Lori Roy | THE DISAPPEARING

Plot (via Goodreads):

When Lane Fielding fled her isolated Florida hometown after high school for the anonymity of New York City, she swore she'd never return. But twenty years later, newly divorced and with two daughters in tow, she finds herself tending bar at the local dive and living with her parents on the historic Fielding Plantation. Here, the past haunts her and the sinister crimes of her father--the former director of an infamous boys' school--make her as unwelcome in town as she was the day she left.

Ostracized by the people she was taught to trust, Lane's unsteady truce with the town is rattled when her older daughter suddenly vanishes. Ten days earlier, a college student went missing, and the two disappearances at first ignite fears that a serial killer who once preyed upon the town has returned. But when Lane's younger daughter admits to having made a new and unseemly friend, a desperate Lane attacks her hometown's facade to discover whether her daughter's disappearance is payback for her father's crimes--or for her own.

With reporters descending upon the town, police combing through the swamp, and events taking increasingly disturbing turns, Lane fears she faces too many enemies and too little time to bring her daughter safely home. Powerful and heart-pounding, The Disappearing questions the endurance of family bonds, the dangers of dark rumors and small town gossip, and how sometimes home is the scariest place of all.

Review:

THE DISAPPEARING by Lori Roy literally came out of nowhere for me. I read the synopsis and it sounded like the kind of novel I could definitely get into, so when Dutton Books reached out to see if I wanted a copy, it was a no brainer for me and I'm really glad I decided to check this one out! 

What I really loved about this one was its take on the obsession in the media and in entertainment (whether it's novels, movies, television, etc.) with missing girls and women. I mean, I love a mystery and a thriller like everyone else does and I admit, I am drawn to the novels including missing women as it's always such an interesting route and can either be a complete dud or something great that you weren't expecting. This novel is something great that I didn't know I needed until I began reading it. The plot is complex and Roy has a way of writing that mixes mystery with heart which features an outcome that is both enjoyable and delicate. What I really enjoyed about this one was how it was multi-layered and featured different small mysteries that were connected, but as a reader you just have to keep guessing as Roy feeds you small pieces to the puzzle at a time, building this picturesque storyline that I was really immersed with. The pacing is effective and not too over-the-top and I absolutely loved the atmosphere with this one. 

As for the characters, Roy decided to go down a route that was a little challenging and daring with a multiple perspective and heavily detailed character driven novel that features some unlikely choices, but this couldn't have been done in a better way. At first, I was like "what the hell?" when I started to get into the story and was wondering what direction she was headed in with these choices for the character perspectives. I was not let down. As the novel progresses, the answers to our burning questions were answered not only through great writing, but with these characters that you wouldn't expect to be the voices to tell such an intricate story. 

The ending to this one was satisfying. While I got the answers I wanted, I didn't necessarily like what had happened with the different storylines, but sometimes that's life. I definitely was caught off guard, I was given plot twists I didn't see coming, and the ending to this one was even more twisted than the big reveals. Definitely check this one out if you're looking for a Southern thriller with great characters.

Thank you so much to Dutton Books for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 4/5