This was a novel that suffered an identity crisis, not sure what it wanted to be: a thriller, police procedural or character study. Contained elements of all three, but for me this worked. There were a few instances where I had to suspend belief, but it also gave me some strong characters that I wanted to root for, and a wonderful little dog named speed bump, bump for short. Plus, the happenings, the case was addicting.

Ellery is a police officer in a small town where three people have gone missing, three years in a row. She knows there is more to this, but she can't get the Captain or other officers to tie them together, and investigate more fully. Of course, there is much they don't know about Ellery, the special knowledge she has that they don't. She calls Reed, an FBI agent she has connections with, a man who is now on official leave. Things start ramping up, and secrets to Ellerys identity will be revealed as well as new clues and terror unleashed on this town. I guessed the who done it, but not until I had read over 80% of the book. Not that I have a great track record in figuring these things out quickly, and I quite like it that way, makes the denoument more interesting.

Think this writer will figure out her writing identity, and go on to write some stunning whatevers. Whatever she does next, as long as she can produce characters like these, she should have a stunning future. A good, solid read with a memorable little pup.

ARC from Netgalley.

"I live for the hunt—my life."—David Berkowitz, the ‘Son of Sam' 

Ellery Hathaway is a police officer in the small town of Woodbury, Massachusetts. But she is also the only survivor of a prolific serial killer back, rescued when she was fourteen years old.

She has never recovered completely from the terrible things done to her. She lives by herself except for Speed "Bump," her Bassett Hound.

For the last three years people have been disappearing from Woodbury - near her birthday - and she can't convince her boss that they're connected, not without letting him know about her past, which she has kept hidden.

So she calls Reed Markham, the FBI agent that rescued her all those years ago, and asks for his help.

I liked this book and I liked the damaged character of Ellery. The characters were well-developed. The storyline was creepy. I DID figure out the bad guy pretty early in the book but in this case it didn't detract too much from the storytelling because I wanted to find out WHY.

I received this book from Minotaur Books through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read the book and leave an unbiased review.

Three people in three years have gone missing from a small Massachusetts town where officer Ellery Hathaway works. Ellery can’t help but think there is a connection between these recent disappearances. Maybe it is because she is haunted by her past. Being the lone survivor of a serial killer’s ravaging, Ellery is plagued to see the workings of something more sinister than the mere coincidence of horrible circumstances. Without the support from her fellow officers, Ellery must take matters into her own hands. She contacts the FBI agent, Reed Markham, that once rescued her, putting her faith into his expertise. Ellery’s persistence in her theories make everyone start to question whether there is truly a connection they are missing or if Ellery is struggling to move on from her troubling past.

Everyone has their skeletons. We all have things we hide from the world, and when those secret surface- especially at a time of skepticism - all faults can lead to presumed guilt. This is what I loved about this book. Each character had their flaws or secrets that lead a reader to question their innocence. Page by page I found myself going back and forth between who I thought did what, and how they were involved.

It has been awhile since I have come across a thriller that I feel is a true psychological thriller. Fast paced with twists and turns, and questionable characters that make a reader think they are losing their minds trying to determine the truth. It is books such as The Vanishing Season that brought me to love this genre. If you are looking for something to jump start your new year, this is the title to start with.

***Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you publisher for granting my wish to read this. The cover is what first drew me in. The blurb made me need to read it.

Congrats to the author on a debut book. I couldn't put it down once I started it. It gripped me and didn't let go.

I had my suspicion on who the serial killer was pretty early on. Then I thought no its not him but always in the back of my mind he stood out to me.

I loved the characters, the story, the thrill of trying to see if I was right with my guess. I look forward to reading many more books by this author.

Not quite a thriller, more of a crime novel. The beginning dives right in and goes at a great pace but then fizzles out and the pace is choppy. It could have been more suspenseful and un-put-down-able - it goes off onto the side/back stories too much. 3/5

This is the way to end the year in books: with a bang!

AN EXCITING, ALL BUT FLAWLESS WHODUNIT.

Although there are elements that had me recalling <i>The Dry</i>, <i>Final Girls</i>, <i>Are You Sleeping</i>, and <i>The Hand That Feeds You</i>, the story is most <b>along the lines of — and, for me, ranks right up there with — <i>The Fourth Monkey</i></b>.

Still, it is uniquely its own, and exaaaactly what I like books to be: well written (it won the MWA First Crime Novel Competition), with investable characters and a smartly conceived plot, and unputdownable until the satistfying conclusion.

The straightforward, third-person narrative offers just the right amount of detail and depth. No gimmicks, gratuitousness, or gotchas.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT — ESPECIALLY, TO AVID READERS OF THIS GENRE BECAUSE IT FEELS FRESH!!

Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the advance reader copy.

3.5 stars. Ellery is an intriguing character. She is flawed, but also strong. I loved the edition of Bump, her dog. This could be a great start to a new series. A solid suspense/mystery read.

The blurb got my attention and I was lucky to have my wish granted by St. Martin's Press to read this book on NetGalley.

When Abigail Hathaway was 14 years old, she was rescued by FBI agent Reed Markham from a serial killer. She became famous as the sole survivor of Francis Michael Coben and Reed became famous for writing a book about the Coben case. Years later, now as Ellery Hathaway, she has become a police officer in a small town. When three people disappear from her town in three years, Ellie is concerned that all three cases are related but no one else believes her since she has no proof. She fears another person will go missing soon, so she calls the one person who has helped her before. But when Reed comes to help, he wonders if Ellie was ever saved.

The Vanishing Season was well written and the characters were likable and well developed. The story moved along nicely where I didn't want to put the book down and it kept me guessing until the end. This book did not disappoint and I highly recommend reading it if you are looking for a mystery/thriller. This was my first read by Joanna Schaffhausen and I look forward to reading more books written by her.

This opens with a bang that grabbed my attention right away, fourteen years ago a young woman was kidnapped and tortured by a twisted serial killer and she’s the only victim to make it out alive. Someone saw Ellery the day she was taken, but they’ve remained silent all of these years, creepy right?! As much as the beginning sucked me in, the pacing throughout the bulk lagged a bit and left me wanting more, it didn’t match the initial intensity and felt sort of drawn out.

This felt more like a police procedural than a true thriller, the beginning and ending had some tense parts but the majority was pretty mild. The chapters were long, I prefer shorter, fast paced chapters in a mystery/thriller and I think the more sedate pacing left me feeling underwhelmed and wanting more. The plot itself was interesting, there was a lot going on and it was pretty well executed but I did figure out the who well before the big reveal. I mean, it’s bound to happen though, I read so much that I can’t always be fooled, but I think it was fairly obvious.

This is one of those middle of the road reads for me, plenty I liked such as the writing style and the characterization, Ellery and Reed both intrigued me. What lost me was the pacing and the lack of true tension coupled with me guessing whodunnit. Still, it’s a solid debut and I can see why it’s garnering so much praise, it just wasn’t as amazing as I had hoped.

The Vanishing Season is the debut novel by Joanna Schaffhausen. I really enjoyed reading The Vanishing Season. It is a solid, well written mystery thriller.

The Vanishing Season is filled with fascinating characters. Ellery Hathaway is a sole survivor of the famous serial killer Francis Michael Coben. Nobody knows her secret in Woodbury, MA where she works as a police officer. That is until copycat crimes begin to occur. Coben is safe behind bars so who is committing murders on Ellery's real birthday every year. And who is sending her birthday cards?

Intriguing tale. I'm looking forward to more from Joanna Schaffhausen. Highly recommend.

This is an excellent debut "mystery" novel. Although I feared at first I would lose interest and chalk this up as just another "mystery" novel, the more I read, the more drawn in I was! The characters are excellent, the suspense paced quite nicely, the writing crisp, - overall this is a great book to settle down with and will not disappoint! Highly recommend!
Many thanks NetGalley for the e-book copy for review!

Thanks to Net Galley for giving me a copy of this book. As soon as I read the synopsis, I was intrigued and knew it was one that I would want to read.

I don't get into a plot description in a review since I figure that everyone has already read that. I just give my reactions.

I like books where I find the protagonist a likeable character and I'm happy to say that I did like Ellie. She is flawed, as could be expected after what she went through. But she's focused and trying to overcome her past. The other major character is the FBI agent Markham. He, too, has issues though we really don't know his complete history to start with. That is one thing that I enjoyed about the book--you get the back story on the characters as the story progresses. This makes for a book that you want to keep reading. There's always just enough pique to keep you going.

This is the first book for Joanna Schaffhausen and she's done a bang-up job. If you are interested in the serial killer type of novel, you will definitely enjoy this one. I look forward to Joanna's next book.

The Vanishing Season
Joanna Schaffhausen
Publication Date: December 5, 2017
I want to thank St. Martin’s Press for granting my wish, and ARC of this excellent book. Also a shout out to Netgalley. I received this galley in exchange for my honest review.
This novel, from Joanna Schaffhausen is a fabulous debut, you will not be disappointed. Mysteries and thrillers are my favorite genre to read, but I normally avoid the serial killer kind. This book definitely changed my mind. The story is about Ellery Hathaway, who was kidnapped at age 14 by a serial killer and lived to tell about it, but she did not. She kept it a secret all her life, however, secrets tend to come to light eventually.
In the last three years, three people disappeared without a trace in her town, Woodbury, Massachusetts, where she works as a police officer. All the disappearances happened in her birthday month of July, but even more creepy, she also received ominous birthday cards around her birthday.
There seems to be a serial killer on the loose in her town and he knows who she is. She is desperately trying to get her police department to do a more thorough investigation, which request falls on dead ears.
Once a gruesome package has been left on her porch, the police department is all ears and investigation begins.
Who has done it, you will not be able to predict.
The story is well written and got me hooked from the first page and late into the night. The book does not read like a debut novel at all. I highly recommend this book!

Clever, disturbing, and highly suspenseful!

In this debut novel by Schaffhausen, The Vanishing Season, we are introduced to the tenacious, scarred Officer Hathaway and the once heroic now spiritless Agent Reed as they hunt for a serial killer with an all-consuming obsession and a penchant for violence.

The writing is taut and precise. The characters are flawed, complex and intriguing. And the plot is an intense, intricate police procedural full of twists, turns, surprises, cunning brutality, manipulation, and murder.

The Vanishing Season is truly a gripping, sinister page-turner that had me on the edge of my seat from the very first page and left me hoping this isn’t the last but only the first case for Hathaway and Reed.

The Vanishing Season follows Ellery Hathaway, small town cop and one time serial killer victim, as she's faced with the awful truth that her past may be coming back to haunt her. Ellery was abducted on her birthday 14 years ago by a notorious serial killer. Now in a new town, where no one knows her past, for the last three years she's been receiving mysterious cards, followed by a missing person report almost like a birthday gift. Can she stop whoever it is before the next person is taken?

Ellery is a deeply flawed and interesting character. We get to see how the traumas of her past are manifesting in her present life. She's vulnerable - nailing her closest shut so she'll never be forced into one again, and she never invites a man into her home. I loved her relationship with 'Speed Bump' in particular, and it showed that although she's been through an experience few have ever come back from, she's still able to love on an emotional level. Bump in return is a wonderful little character. Although his interactions were relatively few and far between, each one was delightful - especially his liking for Reed.

The novel itself is short at just over 200 pages, meaning the action is succinct, to the point and fast paced. However some of the character development suffers because of this. Reed, we don't know much about other than he's a workaholic with family issues. I wanted to know more about his personal relationship with Ellery, but other than a small flashback we don't see this. We also don't know much about the other towns people, meaning it wasn't too difficult to work out the ending. I also wanted to see more of Rosalie and her abusive husband. I felt that Ellery's involvement in their situation was very brief, and didn't add all that much to the plot.

The ending felt a little rushed. There was a lot of build up, with a variety of plot developments and twist, then the conclusion took two pages. I felt a little bit let down by that, and felt the execution could have been better. Overall however, I thought this was a relatively well written novel that kept me interested all the way through.

Summary from Goodreads:

"Ellery Hathaway knows a thing or two about serial killers, but not through her police training. She's an officer in sleepy Woodbury, MA, where a bicycle theft still makes the newspapers. No one there knows she was once victim number seventeen in the grisly story of serial killer Francis Michael Coben. The only victim who lived.

When three people disappear from her town in three years, all around her birthday—the day she was kidnapped so long ago—Ellery fears someone knows her secret. Someone very dangerous. Her superiors dismiss her concerns, but Ellery knows the vanishing season is coming and anyone could be next. She contacts the one man she knows will believe her: the FBI agent who saved her from a killer’s closet all those years ago.

Agent Reed Markham made his name and fame on the back of the Coben case, but his fortunes have since turned. His marriage is in shambles, his bosses think he's washed up, and worst of all, he blew a major investigation. When Ellery calls him, he can’t help but wonder: sure, he rescued her, but was she ever truly saved? His greatest triumph is Ellery’s waking nightmare, and now both of them are about to be sucked into the past, back to the case that made them...with a killer who can't let go."

My Thoughts:

The Vanishing Season was a thrilling read that left me really excited to read more by this author. It was also a much darker mystery than I expected which I enjoyed. I don't know why that I thought it was going to be closer to a cozy mystery but that definitely wasn't the case! Instead, this book was filled with suspense and had me reading late into the night. In this book, Ellery is investigating the disappearances of three different individuals who she believes are now dead and possibly the victims of a serial killer. She has no proof though and no one will listen which is why she then turns to Reed Markham, the agent that saved her when she was younger from a serial killer. That's enough right there to get things started, and to get me as the reader turning the pages. I loved that I was instantly caught up within the pages of this mystery. What happened to Ellery when she was a young girl was horrifying but she has basically hidden her past from everyone that is in her life now. Those secrets though are about to brought into the open as someone else is about to go missing. I felt like this added such a different layer of tension to the book because as the reader you are just waiting to see when her past will be revealed.

I also really enjoyed the fact that because Ellery kept her past hidden from others that there is a layer of mistrust of her intentions present. I'm trying not to say too much but you are led to wonder on if she is right that there is a serial killer at work or if there are other reasons behind her pushing for these investigations. I won't say more than that though! I really enjoyed both Ellery and Reed as main characters - I would love if this was just the beginning of a new mystery series focusing on them! They are both so damaged but in different ways. I just couldn't get enough of either of them. The ending was intense and unexpected - I didn't figure out who the killer was until I was supposed to. At that point I found myself unable to stop reading as I just needed to see how it would all end. I was left wanting more from these characters, more from this story.....but all in a good way as I just wasn't ready to see the book end. I can easily say that this is an author that I will be watching and reading more of!

Overall I really, really enjoyed my reading experience with this book! It was dark, creepy, and thrilling - everything that I enjoy in a great mystery read! I really couldn't get enough of it which should be apparent in my review. Ha! I would say that I flew through the pages but I read it on my e-reader so should I say I swiped through the pages as past as I could? LOL! Honestly it was a really great mystery and I'm so glad that I had the chance to read it. I will be reading whatever this author writes next since I enjoyed this one so much! I would recommend this one to fans of mysteries and thrillers alike. Highly recommended!

Bottom Line: A really great mystery that I couldn't put down!

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.

This thriller screams MOVIE...MOVIE..MOVIE...to me. This compulsive page turner is the PERFECT antidote to the stress of the holidays or anytime for that matter. I really hope this does not slip under the radar as it is meant to be included in the pantheon of books to read on a long plane ride or at the beach. Caveat for those who are squeamish; there are some grisly aspects to the novel that you should be forewarned about.
When a young girl was 14 years old she was abducted and held captive, with tortuous results. Zoom into the present when she is now a police officer under a different name with a closely guarded secret. However when 3 people go missing in her town she begs her local department to look into the matter fearing there is some connection. When she contacts her FBI savior from when she was abducted, she was hoping someone would take her seriously. All breaks loose when something horrifying turns up in her mailbox and secrets get spilled. Despite figuring out who the murderer was about 2/3 through the booklet did not detract from my enjoyment up to the very last page. A winner!

*I won this book off of Netgalley for my honest opinion*

I couldn't put this book down. I thought this was a wonderfully weaved tale of a horrible tragedy. The main character, Ellery (which I love that name by the way), was a strong independent woman who could stand on her own and was able to fight for what she believed in. She endured a horrible childhood faced with being abducted and tortured to surviving that experience (the only one to survive) to come back to face her brother die of cancer.

Without giving away too much, the book was a suspense filled who done it type novel. This was my first book by Joanna Schaffhausen and it will not be my last.

*Spoiler ahead*
The only thing that made me sad was there really was no romance in this book. I kind of anticipated it and I was waiting around every corner for it and it never happened. However, even without the romance, it was a wonderful read. I'd recommend this book!

I love suspense. It's no secret. I love figuring out who the killer is before the characters do. This one, I failed at it (which is pretty rare). I really enjoyed this novel. Not just because of the genre but it was one of those that's pretty friendly to all readers. Is it gory? A bit. But not over what is necessary for building the story. There's no gore for the sake of gore, which is something I'm not a fan of. There's a bit of language but it's also realistic without being over the top. Most people would curse upon finding a dead body. Again though, it's not forced, it flows with the story and is pretty sparing at that. Overall, I'd say that mid-teens and up are perfect for this and any suspense fan would enjoy it. I especially loved the character building of the two main characters and how their stories entertwined and entertained.