I am not into astrology at all, so that part was new to me and interesting. This was a good story with lots of good elements but since it was a book in the middle of a series I was a bit lost. I am not sure I loved it enough to go back to the beginning and read all of the though.

#TheStrangerVanishes
#NetGalley

#TheStrangerVanishes #WendyCorsiStaub #NetGalley
The author continues her tradition of crafting immersive, suspenseful novels that blend psychics with skeptics and the paranormal. In her latest offering, Staub delivers yet another gripping tale of a visitor to Lily Dale who disappears as mysteriously as he appeared. The novel is both engaging and charming, bemusing readers with the magic and entertaining them with the suspense.

The Stranger Vanishes (Lily Dale Mystery #5) was a great read by Wendy Corsi Staub. Lily Dale is a quirky and picturesque lakeside community. The residents there can talk to the dead, a young widow named Bella Jordan is the lone skeptic. After a year in the village she admits that her new friends seem to know some impossible things. A black stranger dressed in old-fashioned clothes arrives at Bella's guesthouse unexpectedly. The next day he vanishes as if he never truly existed. I enjoyed reading this book and can't wait to read more by the author.

I know about Lily Dale, NY and this peaked my interest in this book. Bella was a good main character, especially since she is a skeptic in a community of psychics. When her guest vanished but left his things behind I wasn't sure if he had really been there. But based on his appearance and his belongings he could have been from the distant past. I liked how the story unfolded and enjoyed the narrator, Avery May. The only thing that I didn't like was how the homophones kept getting brought up by the boys. The first few times it was cute, but after that it lost it's charm. This is the first book that I have read in this series, and although they did refer to a few things that happened in the past it did not effect my enjoyment of this book. But it did make me want to go back and read the earlier books in the series.

I received a complimentary copy of this audio book from Dreamscape Media through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

In Lily Dale, where residents can talk to the dead, young widow Bella Jordan is a skeptic even after a year in the community. When a black man appears at her hotel at midnight on Juneteenth, then disappears the next morning without a trace, she is certain there must be a logical explanation. Bella’s neighbor gives her a warning to beware of Barry, but Bella doesn’t know anyone with that name. Can Bella solve the mystery?

This is book 5 in a series but can easily be read as a standalone. I enjoyed this cozy paranormal mystery and am interested in reading other books from the series. The characters were likeable and the story intriguing. I will be buying a copy of this for others I think would enjoy it.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

I went back and listened to the others in the series but it is not totally necessary to do so! I ended up really enjoying this and fell in love with the characters. I would definitely read more in this series! The narrator did a great job as well.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review.* nice book to read near Halloween for sure, tbj i don't care much for the talking to ghosts thing but this wasn't bad!

Publish Date:
📖📖📖

The community of LilyDale NY is populated by people all manner of spiritualists from mediums to energy healers. Bella Jordan, the new manager at the Valley View Guesthouse is the lone skeptic among believers. Bella moved to LilyDale only a year ago with her young son Max and two cats. The night before the season kickoff, a stranger dressed in old-fashioned clothing, arrives unexpectedly at midnight on Juneteenth. The next morning he has vanished as if he'd never existed. Yet Bella is sure there has to be a logical explanation. Her friends offer various explanations - could he be Spirit, a visitor from the past, or did he just skip out? Can Bella figure how it will all tie together?

This one took me a while to finish. The pov as third person was a bit odd until I got used to it. I absolutely loved the narration from #averymay and was disappointed she hadn’t done the other books as well. I got part way in and had to go search out the others in the series to read as I felt that I would like the series better if I read them in order. You can start here and be fine, but once I realized it was several books in, I personally wanted to go back and read the others first. I did enjoy it and I love LilyDale!!

#thestrangervanishes #wendycorsistaub #severnhouse #lilydale #lilydalemediums #valleyviewguesthouse #westernny #bookstagram #bookrecommendations #bookreview #booktok #bookreader

This book was a great story. I loved the character and the plot. I absolutely love the Lilydale setting. The characters really bring this to life. Many plot twists and turns. Suspense, humour and a town that feels like home after the detail in this authors lilydale stories.
I love how this town feels like coming home when I get into the stories. This keeps you guessing till the very end. The characters become your best friends, so well are the written.
My only critique is that while the narrator was wonderful for most of it, there were a few character voice where she sounded constipated and straining and it detracted from the flow. I would keep all characters in a more neutral natural timbre.

This is what could be considered a cozy mystery with a psychic community of interesting characters. Our main character has been welcomed into this community and finds herself entangled with mysteries and strange happenings. I especially enjoyed the relationship she had with her young son and his best friend. The story was slow moving to give you time to get to know everyone, but the end result was worth the journey.

I find this to be a cute cozy mystery although it felt like a slow start. I'm always up for reading cozies with cats! Enjoyable read.

The Stranger Vanishes audio by Wendi Corsi Staub and narrated by Avery May. A Lily Dale Mystery.
I have not read or listened to previous books in this series and I had no trouble following the story. The narrator did a nice job of reading the book. She spoke clearly and at an easy cadence. You could distinguish between characters, The owner of the lodge in a small town of residents that all seem to have special psychic abilities has a guest disappear and the story is about finding him if he is even real. However accurate the depiction of the boy's banter listening to it became irritating in audio. In the book form, you could just jump past it. There is romance, mystery, and psychic abilities that abound. It's a G-rated story which is nice not to deal with language and too steamy scenes. I probably wouldn't purchase this book for myself as I like more drama and intense mystery but it was ok. Those who aren't after the deep intense almost scary mystery will most likely enjoy this book. Thank you, NetGalley and Dreamscape audio for this advanced audio. This is my personal opinion

I enjoyed this lighthearted tween mystery set in the upstate New York village of Lilydale, entirely populated by people who claim they can speak to the dead. It is interesting to note that Lilydale is a real place near where the author grew up. Bella Jordan, who runs the guesthouse, is the lone skeptic in town with no paranormal abilities. Late at night on Juneteenth, a black stranger dressed in old fashioned clothes books a room and disappears the next morning. Is he a ghost or is there a reasonable explanation? Through a diary Bella found in his bag we learn some history of the region about the Undergrounds Railroad. We also learn all about homophones from the 2 first grade boys. I listened to the audiobook. The narration was a bit over the top with some characters but perhaps that was to add to the village's atmosphere. The narration involving the boys got a little irritating, again showing some realism. They made me tired listening to them! This book is part of a series of which I have read part but not all. It is not really necessary to have read all the previous books to enjoy this one. Thanks to Netgalley for giving me a copy of the audiobook. This optional review is my honest opinion.

This book had a few personal hang ups that made it not for me, but good for others. I love the small town, the quirky characters, the cat, all of that. I didn’t like how many pov switches there were. I wish we could stick with one, especially in a cozy. I think the mystery is great and compelling but the writing style just turned me off and the narrator didn’t do enough to differentiate the characters.

A good cozy mystery about Bella, Ghosts, Her B&B athe people in town who see and talk to ghost but see doesnt untiil one guest just vanishes but she keeps seeing him.
Is he really a ghost, spirit or something else.
A really iintriging story.
Narrator was very good.
Voluntarily reviewed.

I admit it. I was drawn to the adorable cat on the cover. Cats were part of the story, so no bait and switch happened here.
This is a cozy mystery. Generally, I find this genre okay when I want a light read. It seems cozy mystery authors try to outdo each other with crazy, over-the-top scenarios. This one takes place in a tourist town that is known for psychics and paranormal events, but not in a creepy, horror context. Tourists come to the town to stay in a charming B&B (owned by the main character) and make appointments with a local medium to chat with deceased loved ones. One of the cats has psychic mystery solving abilities. Silly, yes, but also cute. If this novel were not well-written, it would be a really stupid story, but the author pulls it off with decent character development, well-developed atmosphere and setting, researched history, and a pretty good mystery.
A B&B guest shows up in the middle of the night but disappears by morning. Consistent with the premise of this series, the characters wonder if he is a ghost or time traveler. One of the kids has visions about the guy. A diary turns up about a woman involved in the Underground Railroad.
For a cozy mystery, this is a pretty complicated situation. I liked this book more than I expected and would read another in the series. Maybe the cheerful psychic theme is nothing new to cozy aficionados, but it felt fresh and interesting to me.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Stranger Vanishes
(Lily Dale Mystery #5)
Wendy Corsi Staub
Bella Jordan must be the only citizen of Lily Dale that doesn’t believe in ghosts. Lily Dale is a unique community; the residents claim to talk to ghosts. A stranger knocks on the door of Bella’s guesthouse late one evening. The stranger is dressed in elegant clothing from a past era. Bella reluctantly allows the gentleman to stay. The next morning, he is gone as if he hadn’t existed. Odelia, the local medium and next-door neighbor delivers a message from the spirits to Bella, “Beware of Barry.” Or could it be bury.
I wanted to like this tale. I struggled to listen to it but I finally gave up. Perhaps if I had listened to the first 4 books I would have enjoyed it.

This is my first audiobook ever and I loved it!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book from the Lily Dale series. I’ve read all the previous ones and this one is another winner in the series. Thank you for the wonderful opportunity to listen to this audiobook. Wendy… you nailed it again!!!

I enjoyed this one. I found the story cute (I'm not sure that is the right word). I liked the characters and the setting as it felt a bit like a Halloween version of Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls. It was an interesting premiss as well with a who town of people who can see and interact with ghosts.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the audio version. Novel was cute. Perfect for Halloween Month 🎃.