Local Girl Missing: A Novel

Ever pick up a book to read thinking it was going to one thing… and then it turns out to be another? I loathe to brag, but, lately, this rarely happens to me. As all of you know, I’ve read and reviewed so many books on this blog for the last six and a half years (as well as written six novels and five musicals) that I can pretty much figure out which novels, especially in the chick-lit/thriller genre, sport formulaic plot lines and stereotypical characters.

And so I thought with Local Girl Gone Missing, the second novel of British author Claire Douglas.

But… Oh boy! Oh, girl! Was I ever wrong!

Let me just say that this is NOT your usual run-of-the-mill summer read. Far from it. Set in the fictional seaside resort town of Oldcliffe, England, it is a profoundly exquisitely written psychological thriller best read by flashlight under the safety of your covers at night rather than on a beach bordering a rickety pier. It is deliciously scary, enticingly intriguing, and authoritatively astute as it delves into what it means to be in a true friendship – “equally balanced, taking the good as well as the bad…”
Francesca “Frankie” Howe is divorced, has experienced seven miscarriages, and is quickly closing in on forty. Born and raised in her parents’ pink-slatted hotel in Oldcliffe and now managing the opening of a new hotel in Bristol for her parents, she is called back to her childhood hometown to help solve the almost 20-year-old mystery of Sophie, her once best friend who has been missing for over twenty years. Sophie’s brother, Daniel, who lends Frankie the seaside apartment of “a good friend”, explains that the remains of a young woman’s body has been found. Thinking, after all these years, that it might be Sophie’s, he prevails upon Frankie to come “home” and help him identify them. What happens in the course of their renewed relationship and their search for the truth of Sophie’s, um, “supposed” death is the basis of this truly remarkable literary thriller that had me tightly gripping the cover and quickly turning pages to see what would be next revealed.

A few teasers:

In the small touristy apartment building where Frankie stays, there is a baby screaming in the middle of the night, although there are no babies in the building; an older downstairs neighbor acts peculiarly strange; and a female “stalker” who randomly appears. Frankie thinks she is the ghost of Sophie, haunting her about “what happened that night”. Anonymous typed messages are delivered to her door mat: I KNOW WHAT YOU DID and I’M WATCHING YOU – are delivered in A4-size manila envelopes on her door mat. Leon McNamara, Sophie’s former boyfriend, is remarkably kind, then inexplicably cruel to Frankie. And, ***SPOILER ALERT*** she becomes increasingly suspicious of Daniel, whom she once thought loved her and whom, now, she desires “more than anything else”.

If these don’t capture you interest… Well…

Written alternatively in the first person by both Frankie and Sophie, as if they are writing letters to one another, Douglas’ stunning novel is a tour-de-force of subtle, often seemingly bizarre, plot twists and turns and truly remarkable insights into the inner workings of the human mind and heart.

There are no formulaics here, folks. Just a great, imaginatively creative novel that any mature mystery/thriller enthusiast who enjoys a very well-written and realistic read will enjoy. Even if you are trying to relax at the shore.

Enjoy the read!

I DNF "Local Girl Missing". Why? Because I was turned off by ALL the teen angst & melodrama.

I did not connect with this book at all. It was super slow to start, and I kept getting confused as to who was narrating. I'm not a huge fan of first person narration, especially when it is a diary entry with full dialogue.

Semi-spoiler alert...
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I'm all for an unreliable narrator, but it really, really doesn't work well with first person. It feels shady on the author's part. I can't say I was at all surprised with the ultimate resolution, but I felt like I was just slogging through mud to get there.
I did like that there was a wrap up from the other POV, to get the picture of what had happened in the years preceding Frankie and Daniel's investigation. It is just such a chore to get to the end.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This 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.

I really liked the beginning. I enjoyed the novelty of the 2nd person POV, and that never wore off. The writing was engaging, the plot was just lacking. After a fairly brisk beginning, it began to meander. I got pretty bored by about 35% of the way in. The plot was so-so, the action repetitive, and the plot twists ranged from uninteresting to predictable. Local Girl Missing was clearly modeled after some recent popular literature, but the momentum of the story wasn't crisp enough to sustain the absurd. The copious overexplaining at the end didn't help.

All in all, I blame the editor. The writing is good, but the plot needed a strong guiding hand.

LOCAL 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.

Am loving this author! This book came in better condition than the seller promised. Cannot wait to read more from this "series".

happy with book.it was a good reed

Rarely does a book surprise me with a twist near the ending. I usually have the general idea figured out early. This is one of the best books I have read. I look forward to reading more from Claire Douglas!

I read mysteries by the truckload. Often I've gotten one only to discover I read it years ago and forgot. Most popular writers like Lisa Gardner, James Patterson et al are hacks, and you read them as such. This one caught me, kept me, and will stay on my shelf.
For me the main draw is atmosphere. Give me good atmosphere and I'm hooked, no matter if other elements fall short. The crumbling Victorian pier, the off season creepiness of a seaside town, the snow and fog obscuring stalking figures- all these made this one an absolute keeper. A+++