Includes reading group questions.

"Originally published in Great Britain in 2016 by Penguin UK" -- title page verso.

The old Victorian pier was a thing of beauty until it was allowed to decay. It was where the youth of Oldcliffe-on-Sea would go to hang out. It's also where twenty-one-year-old Sophie Collier disappeared eighteen years ago. Francesca Howe, known as Frankie, was Sophie's best friend, and even now she is haunted by the mystery of what happened to her. When Frankie gets a call from Sophie's brother, Daniel, informing her that human remains have been found washed up nearby, she immediately wonders if it could be Sophie, and returns to her old hometown to try and find closure. Now an editor at a local newspaper, Daniel believes that Sophie was terrified of someone and that her death was the result of foul play rather than "death by misadventure," as the police claim. Daniel arranges a holiday rental for Frankie that overlooks the pier where Sophie disappeared. In the middle of winter and out of season, Frankie feels isolated and unnerved, especially when she is out on the pier late one night and catches a glimpse of a woman who looks like Sophie. Is the pier really haunted, as they joked all those years ago? Could she really be seeing her friend's ghost? And what actually happened to her best friend all those years ago? Harrowing, electrifying, and thoroughly compelling, Local Girl Missing showcases once again bestselling author Claire Douglas' extraordinary storytelling talent.

The old Victorian pier was where the youth of Oldcliffe-on-Sea would go to hang out. It's also where Sophie Collier disappeared eighteen years ago. When Francesca "Frankie" Howe gets a call from Sophie's brother, Daniel, that human remains have been found washed up nearby, she hopes to find closure. He arranges a holiday rental for Frankie that overlooks the pier where Sophie disappeared. When she catches a glimpse of a woman who looks like Sophie, is she seeing her friend's ghost?