It's here! Browse the 2024 Penguin Christmas gift guide
Local Girl Missing

Local Girl Missing

The thrilling novel from the author of THE COUPLE AT NO 9

Summary

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE COUPLE AT NO 9

A TENSE PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER RIPPED STRAIGHT FROM THE HEADLINES . . .


'I was thoroughly gripped. Expertly plotted with some major twists' 5***** Reader Review
'A gripping psychological thriller that had me hooked from the first page' 5***** Reader Review
_________

Twenty years ago

21-year-old Sophie Collier vanishes one night.
She leaves nothing behind but a trainer on the old pier -
and a hole in the heart of her best friend Francesca.

Now
A body's been found.
And Francesca's drawn back to the seaside town she's tried to forget.
Perhaps the truth of what happened to Sophie will finally come out.
Yet Francesca is beginning to wish she hadn't returned.

Everywhere she turns, ghosts from her past appear. The same old faces that always haunted her. But if someone knows what really happened to Sophie that night, then now's the time to find out . . . Isn't it?

Except sometimes discovering the truth can cost you everything you hold dear - your family, your sanity and even your life . . .
_________

PRAISE FOR CLAIRE DOUGLAS:

'Thrillingly tense and twisty' B A Paris

'Perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train' Marie Claire

'Packed with a killer twist' Closer

'Superb plotting' Jenny Blackhurst

'Will give you chills' Sunday Mirror

'Gripping' Closer

Reviews

  • Compelling and page-turning, wonderfully written and impossible to second-guess with a brilliant twist
    Debbie Howells, bestselling author of Richard & Judy pick The Bones of You

About the author

Claire Douglas

Claire Douglas worked as a journalist for fifteen years, writing features for women's magazines and national newspapers, but had dreamed of being a novelist since the age of seven. She finally got her wish after winning the Marie Claire Debut Novel Award with her first novel, The Sisters.
She is a Sunday Times bestseller and a frequent Richard & Judy Book Club pick. Her books have sold nearly two million copies in the UK alone.
She lives in Bath with her husband and two children.
Learn More

Sign up to the Penguin Newsletter

For the latest books, recommendations, author interviews and more