The Vanishing Season immediately drew me in and held my attention for hours; I finished it in one day! The book centers around detectives solving a crime, but it manages to not be too detective-y. At its heart it's a psychological thriller, and it will entertain you until the very end!

a beautiful cover for this book and a great little story to curl up on the couch with on a winter's night. An easy, quick read without much hard thinking. Lovely book

This book gave me goosebumps! It was quite the chilling tale. I will admit that I wasn’t entirely invested in the beginning but as the story went on and the mystery started to get going, I found it much more enjoyable. When all the pieces fell together…WOW!

Again, as I do with all mystery reads, I had my list of suspects and I am glad to say that my number one suspect was correct! Though fairly predictable, the way everything connected in the end and the build-up made for a thrilling ride.
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Characters:
Ellery Hathaway – Once victim, now survivor, Ellery changes her life, her hair, even her name. No one knows that the only woman in the Woodbury PD is also the only survivor of an infamous serial killer. Or so she thinks. When people start disappearing every year on her birthday and she starts receiving mail from an unknown source, she can’t deny it any longer. Someone knows her secret. With no proof or evidence to support her claims, no one believes her about the pattern of the disappearances. No one but the man who saved her fourteen years ago.
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Reed Markham – The world sees him as a hero for saving the girl, a girl whose kidnaping he made his career out of. The way she was brutalized, tormented, violated – it all made for an amazing story. A story he wrote that went on to be a best-seller and an on-screen movie. But one mistake costs him everything. A phone call from the once young girl now woman has him rushing to her side. He thought the story ended when he brought the girl home all those years ago. But someone else is playing the same sick game. And alongside Ellery, he’s a key player.
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It took some time for me to warm up to these characters. Ellery at the start was having an affair and Reed was spiralling with an upcoming divorce. Not the best first impression at all, but as the story progressed I didn’t exactly start liking the two characters but I definitely enjoyed their dynamic with each other. It wasn’t romantic, though it had hints of that near the end, but more like two kindred spirits who understood the other.
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Plot:
This story was told in third person and switched from Ellery’s point of view to Reed’s. The prologue is from the perspective of an unknown character and most of the book I’m wondering what it had to do with anything. This author planned this mystery thriller brilliantly! She left no loose ends and answered every question that confused me when reading. I feel like the book started as a mess but as it went on things started becoming clearer, characters became more prominent and the plot itself became exciting. The suspense factor definitely came into play as the story progressed.
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Schaffhausen indeed delivered a well written mystery thriller. She definitely maintained the thriller side of the story, alongside the mystery. Though my interest wasn’t immediate, my overall enjoyment of this thrilling story outweighs the slow start. I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a good “whodunit” plotline.

Great thriller. Very well written. The story has you turning pages through out the night. Not all thrillers are like that, but this one surely didn't disappoint.

Wow what a great debut novel. The Vanishing Season is such a great mystery/suspense. A plot with many twists and turns that kept me guessing. I really enjoyed this author's style of writing and look forward to reading more of her books. I highly recommend this book.

Ellery (Ellie) was kidnapped and tortured by a serial killer as a teenager before she was rescued by Agent Reed Markham. As an adult and a police officer, she turns to Markham for help proving that the disappearances in her town are the work of another killer. I liked this. I did actually guess pretty early on who the killer was, but the story was still good and an interesting premise. I would like to read more about Ellie and/or Reed if this were to become a series. 4 stars.

Ellery Hathaway is the only survivor of the notorious serial killer, Frances Michael Coben. She was to be victim 17, but FBI agent Reed Markham swept in to rescue her from the fetid, locked closet where she had been kept, the closet where the unlucky 16 who didn’t survive had tried to claw their way out. No wonder she keeps the closets in her house nailed shut. Think about that image for a minute if you want to freak yourself out.
But now, Ellery is damned sure an almost copy-cat killer is at work. For the past three years someone has disappeared around her birthday. She knows another serial killer is at work but no one at her job will believe her since no bodies have been found and they all have reasons why they could be missing. This is extremely frustrating because Ellie is a police officer in the small town of Woodbury, MA. And she knows from serial killers. Not even her lover, the police chief takes her seriously.
Ellery is sure she could convince the police chief, but that would mean giving up a few of her secrets, such as her real name and the fact that she was the seventeenth victim. She is also holding back real evidence.
Instead she calls FBI S/A Reed Markham in to help her. He’s at a new low, even though for years he found fame and fortune on the back of his rescue of Ellery. Ellery does not resent this, as she herself has managed to make some good money from her ordeal.
I found Ellery to be fascinating. She was fourteen when she was taken, but has managed to find and lead an almost normal life. She is really not one to completely admire, a welcome change with female protagonists.
She is rabid about keeping her past hidden from everyone, even when it might help in establishing her case. She has turned into a bit of a user, not above using her sexual charms to advance her cause. She is also a loner with few friends. No man has ever been inside her house.
S/A Markham is a mess, struggling to reach the surface and begin again in both his professional and personal life. He is aghast at one point to realize he may not have really rescued Ellery and must try to work through his mistrust of her.
The academy award for best supporting actor goes to Bump, Ellery’s basset hound. Oh wait, I’m mixing my media. Oops doing it again. Anyway the dog is an award winner.
The Vanishing Season is deftly plotted. It begins with a chilling prologue that stays with the reader and continues the thrills with a cold logic. The serial killer who took Ellery was one of the most chilling I’ve come across. I think by this time it must be hard for authors to be original in mining the serial killer plot. Joanna Schaffhausen has succeeded admirably with both of her killers and her story.
This is Schaffhausen’s first book as she was the award winner for the Minotaur/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Competition. I hope she continues to find success as she is off to a fine start. I wonder though, if this is the beginning of a series, and if so, whose series, Ellery or S/A Markham?
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Do not tell my boss but I just finished this book and I am at work. Couldn't put it down. It is fast paced, very suspenseful and I didn't come close to guessing who did it. Now I have to see if the author, Joanna Schaffhausen, has written anything else. Many thanks to NetGalley for making this review possible!

Ellery likes her job as a police officer in a small town, but she is frustrated that the chief of police refuses to acknowledge that something nefarious is at work when 3 town members go missing. The all disappeared in the early part of July for three years in a row. Now it's July again and Ellery is convinced that another person will be taken. What Ellery doesn't tell the chief is that she has been receiving unsigned birthday cards that really spook her. And with good reason, when she was a teenager, Ellery was abducted by a serial killer herself and lived to tell about it. Fearing the worst, Ellery calls in Reed Markham, the FBI agent who had rescued her years before. Together they uncover some dark and frightening secrets that put both of them in jeopardy. Well-written and suspenseful, THE VANISHING SEASON held my attention to the very end.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. I found myself bored until 80% of the book. Then things started to pick up like a crescendo then the booked ended. There could have been more time with the bad guy. I felt like it lasted 2 seconds. The relationship between Ellery and Reed was awkward and he didn't really offer and explanation to why. It wasn't as suspenseful as i would have like it. I wish we could of had insight to who else could have done it other than the 2 people suggested.

I enjoyed this novel a great deal as it has a lot of suspense. Ellery escaped serial killer Coben years ago when she was rescued by FBI agent Reed Markham, but the emotional scars still weigh heavily on her and now that she is in law enforcement, she is determined to prevent any more deaths--even as three townspeople have gone missing. As her birthday approaches, she becomes rabid with the desire to make sure no one else goes missing--as they have once a year close to this time--so she reaches out to Reed to help. And so begins the search for answers. Who is the killer and what are the motives? And why does she receive an anonymous birthday card each year? Is it personal or coincidence? Taut and tightly written, the novel moves along at a fast pace with well-drawn characters that you are invested in; this is a solid read!

The pacing in this book kept me up at night! I really enjoyed the suspense and creepy aspects of this book. In fact, I kept thinking of Thomas Harris's "The Silence of the Lambs." There are a couple of plot holes, which is why I gave it three instead of four stars, but overall, this is great thriller for fans of the genre.

I received this book as an advanced edition. I was drawn in to the story of a teen kidnapped and rescued. Fourteen years later people in her small town disappear. One a year around her birthday. Ellery reaches out to the FBI agent who rescued her. I liked the characters and the tension that built as events unfolded. I did think I knew the person of interest about halfway through the story, but I still wanted to see how the story ended.

The Vanishing Season isn't necessarily a mystery-- it lays out its storyline as if it might be one. However, the "whodunnit" is told almost immediately, and instead it becomes a look at the psychoses of various people involved in a crime-- the victim, the bystanders, the hero, the law enforcement, etc. Overall, enjoyable book. I especially liked the lack of romance. The author knew to keep it out.

The best part of this book was the author's ability to write characters who have there issues or flaws, but own them, and just keep living. The female lead of the story, Ellery Hathaway, is continuing to try to overcome the horrors she experienced as the single surviving victim of the serial killer Francis Michael Coben. Though she still has troubles trusting people, she still looks out for and tries to protect others from being harmed, as a police officer in her new home. When she needs help on the cases of three suspicious missing person cases, she calls on Agent Reed Markham - the man who saved her from Coben. Agent Markham is himself dealing with issues related to a deadly abduction case and his failing marriage. These two compelling characters highlight a thrilling mystery that kept me reading to the end in one sitting.

I would like to thank the publisher for granting my wish for an advanced copy in return for my honest opinion.

Ellery is the one victim who escaped from a serial murderer when she was 14. Years later, she has changed her identity and is working for the police when a set of kidnappings happens in her small town. She asks for help from the FBI agent who rescued her years ago. Even though this was a mystery, I was less concerned about finding out who did it and more interested in Ellery and the FBI agent. They both have been affected for years by what happened years before and it has changed both of their lives. I liked how the author alluded to the violent acts committed by the serial murderer and didn't go into detail.

Wonderful thriller with great plot and characters. Highly recommend both the book and the author. Definitely worth a read.

Reminiscent of Mary Higgins Clark, The Vanishing Season is just dark enough and with the right amount of small twists to keep you guessing.

A serial killer may be on the lose the small town where Ellery is a cop, but no one else believes her. Worse yet, the crimes may be linked to her past. And the killer is taunting Ellery with that knowledge. She calls in the FBI agent that saved her all those years ago, and together they try to bring a killer to justice.

With so many people hiding secrets or acting strangely it was hard to pinpoint who may be behind the taunts to Ellery and the missing people. I felt I was constantly questioning everyone we met through Ellery and Reed and I loved that.

There were a few issues (for instance: DNA testing takes more than a day and in a place like Boston there would be no special favors that didn't stem from an already huge case; also, even though Ellery's name was kept out of the press (from when she was a child), in order to become a police officer one must pass multiple background tests and psychological testing. Her boss, Chief Parker, would have been aware of her past), but on the whole an enjoyable novel.

The Vanishing Season, due for publication in December 2017, is Joana Schaffhausen's first novel. As far as debuts go, this one is pretty darn good.

Abigail Hathaway now goes by her middle name, Ellery. She is the only female officer on the small town police force in Woodbury, MA. What none of her coworkers know is that fourteen years ago, she was the last of seventeen girls kidnapped by the serial killer Francis Michael Coben. Unlike his other victims, she survived after being rescued by FBI agent Reed Markham. Emotional scars notwithstanding, she's been living a peaceful life with her Basset Hound Speedbump until three years ago when local residents started to disappear during the first two weeks of July, right before her birthday. Three people have now vanished and Ellery believes that the cases are connected, her suspicions supported by the creepy birthday cards she receives every year right after each person's disappearance. Her boss and fellow officers dismiss her concerns so as her next birthday approaches and another disappearance is imminent, she contacts Agent Markham and requests that he help her investigate the cases.

The Vanishing Season was a very enjoyable read. It was well written, with cleverly drawn characters, a suspenseful plot and an unpredictable conclusion. It's a solid mystery that I recommend without reservation, especially to anyone who enjoys this genre.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

She changed her name, but she could not change what happened to her in the past. Fourteen years ago, Ellery was saved by FBI agent Markman. She has tried to move on and is now a police officer in a small town.
Three residents of this small town gone missing over the three years since she has been a resident. One abduction per year. Always the same time of year, around her birthday. After each abduction Ellery receives a birthday card. Who knows her real identity other than the killer, who is now in jail, and the man who wrote her story all those years ago? Now she is reaching out to that man, Reed Markman is an FBI agent with some issues. These issues have led him to not be on active duty with the FBI. So when Ellery calls, she is able to go to her assistance. This is a definite fast-paced thriller that this reader read in a 24 hour period. This is a 3.5 star read rounded to 4.