The second timeline, which Sophie really kicks into motion with her digging, focuses on what the new evidence brings to light as Sophie decides to do a little sleuthing on her own. I was also very sympathetic to Tallulah herself because it becomes clear she had some pretty major issues that she was dealing with up until the time of her disappearance. I was so heartbroken for Kim because I just can’t even imagine how she could go on from day to day, raising her grandson alone and wondering everyday what had become of his mother. The 2017 timeline shows us both the lead up to what ultimately happens with Tallulah and her boyfriend, as well as the initial police investigation as witnessed through the eyes of Kim, who is determined to find out what happened to her daughter.

My favorite part of this story is how Jewell lets the pieces of this mystery come together through dual timelines. One day while wandering in the woods around the school, Sophie comes across a note affixed to a tree that reads “DIG HERE.” The note looks pretty new so, intrigued, Sophie does as instructed, unaware that she is about to uncover new evidence in Tallulah’s missing persons case. Sophie’s husband has just taken a job as headmaster at a local boarding school and they’ll be living in a house on campus. Two years later, Sophie moves to the same town. The police investigate but there’s just no sign of either of them, dead or alive. After calling all her daughter’s friends and learning only that Tallulah had decided to go to a party at Dark Place, a mysterious house in the nearby woods, Kim decides it’s time to call the police. When they don’t return home, Kim becomes frantic because it’s just not like Tallulah to be irresponsible. It’s 2017, and 19 year old Tallulah and her boyfriend have left their baby with Tallulah’s mom, Kim, while they go out for a much-needed night on the town. I knew I would be in for a wild ride and I was not disappointed.

I’m a big fan of Lisa Jewell’s storytelling so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on her latest mystery, The Night She Disappeared. Published by Atria Books on September 7, 2021Īmazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book DepositoryįTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. Also by this author: Watching You, The Family Upstairs

The night she disappeared reviews