Mia Elliot, a British actress, is in Hollywood to try out for a part in a new pilot. Los Angeles is a far cry from her home in London. While at a tryout she strikes up a conversation with another actress, an American named Emily. When Emily has to go into audition, she realizes her car may be towed so Mia volunteers to pay the meter. When Mia returns Emily has disappeared. Now things take a very dark turn for Mia. It’s. No good deed goes unpunished kind of story. And Catherine Steadman is a master at plotting events where Mia gets deeply involved in the mystery. Is it all real or a bizarre kind of illusion? Another great one from Steadman! I could not put it down.! Highly recommend.

Thank you to #netgalley#RandonHouse#Ballentine#CatherineSteadman

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of The Disappearing Act. I absolutely loved this book. I knew upon reading the description I had to read it, so I was ecstatic when I received my copy. I think Catherine Steadman hit the nail on the head with her portrayal of the LA scene of rush and hustle and the string of aspiring artists auditioning. Mia, a British actress, foreign to California, is overwhelmed and lonely, trying to get cast in a role. Here she befriends Emily, who is more casual about her auditions. Emily then vanishes and a new Emily is at her doorstep. She questions herself, does she dig further to solve Emily’s disappearance or does she focus on her dreams? Definitely plan a day to read this because you won’t want to put it down:

Mia is a British actress who flies to LA for some auditions. While there, she meets Emily, who is also auditioning for a role. During the course of the audition, Emily disappears, sending Mia on a frantic search for her. That’s the premise for The Disappearing Act, a spellbinding thriller that had me breezing through the pages. Loved the different premise, with a small cast of characters and enough twists to keep you guessing right to the end. I really enjoyed the author’s first two books, and this is another great effort. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Before starting this book I didn’t realize that Catherine Steadman is an actress as well as an author, which certainly gives her good perspective for The Disappearing Act! Color me impressed, because Something in the Water and Mr. Nobody were both amazing, and had nothing to do with acting.

The Disappearing Act was a very quick read for me. I was drawn in by descriptions of Mia’s high-flying lifestyle, and kept interested by the mystery. I thought the author did a great job of describing the feeling of being alone in a new city, and the creepy feeling that someone has been touching your things. I loved the insider look into Hollywood life and the rush of pilot season.

I didn’t love how Mia was portrayed. She’s very much the dumb tourist--who leaves their purse unattended? Twice in one day?? I didn’t find it realistic that a woman in this day and age would blindly trust a man she met on the street.

I thought Mia was likable, but the way she was written into the story didn’t do her character justice, if that makes sense. I enjoyed her dialogue but not her choices. I was on her side, even though I rolled my eyes at some (lots) of her actions.

Overall, a very enjoyable read, but not quite as mind-blowing as I remember her previous two novels being.

I loved Catherine Steadman’s last two novels so I was thrilled when Random House gave me an ARC copy of her latest novel, “The Disappearing Act,” to review. In this book, an English actress, Mia Eliot, is given an opportunity of a lifetime to audition for roles in Hollywood. She relishes this chance to escape London and memories of the boyfriend who abandoned her for another, younger actress. Mia is soon enmeshed in a mystery surrounding a missing actress she met in an audition. Trying to find the whereabouts of this actress, who left her purse and car keys with Mia while Mia fed the actress’ parking meter, Mia feels that she is being shadowed, and after discovering missing and misplaced items, she realizes that someone has been in her apartment not only while she was away, but also in the night while she slept.

The book is ultimately based on a somewhat faulty premise—specifically that Mia, a seasoned Londoner, would leave her handbag unattended in a waiting room while she went into an audition room. If the reader overlooks this issue, the novel itself is enjoyable, as it has a likable main character with a wry sense of humor who gets herself involved in a dangerous situation while giving readers an inside look at Hollywood through the eyes of an emerging actress.

The best description of this book is eerie. This book is an atmospheric thriller where all of the character seem like people you know. Only a truly great writer can create a book several characters all of whom you recognize. The stories excellently put together. I highly recommend.

Holy cow, wow! This was a great, fast paced read! Amazingly written, character development phenomenal, with a fun and unique setting! Provided the much needed twisty turns, thrilling thrills, chilling chills, and gasp worthy shocks, I need in a mind-blowing good thriller! Very unputdownable, as it really grabs you from page one and keeps that attention until the very end! Highly, jiggly recommend, but would suggest clearing your schedule prior to starting, ad it’s one that you will not want to it down! And definitely do not start before bedtime!

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thank you NetGallery and Ballantine as well as Catherine Steadman for the advanced digital copy of The Disappearing Act. I received the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Hollywood world where anything goes to get what you want.
Steadman is one of the few writers that can take the readers down the path to where the road branches out in many directions, and her writing makes each option a very probable possibility.

This novel has a good strong character, Mia, who is the main subject and Emily. These women meet when one needs a bit of minor help. Emily then somehow vanishes.
Mia is very likeable and readers will want her to succeed. This novel will have you questioning more than "where is Emily". A page turning, stay up all night, fantastic read, with an end few will figure out and many won't see coming.

Thank you Net Galley and Ballantine Books for an early copy of The Disappearing Act by Catherine Steadman.

I am in between a 3.5 & 4 starts for this one. I read it quickly and enjoyed the LA hustle vibe that was created. I did find a lot of the choices that Mia made. There were so many opportunities for her to just walk away. Overall it was fun and fast paced with some minor flaws.

The Disappearing Act is a roller coaster ride of a book that will keep the reader guessing until the last page. Mia Eliot is an up and coming actor from London who decides to do some auditions in Los Angeles. Everything is going well until she meets another actor before an audition. However, when Mia agrees to do a favor for Emily her whole life gets turned upside down. Emily disappears. Mia tries to find her but is instead met with a woman pretending to be Emily. As her search continues she realizes someone had been sneaking into her rental apartment. Mia tries to concentrate on her upcoming screen test but has a strange feeling Emily is involved in something sinister. The story keeps twisting and turning until a shocking truth is revealed. Catherine Steadman has written another fantastic book. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I have really enjoyed Catherine Steadman's books in the past and this one was no exception. It was a enjoyable read, though I was a bit angry with the portrayal of the main character. Mia, a British actress comes to LA to further her acting career. Within her first day or two in LA, she crosses paths with Emily and a whole bunch of craziness ensues. This is the part that makes me mad - the author makes Mia act stupidly and not take the advice of many people to stay out of things and move on. The things that she does are just plain stupid and unrealistic. I repeat again in this review: I hate when women are made to act very stupidly ... especially when written this way by female authors! Aside from this, the book was a quick read and an interesting behind-the-scenes peek at the life of a Hollywood actress.

This review was also published on Goodreads.

What a fun book! It was filled with twists and turns I never saw coming, and I was rooting for Mia the whole way. I raced through this book, all the way to the final confrontation between protagonist and antagonist-- I could feel MY blood pressure soaring while reading that part. Rarely does a book make me physically feel something, but this one did..... and then came the ending, which I couldn't have written better myself. I just all around really loved this book, and will look for future titles by this author.

This book is filled with a lot of behind-the-scenes Hollywood details, and is a quick, fun read. I found some of the decisions made by the main character a bit unrealistic, but still enjoyed the book overall. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC for review.

Wow, this novel will leaving you thinking as what would you do in this situation. This novel is thought-provoking and keeps you guessing as to what is going to happen next. This was an enjoyable read and I will recommend it to others.

This was just an okay read for me. I enjoyed the first-hand account of the inner workings of Hollywood but mostly by the end of this I was just left unsatisfied. It wasn't as suspenseful as I was hoping and the ending was a bit unbelievable. I also wanted more justice for Emily.

An insider's glimpse of Hollywood life where the drive to succeed could lead you to do things you might never have imagined just to make it. With a narrative that carries you forward to see what will happen next, and a main character that you can't help but root for, Steadman has written a quintessential Hollywood novel with a twist.

Recommended for fans of Gone Girl but less dark

Thank you netgalley

I guess my original review of this story disappeared - like some of the characters in the new Catherine Steadman book. Loved this book. While I found one part at the end a bit outlandish, this story captured me from the first chapter. I cannot wait to read more from Steadman! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy. I will definitely be recommending this book.

British actress Mia Elliot has had minor success on the stage in England, now she’s trying her luck in Hollywood. She feels out of her depth in the cut throat world, but finds a kindred spirit in Emily, another outsider. Then one day, a complete stranger shows up in Emily’s place, claiming that she is the real Emily. Mia doesn’t know what to believe, the police certainly don’t believe Emily’s story. So what’s really going on in this twisted potboiler? Steadman will leave you guessing until the very end

Amazing story. Well developed characters that are in a twisted engrossing thriller. Highly recommended. Super suspense that comes to a satisfying end! Highly recommended . A true roller coaster thrill ride