The Girl Who Left – Jenny Blackhurst

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

This is the first time I've picked up a book by Jenny Blackhurst, and I have to say, I really enjoyed it. 

The Girl Who Left is a story with a diverse cast of characters, each potentially hiding a secret. 

Catharine lives a solitary life; apart from her neighbour and brother, she seldom has visitors. And that appears just the way she likes it thanks to her past run-ins with journalists. 

She carries the unimaginable weight of being the daughter of a child murderer, with her best friend, at merely five years old, being the victim. 

When another girl goes missing on Anglesey, the very place where she spent her childhood and where little Elsie Button vanished, Catharine feels an urge to return for the first time since her family left the island many years ago. 

The day the current child goes missing coincides with the anniversary of Elsie Button’s disappearance, and as if that weren’t enough to disrupt Catharine’s life, her mother attempts suicide and falls into a coma. 

Arriving in Anglesey, Catharine quickly realizes that even though she is trying to act like a tourist eager to assist with the search, someone knows her identity and wants her to leave. 

During this period, Catharine’s world begins to unravel, and she must confront whether what she has always believed about her little friend is indeed the true story. 

This book was fantastic: I was completely absorbed in the narrative, the characters, I had no idea where it would end….I love it when you have no clue right till the very end!