Claire Douglas is fast becoming one of the British masters of the psychological thriller. She recently has had quite a run of engaging and deeply engrossing novels. Now you can add her latest, THE GIRLS WHO DISAPPEARED, to that list.

I will preface this review by stating that the book quickly became complex and almost threatened to go off the rails at certain points, which Douglas addresses in the Acknowledgments. Thankfully, her experience as a top-notch plotter is called into play --- along with some great advice from her editor --- and the result is a satisfying thriller that will keep readers guessing from start to finish.

"There is so much to piece together in this puzzle of a thriller, and Claire Douglas has another feather in her cap to display for it."

In November 1998, a car accident forever changes the lives of four young women from the tight-knit village of Stafferbury in Wiltshire. Olivia, Sally, Tamzin and Katie are on a trip together, which abruptly comes to an end on the deadly and allegedly haunted strip of road known as the Devil’s Corridor on the outskirts of their town. A character supposedly jumps out into their path, forcing the car off the road where it ends up flipping. When Olivia comes to, she is all alone in the vehicle, and her three friends are nowhere to be found. They are never seen by anyone ever again.

As Olivia works hard to overcome the serious injuries to her leg, she continues to struggle with the psychological damage and survivor’s guilt that has haunted her for 20 years. Any chance of moving on is made impossible by the appearance of journalist Jenna Halliday, who seeks to revisit this horrific occurrence. At the same time, DS Dale Crawford decides to reopen the cold case and immediately becomes a target for Jenna, who wants to partner with him as she digs for information for her podcast.

All of this is to the chagrin of Olivia, who spends her days running the family horse ranch and keeping to herself. She and her mother have long stayed away from the families of the girls who disappeared and led a life of semi-isolation. The last thing Olivia wants is to open old wounds and goes out of her way to avoid meeting with Jenna. Crawford, however, is not one to be avoided and is able to speak with Olivia. This is made easier due to the fact that Crawford used to date Tamzin.

Interspersed throughout is a past incident involving an entirely different set of characters who seemingly have no initial connection to the action in the novel. A group of friends are on a holiday in Thailand that goes terribly wrong when a wealthy young man tries to get them to smuggle some drug-filled Buddha head statues back home with them. Knowing that this is a Claire Douglas book should be evidence enough to readers that these events will indeed play a big part in the narrative, and how she brings it all together is nothing short of brilliant.

When a local man named Ralph Middleton is found beaten to death in his own home, the village is in shock. None more so than Olivia, as Ralph was the first on the scene to rescue her from her car 20 years ago. Jenna, meanwhile, seems to have a burgeoning relationship with Crawford, which helps her get close enough to Olivia to finally get her to open up. Obviously, Jenna must be getting too close for comfort in someone’s eyes as she begins receiving threatening messages and letters demanding that she “leave or be next.”

To make matters even more bizarre, a strange note is found near the Stonehenge-like stones where the memorial for the three missing girls has been set up. It merely reads: KATIE, TAMZIN & SALLY. I’M SORRY.

There is so much to piece together in this puzzle of a thriller, and Claire Douglas has another feather in her cap to display for it.