I really enjoyed this book the story was gripping and addictive. I really liked the characters and this is just a fun fast paced psychological thriller that I think lovers of crime fiction will really enjoy.

I expected alot out of this book, but it kind of fell flat for me. I liked the writing but I found it was a bit unrealistic. So I started to loose interest. The ending dragged on but overall I still really liked this book.

“The Disappearing Act” by Catherine Steadman was such a fun and excitingly nerve wracking mystery! Set in LA, this mystery gives you a close look at the ins and outs of Hollywood and the acting world through the eyes of a British TV star trying to make it big in Tinseltown. This storyline was even more interesting coming from an author/actor who has actually been there!
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I don’t want to give too much away, as reviews sometimes tend to do with a thriller.. but I will say this one kept me hooked, was a bit of a psychological thriller rather than anything scary or gory, and made me question pretty much everything and everyone all the way through! The perfect beach read for those of us heading into Summer (except Melbourne because it’s absolutely freezing here in Spring?? ) but also makes for a wonderful cosy fireplace thrilling read!
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I’ve now read all of Catherine Steadman’s novels and I’ve loved them all. Such easy, page-turning reads which I need as a massive escape at the moment.. with all the crap going on in the world, we need to be distracted and entertained and this book did just that! I was guessing until the very end and I truly enjoyed the ride it took me on. Can’t wait to see what Cat Steadman comes out with next!
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Thanks to @netgalley and @simonschusterau for an online advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review. (I absolutely also went and bought myself a copy when it came out because the cover is so pretty)

The Disappearing Act by Catherine Steadman is a gripping psychological thriller story set in the acting world with many twists and turns. You’ll be suspicious of everyone in this cast!

Young actress Mia Eliot has just starred as Jane in Eyre, a TV series adaptation of the famous novel by Charlotte Bronte. She’s been tipped for a BAFTA award and her agent Cynthia is keen to capitalise on this. She sends Mia to LA from London for a three week period at the start of 'pilot season’ for auditions. Coincidently Mia’s just been cowardly dumped by her long time ‘actor’ boyfriend so she’s keen to get away.

Mia meets a woman named Emily Bryant at one of the auditions. She clicks with Emily but then, what starts off as a straightforward favour turns into the mystery of Emily’s disappearance.

We're given an interesting look behind the glamour of Hollywood and and the dark characters that lurk there, I loved the show biz setting!

I really enjoyed the atmospheric scenes situated at the Hollywood sign, each giant letter the height of a five storey building. This landmark and cultural icon has a dark history that I was not aware of until reading this story.

This one is a real page turner with lots of strange and weird happenings, It was a fast and enjoyable read.

The Disappearing Act by Catherine Steadman

I Loved this book! from the very first pages I could feel I was going to enjoy reading it and it did not disappoint.

I could not put the book down as the story kept me on the edge of my seat. The story is fast paced and exciting.
The drama and suspense are excellent, this book lives up to its heading of psychological.

Catherine Steadman is an excellent author and really brings all her characters to life. I have read all Catherine’s books and they have all been excellent.

I loved the main character, Mia, and couldn’t wait to find out what happens to her in the end.

I would like to thank Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book for an honest review.

What the hell did I just read. Just when I thought I had it figured, there was another punch to change my direction. Really enjoyed this book and would recommend for someone wanting something a little different!

Woah....this book like Los Angeles itself is completely bonkers.

"The Disappearing Act" by Catherine Steadman is reminiscent of the 2019 film "Under The Silver Lake". As someone who loves Los Angeles and all the craziness that comes with it, this book was right up my alley. Nothing is too strange when it comes to Los Angeles and Hollywood. Trying to read this with an open mind and seeing it through the eyes of someone who isn't familiar with the city and the industry, the story itself may come across as shallow and not entirely captivating.

"The Disappearing Act" is different to Steadman's past books and takes on a completely different vibe. The unpredictability is strong, as anything can happen. The book reads better as having an "anything goes" mindset.

The imagery is incredible and on-point for Hollywood. One would have the believe that many of this came from Steadman's experiences of being a British actress exploring Hollywood life, and how it is a completely different game. However, her style of writing is somewhat basic and her grammar itself is not completely captivating.

Requires an open mind and the acceptance that the weirdness of Los Angeles is what drives the story. Did have a bit of fun with this book and enjoyed it for what it is.

(closer to 3.5 stars)

“I realise I am the only person here who recognises this woman. The women I promised to spare if she spared me.”

Mia Eliot get dumped via the movers that show up to take her now ex boyfriends belongings. She decides it’s time to leave London and head to LA for pilot season. It’s the chance in a life time to get her name out there. With her BAFTA nomination in tow she’s a shoe in.

At an audition she meets Emily and a simple favour of putting money in the meter turns into Mia being the last person to see Emily alive. Mia still have had keys and wallet and the media agency won’t take liability for the belongings. Eventually Mia turns up to get her things but she’s not the Mia she met and something just doesn’t add up.

Mia beings to question her on sanity and starts making reckless decisions to find the truth. Even if that mean getting hurt along the way. Hollywood’s full of actors, sometimes you never know who’s real and who is not.

After loving Mr Right Across the Street I knew I had to read this one, and it was perfection!

‘Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you just can’t disappear.’

British actor Mia Eliot travels to Los Angeles for the pilot season. She sees this as her big chance to make it as an actor in Hollywood and has several auditions lined up. At one audition, she meets Emily. Emily asks Mia for a simple favour, hands over her car keys, and then goes missing. Mia, keen to return Emily’s property, tries to make contact. A woman, claiming to be Emily, turns up but Mia is certain that she is not the same woman. The police do not seem interested, so Mia embarks on her own investigation.

Hollywood provides the perfect location for this psychological thriller. Everyone, it seems, is acting. Everyone, it seems, want to be someone else. And some of those people will do anything to keep their secrets. So, how can you judge who is real? The more Mia investigates, the more convinced she becomes that something is wrong. And, then she stumbles into something far more dangerous.

‘I wish I was safe. But I’m not.’

If you enjoy fast-paced psychological thrillers where lives become less important than roles and where reality is an illusion blurred by smoke and distorted by mirrors, then you may also enjoy this. I certainly did.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Australia for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster (Australia) for the advanced copy of The Disappearing Act. I love the subtlety of the title and this book drew me in from the very start. Mia is an actress, temporarily in LA for pilot season to get her big break after starring in a British tv show adaptation of Jane Eyre. I’m not familiar with Hollywood or the lifestyles of the rich and famous but this book and the author’s own experiences as an actress, made this such an entertaining story and fully immersed as a reader. I would call this more a mystery than thriller, though there were a few chilling moments, and the entire novel, it was difficult to know who to trust.

I absolutely loved Something in The Water by Catherine Steadman so I had high hopes for The Disappearing Act. I am pleased to report that it was another addictive page turner and I loved it. Set in the world of Hollywood, I was always going to get sucked into the story of glamour and ambition. If you love a good psychological thriller this one is for you.

British actress Mia Eliot is doing well in her home country and now it is time to try to crack the US. She heads to Hollywood to try her luck at pilot season with thousands of other hopefuls. She b friends another young actress, Emily and does her a favour at an audition. Something that she will regret getting involved in. Emily is not seen again and Mia can’t put it out of her mind as much as she tries. It is the beginning of a strange chain of events that puts Mia in danger. What happened to Emily and why?

I loved the behind the scenes look at the cut throat Hollywood lifestyle. This is a quick read and one that you will lose all track time reading.

Thanks to Simon and Schuster Australia and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. Out in Australia July 7th.

When I first read the blurb on this one I thought I would really like it. I was expecting excitement, thrills and even a few scares but it wasn't as I expected.

Mia, the main character, an Englush actor arrives in LA/Hollywood to try her luck and that is when all the weirdness begins. Strange things happen, people go missing and her life changes but not for the better. But it seemed to take a while for it to get going. And don't get me wrong, I know a story has to be set up but this seemed to go on and on and became somewhat repetitive. It didn't draw me in and make we want to keep reading.

I found Mia naive and the story a bit over the top, long-winded and unbelievable. The story of Emily and Marla became quite confusing and a bit muddled and I felt almost annoyed at some of these characters. The ending too was lack-lustre and a bit strange although I must say I did pick the wrong person as being the bad guy!

All in all an okay book but not a favourite.

Gone Girl Mach 2. Thoroughly enjoyable cinematic novel.
The Disappearing Act by Catherine Steadman is a take on the Hollywood film industry opportunely in the era of the me-too movement. The story is told in the first-person point of view of Mia Eliot, a British actress who, early on, finds out from her agent, Cynthia, that she is nominated as best actress for a BAFTA for her starring role as Jane Eyre. Cynthia sends Mia to LA to audition for a number of films and TV shows. The author prevents Mia from being too ‘perfect’ by breaking her heart at the outset, by her cad of a boyfriend of 7 years.

I loved the fly-on-wall account of Mia landing in LA, given an Audi to drive, a smart high-rise apartment to stay in, and the Hollywood script-learning and casting process. I didn’t find the book slow at all. I also loved that Catherine Steadman avoided the tired Hollywood tropes often found in today’s mystery/ crime novels: anything that can go wrong, does.

At an audition, Mia finds herself in a casting waiting room of look-alikes, brunettes like herself with similar heights and figures. It must be an unnerving experience. An actress called Emily bursts upon Mia in a panic asking her to take her place in the queue, as a personal emergency has arisen. When Mia offers an alternative action, she returns to find Emily has disappeared. Mia can’t resist the opportunity to try to hunt Emily down, when it becomes apparent that LAPD isn’t trying too hard. So, follows an exhilarating psychological thriller. Along the way are Hollywood industry insights, insider info as well as the unsavoury gangster elements of the real Hollywood.

It’s an original and interesting plot where nothing is as it seems. The plucky, down-to-earth, relatable Mia can’t let go of the disappeared Emily, even at the risk of becoming obsessive. Despite her best friend telling her to let it go. Despite the dishy Nick, who she comes across when looking for Emily, telling her it could put Mia in danger. There are risks of doing nothing and endangering Emily—if she is alive; or of doing something and putting Mia herself in physical danger, or as matters a lot to Mia, putting her career on the line. Wow! There are moral, ethical and grey blurred dilemmas.

There are non-didactic morals shining through. Mia asks Nick something like, after climbing ever upwards, never really savouring the wins at each rung, what do they think they will find at the top of the ladder? Catherine Steadman’s evaluation of the impact of the in equal parts shallow, crazy and competitive Hollywood vibe particularly on actors’ mind frames and health, is realistic.

The switches between screen-testing appearances and amateur sleuthing beautifully drive the narrative along throughout the novel. There are no gratuitous scene descriptions. The main characters are likable. Catherine Steadman sets up tension-filled, driver’s seat viewpoint. In the acknowledgements, the author asks the reader what they would do as Mia. Mia is not a cop. She can be arrested or extradited—if the crooks don’t kill her first. Going to the cops can put her in greater danger.

Sometimes, Mia is “too stupid to live” as per the movie/ book character arc. At other times, she is too risk hardy. I saw the dire turns her actions could take a mile from the end. But not the who or how or the ultimate setting in the last few chapters. I didn’t see the exciting plot twists coming. The reveal of the antagonist and the final setting were a breath of wow—a breath of fresh Hollywood air.

There wasn’t much that I didn’t like. 1) The mentions to the Hollywood sign were overly repetitive without any new information becoming available in each retelling. 2) A plethora of adjectives and adverbs moved the reader out of the plot at times; giving 27 y.o. Mia a teenage voice. Do ice cubes chink “gamely”? I don’t think so. 3) Some implausible thriller elements. 4) The ease with which the bad guys get into one’s personal devices and media.

Because Mia is not a cop, there are loose ends. No spoilers here, but I wished she has been more cop friendly. However, from its happily anodyne beginning, The Disappearing Act becomes a high-octane ride, with a buzzy ending. I highly recommend this compelling, thoroughly enjoyable cinematic novel. I will read the other 2 novels Catherine Steadman has written.

Spoiler *** Actresses and starlets like in The Disappearing Act are outing the rape culture perpetrated by smug male Hollywood executives.***

This review also appears in netgalley.com, https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4039738250 and www.Amazon.com and https://thereadersvault.blogspot.com/2021/06/the-disappearing-act-catherine-steadman.html

The Disappearing Act is a psychological thriller, set in the modern day, but readily invoking a Hollywood Noir undertone throughout. The protagonist, Mia Eliot, is a successful British actress recently nominated for a BAFTA after a role playing Jane Eyre. After a messy breakup, she leaves London for the glitz and glamour of LA in search of the next big dream role. It is here during an audition that she meets another young actress, Emily; the two bond, but Mia is left perplexed after Emily disappears soon after. Several days pass, and Emily finally reaches out to meet – the only issue is, the woman who turns up at Mia’s front door is clearly not Emily. It’s here that Mia (like so many before her) is thrust into the cut-throat world of show business in the City of Angels – where betrayal comes part and parcel with succeeding in the game.

This book was conflicting for me – I really enjoyed the writing (Steadman is an excellent writer) and the book had the capacity to keep me hooked as I read through. You can also tell that Steadman has a background in this industry as there are numerous references scattered throughout of aspects unique to the high-level film business (the gifting suites come to mind).

I suppose for me it’s Mia’s personality; in many ways she’s a relatable and likeable character, but I struggle to reconcile that with her naïveté. The plot itself, while interesting as it is slowly unravelled in the latter end of the book, just seemed a bit unbelievable by the end. In all, an enjoyable book but one that didn’t quite hit it for me.

My sincere thanks to Simon and Schuster Australia and NetGalley for their provision of an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An engrossing mystery set against the backdrop of star-lit LA. Steadman's background in acting shines through, giving readers a peek behind the curtain at the cutthroat world of stardom. This book is a fantastic, twisted tale of fame, mystery, and self-reliance.

Given the time and place this story is set in—modern LA—it's only natural for elements of #metoo to come up in this novel. Steadman approaches Hollywood's #metoo movement thoughtfully, and hopefully, the reader will begin to grasp the impossible decisions involved in allegations in this dog-eat-dog industry.

Although a quick read, The Disappearing Act is a layered and well-rounded mystery, full of interesting facts about the film and television industries.

For mystery lovers, this is the perfect holiday read.

I love it when authors use their very specific background knowledge as a base for a novel because it usually makes for an intriguing, authentic insight into another world. With her acting background, Steadman allows us a glimpse into Hollywood life in her latest novel THE DISAPPEARING ACT, spicing up the story with a generous sprinkling of murder and intrigue.

English actress Mia is auditioning for movie roles in LA when she meets Emily, another hopeful actress from out of town. Minding Emily’s bag and car keys for her whilst she is in the studio, Mia becomes concerned when Emily fails to return to claim her possessions, and Mia’s calls to her mobile remain unanswered. Her suspicions grow when the next day, a stranger turns up on Mia’s doorstep claiming to be Emily and asking for her bag and car keys back. And so starts a story full of mystery and intrigue – who really is Emily? And what has happened to the girl Mia met at the auditions?

As soon as I met Mia, I immediately warmed to her. Despite her rise to fame through her movie role as Jane in Jane Eyre, she has remained refreshingly down to earth. A recent break-up with her long term partner, who has left her for another, younger woman, has left her heart broken and has shaken her self-confidence. In the dog-eat-dog world of LA, her innocence renders her as alien as a fish out of water, which is why she is instantly drawn to Emily, who is the only smiling, friendly face around. Through Mia we also get a glimpse into some of the quirks of the Hollywood scene, which I found thoroughly intriguing.

Once Mia starts looking into the mystery of Emily’s disappearance, things start to take on a sinister turn, putting Mia’s own life in danger. I was hooked!

Even though some suspension of disbelief was required to buy the whole premise of the final reveal, and even some of Mia’s actions, I found the story entertaining and intriguing until the end. Some readers may find Mia a bit naive, but I was touched by her honesty and innocence, which made her more relatable for me. A special mention must go to Steadman’s inclusion of a real-life mystery into her story, the suicide of actress Peg Entwistle, who jumped to her death from the “H” of the Hollywood sign in 1932, and whose body was discovered by a hiker a few days later. Her sad death becomes a symbol of the ruthlessness of Hollywood and has a special significance for Mia – I will say no more.

In summary, THE DISAPPEARING ACT offered a fascinating insight behind the glamour of Hollywood, incorporated into an intriguing mystery. It will appeal to readers who are able to suspend disbelief for the sake of a few unexpected twists and a finale I definitely could not have predicted. I really enjoyed Steadman’s writing style and her insider glimpses into the life of an actress, which made for an authentic and compelling read.

Catherine Steadman's third novel, The Disappearing Act, is a psychological thriller.
The story is told by Mia. I like that the storyline is mixed between Mia acting and as well as her sleuthing into Emily's disappearance, and who is this other Emily.

The start of the novel was a bit slow to get into but I think it needed some of the background information but not all of it. ( I won't extend or explain any more as I do not want to cause any spoilers. These are just my personal thoughts). Once I passed the build up the book was fast paced, and I raced to the finish line to the end of the book.

I rather liked Mia's investigation into what happened to Emily. It felt realistic and I wasn't shouting at her. Which was a complete relief. As I can't stand when characters make bad decisions when they are snooping.

Overall I enjoyed this book, and I think I will go back and read more of Catherine Steadman's books.

Thankyou Netgalley, Simon and Schuster Australia and Catherine Steadman.

Catherine Steadman has written an exiting psychological thriller in The Disappearing Act. The storyline is great and the changes between acting and investigation by the protagonist Mia balance extremely well throughout the novel.. There were many tense and exciting moments in both Mia's acting ability and her investigative abilities. I really enjoyed the novel and highly recommend it to all readers. It will be a definite 5 star read - well done Catherine Steadman.