Hide and Seek by Jane Casey

As the start of the Christmas break begins, Jess Tennant finds herself at one of Port Sentinels many parties, but while she’s having fun with friends and looking forward to Christmas, she doesn’t expect the drama which unfolds when she witnesses an argument during the party.

A few days later, Jess is paired with Gilly Poynter for a school project and while Gilly is known for being quiet and private, Jess can’t help but try and find out what the argument was about. 

With Gilly giving nothing away, Jess tries another tactic and arranges for them to meet at the local library in order to do project research, but when Gilly fails to turn up and she’s reported missing the next day, her suspicions are raised.

As Jess’s detective skills kick in once again, she does all she can to work out why Gilly was upset, despite Inspector Henderson’s warning not to get involved. 

With Jess trying to adjust to her father moving to the area and the ongoing jealousy between Will and Ryan, she already has enough to deal with, but when she discovers Gilly’s hidden diary and learns there’s no end of people who could have had a hand in her disappearance, she finds herself doing what she does best - solving mysteries.

After reading How to Fall and Bet Your Life, I couldn’t wait to read the next Jess Tennant novel and it didn’t disappoint. On pre-order, I was ready to read it as soon as it was delivered and despite a couple of breaks (work etc), I found myself gripped right until the end.

Although I had my ideas about how the story would end, I enjoyed letting it unfold and hope another novel is on its way.