The Night She Disappeared
Page turning
Fast paced
Suspenseful

The Night She Disappeared A Novel

Lisa Jewell2021
“Insane suspense.” —Lee Child, #1 New York Times bestselling author “The Night She Disappeared is her best thriller yet.” —Harlan Coben, New York Times bestselling author From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Then She Was Gone and The Family Upstairs comes another riveting work of “gloriously twisted” (Marie Claire) psychological suspense about a web of people whose lives are forever changed in the wake of a young couple’s disappearance. On a beautiful summer night in a charming English suburb, a young woman and her boyfriend disappear after partying at the massive country estate of a new college friend. One year later, a writer moves into a cottage on the edge of the woods that border the same estate. Known locally as the Dark Place, the dense forest is the writer’s favorite area for long walks and it’s on one such walk that she stumbles upon a mysterious note that simply reads, “DIG HERE.” Could this be a clue towards what has happened to the missing young couple? And what exactly is buried in this haunted ground? With her signature “rich, dark, and intricately twisted” (Ruth Ware, New York Times bestselling author) prose, Lisa Jewell has crafted a dazzling work of suspense that will keep on the edge of your seat until the final page.
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Reviews

Photo of Rebecca Hurd
Rebecca Hurd@becca2bz
5 stars
Jul 16, 2024

Such a great mystery!! Missing people, abandoned mansion, creepy clues, cold case!! It has it all with a bit of a twist at the end!!

Photo of Sandhya
Sandhya@sandy90
5 stars
Jul 4, 2024

Impossible to put down!

Photo of Erin Goss
Erin Goss@erinmg22
4 stars
Feb 29, 2024

Interesting plot and character dynamics. Enjoyed the mystery and trying to guess what happened. Not the most unique ending, but I enjoyed it.

+2
Photo of Katie Guo
Katie Guo@ukime
3 stars
Jan 9, 2024

good slow burn but the ending is very mediocre. the tense built up to it was far better than the conclusion.

Photo of l ˚。⋆୨୧˚
l ˚。⋆୨୧˚@wingsandruin
3 stars
Jan 7, 2024

this was definitely an entertaining mystery! i had a few theories but i would’ve never guessed the ending. i liked this but took me a while to read it because of the pace 😅

Photo of Kate B-L
Kate B-L@librarycard
5 stars
Oct 20, 2023

Holy f*ck.

I was beholden to this book, thinking about it all of the time. Wonderfully written across multiple timelines from multiple perspectives.

+5
Photo of Lili
Lili@lilibs
4 stars
Aug 30, 2023

Overall I enjoyed the story and it definetly kept me hooked, but it wasn‘t my favourite thriller I‘ve ever read

Photo of Melissa Olson
Melissa Olson@missao
5 stars
Jul 30, 2023

I loved all the twists and turns and that I couldn’t predict the ending. Kept me interested the whole way through. The narrator was also good at differentiating characters which was nice!

Photo of Payten Bovat
Payten Bovat@paytenbovat
4.5 stars
Mar 18, 2023

Very interesting concept. I know the characters were intended to be insufferable but wow they were awful. So many truly terrible people in this book.

I was not expecting the ending to be what it was and was pleasantly surprised at the twist. It was a bit slow-starting but once I was hooked I was HOOKED. So many people had a hand in the terrible sadness that was Talulah’s life. Throughout the book Mimi was largely an insignificant character so I was not expecting for her to play the role she did. I couldn’t help but think all that poor Talulah cold have been spared if Mimi would have spoken out about that night.

I thought it was a bit funny how a detective novelist contributed to solving the mystery more than the police did. They literally could not have done it without her and I appreciated the very competent contributions she made to the case and emotional support she offered to Kim.

I’m still deciding if I’m happy with Liam getting off clean for what he did for Scarlett, but I was proud of him in the end for his much needed defiance of her orders disguised as pleads. I was happy Kim, Talulah, and Noah got the ending they so desperately deserved and was warmed to see a family united.

This review contains a spoiler
+4
Photo of Linzy Martin
Linzy Martin@lrmartin0
3 stars
Feb 10, 2023

This book starts slow but picks up and has you asking questions. However compared to her other books this one was a bit more predictable. Still a great read

Photo of Millie Roberts
Millie Roberts@milliemoo
5 stars
Feb 6, 2023

I know they were intended that way but my god were some of the characters insufferable

Photo of Kristen Claiborn
Kristen Claiborn@kristenc
5 stars
Jan 7, 2023

** spoiler alert ** I get all excited when one of the celebrity book clubs picks a book by an author I enjoy reading, so when Good Morning America picked this book as one of it’s buzzreads, I was super happy. I even wrote “YAY” next to it in my book planner (yep, I have an entire planner just to keep track of my books). I also happened to get this one off a library hold right before a weekend, so I had all the time in the world to dig in and absorb this one. I’m not sure if I was disappointed in how long it took me to read this (about two hours), or that it had to end. That’s the best way for me to determine how much I love a book, the way it completely absorbed me and refused to allow me the opportunity to get anything done until I’m finished. This book earned an enthusiastic five stars from me! When the writer entered the picture and started piecing together the clues, I was almost positive that the girlfriend was dead and the boyfriend was off living the good life with the rich unpleasant young woman. That guy was an absolute jerkface almost from the very beginning, so it was easy for me to assume he was the bad guy and that poor girl was worm food. I was completely mistaken, but it wasn’t the other way around either. The end completely shocked me, which is one of the reasons I absolutely love Lisa Jewell’s books. She’ll keep you on the edge of your seat and still manage to shock you at the end. She is a master thriller-writer.

Photo of Marcie Allen
Marcie Allen@mallentumbler03
4 stars
Nov 2, 2022

4.5⭐️

Photo of McKenzie McWhorter
McKenzie McWhorter@cozyreadsandcoffee
5 stars
Sep 9, 2022

Lisa Jewell wrote an impressive tale this time. The first half is a bit of a slow burn but it really helps build a foundation and help you get attached to the characters, after that it's a slippery slope of I can't put this book down. I loved all the twists and how she tied up the story lines.

Photo of Hanna
Hanna @alltimetherapy
4 stars
Sep 5, 2022

My colleague recommended it to me; this was the first book I read after my reading-slump and I finished it in two days. It was a real page-turner and although maybe a bit predictable at times I enjoyed reading it.

+3
Photo of Dee B.
Dee B. @deeisreading
3 stars
Aug 19, 2022

I saw the the act and the who done it. But the why was a mystery to me. OK ok. I see you Lisa

Photo of Emilia Rose
Emilia Rose@emiliarosebooks
5 stars
Aug 12, 2022

I absolutely loved this book! Definitely my favorite Lisa Jewell book to date. It doesn’t say it anywhere in the preview, but there is a sapphic romance to the novel, which of course just made me love it more!! The plot was very well developed and even though I tried to guess at the ending a few times, none of my guesses were correct. She truly knows how to take a mystery and turn it into something absolutely breathtaking.

Photo of Kaytlynn Friesen
Kaytlynn Friesen@kaytlynnfriesen
4.5 stars
Apr 21, 2022

This would be a 5 star read if the beginning wasn't so long and boring. It felt like it took forever to get to the actual story. I even put the book down for awhile. Otherwise this book was beautifully written & the story is like none other.

+1
Photo of Krista M.
Krista M.@kristameowro
3 stars
Mar 25, 2022

Sinking-Circling-Haunting. This was an interesting read and a pretty gripping mystery. The author did a good job of making you care that these young parents disappeared without a trace. The back and forth was a good way of keeping the pace moving along but I kind of felt like a lot of the book was spent on characters that I just didn't connect with or really care that much about. I wasn't able to guess the ending until pretty far in which is by design as the reader is given almost no information until very near the end. I feel like I finished this mostly because I was just very curious about what the heck happened and not because I cared what happened to the characters.

Photo of Samantha Kalany Hughes
Samantha Kalany Hughes@sam_kalany
5 stars
Mar 3, 2022

** spoiler alert ** Holy Shit! This was insane. I am a huge Lisa Jewell fan, and always have been ever since I read And Then She Was Gone. The Night She Disappeared reminded me of that book in many ways, except I feel the characters in this book got their chance at a bittersweet/yet happy ending of sorts. The first couple of chapters paint a picture that the "she" in question is Tallulah because of all the media/police attention that her mother brings to the picture, but as I crept towards the end of the book, I feel as though the book was titled from the perspective of Liam's view in regards to his "beloved" Scarlett. She left him and his purpose fell to the depths of the swimming pool on the cover... I'd be interested in seeing if anyone else feels the same way about this theory??? Overall, I hold so much respect and love for Lisa Jewell's works, and will definitely be adding this one to my recommendation list. 5/5

Photo of Tatyana
Tatyana@taty624
5 stars
Jan 29, 2022

A story filled with mystery, disappearing people, and unanswered questions. This was great and I would have never guessed the ending of this mystery thriller. There was a multiple timeline and multiple viewpoints which really made the storyline interesting. This is the second book I've read by Lisa Jewell and I'm definitely a fan. I definitely plan to read more of her books.

+3
Photo of Lauren Attaway
Lauren Attaway@camcray
5 stars
Jan 26, 2022

Lisa Jewell has real talent for making me care about all of her characters, good and bad, warts and all. Every year she delivers another mystery, and I’m always surprised by the way she can build a world around a straightforward concept. One night, a pair of young parents Zach and Tallulah, disappear following a long night of partying on a country estate. The majority of the guests there that night, specifically the owner of the home Scarlett, disappear in their own ways, and Tallulah’s mother Kim is left seeking answers. A year later, Sophie, a crime writer, moves to the village and becomes entangled in the mystery. This book had shades of the author’s other novel, When She Disappeared, but only really in the premise. Tallulah’s story in the past blends perfectly with Sophie’s investigation in the present. I had a hard time getting into the initial start, but then I could not put this book down. Every Lisa Jewell Book becomes My Favorite Lisa Jewell Book, and The Night She Disappeared is no different. It’s the perfect way to cap off the summer, a creepy, clever little mystery to kick off fall. Thanks to Net Galley and Atria Books for the ARC!

Photo of Aubrey Erskine
Aubrey Erskine@shelflifechronicles
2 stars
Jan 19, 2022

I heard about this book on the Books and the City podcast and had been looking for a mystery/thriller and figured why not? I’d never read a book by Jewell before and I’m not sure if her style meshes well with me. You truly had to WANT to read this book. Between the multiple timelines that constantly pulled you out of the story and the slower than molasses pacing, it was a challenge to keep reading it. The mystery of what had happened to these young parents is what truly kept me reading, but the story was way too long. I understand why we needed this fully painted out backstory for our characters and for the two years leading up to the discovery of what truly happened that night. I slightly wish I had DNF’d it and just looked up the ending. If you have the time to commit to it, it was interesting but if not just spoil yourself because the ending wasn’t worth it to me.

+5
Photo of Jen Estrella
Jen Estrella@nightingale03
4 stars
Dec 24, 2021

Slow burn mystery with multiple POVs and timelines and suspense that never goes away - probably Lisa Jewell's best work to date.

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