Dark Hollywood is featured in this thriller. Mia is ready for her big break….but will the circumstances of a missing person break her?

This book kept me flipping pages as fast as I could! Mia a British actress gets a four word break up text from her actor boyfriend and heads to Hollywood to work and get away. At an audition, she meets Emily who asks her to put change in the meter so her car isn't towed and goes into the audition.....Mia can't get a hold of Emily to give her the keys and her wallet and tries to figure out what happened to her. The more Mia digs the stranger things become. This fast paced suspense keeps the reading wanting to know what is going on here? Excellent - totally recommend. The story about the actress who jumped from the Hollywood sign in 1932, I did not know - chilling!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an copy for an honest review.

British actress Mia Eliot has made her mark across the pond and is now in Hollywood for a plethora of auditions with some of the movers and shakers of tinsel town.

On one of her auditions she meets Emily, a fellow actress, who asks her for a small favor and promptly disappears. Mia (who must have a galloping case of OCD) promptly begins searching for the missing Emily (who she has met all of that one time) rather than focusing on her career and the opportunities being offered to her. When the elusive Emily shows up at Mia’s apartment, Mia is pretty sure she is not the same person she remembers meeting. She is, however, cognizant enough to notice that things in her apartment have either been moved or have disappeared. Oh my, has someone been there while she was out and how could they have entered without a key?

What ensues is a convoluted plot where our protagonist does unexplainably stupid things, it is difficult to tell the players without a scorecard, and the motivation and actions of various characters are improbable at best.

I had high hopes when I began this book and will say that the plot does keep you reading, if for no other reason, than to count how many twists and dead ends you are willing to accept to get to the final reveal. 2 1/2 stars

The Disappearing Act by Catherine Steadman was a great read. Although it was a little unbelievable, it was still a good read. The book pulled me in from the very beginning. My only criticism was the ending fell a little flat. I was kindly provided with an advanced copy from Ballantine Books for my honest opinion. Thank you!

A psychological thriller. Mia Eliot, British actress, nominated for a BAFTA award for her role in a retelling of Jane Eyre, is dumped by her boyfriend. Mia heads to LA to take part in pilot week. At her first audition, she meets Emily, who seems to be having some issues. Mia ends up with Emily's bag, wallet and keys to a rental car. After chasing down some phone numbers she reaches someone who says she is Emily, and Mia arranges for Emily to come to her apartment to pick up her belongings. When the woman arrives, she is not the woman who Mia met at the audition.

The author keeps the suspense going. Many will be amazed at Mia's naivete. Who gives strangers phone numbers? Or invites them to the apartment? No meeting in public spaces for Mia. As the plot thickens, Mia attempts to figure all this out on her own. She holds evidence which she opts to not turn over to the police, but, instead pursues the bad guy herself.

In the end, we are left wondering who really is Emily/Marla and perhaps other striving actors and actresses who are willing to do whatever they have to in order to succeed in the culture that is Hollywood. A good look at a culture many of us will never experience and who have no desire to do so, written by someone who is an actress who writes what she knows.

I picked up this book because of the interesting premise of briefly meeting someone who then goes missing. This happens to actress Mia while she's on an audition and she ends up feeding the parking meter for a girl who never comes back to retrieve her car keys. Finding that weird, Mia tries to make sure the girl is okay, and starts her own investigation. As Mia starts discovering more about the missing Emily, she may be making herself the next target.
This was fast-paced and had a unique setting, but the characters were weakly developed and I didn't really care about the ending.

Since reading The Comeback and Great Circle, I've enjoyed the actress making it in Hollywood motif. This one is told with authenticity and a bit of fantastic adventure. The migration of actress-across-the-pond to California is even better - there's the traffic on the 101, the biscotti shops, the personal assistants, the free (if you promote it) car, and of course, a glam squad. Total fun.

Some books are made or doomed by the end. This one had promise. It could have redeemed itself. It was kind of ridiculous all the way through, but there were a lot of ending that could have saved it. This one did not. It just got more and more ridiculous. The main character was absolutely stupid. At any moment she could have either been completely honest or completely skeptical and been ok. Instead the author just relied on a shallow view of Los Angeles and Hollywood (neither of which are places that I really even like) to make her lead try to justify her actions.

My favorite....the building she is living in is so empty because they suddenly found a minor fault line below it. OK...every where in LA is on a major or minor fault line. There is literally one called the Hollywood Fault that runs right under the most densely populated parts of LA. My college, not in LA, was basically built on one. The library was on rollers and was actually pretty cool to be in during an earthquake. I digress. But it proves the point. LA...what could scare people but not be too threatening? EARTHQUAKE. Yeah, we aren’t scared away that easily in So Cal. Then the MC talks about how everyone in LA is so nice that she just wants to go back to London to be treated rudely. We’ve heard this before. It’s a common thing about tourist heavy destinations. But every person she has run into has been overtly rude. Then she talks about how horrible everyone is in Hollywood (again, I don’t have any lovel for the place-way overrated) but the characteristics she describes then are basically a description of her own actions throughout the book. I am not sure if it is irony or hypocracy. Maybe both.

Bottom line, it is OK to be ridiculous. Just own it, man.

🏊‍♂️ Happy Pub Week! 🏊‍♂️

“There are no doubts in my mind that given half a chance, LA could swallow me whole in one night.”

Mia is an actress that seemingly has it all. She plays the lead role in Jane Eyre, lives with her boyfriend, George, who is also a performer & is up for a prestigious award in a few months. But, after a meeting with her agent she returns home to find that things aren’t as great as she thought they were.

Newly single, but still as talented as ever, she decides to visit Hollywood in pursuit of new career opportunities. Going away for a bit will also give her some time to clear her mind from her recent heartache.

When Mia arrives she is beyond excited by everything her agent has arranged for her in exchange for a few social media posts— an Audi, a gorgeous suite & a gift party where the freebies are endless: Cartier, Gucci ; trips to Greece, The Bahamas, you name it.

While she is waiting outside for her latest audition she meets a young & very friendly girl named Emily and offers to do her a simple favor. But, that one generosity will get her into a situation that could cost her career, or even worse, her life.

“BE VERY CAREFUL WHAT YOU DO NEXT.”

“A shiver runs down my spine as it occurs to me that whatever happened to Emily could now very easily happen to me.”

You’ll never look at the Hollywood sign the same.

I pride myself in being a generous & overly-friendly person, but after this book I’ll definitely think twice before volunteering my assistance.

4 ⭐️.

📝 Catherine Steadman is also the author of “Something In The Water” & “Mr.Nobody.”

💭 Have you read any of her three thrillers? If so, what did you think?

💭 What was the last ARC that you enjoyed?

Thank you to Netgalley, Ballantine Books and Catherine Steadman for my #gifted e-arc copy in exchange for an honest review.

Fast paced, original thriller.

Mia, rising British actress is flown to Hollywood to audition for a major motion picture. While waiting to audition, she meets Emily, another actress, and they strike up a conversation. As Emily’s turn nears, she needs to run to put money in her meter. Mia, offers to do it for her, and from there twists, turns and a thriller emerge.

Original storyline, with want-to-be actresses at the forefront, and a glimpse at the darker side of Hollywood. A little confusing following one character with many names but the story was fast-paced and well written. Certain parts left me yelling at Mia not to get involved but it allowed the story to flow to an ending I didn’t quite expect but totally enjoyed.

Thanks to Ms. Steadman, Ballantine Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.

Experience leads to authenticity.
Mia is already a successful actress in her home city of London, she's even up for a BAFTA for playing Jane Eyre. When her longtime boyfriend leaves her for a younger woman she decides some time away would be good. So she goes to Hollywood to see if she can make it there and get over the loss of her boyfriend. While at an audition she meets another actress, Emily, and after a short interaction she ends up with Emily's wallet and car keys but when she goes to give them back she finds Emily has disappeared. What follows is a compelling psychological thriller where people aren't who they say they are and you're not sure who to believe.
Like in her previous novels, the writing, pacing and intrigue are stellar. The story is told from Mia's POV and even though some of her decisions and actions are naive, I was captivated by her and the situation she found herself in. The insider information into the workings of Hollywood gives this one the added bonus of authenticity.
I'm sure this one will find its way to many a beach and poolside this summer and I highly recommend it.

Okay - I really liked the beginning. And then things just got wacky and unbelievable and well, weird. Suspending disbelief for the sake of narrative license and entertainment is one thing. But I can't for a minute believe that a rational woman would proceed in the direction that Mia did, over and over again, and that's where the book lost me... I found myself irritated at her and her foolish decision making. It made it very difficult to empathize with her as she moved through the story and the drama, and eventually I realized I just didn't care what happened to her anymore. And that's when I realized I was done. This one just wasn't for me...

Having read the author’s previous book, I was anxious to read this one and I wasn’t disappointed. Successful British actress Mia goes to LA for to try her luck and finds herself in a whole new world. Amongst a busy round of auditions, Mia meets Emily who seems to be more friendly than the other actresses she has seen. Emily is called next, but she is in a panic about her meter running out where her rental car is parked. Mia agrees to take care of the meter and Emily leaves her with her phone and wallet. When Mia goes back to her own audition, Emily is not there, and no one seems to know who or where she is. This simple act of kindness leads to a dark mystery with lots of twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the end. I highly recommend this book as a must read!

Also reviewed on B&N - 1IrishEyes430 and Kobo - IrishEyes430

The Disappearing Act by Catherine Steadman is a well-written and engrossing read with well developed characterizations. Well worth the time spent reading.

Could the protagonist be so clueless? I was so frustrated yet I was completely hooked on Mia’s story. In addition to its’ compelling mystery angle, I enjoyed the Hollywood insider view. A bit implausible but quite suspenseful and a very fun book to read!

I really enjoyed this thriller. It's not the normal thrillers I read so having a different setting was nice. I was definitely hooked from the beginning on wanting to know who the heck Emily was and now wondering how common it would be for someone to pull off what happened in this book. Like could someone easily switch identities like that? Makes you wonder lol.

Also I'm very glad that a certain someone wasn't the bad guy in the end.

Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read this!

I really enjoyed this unique and twisty suspense novel set in present-day Hollywood. It appealed to me personally because I’ve worked in the film industry a bit so I completely related to the main character, Mia, as she stepped into auditions. I love that Catherine Steadman used her personal experience as an actress to create the story. It was so real that I felt like I was living vicariously through Mia. She also really captured the intrigue and mystery of the film industry and of Hollywood itself. On top of all the atmospheric tension, the plot, which follows Mia as she attempts to unravel the truth behind an actress’ disappearance, is perfectly crafted and well-executed. I thought I had it all figured out and I was pleasantly surprised to find I was completely wrong!! Overall, it’s a great read that steps away from your typical thriller tropes. Thank you to the Random House - Ballantine and NetGalley for providing me with an e-galley!

This was my first Catherine Steadman and I was not disappointed!! This is a slow burn mystery about Mia Eliot who has a brief encounter with a fellow actress who then goes missing into thin air and against her better judgement, Mia follows her gut and asks questions about the missing actress that no one else is asking.
I have not always liked books about actresses and technical acting things in the past, but this was such a good story and Catherine Steadman was an actress so she has really good technical knowledge about the industry.

Actress Catherine Steadman writes about the world she knows in this mystery drama about a British woman, Mia Eliot, who travels from the UK to see if she can make it big in LA.

Mia is definitely out of her element when she arrives in LA to begin a series of auditions. The city, the weather, the car, the apartment, and the people are definitely nothing like her life back in London. When she meets Emily at a casting call, she's surprised and pleased that they connect so easily. So, when Emily goes missing after leaving her bank card and phone with Mia while she goes in for her audition, it's natural that Mia is concerned. And, then she goes looking.

All this seemed just so far fetched in so many ways. I never identified with Mia nor would I ever make any of the decisions she did. The insider information about the movie industry was interesting, but it wasn't compelling enough to carry the crazy story line to a point where I could have my buy in. Most of the time, I was just shaking my head as Mia made one dubious move after another. If you're a person who likes to figure out where a plot is going, you might have a little trouble with this one. I wish I could say that the book was redeemed by the ending, but, again, it just didn't work for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this e-book ARC to read and review. I did read and enjoyed one of her previous books, so I may try another in the future.

In The Disappearing Act Catherine Steadman gives the reader the bright lights and glamour of Hollywood, some romance, and some edge of your seat moments. I want to thank NetGalley and Ballantine Books for a copy to review.