Watch Her Vanish: An absolutely gripping mystery thriller

Ellery Kane

Oct 2020 · Rockwell and Decker Book 1 · Bookouture

About this ebook

‘Absolutely fantastic… I couldn’t put it down once I started.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

 

Shutting the car door against the rain, Bonnie instantly feels safe with her husband’s favorite baseball cap on the seat beside her and the two empty booster seats behind her littered with loose Cheerios. She smiles to herself, feeling lucky to be going back to her boys. But she never makes it home…

 

Hundreds of candles light the stained-glass windows of the church as the people of Fog Harbor, California gather for Bonnie McMillan’s vigil. The much-loved teacher, mother and friend has been missing for nearly a week, her car left abandoned on a lonely road, and her husband and two little boys are inconsolable.

 

But then a scream shatters the silence of the church. Someone has found her body in the shallows nearby, her blouse ripped open to exposing marks on her beautiful neck, her legs bent like broken driftwood. Who would hurt this kind, loving soul? Fog Harbor is a safe and close-knit community, but someone close to her knew she would be driving home alone that night. Could a dangerous killer be hiding among them?

 

Bonnie would do anything for her students and had changed so many of their lives for the better, but was one more twisted than she knew? She certainly didn’t realize that her marriage wasn’t as perfect as she thought, and her husband was keeping a dangerous secret from her.

 

But when another woman is found, her tiny body dumped against the trunk of a massive redwood, it’s clear the that no one in this remote little town can be trusted. The victims knew each other. They also knew their killer. And more will to follow unless someone breaks the chain…

 

An addictive and unputdownable crime thriller that will keep you up all night. Perfect for fans of Melinda Leigh, Kendra Elliot and Mary Burton.

Readers love Watch Her Vanish:

‘PERFECTION! Be prepared to skirt your responsibilities because you won’t want to put this book down… keeps you guessing until the end. I cannot wait for the next installment!’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars

 

‘A taut fast-paced thriller in every sense of the word. Dark and oozing with suspense. Well plotted and stunningly written. Loved it!’ Kelly Russo Reviews, 5 stars

 

‘WOWZA!!!... I cannot wait to get my hands on the next installment in this series!’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars

 

‘Absolutely fantastic… I couldn’t put it down once I started.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

 

‘A scream!… Grabs a hold of you and keeps you reading till the end!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

 

‘Loved!! Everything about this book was spot-on!… I was pulled in from the beginning and it didn't let up once! Can't wait for book 2.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

 

‘A fantastic book. Like wow! I really got into this read… This book will draw you in and you won’t be able to stop.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

 

‘Grabs you by the heart, then grabs you by the throat and shakes up all your cells.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

Ratings and reviews

As a reader, if an author's inability to reel me in to the story from the get-go, I mark it down as a failure. This novel was uninspiring, dull, and mediocre at best. There wasn't much to say about the characters. No one stood out and the romance aspect between Olivia and Will—I didn't buy it. I wasn't able to see the connection and would have thought they would have worked better as partners than romantic interests. To add on to that, let's talk about the plot. It just wasn't interesting enough to keep me intrigued and way too easy to determine the person behind the gruesome murders hence the skimming. I'm almost too ashamed to admit how much skimming there was. The storyline was drawn out and quite boring, and it just wasn't a decent whodunnit mystery thriller to me. It's hard to put it into words but there was that something something lacking that could've made this an exponential read. Sadly with the lack of positives going on with this novel, I am not driven enough to continue with the series.

Definitely a 'whodunnit' - thing is, I couldn't quite work out who! Olivia Rockwell has returned to Fog Harbor in California to be close to her sister. The local state prison, Crescent Bay, provides a lot of employment locally, including Olivia who is a psychologist there. When another employee's missing body is found, all the evidence leads to Olivia's most serious inmate - but how can it have anything to do with him while he's safely locked up 24/7? Olivia wants to believe the system works - after all, it's kept her father safely locked away for a number of years - and embarks on her own investigation but locks horns with Detective Will Decker, who is officially dealing with her colleague's death. Surely there must be a plausible explanation - but who will find it first? A well-plotted mystery, full of secrets but ending up with everything clearly laid out but I would have liked it to be just a bit sharper, grabbing my focus instead of just asking for it. The story is good but it didn't set my pulse racing, unfolding at it's own pace until it's all explained by the last page. It'll be interesting to see where this series heads next though, and I'll certainly watch out for the next book. Sometimes, it just takes the first one to set it all up. Four stars for this one.

Bonnie never made it home one night .. and her body was found in the shallows nearby. By all accounts Bonnie was a wonderful woman, married, had great kids. She was a teacher that her students adored. Someone close to her knew she would be driving home alone that night. And then another woman is found, her tortured body leaning against a redwood tree. The victims knew each other .. they also knew the killer. More women will die. Olivia Rockwell, Chief Psychologist at the Crescent Bay Prison, working with Detective Will Decker, they discover that the victims were all employees at the prison. The manner of the murders are similar to the methods used by one of her prisoners Drake, but he is behind bars. Is he guilty or is it a copycat? From the very first page, the suspense intensifies and maintains a high level that leads to an unexpected, surprising conclusion. The characters are solidly drawn and I enjoyed how Olivia and Will interact with each other. This is the first of a new series ... looks like it's going to be an exciting one. Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.