Review: The Disappearing Act

The Disappearing Act by Catherine Steadman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book.
The Disappearing Act is about Mia, a British actress on the cusp of hitting it big, who takes a little time to visit Hollywood during pilot season. She’s never been there before and so is quite happy to make a connection with a fellow actress at an audition. But when Mia’s new “friend” disappears into thin air, Mia is confused and concerned to say the least. Did she really disappear, did she ever really exist, or is someone playing a disturbing game with Mia?
This was quick easy read and I enjoyed it. It’s a perfect beach/vacation ction book.

Things that I liked:
* The reliable, single narrator. It seems like EVERY book right now has multiple points-of-view, multiple timelines, and at least one narrator that the reader isn’t sure can be trusted for whatever reason. While those books can be fun, it was refreshing to read an “old-fashioned” mystery.
* The author did a wonderful job of evoking the almost magical quality of Hollywood juxtaposed with the harshness of the city. The isolation that Mia feels as a newcomer is palpable.

Things that I didn’t like:
* The author had a habit of ending a chapter with a big event or reveal and then skipping over the aftermath and fall-out in the next chapter until Mia reveals what happened in an offhand way that makes each of these big incidents seem not quite so important. Every time that happened it felt like a bit of a let-down.
* Without giving away any spoilers, I wasn’t a fan of how the ending/“epilogue” was spread out over two chapters. If those had been re-worked into one “event” I think it would have been more impactful.

All in all, I enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it!

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