There will surely be comparisons to novels such as Emma Donoghue's Room (2010) as well as all of the 'Girl' thrillers, but Jewell's latest really isn't at all derivative. ' Jewell teases out her twisty plot at just the right pace, leaving readers on the edge of their seats. ' Then She Was Gone is a riveting thriller.'- 'PopSugar' Where did Ellie go? Did she really run away from home, as the police have long suspected, or was there a more sinister reason for her disappearance? Who is Floyd, really? And why does his daughter remind Laurel so viscerally of her own missing girl?

And now, the unanswered questions she's tried so hard to put to rest begin to haunt Laurel anew. Before she knows it, she's meeting Floyd's daughters-and his youngest, Poppy, takes Laurel's breath away.īecause looking at Poppy is like looking at Ellie. So when she meets an unexpectedly charming man in a café, no one is more surprised than Laurel at how quickly their flirtation develops into something deeper. It's been ten years since her daughter disappeared, seven years since her marriage ended, and only months since the last clue in Ellie's case was unearthed.

Now, her mother Laurel Mack is trying to put her life back together. Ellie was days away from an idyllic post-exams summer vacation, with her whole life ahead of her. Beloved by her parents, friends, and teachers, and half of a teenaged golden couple. Though the plot is overly reliant on coincidences and some characters are suspiciously emotionally articulate the key players are so convincingly portrayed and Jewell writes such lively, fluid prose that it matters not a jot.Īfter you hit the halfway mark I defy you to put this addictive, irresistibly readable book down until you reach the final heartbreaking page.From the New York Times bestselling author of Invisible Girl and The Truth About Melody Browne comes a 'riveting' ( PopSugar) and 'acutely observed family drama' ( People) that delves into the lingering aftermath of a young girl's disappearance.Įllie Mack was the perfect daughter. As Laurel starts to uncover what happened to her daughter the truth proves to be more deeply distressing, disturbing and haunting than both Laurel and the reader’s worst fears. So she embarks upon some surreptitious investigations. However much Laurel tries to tell herself that the similarities between Ellie and Poppy are a coincidence, she can’t shake off her sense of unease. Then Laurel meets Floyd’s nine-year-old daughter Poppy and she is shaken by her uncanny resemblance to Ellie. Laurel can’t quite believe her luck and after all that she has suffered it is thrilling when she seizes another chance at happiness. Floyd Dunn is a successful author, charming and debonair.

Then she was gone review