Another Promise, Another Secret
Local Girl Missing by Claire Douglas is a psychological thriller that will have the reader asking questions from the start. With a racing heart you will not be able to put it down.
There are many themes within the novel including the duel ones of truth and lies. Once the lies begin, they carry on coming until life spirals out of control. Then it is hard to see where the lies end and the truth begins. Unearthing the truth can uncover uncomfortable secrets that were thought to be dead and buried.
There is the theme of friendship. A friendship that formed in childhood and lasted into adulthood. If severed one feels lost and bereft. “You’ll always be fixed in time as young and fresh faced.” Friendships are rarely equally yoked. Claire Douglas shows there is often a dominant partner. However at times the ‘weaker’ one may produce an extraordinary strength of character.
Frankie returns to her home town after twenty years searching for answers. She is haunted by past memories and the reader wonders if these are the ghosts in her mind. “I’ve been running from my past. Now the past has caught up with me.” Until one confronts the past, moving forwards will never be an option.
Names are important. Frankie has been Francesca and Fran too. Each name change signifies a change in character or circumstance.
The weather mirrors the mood in the novel as Claire Douglas uses the technique of pathetic fallacy. The wind and rain both add to this brooding psychological thriller. Add to this the rundown Victorian pier and the atmosphere is reminiscent of a Gothic horror story.
I found Local Girl Missing a compulsive read. I tried to guess the outcome and came close but not correct!
I loved the fact that it was set in a Somerset town on the coast and near Bristol. In my mind I pictured Weston Super Mare as it is both a thriving seaside town and has a rundown Victorian pier.
Local Girl Missing is a fabulous thrilling read. It will have you gripped and guessing from the start. A great read.
I received this book for free in exchange for a fair and honest review. No monetary compensation was received and all views expressed are my own.
JULIA WILSON