Cover Image: The Disappearing

The Disappearing

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I read about 25% of this book and decided to put it down. I felt like nothing was really happening and the pace was just too slow for my preference.

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Wow!!! This book was very well written. Had me on the edge of my seat the whole time!!! This is the book you read with all the lights on while peeping out the window the whole time!! Five stars!!!!

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3 stars

This book was as slow as molasses for me. It started off strong with an interesting plot, but I often had to force myself to pick it up so I could finish it.

The Disappearing read much like southern gothic fiction. I don’t have much experience in this genre, but I would recommend for fans that enjoy that type of setting.

The main things that bothered me about this book: There were too many narrators. Now, I typically enjoy books that have multiple POV’s. It makes things interesting. This time it did not. There was too much going back and forth in timeframes and it became kinda messy. I felt that Neil should have been convicted of his crimes. I think that may have added a little thrill to the book. There was not enough action or suspense happening. I am okay with slow burns, but I got bored while waiting for something to wow me. It never happened.

The things I liked: I really loved Talley. Actually, she’s the only character I liked. I felt for Erma and Lane and I thought Neil was a domineering tyrant. I felt like the last quarter of the book gained some of its luster back with the revelations. The ending was meh, but I felt it wrapped up nicely.

I read this with many of my Traveling Sisters. 🌺

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Penguin Group Dutton and Lori Roy for an advanced copy.

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"...when everyone thinks they know your worst secret, you become something less than everyone else. Nothing about your life is private or even decent. No one trusts you either, because when tragic things happen to a person, the tragedy sticks."

Lane Fielding thought she would never return to small hometown in Florida. When she left twenty years earlier she swore that was the last the town would see of her. Then her marriage ended, and she found herself with two daughters and decided to go back to her hometown and live in her family home on the historic Fielding Plantation.

Her family has always been steeped in controversy. Her father is the infamous former director of a boy's school. A boy’s school full or horror and misery. Many boy's perished at the school while others ran. Many allegations of abuse and various lawsuits have been filed against Lane's father over the years. Lane's own past haunts her as she attempts to build a life for her children.

Then one day, Lane's oldest daughter, Annalee, goes missing two days after another girl in town has been missing. Is there a connection? Is this the work of a serial killer? Did her daughter run away? Making things worse, Lane's youngest daughter Tally admits that she has been spending time with a new friend in the hopes that she will be accepted into the Little sisters of the south group which is held at the local church. Why does Lane not know what is going on with her children?

As Lane searches for her daughter, family secrets, secrets, lies and revelations come to light. The past and the present collide in this book at a nice pace. I found this book to be well written and enjoyed how the reader is given a glimpse into various characters thoughts. The book started out strong for me but then lost a little momentum. I kept waiting for something big to happen - something that would really WOW me. I didn't really get it but still found the book to be enjoyable. Once the revelations start coming, the book picks up steam again and leaves the reader with answers and a satisfying final chapter.

Thank you to Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

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Twisty wonderful tale that keeps you reading until very late in the night. Looking forward to more from thus Author!!

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A Family Torn Apart by the Past

Terrible things happened at the boys school behind the Fielding Mansion when Lane’s father was the director. She lived in the mansion and couldn’t wait to escape her father’s misdeeds and her own trouble. She ran away and married immediately after high school graduation. Now she’s living in the Fielding Mansion with her parents with two daughters trying to heal from a divorce she didn’t want.

Lane is drinking too much trying to forget and is ignoring the problems of her daughters. When a girl disappears and then Annalee, Lane’s older daughter, disappears, the town remembers another girl who disappeared years ago. Now there’s talk of a serial killer. Lane is frantic to find Annalee and to protect her younger daughter, Talley.

I found this book rather slow. The plot was good, but the action was drawn out with multiple narrators. One of the confusing aspects was having Daryl, a strange boy who befriends Talley, tell his story in fragments that are out of the time sequence of the unfolding events.

The background is a small town where everyone remembers your past and it can seep into the present. Lane tries to hide from it with too much alcohol until she has to confront the problems that still exist; some of her own making.

The descriptions of the old mansion and the boys school are suitably haunting. This book is almost written like a gothic or a paranormal. There is romance and character development, but it’s the plot that drives the story. If you like a plot that relies on mysteries from this past, you may enjoy this book.

I received this book from Dutton for this review.

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Thank you to Netgalley and Dutton Books for a copy of the eARC in exchange for a fair review.



Lane is back in her home town of Waddell, and her father is under fire for his role in the boys' school that he ran. But what is even more worrisome is that Susannah has disappeared and no one seems to know what happened to her. They all wonder if has to do with what happened when Lane disappeared as a child.



However, when Annalee disappears one night, Lane becomes frantic to find her daughter and little does she know the truth about what happened to her, the boys' school and her father are all wrapped up together. Lane joins the search with her old boyfriend Mark. Soon they uncover that Annalee was still seeing Jimmie, and that perhaps Talley (Lane's youngest daughter might know more than the rest of them).



As always I am vague, I have to say that I stuck with this book when they mentioned the boys' school. I listened to a podcast not too long that was on that topic. I am sorry I don't remember the name, although to be honest I thought it was closed by the 90s, but I could be wrong. I was interested to see how the author would tie it all together.



Honestly, I am not sure I love the results. It was intriguing, but I am not sure the way the story flowed appealed to me. The subject matter, and the plot where what kept me going. It had a few point of views, and it was third person which I am not a fan of. And the reveal actually really didn't shock me too much, I think I was more shocked at who got away with what then I was by who actually did it. So it had things going for it, and it had things that did not help at all.

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4 Slow Burning Stars🌟🌟🌟🌟

Sometimes it’s nice to take a deep breath and read a slower paced book... The problem is your brain is so used to the fast-paced... frantic... can’t wait to get to the end books... that it is difficult to make the adjustment to a slower paced story like this.... this book was very southern Gothic and it reminded me of my impression of the south... A little slower, more traditional, more complicated but simple, a bit hard to understand at times (by a southwesterner like me), A little mysterious, and exquisitely beautiful! I truly hope this does not come across disrespectful to the south because it is a part of our country I find very mysterious and charming...

Lane has come home after many years away, something she never wanted to do... there are many family secrets and tragedies that are slowly revealed to us throughout this book.... it is very hard to live in a small town where everybody holds the actions of your father against you and now the same is happening to Lane’s children.... told from the points of view of Lane, her mother Irma, her daughter Talley, and Darrell who is a bit of a mystery.... this book offered us four different perspectives, but not necessarily four unique voices and this lead to some confusion at times... this was my main complaint about this book sometimes it was a bit all over the place.... and this might be a book I would have appreciated more on audio simply because the voices would change if done by a good narrator... and would be even better if done by multiple narrators....(Just checked it does have multiple narrators!)

A girl goes missing and this brings back memories of boys going missing from the local boys home as well as Lane’s own disappearance years ago... but for me this book was more about a family trying to heal.... secrets being revealed... A family breaking into even more pieces... and then picking them all up and trying to find a way to put them back together and making them fit in a different configuration...

Recommend when you are in the mood for a slower read filled with beautiful descriptive writing...

*** many thanks to Penguin Dutton for my copy of this book ***

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This mystery shifts points of view among several of the characters as the narrative progresses. For me, this storytelling technique broke the thread of the plot too much and made the story disjointed and a bit hard to follow. I read the book in two sittings and had a bit of difficulty when I picked it back up. I read and enjoy a lot of mysteries and would not likely recommend this one.

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Lori Roy is a well known author for bringing intriguing, page turning drama throughout an entire novel. The Disappearing definitely followed the same road with lots of twists and turns.

The story follows Lane as she returns to her hometown after running away years later, only to find herself facing very similar situations and now it is dwindling down to her daughters. Then one goes missing.

I like how Roy told a story, but kept the ending a secret. The way she wrote The Disappearing was from multiple perspectives and it jumped around in time. On one hand this allowed the reader to get a glimpse of the story as we attempted to piece together the ending. On the other hand, I felt it drew away from the story and added a bit of confusion, rather than intrigue. I felt that at times the story was leading us towards what we thought was the antagonist, only to change course. This happened enough to make me frustrated multiple times. I also was not expecting a slight cliffhanger ending, now having to wait for book two... if there is one.

Even with that, I felt this story had a lot of substance and depth that may other stories lack. It wasn't just one single story. Much like life, The Disappearing showed how multiple lives twisted together, and one persons actions had consequences on more than just their own lives. I liked the different characters and their personalities, which also showed how life choices and circumstances can shape a future and that of those around you.

The Disappearing is a strong read and I would recommend it to anyone wanting a mystery/thriller with lots of twists.

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An atmospheric family drama that tends to be somewhat depressing and definitely on the slow side. Told in multiple voices, the storyline was repetitious at times and one characters ramblings were sometimes hard to follow. The way the story played out left me a bit dismayed. Unfortunately not a book I enjoyed that much.

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The Disappearing by Lori Roy is the first book of Roy's that I have read and I am a fan! It was a terrific book.

Lane Fielding is back in her home town in Florida after being away 20 years. She has returned with her daughters after a divorce. She fled because of her family's history in town. Her family owns the Fielding Planation and her father had run the boy's reform school next door. There is massive baggage from that but when one of Lane's daughter's goes missing, old wounds surface.

A college student who had been working at the planation house goes missing then Lane's daughter. A local resident is found dead and the town is in a panic. What is causing the girls to disappear?

I loved the twists in this book. Lori Roy is a fantastic writer. Well done!

Highly recommend The Disappearing by Lori Roy.

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If you think you have read too many mysteries to be surprised anymore, The Disappearing is for you. Laney is a single mother with nowhere else to go. So she returns with her two daughters to her small hometown in the northern Florida - even though her family are social outcasts due to a huge scandal involving her father’s work at a school for “wayward” boys years prior. When college student and beloved historical society volunteer Susannah disappears, she is followed a couple of weeks later by Laney’s elder daughter Annalee. It looks like a maniac is taking young women and soon reporters and camera crews turn up to dig into the story. But as decades of buried secrets slowly work their way to the surface, it’s best not to make any assumptions about anything – or anyone. Author Lori Roy takes our biases and expectations and turns them on their head in this twisty mystery. This book will keep even the most seasoned reader guessing until literally the very end!

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Lane Fielding has returned home after twenty years to once again live with her parents. She never wanted to return but her divorce was a hard one and she’s back with her two daughters, Annalee and Talley. She’s not welcome in town since her father has for many years been suspected of abusing, and possibly killing, young boys at a nearby reform school. Lane has her own mystery of what happened to her when she disappeared at the age of 13 years old that still follows her around. Now another young blond girl has disappeared and the reporters are back in town. The past will soon touch Lane’s fragile family in an even more frightening way.

I’ve read all of Lori Roy’s books and they never disappoint. The author is very good at bringing her damaged characters to life and keeping her readers hooked. This is a slow moving book, sometimes I thought it was a bit too slow but then it would pick up again. I loved Lane and admired her efforts to be a good mother to the often difficult Annalee and the young vulnerable Talley. Lane had a hard upbringing and she vowed to do better by her daughters. She and her twisted family and their battle with their demons makes for an interesting story. The past is never too far from the present. This novel is apparently based on the real-life tragedy at the Arthur Dozier School for Boys in Florida.

Recommended.

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I haven't read a book by Lori Roy before and was worried it would be cheesy but I enjoyed it. Good pacing and plot and I liked the boy's school backdrop, it seemed very realistic as we know these kinds of abuses are all too real. I wish it was written with slightly fewer perspectives but that seems to be the popular style now. It jumped around a little too much, I thought.

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I think this was a case of a great book in the hands of the wrong reader. Maybe it's a reading slump, but I just couldn't get into this one and really struggled to finish.

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Thank you Dutton books for allowing me to read this in exchange for my honest review.

Lane never thought she would return back to home state, but soon enough finds herself there working behind a bar. She's cautious about town as she is known for her father's supposed abuse of the boys at the school he was a director at. She stays even more cautious for her two daughters that she lives with. Sure enough, Lane's oldest daughter goes missing. Is Lane willing to put family differences behind her in order to be successful in finding her missing daughter? Including even her younger daughter?

You may already know by following my reviews that I'm not a fan of multiple points of view. Honestly? They're growing on me! This one, on the other hand, has a LOT. I'm not one to read more than one book at a time, and having so many different points of view makes me feel like I am. I really focus in on the characters when I'm reading and I had a hard time doing this with so many characters. In all honesty, this was much needed for this book because of the conclusion the storylines all come to in the end. I had a hard time getting into the story at first because I was spending a lot of time trying to keep the characters in line and the timeline that matched it. I really had to pull myself to stay dedicated. The switch from first person to third person point of view was also way too distracting for me and a bit of a turn-off. The twist at the end of the book grabbed my attention back for sure (the twist is worth the read if anything!) I thought it was super cool that the story was based off true life events, something that makes it all the more relatable. In the end, I do need to go read more of Lori's books!

2.5/5 Stars

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The Disappearing was a bit of a disappointment for me when I first started the book because I was having a hard time getting into the storyline. But the further that I read the more I was engrossed in the storyline and how the characters reacted to circumstances! Twists and turns only made this book that much better! This is a definite to keep my eye out for the second book!

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Drenched in atmosphere, Lori Roy's fourth novel melds past and present as the sins of institutional racism come home to roost. Loosely based on a real news event, the small northern Florida town of Waddell is overrun with reporters when word hits of abuse and murder at a now-closed school for boys. When the adult daughter of the man accused of the abuse brings back her own daughters after a divorce, they become enmeshed in the consequences. Is evil hereditary? Should families be punished for the sins of their patriarch? Readers who loved Let Me Die in His Footsteps won't want to miss this follow-up.

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The Disappearing is a mystery set in a small town in Florida. In quite a few ways it reminded me of Secrets of Southern Girls. Both books share a protagonist who has left home and not been back for many years, and they both have secrets they are keeping about their pasts. Obviously this formula works well for me because I liked both books a lot. The Disappearing leaves out most of the salaciousness that permeated the other story though.

The mystery seemed pretty straight forward at first, but it ended up being more complicated than that. There was a point where I started suspecting what really happened, but it was a really nice twist anyway. The characters where all really well drawn and I especially liked Tally, the main character's 10 year old daughter, a lot. The ending fit the book well, and this appears to be a stand-alone, but there is room to write more if the author ever decides to. I wouldn't mind revisiting these characters just so the truth can come out about a certain someone. If you like stories about small southern towns, large southern mansions with sketchy pasts, and characters with secrets then you will probably like this book.

Thanks to Penguin Group and NetGalley for giving me an advanced copy of this book.

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