"A 25 year old mystery is investigated in this assured and compelling debut, that burns with an intense, provocative fire."
Burning with an intense, provocative fire, this is a debut that doesn’t flinch from the troubled world it creates. 25 years ago, a 16 year old school girl and her teacher disappeared, now a journalist investigates the mystery at the heart of the boarding school. The prologue intrigues, answering a question while bursting open many more. I felt a seductive unsettling call and settled in. Three women sit centre stage in this story, the missing Louisa, her friend Victoria, and the journalist. I gained access to the school and sank into the heady highs and lows of teenage years. A veil of mystery covers Temple House, the school sits in both time periods, a chilling constant between the two. It is as much about the unsaid, the unseen, as it is what is revealed, and Rachel Donohue handles the balance with surety. The ending really spoke to me, it opened my thoughts and encouraged them to travel. I have no doubt that The Temple House Vanishing will stay with me for some time to come, it is an assured and compelling debut.
| Primary Genre | Thriller and Suspense |
| Other Genres: | |
| Recommendations: |
Fantastic story that will keep the reader turning page after page till the end. This is a must buy!!
This is one of the most enjoyable books I have read in a long time. This is a must buy!!
The excellent debut book by Rachel Donohue which will keep readers enthralled. Rachel writes with passion and commitment and the way the storyline unfolds as the reader progresses through the book is superb.... Read Full Review
Wow! Just wow! I had goosebumps when I finished. I could not put this book down and now I’ve just finished it I want to start all over again! For a debut novel, this is just incredible.
I cannot rate this book highly enough. The cover itself was intriguing and as I read the book I realised that the cover links to the fact that the story is about art and an art teacher.
The novel is written in sections, from two peoples perspectives - the journalist and Louisa. This works really well. It helps to build the tension and to give different perspectives on the happenings at Temple House and ‘The Girls On The Hill’.
Louisa starts a new school, run by nuns, where she is the scholarship girl amongst the rich and entitled. It is here that she meets Victoria and Mr Lavelle the art teacher. Their story involves love, art, fantasy and betrayal.
The way that Rachel Donohue writes sucks you in from the very beginning.... Read Full Review
An atmospheric and unsettling read.
There is a mystery but it doesn’t feel like a mystery. The story is told alternately by Louisa in the past and a journalist in the present. Louisa arrives as a new scholarship student at the Temple House School and is immediately fascinated by the relationship between another student, Victoria, and the art teacher, Mr Lavelle. Alternating with this, a journalist is investigating the disappearance of Louisa and Mr Lavelle… so, a mystery.
I found myself hurrying through the journalist chapters to get back to the obsessive world of Victoria, Louisa and Mr Lavelle. Reading this book felt like trying to fight your way through layers of overgrown vines or peering through distorted thick old glass in an attempt to reveal what is hidden underneath. The ivy on the cover felt very appropriate.... Read Full Review
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