The Girl Who Left: 'A fabulously tense thriller' Prima

Twenty-five years ago, a local girl went missing. Now, another girl comes back…Five year old Elsie Button disappeared back in 1994 on the Welsh island of Anglesey, a local man confessed to killing her, but her body has never been found, it rocked the local community, especially as the perpetrator was the father of Elsie's best friend, Kathryn. Unable to deal with the fallout from the murder, Kathryn and her family left town and her father refuses to tell her where Elsie is buried or even why he did it. Fast forward twenty five years to the day and another little girl has been taken from the same garden, Kathryn is determined to help find her so returns to the town for the first time since Elsie disappeared, but she's not prepared for the welcome she gets from some of the locals and someone is desperate to stop her uncovering the truth!The Girl Who Left hits the ground running right from chapter one, the story is a dual narrative told from the perspectives of Kathryn and DI Maggie Grant, the detective covering the investigation of missing five year old Abigail Warner. Kathryn has never been able to move on from the death of her best friend back in 1994 so to have this happen twenty five years later to Abigail, a girl so similar in description to Elsie, dredges everything back up again and she knows she has to return to Anglesey to get some answers. I had my own theory as to what happened to Elsie, but I was so way off the mark, although I did have my suspicions, like others, about one particular person, but once again I was wrong and this is what Blackhurst does with her stories, she throws in red herrings and twists which keeps you second guessing and on the edge of your seat throughout. The premise is clever, the chapters are seamless, the characters are solid and I'd love to see more of Maggie in future books, she's a real kick ass detective who reminds me of Angie Marsons Kim Stone, and I think she has a future! It's been three years since this authors last book, but it was well worth the wait, I loved it.

Didn’t guess the ending and was an enjoyable read, but did question whether the ending was plausible. I don’t want to use spoilers or give the game away but the police didn’t come across as very competent … that would’ve been the first place I would’ve looked for a missing child! Also covering up a murder/ manslaughter of those particular circumstances … really ?! I don’t think that the people involved would’ve risked their reputations on a lie. So overall well written and a gripping read but, as with so many of these type of novels, I was disappointed with the end.

I read this book in less than a day, I could not put it down! I was so convinced I knew who the killer was, but was completely wrong! I loved the characters, I loved how the story was told and I loved the ending. A 5 star book in my opinion

I liked the plotline and i didn't guess the twist at the end. The problem was i didn't like Kathryn or Maggie. Some reviewers seemed to like that Maggie was "no nonsense" but the way she talked to some people just came across as unprofessional to me.But it was quite well written and moved along at an ok pace. Kept me hooked to the end.

Another gripping read from this great author. This book pulls you in straight from the start; you instantly feel for Kathryn, whose five year old best friend, Elsie, was murdered 25 years ago and who’s now returning to the scene for the first time, coincidentally (?) as another local five year old girl is reported missing. Struggling with her feelings for her own father, who confessed to killing Elsie, Kathryn is determined to help find this new victim. What you could never expect is the twist the search takes and the eventual outcome. Another brilliant book from Jenny Blackhurst, who just gets better and better.

‘The Girl Who Left’ is a fantastic psychological thriller that has me captivated from the get-go! I loved the inserts of humour which helped to counterbalance the dark plot of a young girl going missing and the historic murder of 25 years ago.Kathryn visits her dad in jail every month and only asks him one question ‘where is she’? He sits in silence. He is not an ordinary father, 25 years ago he killed Kathryn’s best friend and the body has never been located. Kathryn is messed up by this event and has never settled in her life, has been charged with DUI’s and can't hold a job. When she finds out that another girl from the small Welsh town she once lived in has gone missing, especially when she hears its from her old house she rushes to help out with the search and maybe find out some answers to what happened 25 years ago.There are two POVs - Kathryn and Maggie and I loved both of them. They were strong, intelligent, spunky and funny! I would certainly read a series of police procedurals if they featured Maggie. The portrayal of Kathryn I thought in particular was excellent and she came across as a very flawed and real person who has suffered from trauma. There was a lot of empathy in the author’s treatment of all the characters and I loved her style of writing.The premise of the book I found to be entertaining, well-paced and full of twists and turns and I loved the location of Angelsey. There was the ability to make it feel like a ‘locked room’ with the closure of the Menai bridge, plus the closeness of the community coming together to help search for the girls was a great touch.I thoroughly enjoyed this one, let me know if you pick it up!

Oh wow..I was not expecting the twist and it completely blew me away.Absolutely brilliantly written.Three thirds through and I thought I knew who'd done it but boy was I wrong so completely wrong.Bloody fantastic book. Highly recommend

This is the first book I've read by this Author and i was hooked.Could never have guessed the ending in a million years.So looking forward to reading more of her books.5 stars and i would highly recommend this book.

Such a tragic story. I couldn't put it down. Jenny Blackhurst is an amazing author. The end was a complete and sad surprise.

This is what I call a great thriller (and I'm not someone who gives 5 stars easily). I read it in one sitting, liked the main characters very much and got goosebumps (literally: I could feel and see them spread on my whole body!) when the final twist was revealed.Usually I'm able to guess where a storyline is headed, but not this time. So many twists and turns!Did Kathryn's father kill her best friend Elsie, twenty-five years ago? If he did: why? If he didn't: why did he confess? Why was her body never found? Is that murder linked to the recent disappearance of Abigail, another 5 year old little girl (from the same house, on the aniversary date of Elsie's abduction)? But how could it be, since Elsie's killer is in jail? And why did Kathryn's mother attempt suicide on the very same day? Despite her brother's reluctance and the hostility she's confronted to once back to her hometown, Kathryn is determined to help find Abigail... and answers to all those questions. But is she ready to face the truth?

JULY 2022 : 4 STARS.When five-year-old Elsie Button was snatched from a garden in a sleepy town on the Welsh island of Anglesey, and a local man later confessed, it sent shockwaves through the tight-knit community. How could one of their own do such a thing? Especially when his own little girl was the same age – and the victim’s best friend. Kathryn and her family left under the cloak of darkness one night, unable to bear the shame, and the anger of their neighbours. She hardly remembers that time. Now, she suffers the consequences of living under an assumed name, always looking over her shoulder. Her dad has not spoken a word to her since he went to prison. She is haunted by the question: why did he kill Elsie? When another child is taken from the same garden, twenty-five years to the day of Elsie’s murder, Kathryn is determined that this time she’ll be on the right side. She’ll join the search and atone for her father’s deed, and maybe, just maybe, get the answers she wants. But she’s not prepared for the long memory of the locals, nor the risks of going back. Not everyone on the island wants the truth to come out, and they’ll go to extreme lengths to stop that from happening.REVIEW: First two books by this author were Before I Let You In (‘16 - Read 18 - 4 Stars) and How I Left You (‘14 - Read ‘18 - 5 Stars). Within the first 5% I hate the main woman cop, Maggie. She’s sleeping with someone who is married and they’re sleeping in his bed when the wife is out working. Don’t worry, I hate him just as much. Their relationship is not a big part of this book but I wouldn’t read another book with this character in it. Good solid mystery. I definitely wanted a more complete ending. I still gave a 4-star rating since I did enjoy the road to the end.

What is it with British female authors and the use of foul language? Three chapters in and I'm deleting this book because of F this and F that. Waste of time and money. Tip to the author... Buy a thesaurus if your vocabulary is that limited.