Mia is a British starlet who is coming to LA for some film jobs. While at an audition, Mia meets another woman auditioning for a part. As the woman enters the audition, she hands Mia her wallet and keys to feed her parking meter. But the woman never returns. Several days later, a woman appears but isn't the same person that Mia remembers meeting before. But how well do you really remember someone that you met for only a few minutes? What is going on?

The first 50% of the book was very slow, and then I enjoyed the next 20% and the rest was only so-so. The book discusses some interesting tidbits of the acting profession (and some of the perks)! However, there was a character who didn't really seem to move the plot along, and the characters didn't really seem to have any depth to them, very one dimensional. I also just hate it when the main characters in mysteries just assumes weird stuff is normal and glosses over it. Some of the events didn't feel very realistic, and I really hated the portrayal of female friendships (some of the ladies being far more concerned about themselves than what happened to their friend/fellow female). But perhaps I am on the only person left in the world that cares about others? Additionally, this book didn't have any steam and felt very PG.

Some of the weird things in this book: Mia drives her car around in The States. I find this very hard to believe. As an American who has been to London, I would NEVER drive in London. Why wouldn't she just take an Uber? When Mia meets an alleged American guy, He says that he will "pop out." Sorry but Americans don't typically say pop in and pop out. That is totally a British saying. There were other things that didn't make sense but I won't go into them because they would be very spoilery.

Overall, this book bored me, and I felt it was a chore to read except for about 20% in the middle which was unexpected. Then, it went back into slow mode.

*Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest opinion.

Catherine Steadman does it again, delivering the summer’s must-read thriller! Something in the Water was a great debut, but Mr. Nobody didn’t live up to the hype. The Disappearing Act not only lives up to the hype and expectations but is in my opinion the best of her three books.

The story opens with Mia, an up-and-coming actress just on the verge of making it in her native London. Her agent sends her to LA & Hollywood for a few casting calls and auditions with studios and producers to take the next step in her career. It’s at one of these casting calls that she meets Emily, a few actress, with whom she makes a brief but memorable connection. Only Emily goes missing just after they meet and Mia becomes worried about her new friend’s mysterious disappearance. As Mia delves more into what happened to Emily, she learns more and more about Hollywood’s unsavory power and influence. Unsure of who she can trust, she must decide what she’s willing to do in order to maintain everything she’s worked so hard for and to get where she is. This kept me hooked until the very last page, not knowing when or where the next twist would come from.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book that I was already looking forward to, now a little earlier than planned!

It’s the pilot season in Los Angeles, and actors from around the world gather there to audition, hoping to have their dreams realized, and their careers made! Mia Eliot, a star in Britain, has decided to take her career to the next level by traveling to Hollywood. At one of her auditions, she meets Emily, a kindred spirit, and does a favor for her that takes a bad turn, as Emily disappears and Mia was the last person to see her. Then a woman comes to Mia’s door claiming to be Emily, but Mia is certain that is not true. She is worried sick about Emily, and even the police won’t believe her story, so she decides to play detective to find out what happened. The rest is a thriller that takes you on a wild ride where even Mia’s sanity is at stake.

<b>I loved <i>Something in the Water</i> and I've been watching for new books by the author ever since. <i>Mr. Nobody</i> was just a so-so read for me, so this one has restored my confidence in Ms. Steadman. It’s well written, as are all of her novels, and it’s filled with unexpected events. I’m excited to see what she comes out with next!</b>

Mia is one of the most irritating characters I’ve read about in a long time. I disagreed with almost every decision she made... but there wouldn’t have been a book if she’d listened to me, lol! The beginning was a bit slow, but once I got into it I was hooked!

Mia lives in London, is newly single, and her career as an actress is taking off. She flies to LA for auditions and meets Emily, a very friendly woman who is auditioning for the same part. They have a bizarre interaction and Emily disappears, leaving Mia with her car keys and wallet. Of course, Mia doesn’t do any of the logical things with the items and the story begins!

Thank you to NetGalley, Catherine Steadman and Ballantine Books, for the opportunity to read this free digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

<b>My Rating: </b> 4 ⭐️’s
<b>Published:</b> June 8th 2021 by Ballantine Books
<b>Pages:</b> 320
<b>Recommend:</b> Yes

@CatSteadman @randomhouse @NetGalley
#TheDisappearingAct #NetGalley #NoRulesJustThrills #InExchangeForReview #BookReview #PsychologicalThriller #BallantineBooks

More on the Author:
Twitter: @CatSteadman
Instagram: @catsteadman

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for giving me an advance copy of this suspenseful novel in exchange for an honest review. It was definitely a page-turner. I tried to put it down way past my bedtime, but couldn't sleep, so I picked it back up to finish.
Mia is an up-and-coming, 30-year-0ld British actress who has just been dumped by her long-time boyfriend for a younger, more successful actress. Mia's agent sends her to L.A. for pilot season, where she goes on a series of auditions, hoping to take her career to the next level.
At a casting call, she meets Emily, another young actress, and offers to top up her parking meter while her new friend goes into the audition room. When Mia returns, Emily has disappeared, and Mia is left with her wallet and car keys. The receptionist won't accept responsibility for returning Emily's property, so when Mia can't wait any longer without being late to her next audition, she takes the items with her.
While inspecting Emily's car for clues as to her whereabouts, Mia meets Nick, a handsome young producer. He tries to be helpful, but she keeps him at arm's length, as she's not sure she can trust him.
Mia finds a rental agreement inside the car with an address and phone number, so she calls the number to let Emily know she still has her things. The next day, a woman shows up at her door to claim the items, but Mia realizes she's not the same woman she remembers. She gets a sinking feeling that something awful has happened to Emily. and reports her suspicions to the police. After a cursory investigation, the police find nothing amiss.
Nevertheless, Mia can't let it go, and she continues to snoop into Emily's life.
In the meantime, despite the state-of-the-art security in the building where she lives, Mia keeps finding things moved or missing. Some of her important emails get mysteriously deleted, and someone tampers with her loaner car.
Her sleuthing ruffles the feathers of major power players and ultimately leads to a dangerous, climactic confrontation. But the twists don't stop there!
The author's background as an actress lent authenticity to this behind-the-scenes look at Hollywood. Mia is a very likeable protagonist, although many of her choices are questionable. Even if some scenes were implausible, this was a very entertaining read, and I found the ending satisfying.

This was a really fast paced, popcorn mystery that I found really fascinating. Hollywood intrigue mixed with a missing persons case made for a super readable story. I enjoyed what felt like the "behind the curtain" aspect of it as Mia made her way around LA auditioning and taking meetings as a young new star on the rise, as well as the main mystery plot line. This one might require setting aside some disbelief at moments as some parts are a little fantastical or coincidental, but it's very enjoyable.

A psychological thriller leaning more towards mystery rather than suspense. Due to the lack of suspense I feel I couldn't get invested in this story as much as I would have preferred. It wasn't a page turning, keep me on the edge of my seat type of book.

I liked the main character, Mia, a British actress who travels to Hollywood to venture into filmmaking in the States, but I was quite bored with the overall storyline and some details were frustrating, because she was a bit too oblivious. Overall, it was an easy summer read.

***Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an advanced copy of this book!

Think of La-La-Land.

Now take one of the characters and have them disappear, resurfacing as someone who looks a lot like them—but isn’t them. Now have Emma Stone try to Nancy Drew why everyone’s trying so hard to act like the girl isn’t missing. Welcome to The Disappearing Act.

Dry-humored and aching from a breakup, rising actress Mia flees from England to the City of Angels. She both struggles to keep up with the Hollywood hustle and enjoys the LA thrill, and everything appears to be looking up—until she meets a girl at an audition who disappears. In an increasingly desperate attempt to find a girl no one else believes is missing, Mia finds herself on a twisting path through the darker side of LA.

The Disappearing Act is a refreshing thriller, with an enjoyable protagonist, strong relationships, and a plot that thickens in the most delicious way. Steadman’s Hollywood world is strikingly immersive, the details visceral and unique. From an outsider’s perspective, the LA life Steadman presents is entirely believable. It’s a slow-burn story, but sharp twists appear at every turn, with harrowing moments that will make you lock your doors and put a chair under the door handle. The character voices are vivid and unique, reminiscent of Tana French’s fantastic character depth. Many of the characters are likeable—and the protagonist’s relationships with her agent and love interest are ones you can really root for.

The story is slow to pick-up at first—we spend a LOT of time in LA life. Some details and characters (her agent, Michael, for instance) came and went without much purpose. Some of the antagonist’s actions didn’t entirely make sense. But you have to love the way Steadman makes use of Chekhov’s gun in the acting world.

In short, Steadman dazzles in yet another all-original thriller, in the fast and furious world of acting and LA. I have yet to be disappointed by a Catherine Steadman novel, and I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us next.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

-Ande

How far would you go to help a complete stranger?

A book that centers around the dreams of Hollywood starlets AND also mixes suspense - SIGN. ME. UP! British star Mia flees to Hollywood for her big break. One day she meets Emily at an audition and she’s hoping they’ll become friends. But a simple favor takes a dark twist when Emily disappears and Mia realizes she was the last person to see her.

So, hold on your seats friends because this is a wild ride! Even though there doesn’t seem to be very much going on in the beginning, you are SO PULLED in to the story that you just cannot stop. I was turning pages for hours on end because I just HAD to know the mystery of this Emily character.

Mia does some pretty sketchy, dangerous and kinda dumb, things to help find this stranger she only just met a few minutes ago. It starts as a favor and slowly erupts into craziness. It’s a high price to pay to be a Hollywood star and they’re all there to win, no matter what risks they have to take. Then ending was pretty outlandish but hey, it’s Hollywood so it was good enough for me. 🤷🏽‍♀️ Then the slick ending...just when you think things are back to normal, she throws another twist at ya! Well done, Catherine! 👏🏽

This will be a great summer thriller!

Steadman’s The Disappearing Act kicks off with an Intriguing prologue that not only evokes a wave of nostalgia for us 80s babies, but initially sets the tone for what is sure to be a hell of a story.

Or so I thought.

The prologue was honestly the best part of the book, and it quickly went downhill from there, never to come back up again.

There was little to no depth to the main character (or any of the supporting characters for that matter), an unrealistic/unbelievable plot that drags on, and a lackluster look at Hollywood from the eyes of an aspiring actress.

I considered DNFing around 30%, but stuck with it in hopes that it would get better since it was a quick read. Unfortunately, this one missed the mark for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the gifted ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I loved that Catherine Steadman used her acting career to give this novel the creditably that it deserves as a Hollywood set novel. Overall, I found the book to be a fast paced read. Once I got sucked in, it was hard to put down. Though I do feel that Mia was a bit naive with situations, I feel like some can be written off from here location change. But for the most part, I felt it was a pretty believable situation. Thank you Netgalley & Ballantine for the read.

Really enjoyed this one. It started off a little slow and I wasn’t quite sure where it was headed but man did it deliver with some twists. A fun, twisty, unputdownable book that will be sure to be a summer hit.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

THE DISAPPEARING ACT by Catherine Steadman follows British actress, Mia Eliot, as she travels to LA to snag her next big role. While there, she meets a woman who soon seems to disappear into thin air. While trying to piece together the truth, Mia uncovers the dark secrets of Hollywood and becomes a side character in a twisty thriller.

THIS BOOK. The premise was absolutely stunning and brought to life a badass female lead. The plot had me flipping pages in order to find out more, and the twists kept that momentum going. I can’t recommend this book enough!

Publication Date: June 08, 2021

*** special thanks to NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review ***

Posted to Goodreads and The StoryGraph: 06/05/21
Posted to Instagram (Bookstagram): 06/07/21

A Hollywood tale of glamour, cruelty, and naivety that draws on and upends the stereotypic narrative of lost innocence in the big city. A must read.

Reeling from a painful break up from her longtime boyfriend, Mia Eliot, a British actress, sets out for Los Angeles to take her career to the next level after having garnered a BAFTA nomination for her role in Eyre. Once in Los Angeles, she finds herself drawn into a complicated mystery -- another girl auditioning for the same role as Mia suddenly vanishes after giving Mia her keys and wallet to go feed her parking meter. But even this disappearance is not what it appears to be.

At one level, this story draws on every dark Hollywood stereotype in the book: the lascivious big-time producer, the starry-eyed innocent girl who goes to the big city looking for fame and whose dreams end in disaster, and of course the cutthroat competition between actors for the role of a lifetime. Yet, much like the fictional film, Galatea, a modern take on My Fair Lady, for which Mia is auditioning, The Disappearing Act introduces multiple plot twists that upend the classic outcomes of the above stereotypes.

These reversals in the classic narrative are made believable by the authentic movie business details and by the author's painstaking outlining of Mia's thought processes, i.e., the self-doubts, rationalizations, and imaginative leaps that she makes as she slowly unravels the true story behind Emily's disappearance. This thoughtful character development allows the reader to overlook what otherwise would seem like an unrealistically naive protagonist at the beginning of this tale. But naivety is soon replaced by calculation, and the price for that dream role is exposed.

British actress Mia Eliot comes to L.A. to audition for several roles. At one of the auditions, she meets a woman who introduces herself as Emily. As a favor, she goes to feed the parking meter for her while Emily goes in to audition. When she gets back with Emily's keys and wallet, Emily has seemingly vanished into thin air and no one, not even the people who were doing the auditions have any idea who Mia is talking about when she tries to inquire about her. When she finally makes contact days later, the person who comes to her door to get Emily's things, and who says she is Emily, is not the same person Mia met at the audition. Mia refuses to let it go, not realizing that she is putting her own life on the line in the pursuit of the truth.
I was a huge fan of this author's first book, so I was very excited to get a chance to read and review this book. I have to admit that I did not enjoy this book quite as much, unfortunately. Mia was naive to the point of being unbelievable, which was frustrating for me and made it less enjoyable. It was a good book, just not one of my favorites.

Read this fast paced book in one sitting. Interesting look at a slice of Hollywood & what people are willing to do to achieve fame. Many twists.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.c

Will leave a 4 star review on Amazon under name of Connie
Thanks for granting me access to this book

The Disappearing Act is not the first thriller I’ve read from Catherine Steadman and it probably won’t be the last. The writing in this author’s books does seem to always be incredibly compelling despite my finding a few things that I consider to be slight personal flaws.

In this story Mia Eliot is a British actress who has traveled to Los Angeles to attend several auditions with her chance to actually make it as an actress in Hollywood after a successful part. Mia has been set up in a luxurious apartment in a nice building and given a pricey car to make her way around the city all for a few Instagram posts and can’t believe her luck.

One afternoon however Mia is waiting for her turn at an audition when she meets another young actress, Emily, auditioning for the same part. As the time comes for Emily to go in she gets flustered and says she needs to feed her parking meter. Not wanting to be rushed in either Mia volunteers to do it for Emily taking her things as Emily heads into the audition. After helping Emily out however Mia can’t find her afterwards and begins to worry something has happened.

I picked up this book late one night to begin reading and it was one of those times that I just didn’t want to put it down and kept thinking just one more chapter. The story flows rather well and is completely addictive when it comes to wanting to know what comes next just as I had remembered had happened before with this author. However, I did find something that held me back from a high rating then and now it has happened with a totally different reason. This time I felt I wasn’t overly exited with how the entire book ended which I won’t go into to avoid spoilers but that feeling left me rating this one at three and a half stars.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I received a complimentary copy of this book "The Disappearing Act" and all opinions expressed are my own. It's getting hard to find a good book. This one was not for me. I had it on my kindle for a while and decided I should get to it. I didn't care for the plot or the characters.

I loved that the book was set in Los Angeles/Hollywood and it was fun being able to get more of perspective of the Hollywood lifestyle. I was hooked from the first page to the last page and the mystery element kept me intrigued. I also loved that I couldn't predict the ending. Absolute 5 star read!

Hollywood legends, desperate actresses and a break-out role to die for!

British actress Mia Eliot is a rising star in London after playing the notable role of Jane Eyre. Although she has obtained success in her home country, making it in Hollywood is the obvious next step. At the opening of pilot season in Los Angeles—a time when roles are cast and stars are born—Mia flies to LA for her shot at doing the same. Things are going well for Mia in her back-to-back auditions until a fellow actress and new acquaintance of hers, Emily, disappears during an audition. Mia is the only one who seems to have noticed, and she can't shake the feeling that something very wrong has happened. Balancing her time preparing for what could be the role of a lifetime and searching for Emily, Mia finds herself at the edge of a dangerous path that could lead to total ruin.

I have always been fascinated by the glitz and glamour, triumph and tragedy of old and new Hollywood stories. I loved the embedded history and nods to the spooky past, including the real-life story of Peg Entwistle’s 1930’s death at the base of the Hollywood sign. It’s with this ghost story that Mia’s (and the reader) experiences the LA film industry and its gritty, cutthroat environment for the first time.

I loved how this story showed echoes of lingering old Hollywood mentalities that still exist in the industry, as a dark undertone in the book. On the flip side, it was fun to be in Mia’s shoes as a rising star who has “people” to handle her logistics, gifting parties to attend, and glamorous movie sets to occupy. There was drama, LA cool vibes, dreams, sweat, and tears. And best of all, in a city full of actors you never know who to trust. Overall, this was a well-rounded thriller.

This is the 3rd book that I have read and loved by Catherine Steadman and it won’t be my last. What can I say? Catherine Steadman’s writing just works for me. It was a true page turner from start to finish and although much of Mia’s troubles were due to her naivete, this didn’t pull from my enjoyment at all. Loved it!

My Rating: 5 Stars

Thank you, Random House Publishing, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for my gifted ARC.