After having read book 3 a while ago and loved it, it was now time to find out how it all began and how Decker and Rockwell met. 

I have heard about it before, women having a soft spot or even a real crush on serial killers. It's common knowledge those men can turn on the charm anc charisma like we turn on a light and I suppose it's that what makes them so attractive. It goes without a doubt that they will use if whenever and wherever it suits them in order to get what they want. That's, of course what makes them so dangerous...

I admire psychologists who work in prisons, having to deal with these devils in disguise, because they can play act like there is no tomorrow. You have to be on guard the whole time and I still think they can make you doubt yourself. 

Maybe it's strange to have a bad guy as a favourite character, but i cannot not pick him: Drake. It's not because I like what he does, but he plays it so well, you just have to admire the author for creating him this way. He is so very hateable. :)

This book wzs creepy and suspenseful and I loved it. Book two, I cannot wait to devour you too. 5 stars

Thank you

First, I want to thank Ellery Kane, Bookouture, Gail Torr and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I can bring you this review.

Having been a fan of Ellery Kane for some time now I was over the moon when I heard she signed with Bookouture! She is an incredible writer in the mystery genre and Bookouture only signs the best of the best!! So, of course I had to read her first book in the Rockwell and Decker Series Watch Her Vanish!

Kudos to the graphic designer who designed the very pretty cover with all the trees.

Having read for Ellery prior this was unlike any I had read before. For me It went where no book I had ever read went before which was in a way refreshing as she thought way outside of the box. For example the main character Bonnie taught creative writing for a prisons education department for eight years. I would have never thought those skills would be taught in a prison! Later on you actually learn what the inmates wrote and how much that program meant. This part of the story was very interesting to me.

Right away from the prologue I felt many single Moms would be able to relate to Bonnie. Even if you are not a single parent (like myself) could find the empathy in having a night alone by yourself. There was a little bit of creepiness to the end of it.

This is one book that starts out with one murder and by the end there are many more to add to the list. However, the ending will shock you as it did me! If you like a book with a good investigation into multiple murders with a good mystery then Ellery’s book is for you.

This took me a little while to get into and I initially struggled to warm to the characters. However, I’m glad I persevered, this was a tense gripping story with a fabulous ending. Looking forward to the next one.

Watch Her Vanish was a creepy page-turner for me! It was a book full of suspense and gripped you from the beginning to the AMAZING end! I love a book with a great ending and this one is one of the best! Can't wait for book two!!

Like always a big thank you to the publisher Bookuture , the author Ellery Kane, as well as to NetGalley for letting me read and review. And I also want to stay sorry that I'm a bit late with this review,last year was crazy and with all the craziness that was going I ended up going in to a some what of a reading slum which for bookworms like me that's not good. So with that said lets get on to what I thought about this book and why you should give it a try: If you like stories that take place in a small town and the two main characters have interesting and complicated backstories as well as share something in common and its a page turner mixed with suspense and a bit of romance then this might be right up your ally. Plus there are times that it'll make you smile at the inter actions between the two main character.

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.

Great book, though I feel sometimes that I've read these stories before. Originality is key in this genre.

4 Stars from me

This is the first book I have read by Ellery Kane and I am so glad that Watch Her Vanish is book 1 of a series - the Rockwell and Decker books.

Both lead characters were great - flawed, yes, a little cliched, yes, but great!

Decker put me firmly in mind of Will Trent from the Karin Slaughter books - he is the perfect lead guy... handsome, a bit broken, devoted to the woman he loves, happy to punch a bad guy but kind to animals. 

Fans of Noelle Holten's books will enjoy the protagonist, Drake, and Criminal Psychologist Olivia Rockwell. Drake is a superb character, he is a proper nasty piece of work.

The pace and tension was maintained throughout and there were many clever layers to this story - I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra

Watch Her Vanish is the first in a new series titled Rockwell and Decker, by Ellery Kane. It is a gripping and engaging crime thriller which kept me on the edge, not knowing what would happen next. I was fully engrossed in the story from the outset – at the prologue and throughout the entire story.

The main character, Dr. Olivia Rockwell, works as the head criminal psychologist at Crescent Bay State Prison (CBSP) in Fog Harbor, California. Obviously not a pleasant job as she has to deal with the inmates, but when the notorious inmate Drake is the prime suspect in a murder Dr. Rockwell has various conflicting thoughts on his culpability for the murder. Olivia first encounters the new handsome detective Will Decker when entering the church for a public vigil of missing Bonnie McMillan. And as one would suspect – they did not hit it off immediately… it was interesting to see how their relationship evolved over the course of the story. Back to the vigil – Olivia steps out early and then hears a scream, which she runs to. Unfortunately, the discovery is the body of Bonnie so now there is a murder to solve, not just a disappearance. And as one reads on, there are more murders. So who is the murderer? And are the deaths connected?

I found the process of identifying the killer(s) intriguing and definitely kept me on my toes. I thought I would have it figured out and then new pieces of information would emerge. Happy to report that I was stumped until it was just too obvious. Just the way I like mysteries.

The relationship between Olivia and Will certainly had me interested. Its development is a slow burn and I appreciated all the nuances presented. VERY glad to see two main characters taking it slow. The reader was presented with interesting backstories for the main characters, so motivations became evident.

The glimpse we got of prison life was interesting and frankly, one I had not given much thought to. I found it enlightening and informative. Certainly not an environment I would be comfortable working in. Kudo’s to those that do!

There were many twists and turns throughout. Additionally, there were other storylines which I anticipate will parley into more in-depth stories as the series continues, but kept me interested. I cannot wait to further explore the lives of Olivia, her sister Emily and Detective Will Decker. I have already downloaded the second book two in the Rockwell and Decker series, Her Perfect Bones, to my e-reader and I am ready to begin reading ☺.

If you like good character development, a true mystery and good writing – then I suggest this first in a new series book by Ellery Kane! You will definitely enjoy Watch Her Vanish.

Thank you for the opportunity to read/review. I read the first four chapters and could not really relate to the characters. I then skimmed ahead and also read the end but did not feel like the story was one that I would enjoy so opted not to read the entire book. Since I did not read it all I do not feel I can give an honest review. I also noted in other reviews that this is a cliffhanger ending with another book to follow. I prefer books that are one and done OR if in a series with a murder or mystery the next book tackles another murder/mystery rather than carrying on with the unfinished one. (DNF)

This was a very suspenseful pyschological thriller. I did struggle connecting to the characters . The cliffhanger in the end really sold the book for me and a great way to make room for book number 2. It did get over the top in parts. I had many unanswered questions but I still liked the book.

I wasn’t sure about this one to start with but it soon got its claws into me. It starts off as a bit of a slow burner and I struggled to decide if I liked the characters or not. However, Olivia, Will and JB all grew on me and I did enjoy Will and JB’s banter. Olivia and Will’s will they won't they was a bit cliche but I didn’t really mind. I only ever read murder so it’s nice to have a bit of romance thrown in sometimes.

My main issue with this book is that both the main plot and the subplot end on cliff hangers. You get to the end of the book and neither of the cases are solved. It always seems like a bit of an underhand tactic to get you to read the next book. Luckily I enjoyed it enough that I will be reading book 2 asap. As for the main crime, I didn’t work out who the bad guy was until the end when the clues get more obvious. So overall I did really enjoy this book and look forward to reading more about Olivia and Will.

I received a copy of the ebook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Murder, mystery and suspense. This book was enthralling and entertaining to the end.
The characterisation was brilliant, and they each had their own unique personalities. The plot was well constructed and flowed brilliantly.
An enjoyable read.

'Watch Her Vanish' by Ellery A. Kane is book 1 in a mystery/ crime / thriller/ romance series with protagonists, forensic psychologist, Olivia Rockwell, and ex-SFPD Detective, Will Decker, aka Deck. The style/ genre is reminiscent of Karen Rose. Olivia, or Liv, is the head psychologist in the mental health unit of the Crescent Bay State Prison (CBSP), in small-town Fog Harbor, California. Her sister, Emily, 10 years junior, is a dental hygienist at CBSP.

First of all, plaudits to the author for setting a crime story within a prison. That's a first for me. I was impressed by the danger that Liv and her colleagues are bravely working in on a daily basis, treating serial killers, rapists and other deranged criminals. There didn't seem to be barriers between them and these dangerous criminals, or guards present. In fact, time and again, an inmate, serial killer/ rapist, Drake Devere, turned up at Liv's office door, or inside her open-plan office if the door was open, without the prison authorities having a care to the civilian female (or male) staffers' safety.

The prologue has a frightened female CBSP employee returning home at 2 a.m. after a movie, worried for a safety as a male is following her from the theatre. As the book progresses, more and more female employees of CBSP are found murdered. Sometimes, as in the prologue, we are disturbingly in the head of the victim beforehand. It is clear to Liv and Deck, that a serial killer is loose. There are enough potential suspects to create a few red herrings. Drake Devere features amongst them. Liv, however, is convinced that he can't be responsible, as he's incarcerated.

Drake Devere wrote and published from prison a crime novel featuring a serial killer. He received the assistance of several females at CBSP, including the first victim, Bonnie. Profits were donated to a women's refuge. So, surely, Drake Devere is being rehabilitated. Additionally, what was with the cameras and rainy nights? No spoilers, but there was a lot of rain during the book. Do USA, or specifically Californian, prisons really work their security like this?

When the bodies mount up, Liv and Deck fear Liv may be next. Deck also has a personal axe to grind with Devere, or vice versa. Somewhere in all this, Liv and Emily's father, an inmate at another prison features, about whom there is much backstory. Even at the end of a good 400+ pages, I could not figure out what his role was in the entire story; or what he wanted to tell Liv. There was much mention of a vile gang operating within and outside the prison system that left me confused as to the relevance with the plot or the main characters, Liv and Deck. Liv's Dad was a member of this gang.

Will, or Deck, carries his own backstory regarding his police Dad and two brothers. His past was left unresolved too.

At times, Liv's tendency to go it alone in dangerous situations/ sites with minimal precautions calls into question her forensic / prison-related training. This, from a forensic-trained author was confusing. Also, the pacing was not rip-fire due to the time spent on the protagonists' backstories and the repetition, neither of which resulted in plot fruition. The twist was not one, without giving away spoilers.
Additionally, the 400+-page book ends on cliff-hanger. The main plot points and subplots, referred to above, remain unresolved. The reader knows whodunnit. But not the motive or who's next. Deck feels he's a massive failure, and the reader, who's been rooting for him, kind of agrees. We ain't applauding him anymore. As the reader needs to read another novel to figure out the resolution to Book 1, one hopes the plot of Book 2 is entirely different—i.e. not again about rape and serial killings. I'll read Book 2, which is already on Netgalley, to put Books 1 and 2 to rest, but hope it too doesn't end on a cliff-hanger. Just saying.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC in return for an honest review.

This review also appears in Amazon.com, https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3807334646 and https://thereadersvault.blogspot.com/2021/01/watch-her-vanish-by-ellery-kane-4.html

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and the first in a new series. I found it a little slow at the start but then It was a good read with a gripping cliffhanger ending which left me wanting to read book two !

Bonnie McMillan vanished, was swallowed up by the earth, gone. “Watch Her Vanish” is told in alternating points of view so readers know get to know the characters, what they say, what they think, and what they do. Events are seen from different perspectives, so readers know what characters do not. Interspersed between the narratives are newspaper reports providing yet another view of the situation. The characters are multifaceted with complicated pasts that are slowly unveiled. There are failed relationships, secrets obstacles to overcome, and the heaviest kind of baggage, the mental kind.
The plot is compelling; the search for the killer intensifies, and the body count increases. The killer is manipulative and systematic. Evidence is uncovered not due to carelessness but as the result of calculated planning. Clues point in one direction, but inconsistencies muddle the investigation and possibly point to the wrong people. Each chapter ends with trauma, surprise, purposeful action, or unanswered question to entice readers to continue reading.
“Watch Her Vanish” is unpredictable with problematical characters who at times give in to impulses for total destruction. It is well organized and compelling. I received a review copy of “Watch Her Vanish” from Ellery A. Kane and Bookouture.

Watch her Vanish is book 1 in the Rockwell and Decker series. First you get some murder, and mystery and a who did what and how. This story was entertaining. With their backstories and character flaws, the characters in this story are perfect. Can’t wait to see what they get into in book 2.

My degree is in Psychology and I’ve always had a fascination with forensic psych specifically. In fact, had I wanted to continue and get my doctorate, I would have focused on forensic psych. I’ve always wanted to understand why people do the heinous things they do.

Watch Here Vanish by Ellery A. Kane is a crime thriller set in Fog Harbor, California. Olivia Rockwell is the head psychologist at the local prison where most of the characters work as well. One of Olivia’s patients on death row is implicated in the murder of a teacher, but how so? Olivia and Detective Will Decker begin working on finding the answers, but they both have an iffy past with lots of skeletons in their closets.

I found the characters well-developed and relatable. And, the plot had me guessing until the very end which is unusual for me.

Would definitely recommend for anyone who loves crime thrillers, psychology, or the like!

An addictive and unputdownable crime thriller that will keep you up all night.

Such a thriller! I am anxiously awaiting the next installment after that cliffhanger! I liked the fact that one of the main characters works in a prison. Great read.

Watch Her Vanish is a great start to the new Rockwell & Decker series. I loved the way the book started, continued & the ending now wishes I have the next one in my library asap. The characters in this book were very intriguing & the plot was really good. For some reason the characters of Rockwell & Decker gave me major "Sara Linton & Will Trent" vibes - the main characters from Karin Slaughter's famous series. From the perspective of a seasoned thriller reader, I found the identity of the killer become quite apparent towards the end but much before the big reveal. I enjoyed reading this book nonetheless. I would have preferred if the relationships between the characters were developed slowly & subtly. It would have made that seem more natural. Instead there is an almost abrupt shift in the way they behave which makes it seem kind of forced & odd. That said, the plot involving the main case, & the interesting characters make for a thrilling read! The book ended with a cliffhanger that is making me keep an eye out for Ellery Kane's next in this fan series.

Thank You, NetGalley, Bookouture & Ellery A. Kane for an arc!