Nope. This was supposed to be a book about honoring the Jamison family and the efforts that have been going to try and solve the mystery around them. Instead, Jake Anderson inserted himself into this book and ruined whatever potential is had.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

{english review}

I have mixed feelings about this book.

First and foremost, I want to mention that I am a big fan of true crime books. I really enjoy the suspense and the thrill of trying to unravel the mysteries presented, as well as coming up with theories about possible outcomes. However, this book did not meet my expectations and left me with ambivalent feelings.

The story progresses very slowly and is packed with a wealth of information and details. While I appreciate the thoroughness of the research, the sheer volume of information ended up draining my energy and concentration. I often found myself questioning the necessity of certain comments and details, which seemed excessive and sometimes irrelevant to the narrative. This contributed to the reading becoming tedious and took me much longer to finish than anticipated.

The case of the family’s disappearance is undeniably intriguing and has great potential to captivate readers. However, the way the author presents various theories and perspectives becomes overwhelming. The multitude of approaches sometimes feels disorganized and lacks coherence, which can be confusing and make it difficult to grasp the case as a whole. Additionally, the narrative structure at times does not help maintain interest and can make readers feel lost amidst all the details.

Although I recognize and appreciate the effort and extensive research the author has put into this book, I’m afraid it did not resonate with me as I had hoped. Despite its rigor and depth of research, the way the material is presented did not suit my personal taste, and I found myself wishing for a more focused and fluid narrative. In summary, while the book has undeniable merits, it did not meet my personal expectations.

[reseña en español]

Tengo opiniones encontradas sobre este libro.

En primer lugar, quiero destacar que soy una gran aficionada a los libros de true crime. Disfruto mucho del suspenso y de la emoción de intentar desentrañar los misterios que se presentan, así como de formular teorías sobre los posibles desenlaces. Sin embargo, este libro no cumplió con mis expectativas y me dejó una sensación ambivalente.

La historia avanza de manera muy lenta, y está cargada de una gran cantidad de datos y detalles. Aunque aprecio la minuciosidad en la investigación, la sobreabundancia de información terminó drenando mi energía y mi capacidad de concentración. A menudo me encontré cuestionando la necesidad de ciertos comentarios y detalles, que parecían excesivos y, en ocasiones, irrelevantes para el desarrollo del relato. Esto contribuyó a que la lectura se volviera tediosa y me llevó mucho más tiempo del esperado.

El caso de la desaparición de la familia, sin duda, es fascinante y tiene un gran potencial para enganchar al lector. Sin embargo, la manera en que el autor presenta las diferentes teorías y perspectivas resulta abrumadora. La multiplicidad de enfoques a veces parece desorganizada y carece de coherencia, lo que puede resultar confuso y dificultar la comprensión del caso en su conjunto. Además, la estructura de la narrativa, en algunos momentos, no ayuda a mantener el interés y puede hacer que el lector se sienta perdido entre tantos detalles.

Aunque reconozco y valoro el esfuerzo y la exhaustiva investigación que el autor ha llevado a cabo, me temo que el libro no logró conectar conmigo de la manera que esperaba. A pesar de su rigor y la profundidad de la investigación, la manera en que se presenta el material no resultó ser de mi agrado, y me encontré deseando una narrativa más enfocada y fluida. En resumen, aunque el libro tiene méritos indudables, no cumplió con mis expectativas personales.

I tend to enjoy true crime books. I think they take some of the sensationalization out of the crimes and focus more on the victims and what lead to the crime. I was not a fan of this one, however. It was all about Jake Anderson, who, last I knew, was not a victim in this story.

True Crime books with no solution are always unsatisfying, and the author spent too much time exploring ridiculous theories. I realize I'm biased, as these crimes took place in my state, nearby extended family, so when the cops and townspeople offered their ideas, I couldn't take them seriously because I've met those people and they're not serious people. Over all, an attempt to take an unsolved, yet easily explained crime, and make it into something more complicated.

I received a free copy of, The Vanishing at Smokestack Hollow, by Jake Anderson, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I remember watching a an episode of Disappeared, on ID, about this family, and wondering what happened to them. I thought this would book would help me understand, but, its more about the author then the family, and was a bit boring.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Kindle ARC. This is usually the type of book I read with great interest. I found The Vanishing at Smokestack Hollow to be a slow-moving story. A lot about the disappearance of the family but not much other substance.

3. I wanted to love this…but it is soooooooo long. If you want an exhaustive account of of the Jamison family disappearance, this would be it. However, it is so meandering and detailed that it drains this reader’s attention quickly. Such an interesting case, but no sign of dramatic, gripping nonfiction writing. I’m afraid this is a catalog, peppered with opinions instead of coherent examination. I respect the author’s research, but this reads as a first draft.

When I first heard about this book, I was very eager to get my hands on it. I really enjoyed the authors first book, and was eager to check out his second book. Unfortunately, this one fell a little flat for me. It was easy to tell the author put a lot of research into this book, and he really related to the victims, particularly Sherilyn. However, there were times when he inserted information about his life into the narrative when it wasn’t appropriate to do so, and had no relevance to the story, making it confusing as to why it was there. The structure of this story also proved problematic to me. We bounced back and forth between past and present, but there are jumps that occur throughout the past chapters as well. This made it very hard to put events into a timeline and tell what happened when. I also found that we got very little background information on the victims, so it was hard to feel like I knew them the way I want to know and understand the victims in true crime novels. The case itself is compelling, but this book needed some more editing.

This begs the all important question often queried in writing - who can write what?

This is a layered question, plenty of perspective and often involves the concept of truth and objectivity vs subjectivity in narrative. Very interesting stuff for me to consider.

But I can draw a line at an author writing about a tragic case where people have suffered and experienced this horror for themselves, and then inserting themself as the main character. It is; in short, distasteful and disgusting.

This is an example of the issues of morality in true crime - it is an exploitation of someone else's suffering for personal gain. Call it "art' or 'explorative literature' if you want, but all I see is a lack of respect.

And not only that, it's written poorly.

Jake Anderson. No, sir. No, you did not. You did not disrespect the lives of Bobby, Sherilynn and Madyson Jamison by making this book including yourself as a main character. So we, the readers, could read about your psychiatric issues, your dating life, your injuries, your drug problem for no reason at all. You were not related to the victims. You were not involved in this case. No one who picks up this book has any interest in reading about you.

You are shameless. And shameful. Anything I had to say about the book is lost in my disgust for you. I regret that there isn’t something lower than one star.

Oh, and it’s poorly written with incredibly stilted language where the author makes every attempt to show the reader he knows big words.

Investigative journalist Jake Anderson delves into the bizarre disappearance of the Jamison family in the rugged Sans Bois Mountains. "The Vanishing at Smokestack Hollow" details the largest eight-month search in Oklahoma history, unraveling the mystery with meticulous research. A chilling read for fans of the true crime genre.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Kensington Publishing, and Jake Anderson for the opportunity to read and review "The Vanishing at Smokestack Hollow" prior to its publication date.

Going into this I already knew a little bit about the case but the way the author tells it , but facts out that I didn't know, plus also but up questions that are still not answered.