I was definitely drawn in by the synopsis of this one, but the writing style just didn't hold me as much as I wanted. It took me far too long to read it and I felt like it just didn't live up to the hype I gave it in my brain, though I'm glad I stuck around to the ending, I do hate not knowing what happens in books like this. The erratic writing style didn't jive with me, but I do appreciate the uniqueness of the concept and the main character. Execution was lacking though.

Watch Me Disappear is about a police detective that gets shot and his perspective changes due to his medical condition. The plot is intriguing and characters are well-developed. Highly recommended!

This mystery features an unusual police detective. After being shot in the head he develops problems but also new abilities that allow him to pursue investigations from a unique perspective. While I enjoyed the originality, I had a hard time following along the somewhat disjointed writing style.

I was eager to read this book due to it's medical ties (the brain condition). However, I was disappointed and didn't end up finishing it as it couldn't capture my attention as other thrillers. I think someone with a greater attention span and a greater interest in mysteries would enjoy this.

An intriguing, unusual and gripping mystery featuring a policeman affected by the aftermath of a bullet in his brain.
It's one of the most original story I read in some time and I appreciated the solid mystery and the storytelling.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Watch Me Disappear has a unique storyline with a policeman getting shot in the head. This is what drew me to reading the book.
I do have to say, I wasn’t a fan of the writing style. I would like to reread this book at a later time,
All in all, it was a ok read.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Watch Me Disappear has an interesting premise of a young constable who survives a bullet to the brain. HE is endowed with new abilities that help him solve crimes. I just could not get into this one. The mystery was okay; it didn't really capture my interest.

The synopsis of the book had me very excited to read it; however I had a lot of trouble getting through this one. The wetting style was to inconsistent for me. I am not sure if that is how this author writes all his novels as this is my first read by him but I will definitely be looking into more of his work. This storyline and concept of a cop getting shot in the head and going back to work to piece things back together was a good storyline, I will probably reread it again now that I am familiar with the style of writing. All in all it wasn’t a bad book.

Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for my ARC!

There was just something about the blurb of Watch Me Disappear that made it impossible to resist adding it to my shelves... I do always love a story with an amnesia/brain damage/aphasia element, and main character Tom Mondrian sounded like an absolutely fascinating character with him surviving a bullet to the brain and learning to live with his new reality. Add a missing girl case, and I fully expected to have an excellent time with this story... And I sure didn't expect to have to make the difficult decision to DNF instead.

Don't get me wrong, I still love the premise of Wath Me Disappear. Having the main character surviving a bullet to the brain and recovering with a new unusual perspective, aphasia, face blindness and no filter sounds absolutely fascinating, and it is an angle that always interests me. Add the fact that Tom works for the police, and there is a lot of potential to be had for the plot... Especially with the hints at the missing girl case and what Tom might add to that investigation. BUT. There were things I simply couldn't get past, and in the end I just couldn't force myself to keep reading.

One of the main issues I had was most definitely with the writing style. I know the way this story is written is partly used to show how Tom experiences the world after the brain damage and how he thinks now, but I have to be blunt here and say that there was something about the way Watch Me Disappear was written that made me hate every single minute I had to spend reading it. It's just too disjointed, haltered and very difficult to follow in general; when I caught myself starting to skimread for the third time in a row this early on in the story, I decided to just throw in the towel instead of continuing my suffering.

I also wasn't a fan at all of the main character, although I confess that that might have improved later on in the story. But with what I did read, he came over as insipid before the brain damage and mostly self-absorbed after. The fact that I disliked his character and hated having to spend all that time inside his head made my initial interest for his new way of thinking fade away rapidly... I did like the potential of his partner, but he wasn't enough to redeem the story nor to convince me to continue struggling with the writing and Tom's character.

As a whole, Watch Me Disappear definitely turned out to be a miss for me despite my interest in the brain damage element. This was mainly due to a major clash with the writing style, which I know can go both ways depending on how you react to it. Who knows, it might work better for you, so don't give up on my account if the blurb interests you...

This book was written in a unique and intriguing style that is very unlike most of the titles in the thriller market.

This book was so well researched and it was fascinating to be given a POV into the workings of the mind of someone covering from a traumatic brain injury.

Kudos to Ross Armstrong, yo ar one to watch and I am looking very forward to the next one!

Ross Armstrong’s exploration of perception, memory and obsessiveness was fantastic! I loved the chance to get inside someone’s head - at a neurological level - and see how trauma affects the brain. Readers don’t get very far into the book before noting that life for Tom Mondrian is very different after his accident. He definitely sees the world in a very different way and almost behaves like an entirely different person. It must be frustrating for both the individual and loved ones when irreparable damage such as this occurs.

While reading about a man trying to solve a crime after suffering brain damage was wonderful, my enjoyment was hampered by the writing style. I completely understand the author’s choice in presenting it this way, but it was jarring and disrupted the flow for me. It emphasized my empathy but lessened my interest in the book. I’ll also admit to being confused with some of Tom’s actions; they didn’t always align with police officer behaviour. It left me wondering if it was a result of the injury or if my overindulgence in police dramas had me nitpicking at procedure!

Readers will be swept away by what Armstrong brings to the table. His writing is unique as is his approach. I enjoyed the journey into the brain as much as I enjoyed the mystery and solving the crime. I turned over the final page, appreciative of the multitude of tasks my brain does unnoticed every day. It also made me realize that a bullet to the brain shatters more than the cerebral cortex, it shatters one's life.

Congratulations on a FANTASTIC title!

I was gifted this copy by Harlequin Trade Publishing, MIRA and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

I will be withholding my review until Harper gives their Harper Collins union workers a fair contract. Thank you again for the copy.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Watch Me Disappear.

This was an interesting premise a young constable survives a bullet to the brain and is endowed with new abilities that help him solve crimes.

After he returns from rehab, he's partnered with a supportive colleague and eventually discovers the truth behind a rash of recent disappearances of teenage girls.

Tom Mondrian was a decent character, likable, though I found the writing style difficult to follow since it's supposed to mimic his new way of thinking after his injury.

The narrative was a bit disjointed, to mimic the way Tom's view of the world, how he interprets sensory and verbal stimuli. It's also supposed to explain how he's become a savant; noticing minor or inconsequential details that he'll eventually piece together that will lead to the perpetrator and the person who almost killed him.

I liked Tom's partner, and the police procedural aspects of the story, though I found some scenes hard to suspend disbelief for, such as Tom removing evidence, visiting the victims' families without permission or without his superior's approval.

The mystery was okay; it didn't really capture my interest. I was more curious as to how Tom pieced all the clues together to arrive at his conclusions and how he solved the case.

Watch Me Disappear requires some suspension of disbelief, with a hard to follow writing style, but Tom is a decent character.

If you're interested in reading about a unique main character, give Watch Me Disappear a try.

Watch Me Disappear
A Novel
by Ross Armstrong
Description
A fractured mind and a race against time…
Tom Mondrian is watching his life ebb away directing traffic as a police constable—until a bullet to the brain changes everything. With a new unusual perspective, including an inability to recognize faces and absolutely no filter between what he thinks and what he says, Tom finds his career is suddenly shifting gears.
Tom’s new condition gives him an advantage over other police officers, allowing him to notice details that they can’t see. Now, with his new insight and unwavering determination, Tom is intent on saving three missing girls, before more start to disappear…

I cannot explain how I felt about this book. It was long and sometimes seemed far too slow. I did get into it after 40%. I felt for Tom and even rooted for him. I enjoyed it, more halfway, He was someone to admire.

The premise of this book is unique and interesting.. Public Community Support Officer Tom Mondrian is shot in the head while directing traffic.. Tom survives but his brain completely rewires so he can’t remember faces, his thoughts come out differently, he starts having total recall, and he senses patterns and smells in an unusual way. It’s both a blessing and a curse as he and his partner try to solve the disappearance of three teenage girls.
Good plot, but I think the book went on a little too long and could be tightened up and I didn’t care for the authors style of writing as he describes Tom’s thought processes.
If this is going to be a series it’s a good start and I would read the next book