to her bosom, covers it with air kisses, then presses some diamonds into its hands as thanks…
My Review:
This busy tale was brilliantly plotted and shrewdly paced while it had more twists and curves than a rope factory. I found myself holding my breath while reading the intense and treacherous written exchanges between the murderer and obsessed sister of his long-ago victim. There were multiple suspects who were cleverly built-up and ever so slowly eliminated. I lost track of how many theories I had spun and cast aside. The writing was superb and kept me riveted to my Kindle all day. I was as obsessed and driven as the surviving twin to unravel this perplexing murder mystery and fear there may have actually been some growling and hissing when my reading was interrupted. Barbara Copperthwaite is an evil genius and master storyteller. I was utterly bamboozled.
I’m thrown by him, I admit. One minute he’s a gentleman coming to the rescue, the next he’s trying to sabotage me, then claiming he did it all for my good; he’s got more sides than a Rubik’s Cube.
It’s been a long time since anyone showed interest in me, and I’m not sure how to feel or how much to trust myself. Lately, there’s been a lot of blood rushing around neglected places, and lots of feelings churning around me that I thought I’d outgrown.
Leila wouldn’t have touched him with a barge pole – not even someone else’s barge pole. She liked the quieter, more studious type. The kind you could settle down with and introduce to your parents without cringing.
That woman doesn’t grab life, she hugs it to her bosom, covers it with air kisses, then presses some diamonds into its hands as thanks…
My Review:
This busy tale was brilliantly plotted and shrewdly paced while it had more twists and curves than a rope factory. I found myself holding my breath while reading the intense and treacherous written exchanges between the murderer and obsessed sister of his long-ago victim. There were multiple suspects who were cleverly built-up and ever so slowly eliminated. I lost track of how many theories I had spun and cast aside. The writing was superb and kept me riveted to my Kindle all day. I was as obsessed and driven as the surviving twin to unravel this perplexing murder mystery and fear there may have actually been some growling and hissing when my reading was interrupted. Barbara Copperthwaite is an evil genius and master storyteller. I was utterly bamboozled.
April 21, 2021
4.25/5 :)
First of all, I would like to acknowledge the faithful dogs of Stella. They seriously sound so cute and I thought they were a great way to begin the novel too.
The characters were all really diverse and I felt they all had a purpose to the plot.
I loved how the chapters switch between from Stella’s POV to the documentary transcripts. Although this book does make filming a documentary sound fast and easy...
Although the big mystery might seem obvious to a few, the side plots and twists, the diverse characters, and that ending would surely make up for it.
That epilogue and the way the ending connects with the beginning is just so on point and flawless. I just love a book with a good epilogue.
【 This would be a great cozy mystery to read in your bed. Unfortunately, this didn't grip me in as much as I hoped it would. This would definitely be the type of book you’d want to finish in one sitting so everything and every detail stays fresh in your memory. 】
02/22/21
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IF THIS ISN’T FORESHADOWING THEN I DON’T KNOW WHAT IS.
02/20/21
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pre-read~
THIS PUBLISHES IN A WEEK AND I JUST GOT IT-
i don't know if i should be happy or stressed…
...i think i'll go with both
There she is. Leila. Dead but alive.
Only it isn’t her. It’s me.
First of all, I would like to acknowledge the faithful dogs of Stella. They seriously sound so cute and I thought they were a great way to begin the novel too.
The characters were all really diverse and I felt they all had a purpose to the plot.
I loved how the chapters switch between from Stella’s POV to the documentary transcripts. Although this book does make filming a documentary sound fast and easy...
Although the big mystery might seem obvious to a few, the side plots and twists, the diverse characters, and that ending would surely make up for it.
That epilogue and the way the ending connects with the beginning is just so on point and flawless. I just love a book with a good epilogue.
【 This would be a great cozy mystery to read in your bed. Unfortunately, this didn't grip me in as much as I hoped it would. This would definitely be the type of book you’d want to finish in one sitting so everything and every detail stays fresh in your memory. 】
02/22/21
━━━━━━━━━━━༻༻❁༺༺━━━━━━━━━━━
“She’s so trusting now.”
“A little more very day.”
“Like dog, like owner.”
I frown, but he’s too busy gently scratching Fifi’s chest to notice the expression on my face.
For some reason his words are niggling me, but I can’t for the life of me think of why.
IF THIS ISN’T FORESHADOWING THEN I DON’T KNOW WHAT IS.
02/20/21
━━━━━━━━━━━༻༻❁༺༺━━━━━━━━━━━
pre-read~
THIS PUBLISHES IN A WEEK AND I JUST GOT IT-
i don't know if i should be happy or stressed…
...i think i'll go with both
December 20, 2020
I’m a bit in two minds about this book. In the end I decided to rate it three stars instead of four. This is mainly because, despite everything that is happening, the story goes actually quite slow. And then in the end everything goes fast, very fast, with lots of surprises – that I didn’t see coming!
When Leila disappears on a stormy night, having had too much to drink at her father’s birthday party, the whole family is devastated. And twenty five years later, her twin Stella still is. There is not one minute of the day she doesn’t think of Leila and it defined her whole life.
So, when a young production company, in the form of handsome Euan, wants to make a documentary that will be aired on Netflix, Leila hopes this will finally give her and the remaining family some answers.
Does she get her answers? Yes and no. And not at all in the way she hoped. The book is following Stella’s search for her twin from the night it happened till the present, alternating between transcripts of the documentary and seen from Stella’s eyes when things start to happen once the documentary is aired.
Slowly we get to know the main characters, and slowly the story unfolds. As I said, too slow for my liking. It’s a good story and a fast read, but there are too many surprises at the end and not enough in earlier parts of the book to my liking.
Despite the fact that Stella hasn’t felt ‘whole’ after the disappearance of Leila, she made something of herself and is an interesting person. There are more interesting characters in the story, such as ‘aunt Mary’, the best friend of her mother, who is good for some very funny scenes.
Thanks to Netgalley for this review copy.
When Leila disappears on a stormy night, having had too much to drink at her father’s birthday party, the whole family is devastated. And twenty five years later, her twin Stella still is. There is not one minute of the day she doesn’t think of Leila and it defined her whole life.
So, when a young production company, in the form of handsome Euan, wants to make a documentary that will be aired on Netflix, Leila hopes this will finally give her and the remaining family some answers.
Does she get her answers? Yes and no. And not at all in the way she hoped. The book is following Stella’s search for her twin from the night it happened till the present, alternating between transcripts of the documentary and seen from Stella’s eyes when things start to happen once the documentary is aired.
Slowly we get to know the main characters, and slowly the story unfolds. As I said, too slow for my liking. It’s a good story and a fast read, but there are too many surprises at the end and not enough in earlier parts of the book to my liking.
Despite the fact that Stella hasn’t felt ‘whole’ after the disappearance of Leila, she made something of herself and is an interesting person. There are more interesting characters in the story, such as ‘aunt Mary’, the best friend of her mother, who is good for some very funny scenes.
Thanks to Netgalley for this review copy.
January 25, 2021
Barbara Copperwaite is back! I was so excited to see that she had a new book out, after a long break due to illness. The Girl in the Missing Poster is another winner, a fast read, twisty and surprising - highly recommend for lovers of psychological thrillers.
25 years ago Stella lost her twin sister Leila. She has started to lose hope but continues to search, to find out what happened. She lives in her family home and is reminded daily of her missing sister. These days her family are her dogs. But then, Netflix get in touch about doing a documentary for the 25th anniversary. Suddenly the case if back in the public eye and more information comes to light. But what really happened to Leila - was she murdered or was it an accident? The ending of this book will shock you.
Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read.
25 years ago Stella lost her twin sister Leila. She has started to lose hope but continues to search, to find out what happened. She lives in her family home and is reminded daily of her missing sister. These days her family are her dogs. But then, Netflix get in touch about doing a documentary for the 25th anniversary. Suddenly the case if back in the public eye and more information comes to light. But what really happened to Leila - was she murdered or was it an accident? The ending of this book will shock you.
Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read.
June 13, 2021
Stella has been living in a dismal fog since the disappearance of her twin sister, Leila. Twenty five years ago, after her father’s birthday party, Leila goes missing. Taking part in a documentary, hoping it will renew attention to her sister’s case, Stella is forced to relive that tragic night when her life changed forever. Did Leila run away trying to escape an obsessive relationship, or is something more sinister at play? Will the documentary bring information of Leila’s disappearance to the surface along with danger to those left in the aftermath? Could Leila still be out there somewhere waiting to be found, or is her killer waiting for their next unsuspecting victim?
Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for my advance copy.
Merged review:
Stella has been living in a dismal fog since the disappearance of her twin sister, Leila. Twenty five years ago, after her father’s birthday party, Leila goes missing. Taking part in a documentary, hoping it will renew attention to her sister’s case. Stella is forced to relive that tragic night when her life changed forever. Did Leila run away trying to escape an obsessive relationship, or is something more sinister at play? Will the documentary bring information of Leila’s disappearance to the surface along with danger to those left in the aftermath? Could Leila still be out there somewhere waiting to be found, or is her killer waiting for their next unsuspecting victim?
Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for my advance copy.
Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for my advance copy.
Merged review:
Stella has been living in a dismal fog since the disappearance of her twin sister, Leila. Twenty five years ago, after her father’s birthday party, Leila goes missing. Taking part in a documentary, hoping it will renew attention to her sister’s case. Stella is forced to relive that tragic night when her life changed forever. Did Leila run away trying to escape an obsessive relationship, or is something more sinister at play? Will the documentary bring information of Leila’s disappearance to the surface along with danger to those left in the aftermath? Could Leila still be out there somewhere waiting to be found, or is her killer waiting for their next unsuspecting victim?
Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for my advance copy.
February 21, 2021
The Girl in the Missing Poster is the latest thriller from Copperthwaite and follows the case of a missing girl and the circumstances surrounding her disappearance. Nineteen-year-old probationary police Constable Leila Hawkins was last seen on 24 June, 1994 at her father's fiftieth birthday party on a stormy night in the coastal town of Mereford. Leila and identical twin sister, Stella, had the same red coat and had accidentally taken each other's by mistake; the coat that had the keys to her flat in the pocket with Stella not realising this until the next morning meaning Leila would've been unable to access her flat. There have been no sightings of her since and the police had begun to treat it as an abduction. Back to present day and it's the twenty-fifth anniversary of her sister's kidnapping and Stella is still struggling to come to terms with what happened and not knowing the details or whether Leila is alive or dead makes it difficult to have closure and move on. Stella has been putting up missing posters all over Mereford for years now in the hope that someone in the area may have seen her but no good leads come of it. The posters she has distributed recently have attracted the attention of Euan Vincent an investigative journalist who contacts her and asks her to take part in an interview for a documentary Netflix plans to make of the cold case. She hopes that the wider audience will bring her some answers so she can finally understand what happened to Leila that night and who was responsible.
However, Stella was unaware of the trouble the documentary would bring and as it stirred up many emotions both inside and outside of the Hawkins family, it becomes apparent that people know more than they have been letting on about that fateful evening. The perpetrator also begins to taunt Stella and she receives a letter from him claiming to be from Leila and addressing her by a nickname not known to the public - Fag Ash Lil. Can the decades old crime be solved or will the truth never be known? This is a compulsive, enthralling and captivating read, and although it takes a while to get going, once it does a thrilling and emotional story unfolds. Told exclusively from Stella's perspective it alternates between present day chapters and the transcripts for the documentary, which I found an interesting and unique way to set out the plot. No one can be trusted in this book and you really have no idea who could've taken her that night, so when it's revealed I was pretty gobsmacked, to say the least. Copperthwaite does a sterling job of creating a large suspect pool and keeps the real perpetrator under wraps right until the end. The tension and suspense build up slowly but surely with plenty of intriguing developments and a plethora of secrets end up being revealed. Stella is a dog behaviourist, which I found original, and feels so much guilt about the events of that day. It has followed her whole life and now in her forties she's still desperately searching for answers. This is a riveting, chilling and absorbing thriller. Highly recommended.
However, Stella was unaware of the trouble the documentary would bring and as it stirred up many emotions both inside and outside of the Hawkins family, it becomes apparent that people know more than they have been letting on about that fateful evening. The perpetrator also begins to taunt Stella and she receives a letter from him claiming to be from Leila and addressing her by a nickname not known to the public - Fag Ash Lil. Can the decades old crime be solved or will the truth never be known? This is a compulsive, enthralling and captivating read, and although it takes a while to get going, once it does a thrilling and emotional story unfolds. Told exclusively from Stella's perspective it alternates between present day chapters and the transcripts for the documentary, which I found an interesting and unique way to set out the plot. No one can be trusted in this book and you really have no idea who could've taken her that night, so when it's revealed I was pretty gobsmacked, to say the least. Copperthwaite does a sterling job of creating a large suspect pool and keeps the real perpetrator under wraps right until the end. The tension and suspense build up slowly but surely with plenty of intriguing developments and a plethora of secrets end up being revealed. Stella is a dog behaviourist, which I found original, and feels so much guilt about the events of that day. It has followed her whole life and now in her forties she's still desperately searching for answers. This is a riveting, chilling and absorbing thriller. Highly recommended.
January 27, 2021
*thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture and Barbara Copperthwaite for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
3 stars.
I found this to be more of a slow fiction novel than a gripping Psychological Thriller as it was advertised as.
The story itself was good, it kept my interest but only just. The ending was also not as explosive as twist endings go. I was expecting a lot more from the beginning and it didn't provide, but it was still well written and enjoyable, but again, it would really only pass as a Woman's Fiction in my opinion.
Would I read more of this authors novels in the future? Yeah I reckon I would give her another go as she clearly has talent.
3 stars.
I found this to be more of a slow fiction novel than a gripping Psychological Thriller as it was advertised as.
The story itself was good, it kept my interest but only just. The ending was also not as explosive as twist endings go. I was expecting a lot more from the beginning and it didn't provide, but it was still well written and enjoyable, but again, it would really only pass as a Woman's Fiction in my opinion.
Would I read more of this authors novels in the future? Yeah I reckon I would give her another go as she clearly has talent.
March 22, 2021
Women's Psychological Fiction / Psychological Thriller / Mystery / Contemporary
Publication date : February 23, 2021
Leila Hawkins, a police cadet disappeared aged 19, after leaving her dad’s birthday party during a storm. Stella Hawkins, the identical twin left behind, has spent the last 25 years unable to stop searching for answers. She is haunted by endless scenarios but nothing more concrete than her own imaginations to fill in the blanks of what happened to her twin. Then one day, Stella's wish comes true – someone claiming to be Leila’s killer contacts her, promising to give her answers. The game of mouse and cat begins...
When I read synopsis of this story, I was a little hesitant because there are so many missing person mystery novels and not all of them are well written, can offer new angles and have depth. I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Wow, what an emotional roller-coaster. I was drawn into Stella's tale right away. I kept on guessing and was intrigued from the start till the end.
Stella was flawed but likeable and relatable protagonist. She's unable to move on and live her own life. How can she when half of her is missing? I liked Stella's profession of animal behaviorist and her rescued furry friends. I'm a cat person myself but in this story I enjoyed seeing dogs bringing Stella some company and comfort to her lonely life.
I liked that this story didn't jump between multiple POVs and timelines. All was revealed at a good pace, you get to know the main characters, and reader get to unravel the mystery together with Stella. I didn’t fully trust any of the characters, including Stella. But I had a feeling that it wasn't guilt that caused Stella's obsession to keep the search ongoing. I could easily symphatize with Stella's obsession and her need to know. Not knowing if loved one is alive or dead is unbearable. She needed to get some kind of closure. Perhaps even find the peace...or do the answers really bring her the peace?
Let me ask you something - at what point would you give up on a member of your family? Seriously. After twenty-five years? Or what about ten? If you'd quit at ten then why not after five years, or two? Why bother at all? People who ask questions like that clearly don't have people they love - I mean the real, gut-wrenching, depths of your belly, do anything for them, die for them kind of love. Maybe it's because I'm a twin, but I can't believe other people don't feel like this about their family.
What am I supposed to do? Just shrug and then skip off into the sunset thinking: "her, I've gotta live my own life"; I'd die for my dogs for-for-for godness sake, so what do you think I'd do for my identical twin!
Publication date : February 23, 2021
Leila Hawkins, a police cadet disappeared aged 19, after leaving her dad’s birthday party during a storm. Stella Hawkins, the identical twin left behind, has spent the last 25 years unable to stop searching for answers. She is haunted by endless scenarios but nothing more concrete than her own imaginations to fill in the blanks of what happened to her twin. Then one day, Stella's wish comes true – someone claiming to be Leila’s killer contacts her, promising to give her answers. The game of mouse and cat begins...
When I read synopsis of this story, I was a little hesitant because there are so many missing person mystery novels and not all of them are well written, can offer new angles and have depth. I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Wow, what an emotional roller-coaster. I was drawn into Stella's tale right away. I kept on guessing and was intrigued from the start till the end.
Stella was flawed but likeable and relatable protagonist. She's unable to move on and live her own life. How can she when half of her is missing? I liked Stella's profession of animal behaviorist and her rescued furry friends. I'm a cat person myself but in this story I enjoyed seeing dogs bringing Stella some company and comfort to her lonely life.
I liked that this story didn't jump between multiple POVs and timelines. All was revealed at a good pace, you get to know the main characters, and reader get to unravel the mystery together with Stella. I didn’t fully trust any of the characters, including Stella. But I had a feeling that it wasn't guilt that caused Stella's obsession to keep the search ongoing. I could easily symphatize with Stella's obsession and her need to know. Not knowing if loved one is alive or dead is unbearable. She needed to get some kind of closure. Perhaps even find the peace...or do the answers really bring her the peace?
Let me ask you something - at what point would you give up on a member of your family? Seriously. After twenty-five years? Or what about ten? If you'd quit at ten then why not after five years, or two? Why bother at all? People who ask questions like that clearly don't have people they love - I mean the real, gut-wrenching, depths of your belly, do anything for them, die for them kind of love. Maybe it's because I'm a twin, but I can't believe other people don't feel like this about their family.
What am I supposed to do? Just shrug and then skip off into the sunset thinking: "her, I've gotta live my own life"; I'd die for my dogs for-for-for godness sake, so what do you think I'd do for my identical twin!
March 2, 2021
Loss of life, for all its painful finality, is an ending. It marks a transition that, hopefully over time, can be processed, whereas a disappearance is a ceaseless torment of the unknown, the unresolved. A lack of closure goes against everything we stand for. Barbara Copperthwaite explores this brilliantly in The Girl in The Missing Poster.
Twenty five years later, Stella’s obsessive quest to find the truth behind her sister’s disappearance is taken to unprecedented mania. Taunted by emails from a man claiming to be her sister’s killer, the cat-and-mouse game between the two, with knowledge as bait and ultimate prize, ratchets up unbearable tensions. What lengths would you go to, to learn the truth?
The Girl in the Missing Poster will test your resolve to have all questions answered: it’s gravely shocking climax is one you might well beg, in vain, to vanish from your thoughts.
A brilliantly, captivating psychological thriller, that keeps you guessing throughout – I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.
Twenty five years later, Stella’s obsessive quest to find the truth behind her sister’s disappearance is taken to unprecedented mania. Taunted by emails from a man claiming to be her sister’s killer, the cat-and-mouse game between the two, with knowledge as bait and ultimate prize, ratchets up unbearable tensions. What lengths would you go to, to learn the truth?
The Girl in the Missing Poster will test your resolve to have all questions answered: it’s gravely shocking climax is one you might well beg, in vain, to vanish from your thoughts.
A brilliantly, captivating psychological thriller, that keeps you guessing throughout – I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.
March 6, 2021
If you're looking for an excellent example of some psychological crime fiction, and you enjoy being led down a few garden paths as you read, then you should read this book.
This story has a great flow to it and the cast of characters are interesting. I felt sorry for Stella. After 25 years, still searching for information about what happened to her twin sister, she agrees to take part in a documentary. Will it give her any answers? Will she be able to start living her own life?
Barbara has done a great job of making you examine the motivations behind each characters actions. This is where those garden paths that I mentioned earlier appear - I had 3 theories as to what had happened, all of them wrong! And that ending. Now that is how to end a book. I got to hate the bad guy even more than I did already, and be pleased with how the book ends overall.
A special mention has to go to Buddy, Scamp, Buster and Fifi. This furry supporting cast added some lighter moments throughout the story and some of their antics put a smile on my face.
This story has a great flow to it and the cast of characters are interesting. I felt sorry for Stella. After 25 years, still searching for information about what happened to her twin sister, she agrees to take part in a documentary. Will it give her any answers? Will she be able to start living her own life?
Barbara has done a great job of making you examine the motivations behind each characters actions. This is where those garden paths that I mentioned earlier appear - I had 3 theories as to what had happened, all of them wrong! And that ending. Now that is how to end a book. I got to hate the bad guy even more than I did already, and be pleased with how the book ends overall.
A special mention has to go to Buddy, Scamp, Buster and Fifi. This furry supporting cast added some lighter moments throughout the story and some of their antics put a smile on my face.
February 7, 2021
When your twin sister goes missing 25 years ago ... you just want closure. At least Stella does! This book drew me in from the very first page and although it got a little slow for me midway, all of a sudden it picked up speed at about 60% and I couldn’t wait to see how the ending was going to play out. Did I guess it? Nope. Not even close. I recommend this book along with this authors other book The Perfect Friend. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.
January 8, 2021
Stella’s identical twin sister Leila disappeared when they were nineteen years old. Twenty-five years later, Stella still hasn’t given up trying to find her. In fact, she’s devoted her entire life to it. When a production company approaches and offers to create a Netflix documentary about Leila’s disappearance, Stella immediately agrees to participate, hoping it might result in new clues. What happens instead draws her into a heart-racing, psychological game of cat and mouse with none other than her sister’s killer. In the end, finding out the truth about what happened to Leila may cost Stella her life.
An addictive mix of anxiety-inducing suspense and heart wrenching drama, “The Girl in the Missing Poster” by Barbara Copperthwaite is a perfectly paced thriller filled with palpable tension. Possessing a true crime feel, eerie happenings in the book are used to cast suspicion on even the most likeable characters. Even Stella feels like an unreliable narrator at times. Slower at first, the story’s speed picks up in the second half, filling you with unease as the truth reveals itself. The shocking final twists will make your chest tighten.
Alternating between Stella’s first person POV and the documentary script, author Barbara Copperthwaite uses both as tools to draw you into the story and hold you captive. It’s hard not to empathize with Stella, who can’t look in the mirror without seeing Leila’s face. The documentary script gives the much needed backstory of Leila’s disappearance, as well as insight into other characters. It does so without bogging the story down with boring details or stalling the plot. A lot of slower paced thrillers get that saggy mattress feel halfway through. Not this one, because of the way it’s written. If the tension and suspense don’t grab you by the hairs on the back of your neck, Stella’s story will grab you by the heart.
“The Girl in the Mirror” combines my two favorite sub-genres, psych thrillers and crime, into one unputdownable book. It’s my first Barbara Copperthwaite novel, but it definitely won’t be my last.
Thanks to Barbara Copperthwaite and Bookouture for the free ARC given for review purposes.
An addictive mix of anxiety-inducing suspense and heart wrenching drama, “The Girl in the Missing Poster” by Barbara Copperthwaite is a perfectly paced thriller filled with palpable tension. Possessing a true crime feel, eerie happenings in the book are used to cast suspicion on even the most likeable characters. Even Stella feels like an unreliable narrator at times. Slower at first, the story’s speed picks up in the second half, filling you with unease as the truth reveals itself. The shocking final twists will make your chest tighten.
Alternating between Stella’s first person POV and the documentary script, author Barbara Copperthwaite uses both as tools to draw you into the story and hold you captive. It’s hard not to empathize with Stella, who can’t look in the mirror without seeing Leila’s face. The documentary script gives the much needed backstory of Leila’s disappearance, as well as insight into other characters. It does so without bogging the story down with boring details or stalling the plot. A lot of slower paced thrillers get that saggy mattress feel halfway through. Not this one, because of the way it’s written. If the tension and suspense don’t grab you by the hairs on the back of your neck, Stella’s story will grab you by the heart.
“The Girl in the Mirror” combines my two favorite sub-genres, psych thrillers and crime, into one unputdownable book. It’s my first Barbara Copperthwaite novel, but it definitely won’t be my last.
Thanks to Barbara Copperthwaite and Bookouture for the free ARC given for review purposes.
February 23, 2021
I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Barbara Copperthwaite's latest psychological thriller THE GIRL IN THE MISSING POSTER.
After enjoying "Flowers for the Dead" not once but twice, I jumped at the opportunity to read Barbara's newest thriller THE GIRL IN THE MISSING POSTER. I was intrigued by both the cover and the exciting premise that I just had to find out what happened. And boy, what a unique and twisty thriller it was! Unfortunately, it was very slow in parts that I felt some of the story could have been redacted to keep the pace moving steadily. But I still really enjoyed it in the end.
Nineteen year old Leila Hawkins disappeared without a trace on 24th June 1994 after leaving her father's 50th birthday party early, wearing her twin sister's red coat. Twenty five years later, Stella is still looking for answers hoping that her sister will return, albeit unlikely now. Since her sister's disappearance Stella's whole life has been about finding out what happened to Leila and laying her to rest.
As the 25th anniversary of her disappearance looms ever near, Stella puts up missing posters hoping for a positive response in the unlikely event that someone will remember something. What she doesn't expect is to be approached by a production company looking to film a documentary series about Leila's disappearance set to air on the anniversary. Stella agrees thinking it will be great exposure and hoping the renewed interest might help solve the case once and for all. She meets Euan Vincent, an investigative journalist, who conducts the interviews for the documentary series and exploring the possibility of what may have happened to Leila. The interviews reopen old wounds for Stella as she attempts to maintain her composure throughout whilst keeping some secrets to herself at least.
When the documentary airs, Stella binge watches it in its entirety for the first time, but the theories Euan explored brought trouble to her door when certain people would have preferred to leave the past behind. And then...Stella begins to receive emails from the person who claims to be responsible for Leila's death. She should pass them on to the police and let them investigate. But...what if this is her only chance to find out what really happened to her sister? Shouldn't she take it? Should she throw caution to the wind and play their game?
Since the disappearance of her "other half", her identical twin, Stella has never felt completely whole again. She feels incredibly guilty about that night and has carried it for 25 years, blaming herself in part for Leila's disappearance. Once a bit of a wild child, Stella is now a loner. She lives with her three dogs who are her world and has never given up on her search for Leila. As a dog behaviourist and an animal advocate, Stella recognises the cry of a terrified animal and thus rescues her fourth addition to her family...a French bulldog she later names Fifi.
Although the story centres on Stella and her search for Leila, there is the underlying theme of dogs running throughout as well. It's this undercurrent that had me on edge for most of the book, anticipating something awful happening to one of the dogs. Or to any dog. As it was, Stella rescued Fifi from her owner who was kicking her and dragging her along the ground as the animal yelped in pain and fear. This scene, which is near the beginning, had me in tears. And then she took Fifi off to the vet only to witness a man having to say goodbye to his beloved staffy and by then I was bawling. Stella's friend is vet Farrah who checks Fifi saying she was extremely malnourished, emaciated and had recently had pups. My thought was - puppy farm.
As a dog lover and staffymum myself, I cannot bear anything happening to any animal, particularly dogs, in a book...and have been known to stop reading immediately if there is any graphic abuse or death of our beloved canine friends. So I felt like I was keeping one eye on the story and another on the lookout for something happening to the dogs. But, without giving any spoilers I will happily say that nothing happens to the dogs...thankfully.
THE GIRL IN THE MISSING POSTER is an addictive mix of suspense filled thriller and heartwrenching drama with a palpable tension throughout. There is an eerie undercurrent as Stella has the feeling of being watched and suspicion is cast on even the most likeable of characters. Slow throughout the first half of the book, the pace does pick up in the second half, filling you with unease and shocking truths are uncovered. The final twists will leave you breathless.
The story itself alternates between Stella's first person narrative and the documentary transcript which draws you in and reveals bit by bit, the events that took place on the night of Leila's disappearance. It's hard not to empathise with Stella, who can't even look in the mirror without seeing an aging Leila's face, though she remains strong and stoic throughout. Yet at the same time she feels like an unreliable narrator at times as she struggles with herself and the journey on which she now finds herself. I found that I could identify with Stella with her love for her dogs and the implicit trust she has in them, as they in her. She understands dogs and appreciates the fact that they never judge, they never lie and they love wholly and unconditionally...unlike humans. For this reason, her world consists mainly of her dogs and that I can relate to. The documentary transcript is an excellent addition to the story, providing the much needed backstory to Leila's disappearance as well as insight into some of the other characters.
Throughout the story, I changed my mind several times as to who the main suspects were...but nothing prepared me for that final reveal! I so did NOT see that coming! In fact, there were several aspects Barbara had me well and truly hoodwinked on. She threw in so many red herrings and twists that she was able to successfully fool the reader on more than one occasion. The cat mouse game she put before us threw us off completely as we focused elsewhere while she lay in wait with us unsuspecting readers falling into her trap. The pace in the second half gained so much momentum that it was a race to the end filled with twist after shocking twist.
I have to say that THE GIRL IN THE MISSING POSTER is most definitely original, compelling and completely addictive...with the second half of the book being one hell of a thrill ride!!
I would like to thank #BarbaraCopperthwaite, #NetGalley, #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheGirlInTheMissingPoster in exchange for an honest review.
This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.
After enjoying "Flowers for the Dead" not once but twice, I jumped at the opportunity to read Barbara's newest thriller THE GIRL IN THE MISSING POSTER. I was intrigued by both the cover and the exciting premise that I just had to find out what happened. And boy, what a unique and twisty thriller it was! Unfortunately, it was very slow in parts that I felt some of the story could have been redacted to keep the pace moving steadily. But I still really enjoyed it in the end.
Nineteen year old Leila Hawkins disappeared without a trace on 24th June 1994 after leaving her father's 50th birthday party early, wearing her twin sister's red coat. Twenty five years later, Stella is still looking for answers hoping that her sister will return, albeit unlikely now. Since her sister's disappearance Stella's whole life has been about finding out what happened to Leila and laying her to rest.
As the 25th anniversary of her disappearance looms ever near, Stella puts up missing posters hoping for a positive response in the unlikely event that someone will remember something. What she doesn't expect is to be approached by a production company looking to film a documentary series about Leila's disappearance set to air on the anniversary. Stella agrees thinking it will be great exposure and hoping the renewed interest might help solve the case once and for all. She meets Euan Vincent, an investigative journalist, who conducts the interviews for the documentary series and exploring the possibility of what may have happened to Leila. The interviews reopen old wounds for Stella as she attempts to maintain her composure throughout whilst keeping some secrets to herself at least.
When the documentary airs, Stella binge watches it in its entirety for the first time, but the theories Euan explored brought trouble to her door when certain people would have preferred to leave the past behind. And then...Stella begins to receive emails from the person who claims to be responsible for Leila's death. She should pass them on to the police and let them investigate. But...what if this is her only chance to find out what really happened to her sister? Shouldn't she take it? Should she throw caution to the wind and play their game?
Since the disappearance of her "other half", her identical twin, Stella has never felt completely whole again. She feels incredibly guilty about that night and has carried it for 25 years, blaming herself in part for Leila's disappearance. Once a bit of a wild child, Stella is now a loner. She lives with her three dogs who are her world and has never given up on her search for Leila. As a dog behaviourist and an animal advocate, Stella recognises the cry of a terrified animal and thus rescues her fourth addition to her family...a French bulldog she later names Fifi.
Although the story centres on Stella and her search for Leila, there is the underlying theme of dogs running throughout as well. It's this undercurrent that had me on edge for most of the book, anticipating something awful happening to one of the dogs. Or to any dog. As it was, Stella rescued Fifi from her owner who was kicking her and dragging her along the ground as the animal yelped in pain and fear. This scene, which is near the beginning, had me in tears. And then she took Fifi off to the vet only to witness a man having to say goodbye to his beloved staffy and by then I was bawling. Stella's friend is vet Farrah who checks Fifi saying she was extremely malnourished, emaciated and had recently had pups. My thought was - puppy farm.
As a dog lover and staffymum myself, I cannot bear anything happening to any animal, particularly dogs, in a book...and have been known to stop reading immediately if there is any graphic abuse or death of our beloved canine friends. So I felt like I was keeping one eye on the story and another on the lookout for something happening to the dogs. But, without giving any spoilers I will happily say that nothing happens to the dogs...thankfully.
THE GIRL IN THE MISSING POSTER is an addictive mix of suspense filled thriller and heartwrenching drama with a palpable tension throughout. There is an eerie undercurrent as Stella has the feeling of being watched and suspicion is cast on even the most likeable of characters. Slow throughout the first half of the book, the pace does pick up in the second half, filling you with unease and shocking truths are uncovered. The final twists will leave you breathless.
The story itself alternates between Stella's first person narrative and the documentary transcript which draws you in and reveals bit by bit, the events that took place on the night of Leila's disappearance. It's hard not to empathise with Stella, who can't even look in the mirror without seeing an aging Leila's face, though she remains strong and stoic throughout. Yet at the same time she feels like an unreliable narrator at times as she struggles with herself and the journey on which she now finds herself. I found that I could identify with Stella with her love for her dogs and the implicit trust she has in them, as they in her. She understands dogs and appreciates the fact that they never judge, they never lie and they love wholly and unconditionally...unlike humans. For this reason, her world consists mainly of her dogs and that I can relate to. The documentary transcript is an excellent addition to the story, providing the much needed backstory to Leila's disappearance as well as insight into some of the other characters.
Throughout the story, I changed my mind several times as to who the main suspects were...but nothing prepared me for that final reveal! I so did NOT see that coming! In fact, there were several aspects Barbara had me well and truly hoodwinked on. She threw in so many red herrings and twists that she was able to successfully fool the reader on more than one occasion. The cat mouse game she put before us threw us off completely as we focused elsewhere while she lay in wait with us unsuspecting readers falling into her trap. The pace in the second half gained so much momentum that it was a race to the end filled with twist after shocking twist.
I have to say that THE GIRL IN THE MISSING POSTER is most definitely original, compelling and completely addictive...with the second half of the book being one hell of a thrill ride!!
I would like to thank #BarbaraCopperthwaite, #NetGalley, #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheGirlInTheMissingPoster in exchange for an honest review.
This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.
February 23, 2021
I was lucky enough to read this before it was published today, what a brilliant read. This is a very special, different, unique thriller. A must-read.
The pacing is perfect, with twists and turns all the way through.
The perfectly written and plotted thriller.
This is a very special, different, unique thriller. A must-read. It
combines brilliant plotting with complex, well-developed characters.
Stella is a wonderful protagonist, strong, determined, independent,
and yet vulnerable, you won’t want to leave her.
I loved the way Stella used her work as a dog behaviorist (fascinating
in itself) to analyze and handle people.
The setting of the TV Documentary was so interesting and very well
researched. The way excerpts from the TV Documentary are interspersed
is very clever.
The pacing is perfect, with twists and turns all the way through.
The perfectly written and plotted thriller.
This is a very special, different, unique thriller. A must-read. It
combines brilliant plotting with complex, well-developed characters.
Stella is a wonderful protagonist, strong, determined, independent,
and yet vulnerable, you won’t want to leave her.
I loved the way Stella used her work as a dog behaviorist (fascinating
in itself) to analyze and handle people.
The setting of the TV Documentary was so interesting and very well
researched. The way excerpts from the TV Documentary are interspersed
is very clever.
May 30, 2021
Woohoo the queen is back. Author Barbara Copperthwaite was back with another whopper of a book. A missing twin on a stormy night and a sister who had been searching for her for years. And now Netflix was interested in making a documentary on her anniversary.
This was a slow moving book which started more as a mystery, slowly ramping up its suspense until it reached the category of a thriller in the last 30%. I loved Stella, who had the most heart breaking time of her life of searching for her twin. She was lovingly etched by the author in the scenes where the pain of looking into the mirror was written.
Secrets hinted it kept me at the edge of the seat to get to it. The author was a tease, I tell ya… 😂 I enjoyed the pace which kept me enthralled and engrossed in the prose, barring a couple of scenes where I wanted more drama…who didn’t? Written as the POV of Stella and documentary transcripts, the prose was a delight to read.
But the last few chapters kept me hooked, the nail biting kinds, so much so that I couldn’t go back to work until I finished the book. I had to know the identity of the perp, so many theories and suspects and one ending. The author fooled me completely. Absolutely dynamic!!
This was a slow moving book which started more as a mystery, slowly ramping up its suspense until it reached the category of a thriller in the last 30%. I loved Stella, who had the most heart breaking time of her life of searching for her twin. She was lovingly etched by the author in the scenes where the pain of looking into the mirror was written.
Secrets hinted it kept me at the edge of the seat to get to it. The author was a tease, I tell ya… 😂 I enjoyed the pace which kept me enthralled and engrossed in the prose, barring a couple of scenes where I wanted more drama…who didn’t? Written as the POV of Stella and documentary transcripts, the prose was a delight to read.
But the last few chapters kept me hooked, the nail biting kinds, so much so that I couldn’t go back to work until I finished the book. I had to know the identity of the perp, so many theories and suspects and one ending. The author fooled me completely. Absolutely dynamic!!
February 21, 2021
This is a great read.
Stella has never got over the disappearance of her twin sister, Leila. She still puts up posters asking for any information many years on.
On the lead up to 25 years without her sister, Stella is approached by a production company to make a documentary about Leila.
It’s hard to go through it all again but Stella has to do something to find out what happened to Leila.
Stella meets Euan as part of the interview process and soon their friendship turns into something more.
Stella starts to receive emails addressed to ‘Dear Friend’ and it seems this person knows what happened to Leila.
After several exchanges between them, Stella eventually shows the emails to the Police to look into but they get nowhere.
She knows it’s in her hands so arranges to meet this person, with shocking results.
This is a great read that had me racing through the pages.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
Stella has never got over the disappearance of her twin sister, Leila. She still puts up posters asking for any information many years on.
On the lead up to 25 years without her sister, Stella is approached by a production company to make a documentary about Leila.
It’s hard to go through it all again but Stella has to do something to find out what happened to Leila.
Stella meets Euan as part of the interview process and soon their friendship turns into something more.
Stella starts to receive emails addressed to ‘Dear Friend’ and it seems this person knows what happened to Leila.
After several exchanges between them, Stella eventually shows the emails to the Police to look into but they get nowhere.
She knows it’s in her hands so arranges to meet this person, with shocking results.
This is a great read that had me racing through the pages.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
March 12, 2022
Stella Hawkins is putting up missing posters she does this on every anniversary of her twin sister Leilas vanishing. It’s been 25 years now since the night of their dads 50th party when Leila was last seen and Stella is still searching for answers. When she is approached to do a cold case true crime documentary with Netflix , she takes the opportunity to put the case back out in the public eye.
Out come the maniacs and the nut jobs with false information but one emailer in particular seems to know more than anyone should.
As the events of the night Leila disappeared begin to unravel , as does other information that people close to Stella seem to have kept hidden for 25 years too.
Really good thriller, fab storyline too.
Out come the maniacs and the nut jobs with false information but one emailer in particular seems to know more than anyone should.
As the events of the night Leila disappeared begin to unravel , as does other information that people close to Stella seem to have kept hidden for 25 years too.
Really good thriller, fab storyline too.
March 19, 2021
Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book for an honest review.
A book full of twists and turns. I think I suspected everyone at one stage during this book.
Would recommend to anyone who likes thrillers that keep you guessing.
A book full of twists and turns. I think I suspected everyone at one stage during this book.
Would recommend to anyone who likes thrillers that keep you guessing.
January 12, 2021
OMG what an utterly fantastic and riveting read. I loved this book it had me madly reading hanging on to every word frantically wanting to know what happened next. Boy oh boy that ending! This is a really good book which I highly recommend and don’t hesitate in giving five stars. Bloody brilliant!
January 6, 2021
First of I want to say a huge thank you to the publisher Bookture, the author Barbara Copperthwaite , and to NetGalley for inviting me to join the blog tour for this book as well as letting me read and review it.I do have to say that it does start out slow but that actually works in the story's setup because it helps you to get to know the character much better and the more you read, the more the story comes to life, other thing I liked was how the author set the story up and how she told it, so much so that it made reading the story much more enjoyable or so I think so.
January 3, 2021
This was just middle of the road for me. A twin that’s been missing for years and the other twin spending the rest of her life trying to find her. When a new documentary airs, new information and twists come to light. This was fine to read at the moment but nothing memorable at the end.
*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
March 14, 2021
An interesting read!
It started off very slowly but as the plot progressed, it got more intriguing and exciting. The twists were unexpected and the ending was shocking!
Overall, a good and enjoyable read.
Thank You NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!
It started off very slowly but as the plot progressed, it got more intriguing and exciting. The twists were unexpected and the ending was shocking!
Overall, a good and enjoyable read.
Thank You NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!
December 23, 2020
3.5 stars, rounded up.
I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for approving my request for the ARC.
This was an absolutely gripping read. I was hooked to Stella's story, intrigued by the disappearance of her twin sister and I wanted to find out the truth desperately. So it is safe to say the plot was very interesting, but my rating has gone down since, as I progressed through the story, I found myself getting annoyed by a few rather irrelevant plot points.
Firstly, talking about the plot - this is the story of Stella Hawkins, the twin sister of Leila Hawkins who disappeared after a party in 1994. This year, being the 25th anniversary of the tragic event, a company approaches Stella for a Netflix documentary about it and Stella agrees thinking that it'd be great exposure and the renewed interest in the case might lead to the killer being found out. With the documentary airing, Stella gets into quite a bit of trouble due to various elements of her past being very keen to let things lie.
The plot was fairly standard, but the characters were fun and this being the first mystery/thriller I've read in a while, I found myself racing through the pages.
I liked the characters - they were quite original and I found myself understanding and relating to Stella (which makes me concerned since she's a 44 year old spinster and I am... 21?). Her despair and obsession with her sister's disappearance is fanatical but I sympathized with her desire. I liked Mary Bird and Euan and found them to be complex characters, written with a lot of feeling.
I did have a few quibbles with the writing - the author seems to write in extremely short sentences which was rather jarring at first but it smoothens out as you read further. Also I believe this (along with a few typos) would be corrected in the final published copy as it undergoes a few further rounds of editing.
I'd also like to mention the narrative style was wonderful, first person with snippets of the documentary interspersed throughout - it gives a very complete view to the reader.
The main issues I had with the book were the rather irrelevant turns the story took which I personally think were just to pad it out and make it longer. There was some unnecessary drama that could have been removed and it wouldn't have taken anything away from the story. But I do understand that those turns gave the author the chance to plant a number of red herrings throughout.
I also did not find myself very satisfied with the ending - the perpetrator was just not believable and I felt that the author just wanted to pull out this twist for the shock value. It ruined the book for me slightly.
Also I've rounded up the rating since this book provided me with 3-4 new words for my vocab which no book has managed in the past year. And kudos to the author for that. xD
Overall I'd recommend you to read it if you are a fan of mystery/ thriller/crime books, it's a standard 'Girl Book' but a decent one.
I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for approving my request for the ARC.
This was an absolutely gripping read. I was hooked to Stella's story, intrigued by the disappearance of her twin sister and I wanted to find out the truth desperately. So it is safe to say the plot was very interesting, but my rating has gone down since, as I progressed through the story, I found myself getting annoyed by a few rather irrelevant plot points.
Firstly, talking about the plot - this is the story of Stella Hawkins, the twin sister of Leila Hawkins who disappeared after a party in 1994. This year, being the 25th anniversary of the tragic event, a company approaches Stella for a Netflix documentary about it and Stella agrees thinking that it'd be great exposure and the renewed interest in the case might lead to the killer being found out. With the documentary airing, Stella gets into quite a bit of trouble due to various elements of her past being very keen to let things lie.
The plot was fairly standard, but the characters were fun and this being the first mystery/thriller I've read in a while, I found myself racing through the pages.
I liked the characters - they were quite original and I found myself understanding and relating to Stella (which makes me concerned since she's a 44 year old spinster and I am... 21?). Her despair and obsession with her sister's disappearance is fanatical but I sympathized with her desire. I liked Mary Bird and Euan and found them to be complex characters, written with a lot of feeling.
I did have a few quibbles with the writing - the author seems to write in extremely short sentences which was rather jarring at first but it smoothens out as you read further. Also I believe this (along with a few typos) would be corrected in the final published copy as it undergoes a few further rounds of editing.
I'd also like to mention the narrative style was wonderful, first person with snippets of the documentary interspersed throughout - it gives a very complete view to the reader.
The main issues I had with the book were the rather irrelevant turns the story took which I personally think were just to pad it out and make it longer. There was some unnecessary drama that could have been removed and it wouldn't have taken anything away from the story. But I do understand that those turns gave the author the chance to plant a number of red herrings throughout.
I also did not find myself very satisfied with the ending - the perpetrator was just not believable and I felt that the author just wanted to pull out this twist for the shock value. It ruined the book for me slightly.
Also I've rounded up the rating since this book provided me with 3-4 new words for my vocab which no book has managed in the past year. And kudos to the author for that. xD
Overall I'd recommend you to read it if you are a fan of mystery/ thriller/crime books, it's a standard 'Girl Book' but a decent one.
May 12, 2021
The Girl in the Missing Poster is my first book by Barbara Copperthwaite I’ve read and it’s a great read and definitely going to be checking up on her previous novels. Loved the story, the characters, and specially the plot twists. The idea of the killer interacting with the main character was a great idea. Brilliant book.
July 17, 2023
I'm absolutely in love with this author! This is the 3rd book I've read of hers! Again it kept me hooked from start to finish!
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