The Vanishing - Review

Title:  The Vanishing  

Author:  Sophia Tobin

Synopsis: “On top of the Yorkshire Moors, in an isolated spot carved out of a barren landscape, lie White Windows, a house of shadows and secrets.  Here lives Marcus Twentyman, a hard-drinking but sensitive man, and his sister, the brisk widow, Hester.

     “When runaway Annaleigh first meets the Twentymans, their offer of employment and lodging seems a blessing.  Only later does she discover the truth.  But by then she is already in the middle of a web of darkness and intrigue, where murder seems the only possible means of escape…”

Review:  I’m going to be straight up and tell you right now that The Vanishing is dark and terrifying.  I read it in pretty much one sitting.  I started reading it sitting on the couch after dinner last night while SuperSteve was watching television.  I took a break midway to brush my teeth, put on my pajamas and climb into bed.  I finished at 11:30pm last night.  That’s an hour and a half after my bedtime, but I just couldn’t put it down!

     I requested this novel to review based solely on the cover.  It’s different, it grabbed my attention.  I thought it might be a light historical romance.  It is not!  Be warned, it is full of triggers.  There’s rape, drugs and the death of a child within these pages.  It started out a little slow, but the description of the moors, and the isolation found there, drew me in.  It was probably around 30% of the way in when I realized I was not going to sleep until I was finished with The Vanishing.  Even after I finished reading and turned out the light I lay there in the dark wide awake and thinking about Annaleigh and White Windows.  I'm immediately buying more books by Sophia Tobin and I highly recommend this novel to anyone who can deal with the aforementioned triggers.
*****I was provided a free copy of this novel via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.****

Publisher:  Simon Schuster UK

If you like this book you may want to read:

The Hunger by Alma Katsu

The Widow’s Confession by Sophia Tobin