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Then She Was Gone: A Novel Spiral-Bound | 2018-11-06

Lisa Jewell

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From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Family Upstairs and None of This Is True comes an "acutely observed family drama" ( People ) about the lingering aftermath of a young girl's disappearance. Ellie Mack was the perfect daughter. She was fifteen, beloved by her parents, friends, and teachers. She and her boyfriend made a teenaged golden couple. She was days away from an idyllic summer vacation, with her whole life ahead of her. And then she was gone. Now, her mother, Laurel Mack, is trying to put her life back together. It's been ten years since her youngest child disappeared, seven years since her marriage ended, and only months since the last clue in Ellie's case was unearthed. So when she meets an unexpectedly charming man in a café, no one is more surprised than Laurel at how quickly their flirtation develops into something deeper. Before she knows it, she's meeting Floyd's daughters--and his youngest, Poppy, takes Laurel's breath away. Because looking at Poppy is like looking at Ellie. Laurel is haunted by her long unanswered questions. What happened to Ellie? Did she run away from home, as the police have long suspected? Who is Floyd, really? And why does his daughter remind Laurel so viscerally of her own missing girl? Read more
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Original Binding: Paperback
Pages: 384 pages
Item Weight: 0.65 lbs
Dimensions: 5.3 x 1.1 x 8.2 inches
Praise for Then She Was Gone:
“Then She Was Gone is a riveting thriller.” -PopSugar
“Jewell teases out her twisty plot at just the right pace, leaving readers on the edge of their seats. There will surely be comparisons to novels such as Emma Donoghue’s Room (2010) as well as all of the “Girl” thrillers, but Jewell’s latest really isn’t at all derivative. Her multilayered characters are sheer perfection, and even the most astute thriller reader won’t see where everything is going until the final threads are unknotted. Those few who do guess early won’t mind, as the pace and prose will keep them hooked.” -Booklist (starred review)
“Jewell gets more riveting and twisty with every book she writes. Completely absorbing, fast-paced, well-written and with a shocking ending that will keep readers guessing, Then She Was Gone is a nearly pitch-perfect thriller. Fans of Gillian Flynn, Paula Hawkins and Ruth Ware are sure to adore this haunting novel.” -Shelf Awareness
“More than a whiff of The Lovely Bones wafts through this haunting domestic noir from bestseller Jewell…Skillfully told by several narrators, Jewell’s gripping novel is an emotionally resonant story of loss, grief, and renewal.”  -Publishers Weekly
"For thriller readers, Jewell's latest will not disappoint. Sharply written with twists and turns, it will please fans of Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train, or Luckiest Girl Alive." -Library Journal
“In addition to being a complex and genuinely suspenseful narrative, Then She Was Gone is a rich study of the ways in which people respond to grief and how past trauma can continue to shape their decision-making and relationships years or decades later. Readers will be truly affected by Ellie’s real story once it’s revealed—and they’ll be satisfied by the hopeful yet bittersweet ending. Jewell demonstrates once again that she has what it takes to genuinely shock, surprise and move her readers.” -Book Reporter
"What begins as a story about the mother of a missing girl starting a new relationship as she comes terms with her grief morphs into a gripping, disturbing and utterly fascinating tale about what really happened to young Ellie Mack. I've been a Lisa Jewell fan for a long time and in this book, as in all her others, she deftly weaves a compelling plot with an emotional depth that leaves you gasping. In Then She Was Gone she has created a book that is dark and claustrophobic but also heartfelt and moving. Then She Was Gone packs a huge emotional punch that will leave you winded. I loved it." -C.L. Taylor, bestselling author
"If you were the first of your friends to read Girl On The Train, and have read Gone Girl more times than you can remember, then here is your summer read. A thriller about a 15-year-old girl who has vanished and a mother who won’t give up hope. A perfect Pimm’s companion." -The Sun (UK)
"Smart and engrossing." -Sunday Mirror (UK)
"A dark, compulsive psychological thriller, yet one which is also uplifting and tender. I absolutely loved Then She Was Gone."  -Rachel Rhys, author of Dangerous Crossing
"Jewell has departed from chick lit and gone full tilt into a psycho thriller, but she’s lost none of her brilliance… Deeply emotional and incredibly clever. Bravo." -Mail Online
Praise for I Found You:
“Lisa Jewell is a brilliant storyteller, creating suspenseful yet believable novels time and again. I Found You is no exception—filled with intriguing characters connected in startling ways. Quickly paced yet delicately nuanced, this novel is sure to appeal to fans of Big Little Lies and The Woman in Cabin 10.” -Shelf Awareness (starred review)
"Jewell is a wonderful storyteller. Her characters are believable, her writing is strong and poetic, and her narrative is infused with just enough intrigue to keep the pages turning. Readers of Liane Moriarty, Paula Hawkins, and Ruth Ware will love." -Library Journal (starred review)
“How [the] plots intersect and finally collide is one of the great thrills of reading Jewell’s book. She ratchets up the tension masterfully, and her writing is lively.” -New York Times Book Review
"Jewell keeps the reader guessing." -New York Post, Required Reading column
“The structure keeps the suspense level high, and Jewell manages surprising revelations all the way up to the ending. The mix of women’s fiction and suspense—plus a no-nonsense 40-something heroine at the heart of the story—makes this a good fit for fans of Liane Moriarty.” -Booklist
“Riveting…numerous twists avoid predictability, and the novel is well-paced as it weaves three narratives together. Dark and moody, this is a mystery with substance.”  -Kirkus Reviews
"One word: wow! This latest offering from Jewell starts off strong and keeps readers riveted until the very last word…this book is ‘unreliable narrator’ at its best!" -RT Book Reviews
“Jewell is a genuinely original and skilled novelist with an impressive flair for deftly crafted narratives and surprising plot development.” -Midwest Book Review
TREMENDOUS GROWTH: Our spring 2017 publications of the I Found You hardcover and the paperback of The Girls in the Garden saw Lisa reaching new heights. We shipped out 24k of the I Found You hardcover (as opposed to 12k of The Girls in the Garden hardcover), and over 50k of The Girls in the Garden paperback, up dramatically from The Third Wife paperback. Both The Girls in the Garden and I Found You received review coverage in the New York Times, as well as glowing trade reviews. Lisa traveled to the US and Canada for the first time to attend BookExpo and tour independent bookstores, where she wowed readers and made devotees of booksellers. In 2018, we will release I Found You in paperback and the Then She Was Gone hardcover edition in the Spring, with Then She Was Gone paperback leading into Lisa's new hardcover Watching You in late Fall as we shift towards publishing her in hardcover simultaneously with the UK.

SUSPENSE-PACKED UPMARKET FICTION: Lisa dove deeper into suspense with I Found You, a "dark and moody mystery with substance" (Kirkus Reviews). In Then She Was Gone we see Lisa's suspense writing reach new heights—her plotting is even tighter, her pacing is even more breathless, but she never sacrifices any of the character depth or realistically rendered familial relationships that her fans have always loved. This novel wonderfully showcases Lisa’s extraordinary storytelling skills and ability to perfectly marry the relatability and nuanced character development of women's fiction with the atmospheric intrigue and mystery of a thrilling suspense.

CHARACTERS YOU CARE ABOUT: What sets Lisa's novels apart from many other female-driven thrillers on the market is her talent for creating flawed but ultimately likeable characters whom readers quickly become invested in and genuinely root for as the story unfurls. Book club readers and women over 40 will adore her astute portrayal of motherhood and later-in-life romantic attraction. In Then She Was Gone, Lisa powerfully depicts a mother's grief in the wake of a missing child, and the difficulty of starting over and seeking connection when your life has not turned out the way you believed it would.

NATIONAL ACCLAIM: Lisa received outstanding coverage for The Girls in the Garden, and I Found You has continued that trend. Library Journal and Shelf Awareness both gave Lisa a stunning starred reviews, praising her as "a brilliant storyteller" and saying that "readers of Liane Moriarty, Paula Hawkins, and Ruth Ware will love" this novel. I Found You was also featured in New York Post's "Required Reading" column, and received raves from the New York Times Book Review, Kirkus, Booklist, RT Book Reviews, and Midwest Book Review.

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER: Lisa's star is on the rise internationally. Then She Was Gone was a #1 Sunday Times bestseller in the UK—Lisa's first #1 bestseller after 15 novels! The paperback was released with similar fanfare, selling a staggering 30,000 copies in its first week on sale and snagging the coveted honor of being named a Richard & Judy pick. Additionally, I Found You was a Globe and Mail besteller in Canada, and they have shipped out a whopping 34,000+ copies of the Canadian edition so far.

BETTER AND BETTER WITH EVERY BOOK: Lisa keeps getting better and better with every book, and Then She Was Gone is her best work yet. With heightened suspense, layered storytelling, and richly drawn characters, it’s sure to satisfy her existing fans—and draw in many new ones.