The Girl in the Missing Poster
by Barbara Copperthwaite

 

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!

 

My Rating:

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.