The Disappearing

A Novel

By: Lori Roy

Narrated by: Sophie Amoss, Michael Crouch

Length: 11 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Best Books of 2018

Two-time Edgar Award-winning author Lori Roy spins a twisted, atmospheric tale about a small Southern town where girls disappear and boys run away.

When Lane Fielding fled her isolated Florida hometown after high school for the anonymity of New York City, she swore she'd never return. But 20 years later, newly divorced and with two daughters in tow, she finds herself tending bar at the local dive and living with her parents on the historic Fielding Plantation. Here, the past haunts her and the sinister crimes of her father - the former director of an infamous boys' school - make her as unwelcome in town as she was the day she left.

Ostracized by the people she was taught to trust, Lane's unsteady truce with the town is rattled when her older daughter suddenly vanishes. Ten days earlier, a college student went missing, and the two disappearances at first ignite fears that a serial killer who once preyed upon the town has returned. But when Lane's younger daughter admits to having made a new and unseemly friend, a desperate Lane attacks her hometown's façade to discover whether her daughter's disappearance is payback for her father's crimes - or for her own.

With reporters descending upon the town, police combing through the swamp, and events taking increasingly disturbing turns, Lane fears she faces too many enemies and too little time to bring her daughter safely home.

Powerful and heart-pounding, The Disappearing questions the endurance of family bonds, the dangers of dark rumors and small town gossip, and how sometimes home is the scariest place of all.

©2018 Lori Roy (P)2018 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“[A] sinuous slow burn... evocative writing and a tense, kaleidoscopic narrative conspire to create a tale that thrills and chills.” (Publishers Weekly)

“This contemporary slow burner oozes with atmosphere, and Roy effortlessly weaves numerous plot threads together without sacrificing her characters, who are very flawed and all too human…A twisted Southern gothic winner.” (Kirkus Reviews)

“Another creepily atmospheric, cunningly plotted suspense tale… Excruciating tension throughout.” (Booklist)

interesting with some twists

the book held my interest from the beginning. I enjoyed the twists and will look for more from this author.

Buried Secrets Never Stay Buried

This well-written book is bursting with dark, buried secrets, town rumors and gossip as well as resilient family bonds. The Fielding family has a lot to contest with due to past events becoming potential future dangers. Lane returns home to the scrutiny of her past while trying to preserve the safety of her daughters futures in an unforgiving town that she once called home.

This story released a slow burn that did not take away from the suspense. The author made sure the characters as well as their back stories and perspectives were represented in a way that left you wondering what was going to happen next. I reveled in the pace which I believe was necessary to create the ebb and flow of the unfolding events and allowed me to indulge in the unpredictability of the story without confusion.

I especially enjoyed the way the book concluded which tied things together in a nice, neat, psychologically, suspense-filled bow where the ending you hope for isn't always real-life. This is a great psychological story which left me wanting more. I would like to know what happens next which gives me goosebumps. I plan to look for this author’s books in the future.

Truth, Lies, and Secrets

The story kept me interested enough to continue listening. As the characters complexities reveal family lies and secrets I kept listening and became hookI was pleasantly surprised to discover another character causes a woman who disappears to die out of jealousy and not the character I suspected.

Good

This is my second time listening to this story. It's a great story & Narrators. Small Southern town mystery. Lot's of twists & turnes. Surprised not many people have listened to it.