Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Kevin O’Brien is an author I know I can count on to provide an intense and suspense-filled mystery. The characters are well developed … though they have their flaws. This book had me on the edge of my seat and trying to figure out the ending. I love how the author keeps me guessing and I am still shocked by the conclusion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pinnacle for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

3.75 Hearts I was pleasantly surprised by this story. When her lover’s wife disappears and she has no memory of the night before Anna starts to question everything.

I enjoyed the twist and turns in this story. Just when I thought I had an idea of who and why I was redirected. The writing by O’Brien kept me on the edge wanting to turn the page to find out more details.

Yes, the story premise is nothing new but there was a number of fun details that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

The Night She Disappeared by Kevin O'Brien is a complex and multi-layered mystery thriller.
We are given an intense and suspenseful story!
I loved the beginning, more so the ending, and found the middle to be enjoyably page turning too.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fun mystery when the main character and her lover become suspects when his wife goes missing. I liked how the author brought together various elements to keep me guessing. Some sections were too long and felt it needed a sharper editing. But overall, a good read

Fun and suspenseful mystery thriller that I just couldn't put down!

After an evening out to a fancy dinner with Dr. Russ Knoll (her lover) and his author wife, Courtney, Seattle TV reporter Anna Malone wakes with a horrible hangover. She remembers little about the previous evening but does feel certain that Russ's wife knows about his infidelities. That becomes more significant, however, when Anna hears that Courtney has gone missing. Russ reports that Courtney apparently packed a bag and vanished at some point that night -- possibly when he had walked drunken Anna home to her floating house on Lake Union just a short distance from the Knoll's residence. Anna and her sordid personal life suddenly become of great interest to the media, particularly to Sally Justice and her News Network show. The problem is this: Anna can't remember anything that happened after the trio left the restaurant. No spoilers.

I thoroughly enjoyed the way that this story unraveled and the large cast of flawed characters. Although I was searching for clues and guessing wildly as I rapidly turned the pages, I wasn't able to come up with the answer until the twisted tale came close to conclusion. I liked the fast pace, the writing, and the way the author dangled the red herrings. I definitely plan to seek out more of O'Brien's novels.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend.

This was a surprise read for me. I was sucked right in from the beginning. I had no idea who was the culprit and it was written well. The story didn't seem dull and kept me interested.

The main characters are the news journalist, Anna, her married lover/handsome pediatrician, Russ, and Russ' wife Courtney, an author who is also mostly deaf. Unable to resist the pull to Russ, against her better moral judgment, Anna became Russ' mistress over a year ago. She suddenly meets Courtney who begs to get together and talk about her upcoming book. Despite Anna's hesitance, she and her videographer, George, complete an expose on Courtney to spotlight her new book launch. After an awkward night with both Courtney and Russ and way too much drinking, Anna wakes up disoriented with the worst hangover of her life unable to remember any details from the night before. When Russ phones telling her that Courtney is missing, Anna begins her struggle to piece the evening together to find out what happened. 

So, Anna's character isn't introduced in the best light. She's the other woman, sleeping and in love with someone else's husband, all while playing nice to the wife for a t.v. segment. Even better, she wakes up in a different bedroom in her house, in a shirt she doesn't remember putting on, late for work, and hungover as hell. Poor Anna had to earn some points back with me from the first page, but she did eventually get there. 

Russ seemed almost too good to be true, with the exception of being a cheater, and my suspicions about him having something to do with Courtney's disappearance were running high from the beginning. I was convinced that he killed her in an argument or that Anna was so drunk she killed her to get her out of the way. But then these creepy phone calls begin, all of these other characters started trickling in, and it took me almost the entire book to figure everything out. Although somewhat farfetched theories, more and more people kept appearing making me think, "well, I kind of see how they would do it just to frame her," or "That's a stretch but it could be that guy." It was very close to the end when I started figuring out "whodunnit," but it was even later until it was confirmed and I figured out why. I love that! Give me a thriller that keeps me guessing until the end and I'm a happy girl. 

Now, some criticism. There is a character named Sally Justice who is basically a fictional Nancy Grace. Her show was the same, things she said sounded like things I have heard Nancy Grace say before, and her presence was honestly, a bit much. I liked the angle of this crazy aggressive t.v. personality trying to rip Anna and Russ apart, but she had a bit too much real estate in the book for me personally. Also, there was a great deal of flashbacks for Anna about her childhood that I didn't find completely necessary. I realize the author was trying to develop her character, but I found myself starting to quickly skim over them. 

The Night She Disappeared was an addictive roller coaster ride that kept me guessing until the end and kept me up way past my normal bedtime. O'Brien created this amazing puzzle that took forever to figure out and I highly recommend this one to fans of this genre or especially to those who aren't sure this is a genre they would like. 

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Kevin O'Brien has always been a favorite author of mine. I've read almost all of his books and I've never been disappointed. However, it took me a long time to get into the story. I've been trying to figure out why and I finally decided that it wasn't like his previous books.

This doesn't mean that I won't read anymore of his books because I definitely will. Who knows? Another reader might find this book enjoyable, but it wasn't for me.

Thank you to #NetGalley for providing AC of the book!

The Night She Disappeared by Kevin O’Brien

Well written and potentially intriguing but not for me. Within the first few pages I realized I probably would not be willing to read this book word for word. Why? The fact that the introduction to the main character, Anna, had her hungover, receiving a phone call from her married lover and the lover was asking Anna if she had seen his wife or heard from the wife after the three had dinner together the night before…well…that left a bad taste in my mouth. I decided to keep reading and the more I read the less I wanted to continue reading so I read the end, skimmed the chapters in between, and knew for sure I didn’t like and could not relate to any of the characters.

Did I like this book? Not really
Would I read another book by this author? It would depend on the synopsis
Who do I think might enjoy this book? My guess is that many would like it even though it was not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

2-3 Stars

Fantastic finale. Many surprises. Wasn't sure this was the book for me, but I kept going and it got better and better. Kept me guessing throughout. This was the first book I have read by this author. I am eager to discover more. Clever plot.

A Twisted Game…?
Dark suspense which grips from the off with a well drawn cast of characters and a compelling plot. Tense and well developed. Another take on a well used scenario which works well.

Brilliant, the only criticism is that maybe it was a bit too long. I have always Liked Kevin O'Brien's books and this not disappoint. Lots of twists and turns lead to a gripping plot that once again made me lose several hours while I read this in virtually one sitting. Anna Malone wakes up with a huge hangover and instantly has an uneasy feeling about the night before. Anna is having an affair with her boss Russ and soon she becomes a suspect in the the disappearance of Russ's wife Courtney, but is she really missing? Lots of twists that take the reader on a journey into the dark with an intense storyline that will only shed light once we get right to the end. Very enjoyable. Thanks you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

The choices we make can have irreversible effects. Not only on our lives but also the people around us. The snowball effect can be devastating.
This is a story about what-ifs.

31-year-old KIXI-TV reporter Anna wakes up with no recollection of how she got in bed. The Lemon Drop drinks that she had obviously did a number on her. This is the start of her nightmare. No recollection of what happened after they left the restaurant, her one dinner companion, Courtney Knoll, missing and Courtney's husband, Russ, (coincidently Anna's lover) questioned by the police. How long before their affair becomes public knowledge and who is the mystery caller threatening her life. Is someone out the get her or did she do the unthinkable?

A brilliantly written story that kept me on the edge of my seat. I had an inkling of who the perp was and fist-pumped the air when I realised I was right! I felt the frustration Anna felt in trying to get to the bottom of it all and found the characters well developed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

I read a lot of different genres, but I keep going back to mystery/suspense/thrillers. There’s something about the whodunit—and the nerve-racking anticipation of the villain doing it again—that appeals to me on many levels.

When I had the opportunity to read Kevin O’Brien’s The Night She Disappeared, I couldn’t pass it up. It promised all the excitement of genre that I love. And it delivered.

The premise? A husband and his mistress are the prime suspects in his wife’s suspicious disappearance. But it’s not that simple. In this story, the other woman is actually the protagonist. And O’Brien did the impossible—he turned a lying home-wrecker into a fairly likable character. Someone we root for throughout the novel. Or perhaps it was because most of the other cast were infinitely more distasteful. He does know how to craft a reprehensible character who’s easy to hate. That doesn’t mean these are stereotypes, though. His cast is fairly well-rounded and three-dimensional.

The plot moves along at a brisk pace. There were a few instances where I thought the main character was too gullible, but given the extreme stress she was living under, her poor decision-making and clouded judgement is understandable.

The ending went exactly as it should have, though it will likely surprise many readers. I found it satisfying on every level, with each loose end neatly tied. This is an easy 4 stars for me.

3.5 rounded up to 4

This is a book where the cover grabbed me first, it's also the 2nd of three books that I've read with the same title this year.

The Night She Disappeared is somewhat of a fast paced novel. The action starts right away when Anna wakes up not remembering what happened the previous night, even on a good day that's scary enough but when the person she was with disappears just adds that just adds an extra creepy factor.

The story alternates between different POVs and reflections of the past. Yea a lot is going on but it works. The red herrings kept me on my toes, the unveiling of secrets added to the mystery along with some unreliable characters. I can honestly say that there weren't too many characters here that I even liked but it was the story with it's many layers that kept me reading.

Although it might have been a tad too long but I still recommend, The Night She Disappeared to those that love a mystery to get lost in.

My thanks to Kensington Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. You can find this book on bookshelves in the next few days.

This was an entertaining book. It piqued my interest and I didn't want to put it down. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.

I love Kevin's books. I have read them all. I always know what I will get. A suspenseful, fast-paced story with a nice twist at the end. Some are better that others, but all are definitely worth reading. This one was really good. Anna is having an affair with Russ. Russ' wife, Courtney, disappears. Anna knows something horrible happened but she drank so much the night before that she can't remember. What's not to love, right? Well, Anna, Russ and Courtney. They are not very likeable, but that's what makes the story go, I guess. Other than that, this was a nice, twisty ride right up there with some of the better ones. I kind of saw where this was going, but not everything, so there were some surprises. The Seattle setting was cool, also. The author did a great job with atmosphere and I felt like I was there. Thanks again, Kevin for a fun time!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Kevin O'Brien and Kensington/Pinnacle Books for this ARC!

This was a fast-paced thrill ride with all kinds of red herrings that fooled me repeatedly. Anna Malone is a TV reporter who is having an affair with a pediatrician. When his deaf wife disappears one night, he is suspected of foul play and by association, so is Anna. There are so many twists here but my favorite one was the TV show host who had a vendetta against Anna and was determined to pin the disappearance on her. This part was like reading a script for a soap opera…fascinating! I enjoyed everything about the book except for the ending seemed to be rushed. The characters were realistic in that they had human weaknesses which led to their being caught in the dilemma to begin with. I really liked George, Anna’s cameraman who is enamored with her and would do just about anything for her. He should seemed like a really nice “good ol’ boy.” I did not like the perpetrator, but that’s enough said about that so I don’t give it away. I did figure out who it was a few chapters before the big reveal, but that did not spoil the pleasure of reading for me. Intense and intriguing were a good mix in this suspense/thriller!
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

Courtney's gone missing, Anna, a reporter, has been having an affair with Russ, Courtney's husband and, in a really poorly thought out decision, the three of them have a drunken dinner together. Anna's got a hangover and a problem. Courtney, a successful novelist, is deaf and she's seen as a sympathetic wife who was cheated upon and Anna as an evil one when a rival talk show host hops on the case. Is she really gone, though? This plot may seem familiar but O"Brien has added some nice twists and effectively used his Seattle setting. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC, It's a good read.