Such a well crafted novel, compelling enough to pull you through and very quick read. I enjoyed it so much from the first page till the end.

I did enjoy several things about this book. The writing, particularly some of the descriptions, was good. The story captured the magic and innocence of teenagers living out their summer adventuress in the late 1950s, and the adventurous freedom of 13 year old boys in the early 50s. The mood of the era was palpable and believable, and a poignant reminder of an era long gone.

Unfortunately, there was a lot that was problematic for me. First, the book needs a bit more editing. Some of the descriptions were over-wrought in my opinion. There were also flat out typos, such as this one, “She wore an above-the-knee dress in bright blue, and matching high feels that looked painful.” My biggest problems, however, were the plot and the story structure.

First, the plot (some small spoilers to follow). We know there was a drowned child and, years later, a drowned 24 year old woman but other than the coincidence of the two drownings it is not clear for a very long time as to what the mystery actually is. There is talk of foul play for the child’s death, so I was confused for many chapters as to what the book was actually about. It read like a series of vignettes following the lives of the characters, with no real point. After the second drowning, there was a hint more mystery and then, later still (more than halfway through), we find out that the drowned girl may have a connection of sorts to the family of the drowned boy years before. The book ended pretty much the way I expected it to. There were no “aha” moments, no twists, no path of clues for the reader to follow.

Second, the structure of the book felt choppy. The story is told in alternating timelines – 1959 and 1974 through the POV of two characters – Frances and Harris. Hariss is largely the 1974 timelines, and Harris and Frances share the 1959 timeline. From each timeline we also get flashbacks to an earlier time, 1951, and Frances has minimal time in the 1974 timeline. I enjoy alternating timelines, but this didn’t feel like it was structured well.

All-in-all this book was “okay” for me, but had more problems that virtues.

The 1950s/1970s timelines were fun and engaged me with a sense of nostalgia at the start. The characters were all really unique, although it sometimes felt like there was limited character development and then a jump into a character depth that wasn’t fleshed out—the same could be said about the story in general as several small build-ups were revealed. The story, although compelling across the various timelines, was very slow at times. Around 3/4 of the way, all the dominoes started falling and the connections between all the storylines started weaving together. The ending went at rapid-fire pace, and neatly tied all of the mysteries up, with some surprise twists that left the reader satisfied but still guessing until the last reveals.

The book was too much of a slow burn mystery for me. Its personally not my favorite kind of story but I did enjoy the dual time line.

This actually did have a good plot in there somewhere but was just so slow you wondered if you were ever going to get there. All that will stick with me about this is how sad it was

In the Vanishing Hour is definitely a gothic tale full of mysteries both civic and familial. This is not a light of heart read. The story kept me going because I could not predict where the author would take me. It was such a tragic story with a bittersweet ending.

The story unfolds over 3 time periods that are often interwoven. The complexity was challenging for me until the majority of the oldest story was laid out. The telling then shifted to primarily the more recent past with a few chapters of the present mixed in. I appreciated that the author left some clues that allowed the reader to figure out parts of the mysteries while keeping some of the answers to the major mysteries until the very end.

This is a great read for fans of Realistic Fiction.

4.5 rounded up
Loved the characters. So realistic and endearing. Great story with haunting atmosphere and lots of twists and turns. Quick read, couldn't put it down. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

I found In the Vanishing Hour a difficult slow to get going read.. Once i had got into the story i found it an intriguing tale that went between two timelines with plenty of twists and turns.
Well worth reading if you can get past the early part of the book.
Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for my early copy.

I wanted to like this book but the book was so slow that it made it hard to read. The actual writing is good but it’s just too slow.

I’m sorry but this book just wasn’t for me. It was too slow and the details of the story weren’t there to keep it moving.
The small town atmosphere was what drew me to the book in the first place, it’s something that’s always fascinated me. The author had this spot on, really created the atmosphere I was looking for, it’s just the other parts didn’t quite live up to what was promised.
Thank you to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for my arc.

I struggled to finish this book. I loved the atmosphere and hometown feel of this story. It was a very slow paced mystery and just not my cup of tea.

This is a character-driven, small-town New England mystery that flits between the 1950s and the 1970s, and two deaths that impact the main character, Frances. In the earlier timeline, her brother died, while later on, a model she works with dies. Frances believes one of the suspects in the model’s death may have had a connection to her brother’s death. While the mystery is interesting, this is a more of a slow-burn story that evokes a nostalgic feel for the past.

I was so confused. This book gave absolutely no detail in moving the story along. I felt like I was following a bunny that was hopping from one storyline to another with no explanations along the way.

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for this ARC.

In the Vanishing Hour is set over two timelines, twenty years apart, both laced with mystery and death.

I did find the start a bit slow, but I think that's expected when establishing a foundation for two mysteries and found myself engrossed with the second half. I did however guess one of the reveals as there were a few clues hinted at.

Overall, I'd recommend reading this mystery - it allowed me to escape into the 1950s and 1970s and into a small town with intrigue, loyalty and secrets.

The Vanishing Hour was a little slow-paced for me. A lot of time is devoted to the inner turmoil of the main characters, and occasionally it got repetitive. However, I did enjoy the setting and being submerged in the 1950's culture.
I would recommend this book to readers who like a slow-burn mystery.

I received an advanced copy from NetGallery, and this is my unbiased review.

Detailed story telling is the catalyst for this remarkable book about the depth of the human spirit. I was instantly taken in and enjoyed it immensely.

I had the good fortune to read this book as an ARC from NetGalley. Now, I have to admit that the first quarter of the book really dragged and there are some parts of it that I don't feel were needed for the story to reach the end point. For me, overall the story was really slow paced and then took off running at full steam to try and tie everything up in the last 10% of the book.
The book was a lot more telling me the story than showing the story which made it difficult to connect with the main character. There were twists towards the end that were honestly expected and foreshadowed from the beginning.
Ultimately, it was a good book and if you like slow paced mystery with obvious twists then this is the book for you.

This was an impossible to put down book! I loved every haunting moment of this book. Will definitely be recommending to everyone I know and meet!

3.5 stars

Slow burn of a book, that flits between two timelines, and two main characters, and the mystery of two deaths.
Subtle clues and hints are dropped to lead up to the full reveal.
A good portrait of small town America too, where it feels everyone knows you, or knows your parents.
Perfectly paced.