Local Girl Missing: A Novel
3.5/5
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Someone knows where she is…
The old Victorian pier was a thing of beauty until it was allowed to decay. It was where the youth of Oldcliffe-on-Sea would go to hang out. It’s also where twenty-one-year-old Sophie Collier disappeared eighteen years ago.
Francesca Howe, known as Frankie, was Sophie’s best friend, and even now she is haunted by the mystery of what happened to her. When Frankie gets a call from Sophie’s brother, Daniel, informing her that human remains have been found washed up nearby, she immediately wonders if it could be Sophie, and returns to her old hometown to try and find closure. Now an editor at a local newspaper, Daniel believes that Sophie was terrified of someone and that her death was the result of foul play rather than “death by misadventure,” as the police claim.
Daniel arranges a holiday rental for Frankie that overlooks the pier where Sophie disappeared. In the middle of winter and out of season, Frankie feels isolated and unnerved, especially when she is out on the pier late one night and catches a glimpse of a woman who looks like Sophie. Is the pier really haunted, as they joked all those years ago? Could she really be seeing her friend’s ghost? And what actually happened to her best friend all those years ago?
Harrowing, electrifying, and thoroughly compelling, Local Girl Missing showcases once again bestselling author Claire Douglas’ extraordinary storytelling talent.
Editor's Note
Surprise and delight…
On the surface, “Local Girl Missing” seems like a typical mystery novel: A young woman murdered, a small seaside town devastated, a best friend desperate to move on from the tragedy, feelings unrequited, and oh so many secrets. But, unlike most mysteries where you see the twist coming a mile away, Douglas’ novel surprises and delights until the very end.
Claire Douglas
Claire Douglas is the Sunday Times number-one bestselling author of ten stand-alone novels, including: The Sisters, Local Girl Missing, Last Seen Alive, Do Not Disturb, Then She Vanishes, Just Like The Other Girls, The Couple at No. 9, The Girls Who Disappeared, and The Woman Who Lied. Her books have sold over a million copies in the UK and have been published worldwide. She lives in Bath, UK.
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Reviews for Local Girl Missing
109 ratings17 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Francesca Howe receives a phone call regarding her old childhood friend, Sophie Collier. Sophie went missing almost twenty years earlier in the seaside town where they both lived. Now, when a body turns up, it seems like it's time for Francesca to go back and try to find out what happened all those years ago.This is a very good psychological thriller. Claire Douglas ramps up the tension and makes it all feel rather claustrophobic. The story moves at a fast pace and alternates between Francesca in the present and Sophie in 1997 and this works well as a device to reveal the story and the twist towards the end.I thought this was a great read and one I raced through.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A darkly written thriller, with well drawn characters.20 years ago, Sophie goes missing from Oldecliffe on Sea and later her body is recovered at Brean just up the coast.Her best friend, Fran, returns to the seaside town to identify the body and to try and discover what happened and to get some answers.With chapters written in the first person, alternating between Sophie and Fran's life, this story gripped me to the end.I was given a digital copy of this book by the publisher Penguin / Michael Joseph via Netgalley in return for an honest unbiased review.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Frances Howe gets a call from Daniel, brother of her best friend Sophie. Sophie had disappeared and now a body has washed a shore. Daniel needs Frankie's help to find out the truth about Sophie.What I like about this type of book is that from the first page I am drawn in and instantly want to know what has happened. I know straight away that there is something bad as Frankie is reluctant to go back to her childhood home and had to face the past. The majority of the story was quite good. There is a slow tension building around Frankie as she uncovers the circumstances surrounding Sophie. Several characters could be in the frame and I did keep changing my mind of who it could be. I did think at times was I reading a ghost story as Frankie experiences some ghostly goings on but all does come clear.Sophie was my favourite character and the reader meets her through her diary entries. Her own story is compelling and I really wanted to see what was going to happen next with her.The ending I didn't like and felt it let the book down. The first twist at the end was ok but then what followed was flawed. I can't say why I feel this as it would give away too much, but felt that it was unnecessary. Overall the book was an ok thriller. Some chills along the way but the ending for me let it down. The first twist was enough.Thank you to Penguin UK, Michael Joseph via Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book for review.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Francesca ("Frankie") has spent the last several years creating a new life for herself in London. After the mysterious disappearance of her best friend Sophie back in their seaside hometown 18 years previously, she is making a name for herself in the hotel business in the big city. But when Sophie's older brother Daniel calls with news that some remains have washed up on shore which are suspected to be Sophie's, Frankie returns to Oldcliffe-on-Sea in the hopes of finding some answers with Daniel's urging.I typically like stories such as these -- those with a mysterious past that gradually reveal secrets to the reader. But I found myself picking this one apart and being critical throughout my reading. The story alternates between present-day Frankie's story and supposed journal entries from Sophie back in the weeks and days before her disappearance. On the surface, I enjoyed the basic story line. However, there were too many things I didn't like about this one for it to rank higher for me. The writing itself bothered me. It was often overly dramatic and too cliche'd. It felt as though the author were trying too hard and it was obvious. No 21-year-old young woman would realistically write in her journal the way these journal entries were written. The novel seemed too drawn-out and featured a largely dislikeable main character. And during the latter portion of the book, the plot began to just get ridiculous and unrealistic. There were some interesting aspects to the plot in this one, but they weren't enough to salvage this one for me.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5LOCAL GIRL MISSING has all the right ingredients for a great mystery. More than one mystery is going on simultaneously. Each mystery presents many possibilities and keeps the reader guessing. Although the reader might guess the end before the end, it won't be a sure thing because of so many alternatives.In spite of all the right ingredients, though, it isn't a satisfying mystery for this reader. The story is questionable in several places.Frankie goes back to the town she grew up in to investigate the death of Sofie, who had been Frankie's best friend when she lived there, at the request of Sofie's brother, Daniel. Sofie had died 18 years ago, and the police just now found a foot wearing what may be Sofie's tennis shoe. This suddenly makes Daniel believe she was murdered.That is the first questionable area. If I were Frankie, I'd ask Daniel, why now after 18 years does he think this can be investigated as a murder. It wouldn't have convinced me to go back there.I also have a few other questions, such as why did Sofie not tell Leon what she morally should have told him? But they would be spoilers. And I don't do that.The point is, though, this wouldn't have happened except on paper. Frankie wouldn't have gone back to that town, and Sophie would be with Leon in England.I won an ARC of LOCAL GIRL MISSING through librarything.com.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It's no surprise that psychological suspense if one of my favourite genres! So Local Girl Missing by Claire Douglas sounded like it was perfect for my next hammock read!Frankie Howe left the village of Oldcliffe-on-Sea almost twenty years ago. That's when her best friend Sophie disappeared, with no trace ever found. But with the news of a body located that may be her, she reluctantly heads back at the request of Sophie's brother.Oh, Frankie is a mercurial, unreliable (and unlikable) narrator. Are her memories accurate or has time blurred the sharp edges? Frankie often (and rapidly) changes her opinion on people and events in present day. We learn about her take on the past through her internal conversations with the long gone Sophie. "Because the truth is bound to come out, Soph, and with it the dark secret we kept back then; the one thing we could never tell anyone else. Ever." But Sophie also has a voice - through her journal entries from 1997 we see what happened from her point of view.The supporting characters are also hard to gauge - they seem to have their own agendas and their view of the past is again different from Frankie's. I did find I grew a bit tired of Frankie's back and forth after a bit as I found it somewhat repetitive - perhaps this could have been shortened up a bit. Douglas drops hints as the book progresses that had me guessing at what some of that dark past might be. I was partially right, but not completely. Douglas drops a nice little twist in at the end. Local Girl Missing is perfect reading for the beach bag.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Local Girl Missing: A Novel by Claire Douglas would have made a good novella. Instead, it was like traipsing through the movie Groundhog Day with a theme of a dead boy and a missing, now presumed dead, girl. Frankie was Sophie's best friend. Frankie's dad owned a hotel on the picturesque shore where they both lived. Sophie's brother Daniel had a crush on Frankie, who was a bit of a snob even as a teenager. A failing that Sophie was willing to overlook. One day, many years after Sophie disappeared, Frankie received a call from Daniel, saying that apparently, Sophie's death had been confirmed. She was no longer missing, remains had been found that would prove that she was dead. Would Frankie come. She did go back to her old hometown. She found that Daniel and others who grew up with her had returned to Oldcliff. She was surprised to see them, as they had left not long after Sophie disappeared, for various reasons, among other things, they grew up and moved on. This is when things began to get repetitive. I think that a good third of this book could have been removed from the middle, and no one would have missed a single thing. It was a challenge to read it all the way through. Sadly, it was a good story, bone made less interesting by unsubstantial length.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/53.5 starsThey had me going for a bit. I will say that I should've known. A mystery revolving a young girl (Sophie) missing, presumed dead after 18 yes (I think it was). When a foot washes up on shore, still in its shoe, Sophie's brother, Daniel contacts her best friend, Frankie, to come back and try to find out who killed her.Many twists and turns.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5This book was a challenge to finish. My interest gradually waned due to the tedious repetitions and a plot that needed some serious tightening. It did pick up speed toward the end, but by then I'd begun to lose interest in the mystery surrounding Sophie's death.Francesca returns to the town where she grew up with her best friend, Sophie, when Daniel, Sophie's older brother, calls with the news that Sophie's remains have been found after twenty years. The book is told in alternating chapters between Frankie in the present and Sophie in the past. My thanks to LibraryThing and to the publisher for this ARC.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The ruin of an old Victorian pier holds a few secrets and it's also the place where Sophie, Frankie's best friend disappeared 17 years ago. Frankie unwillingly returns home from London to help Daniel finally find out what really did happen to his sister all those years ago. The story was implausible but I enjoyed it! I loved the cover, the style of writing and descriptions of a seaside town out of season. A good bit of escapism which kept my attention from start to finish.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Eine unheimliche Entdeckung führt Francesca, genannt Frankie, aus London zurück in ihre Heimatstadt Oldcliffe-on-Sea in Cornwall: offenbar wurden die Reste einer Frauenleiche an Land gespült und Daniel vermutet, dass es seine Schwester Sophie war, Frankie ehemals beste Freundin, die 18 Jahre zuvor spurlos verschwunden ist. Er bittet Frankie zurückzukehren und mit ihm gemeinsam die Leiche zu identifizieren. Widerwillig reist sie zurück, keine guten Erinnerungen hat sie an die Stadt und das trübe kalte Wetter empfängt sie passend zu ihrer Stimmung. Der Aufenthalt wird nicht einfach werden, mit jeder Begegnung alter Bekannter kommen mehr Dinge in Frankies Bewusstsein zurück, die sie fast zwei Jahrzehnte verdrängt hatte. Aber sie und Daniel müssen endlich herausfinden, was damals mit Sophie geschah und dafür auch unangenehme Gespräche führen. Doch schon kurz nach der Ankunft beschleicht Frankie das ungute Gefühlt, dass irgendetwas nicht stimmt und sie verfolgt und bedrängt wird.Claire Douglas Thriller spielt mit dem Leser, indem wesentliche Informationslücken erst nach und nach geschlossen werden. „Niemand sagt die ganze Wahrheit“ lautet der deutsche Untertitel, der sehr passend gewählt wurde. Das verzögernde Moment ist es, das die Spannung aufrechterhält. Passend dazu wird abwechselnd zur Handlung um Frankie eine zweite Geschichte erzählt: die von Sophie, 18 Jahre zuvor. Zunächst hat es den Anschein, als wenn man die typische Protagonistin hätte, der jemand Böses will. Man fühlt mit Frankie, die in einer anonymen Ferienwohnung unterkommt, in der seltsame Dinge vor sich gehen, die sie mehr und mehr verängstigen. Komische Geräusche werden ergänzt durch direkte Drohungen, eine seltsame Nachbarin tut ihr Weiteres, um den Aufenthalt möglichst unangenehm zu gestalten. Allerdings zeigen sich auch bald Risse in der glatten Fassade. Das darunterliegende Bild setzt sich aus immer weiteren Mosaiksteinchen zusammen, bis es am Ende etwas gänzlich anderes präsentiert, als man erwartet hatte. Die Grundidee des Thrillers ist recht gelungen, auch die Anlage der Protagonistin kann überzeugen. Allerdings fand ich die Handlung ab einem gewissen Punkt doch leider sehr vorhersehbar, was die Spannung etwas hat leiden lassen. Auch das Ende oder der eigentliche Ausgangspunkt konnte mich nur bedingt überzeugen. Der Schreibstil und die Konstruktion des Romans erzeugen jedoch den notwendigen Reiz, dass man als Leser das Buch nicht aus der Hand legen mag, da man unbedingt herausfinden möchte, was genau mit den Mädchen geschah.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book was fantastic. Creepy and moving and spell binding. Such a great book to snuggle up into this fall...to get lost in and get moved by. It was paced wonderfully and kept me fully engaged, as I had a hard time putting it down. I highly recommend this book.
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- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Local Girl Missing by Claire Douglas is a 2017 Harper publication. Eerie and tense-Sophie and Frankie were best friends during their teenage years, until romantic entanglements came between them, but they eventually reconciled, and were trying to resume their friendship, but, one night, Sophie disappeared from the old Victorian, 'Oldcliffe-on-the-Sea', pier. Her body was never recovered…. Until now. When Frankie gets the call from Sophie’s brother, Daniel, that his sister's remains have been found, he asks Frankie to come home and help him find out what happened to her all those years ago. But, once Frankie arrives, settling into the often frigid apartment overlooking the same pier from which Sophie vanished, she begins to imagine she sees Sophie’s ghost. As she and Daniel begin to dig into the past, Frankie finds herself the recipient of chilling notes, often pushed under her apartment door, taunting and threatening her. Old friends and enemies all contribute a piece of the puzzle, and revelations mount and motives become highly suspect. I never knew who just who to believe or trust in this novel. The story shifts gear several times before the conclusion. That and the dual time line kept me off guard, so that I was never able to find a balance. I have waited nearly a week to write this review, because I’m still trying to formulate my thoughts on this book. On one hand the atmosphere is very creepy, with a possible supernatural element, and the uneasiness settled in for the duration, increasing as the story developed. On the other hand, I had a hard time with the final twist, finding it a little far fetched, even though I did appreciate the irony of the situation. The only other downside was just a coincidence. I’d just finished reading a book with a similar set up, so I considered putting this one aside for a while because of that, but then the story veered away from that theme and took on a whole new set of connotations, so I decided to stick with it. Although there were a few small blips, at the end of the day, the book provided a few good chills, was cleverly paced, with plenty of atmosphere and twists, and a surprise ending. So, after thinking it over, and waffling back and forth, a little, I think this one deserves four stars.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Eighteen years ago, twenty-one year old Sophie Collier disappeared from the old Victorian pier at Oldcliffe-on-the-Sea. To this day, her best friend Francesca Howe remains haunted by her disappearance. So when human remains wash up by the old pier, Frankie returns home in search of answers.Sophie’s brother, Daniel, now an editor for the local newspaper, doesn’t believe the “death by misadventure” finding reached by the local police who investigated his sister’s disappearance. He is convinced that Sophie’s death was the result of foul play, caused by someone who terrified her.Frankie, seeing the pier from her window, remembers how the young people who hung out there used to say it was haunted. When she catches a glimpse of a woman out on the pier, she wonders if it could possibly be the ghost of her friend. What exactly happened all those years ago? And why is Frankie so disturbed?Alternating narratives offer readers a perspective between Sophie’s past and Frankie’s present, slowly revealing their complicated friendship, the secrets they shared, the secrets they kept from each other. As the story unfolds, however, readers may find themselves doubting the narrator’s reliability.With strong, well-developed characters, and a twisty plot filled with unexpected revelations, readers will find this suspenseful psychological thriller difficult to set aside before turning the final page. I received a free copy of this book through the LibraryThing Early Readers program
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I received an advance reviewers copy of this book from the publisher in return for an honest review.Years ago, Frankie and Sophie were best friends. Somehow, Sophie disappeared. People think she probably fell off the old pier, an unsafe structure where the teens would "hang out" and where one of her shoes was found lodged between the boards.Now her other shoe, with foot, has washed up and been identified, and Sophie's brother Dan insists that Frankie come back and try to find out what happend. How having the remains of a foot makes it possible to find anything out now, that they couldn't find out closer to the time when Sophie disappeared, is hard to fathom. But Dan has his reasons . . .Frankie is lodged in an apartment on the edge town, overlooking the fateful Old Pier. The vibe is spooky. The efforts to find out what happened seem pretty futile. They talk to people, and talk to them again. Someone is leaving nasty notes for Frankie. Frankie and Sophie had a secret, long ago, and Frankie fears that someone knows. Somewhere along the line the reader starts to get an inkling that there is more to this situation than meets the eye.This book annoyed me from the frist, because the character Frankie narrates her part of the story as though she is telling the story to dead Sophie. Throughout the book, this "telling it to Sophie" gimmick would jar me. The other part of the narration is Sophie's own story, telling what happened so many years ago. The impression I had (later confirmed) was that this was Sophie's diary or journal from the days before she diasppeared.For most of the book, I forced myself to continue because it was an Early Reviewer book. I liked the creepy vibe, but hated the gimmick of "telling it to Sophie." Toward the end of the book, I became more engaged. and the ending kind of made it worth my while to have read the book -- and I think I understood the logic of why the author used the narration style she did. But I find it very hard to recommend this book.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5An advanced reader copy of this came my way about a month after the book came out. I put aside two other books to read it, since this had come courtesy of Library Thing's Early Reader program and it was a new release. I know there are reviews out there from people who loved it-- that's a bit of a stretch for me, to say love, or to go beyond the 3/5 stars rating I gave it. Some points intending to create tension seemed beleaguered to me as some of the twists and turns seemed telegraphed. But still, it was better than some I've read and a worthy effort for a first novel. (Would someone tell me why there are so many books with 'girl" in the title? Almost as many as the something-or-other's wife or daughter.) tags: 2017-read, advanced-reader-copy, early-review-librarything, everyone-else-liked-it, first-novel-or-book, ok-but-not-great, read, suspense-thriller-mystery
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- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Frankie and Sophie were best friends from when they were youngsters. Sophie mysteriously disappears when she is eighteen years old from the old pier. Her body was never found and neither was the reason for her death. Recently, a foot was washed up on the beach and the case is being looked into again. Frankie returns home to help solve the mystery.I just didn’t connect with this story. I was not sure what was happening and who was who. It was all a bit confusing. ?