Then She Vanishes by Claire Douglas

Three girls.

One missing.

One a murderer.

One desperately trying to find the truth.

This is such a good book that I vanished into it for a day or two, completely immersed in this thrilling, suspenseful  mystery which happens to be set in my part of the world,  so I had the additional  fun of trying to identify the seaside town of Tilby (which I reckon was mainly a hybrid of Clevedon and Portishead, but I stand to be corrected on that)!  Jess, the main character, is sympathetic; returning from London due to a hiccup in her career in journalism, she has a cheap flat to share with her boyfriend Rory, and a last-chance post in a bi-weekly newspaper.  A horrific  murder reconnects her to her childhood second family and she has the conflict between historic loyalties and the current need to do well in her job.  Margot, Flora and Heather have weathered a series of tragic events, and fate hasn't finished with them yet.  Claire has created a complex plot and turned it into a story that is unforgettable and enjoyable, with loads of suspense and twists thrown in.  I thoroughly recommend it.

Joe Country by Mick Herron

A well written, pacy spy thriller with plenty of action and questions of who can be trusted and who is in charge.  The action centres around a backwater of MI5, where personnel who have blotted their copybooks are put out to grass where they can't do too much harm.  To avoid spoilers, let's say that something crops up to provoke interest, and events start to spiral out of control.  The desk-bound find themselves out in the field and in a great deal of danger.  Can fieldcraft save their lives and can they rescue the son of a former colleague who happened to see too much and sought to profit from it?  The language Mick Herron uses is clever and just avoids being mannered.  And who knew that sleepy Wales could accommodate such excitement?  I will certainly be looking out for more from this author.

The Woman in the Dark by Vanessa Savage

A truly haunting story: the characters are still in my head several days after reaching the end of the book.  It is cleverly written and Sarah is a character to warm to, caught in a situation beyond comprehension as she tries to make a home with her family at the seaside, away from all she has known in the city.  Her husband is desperate to return to the house which accommodated his idyllic childhood  and, although she is not keen, she wants to make him happy.  Then strange things begin to happen and Sarah feels threatened.  Is she suffering a relapse of mental illness?  Is the house haunted?  How well does she know the people she loves?  A gripping thriller and a jolly good read.

All Thats Dead by Stuart MacBride

Stewart MacBride's latest investigation for Logan MacRae and his Police Scotland colleagues provides excellent entertainment and thrills.  Logan has returned to work after a year recovering from stab wounds sustained on the job, and hopes for a gentle reintroduction in the Professional Standards Unit, but fate and short staffing decree otherwise.  The detective he is assigned to support lands a case concerning a missing person which soon takes a gruesome turn.  The situation escalates and the pressure (from superiors, the media and common decency) increases.  A well-constructed plot and great character development make this book well worth reading.  I was fortunate to receive a pre-publication galley in return for an honest review, and I have no hesitation in recommending All That's Dead, an excellent addition to an excellent series.