BOOK DESCRIPTION
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?
Yay - The queen of the beautifully written,captivating psychological thriller returns with this thrilling tale of one woman's quest to uncover the truth behind her sister's disappearance. Twenty five years have passed since Stella's identical twin sister Leila ran away from their father's birthday party and disappeared,without a trace. Stella has campaigned tirelessly to raise awareness of Leila's disappearance and now her hopes of finally learning what happened on that fateful night are raised when she is contacted by a production company who want to do a documentary series investigating her sister's disappearance. Stella sees this as her chance to get the answers to all her unanswered questions but the renewed interest in the case will not only reopen old wounds but also place Stella's life in danger. Because someone knows what happened to Leila on that stormy night,many years ago,someone who is prepared to repeat history to prevent the truth from being revealed and their identity being uncovered.
The story is told almost entirely from the perspective of Stella, a dog trainer who was a strong willed individual who wasn't afraid to speak her mind and stand up to people who she felt were in the wrong. She had a serious stubborn streak and was determined to uncover the truth behind her sister's disappearance. I confess that I had mixed feelings about her character but I loved Her interactions with her two dogs Buddy and Fifi and I totally agreed with the comment that she made to another character about dogs being more trustworthy than humans. We learnt from the very beginning of the story that Stella was burdened with feelings of guilt about something that happened between the two sister's on that fateful night. And,there were times,as the story unfolded that I doubted the veracity of Stella's version of events in the past. Was there a possibility that she knew more about her sister's disappearance than she was letting on? Could she be using the documentary as a smoke screen, a way to bend the truth to cover up her own actions.
Agreeing to do the documentary placed Stella back in the spotlight where she could be scrutinised,judged and found innocent or guilty by the armchair detectives sat at home in front of their tv screens as the public are prone to do. And yes,that does include me,the only difference is that I don't share my opinions all over social media.
Interspersed throughout the book was the documentary transcripts which included interviews with characters who knew the twins including Leila's friends and DCI Dave Burns who was a DS when Leila went missing and has kept in touch with Stella throughout the ensuing years. During these transcripts we are taken through the events of the past, people's opinions of the twins,what the witnesses remember seeing on the night of the party and who the suspects were during the investigation into Leila's disappearance. The documentary transcripts concluded with an account of the shocking truth of what happened to Leila on the night that changed Stella's life forever.
Omg,what more can I say but wow and wow again. I really,really loved this incredible,twist packed,intricately plotted thriller that had me captivated from the first page and glued to my kindle. It was perfectly paced,kept me guessing and the identity of the killer was a genuine mind blowing shocking twist. If I could I would give it far more than five stars. A very addictive,gripping read and very very highly recommended.
AUTHOR BIO
Barbara is the Amazon and USA Today bestselling author of psychological thrillers INVISIBLE, FLOWERS FOR THE DEAD, THE DARKEST LIES, and HER LAST SECRET.
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.
Author Social Media Links:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorBarbaraCopperthwaite
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BCopperthwait
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/author_barbara_copperthwaite/
Website: www.barbaracopperthwaite.com
PUBLICATION DATE: 23rd February 2021
Buy Links:
Amazon: https://bit.ly/37bi1UJ
Apple: https://apple.co/39ycwCv
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Google: http://ow.ly/Vgnn50CxPSB
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