This is interesting. When I picked this out I didn't realize that it was part of a series, but that didn't change much. I loved the setting. This was great.

Love the Mallory and Harri series. Plenty of thrills and a quick and easy read. Great characters. Enjoy the style of writing. Plenty to keep you enthralled. Look forward to the next instalment. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for chance to review it.

This is one of those books where I come away with the certainty that I was not made out to be a detective. You know the ones? Where you feel the clues should be right there for you to pick up on but you just don’t see them.

How does an entire family of five disappear from a holiday cottage in such a rush that they forget the kettle, or to unplug hair appliances? This is the question Mallory Dawson is faced with. Although no longer an active member of the police force, Mallory is still a super sleuth and she loves to be involved in solving cases.

Things quickly take a turn for the worse when the father of the family is found dead in his car. But when police work reveals the father was using fake identity to rent the car and the cottage, the investigation into the disappearance might just come to an end before it’s even begun. Initially, DI Harri Evans doesn’t seem to need Mallory’s help. He is convinced the answers lie in the past. After all, this isn’t the first time he’s been called out to this very house. 

'The Vanishing Act' is full of intrigue from the very first page. The family's disappearance presents detectives and the reader with a humongous riddle. Even the interviews that are conducted, done extremely well, only seemed to add to my confusion instead of clearing things up. I definitely feel that, with my vast chair detective experience, I should have picked up on some clues but many things completely passed me by and I failed to see the bigger picture.

I very much appreciate how Sarah Ward combines Mallory's private life with her professional one, and also shows how difficult it is for Mallory to find a healthy balance in the way she treats her son while he struggles with his mental health. Mallory's personal circumstances have steadily been going downhill since we first met her. Currently, she finds herself living in a one bedroom caravan. It'll be interesting to see where she goes next but I'm absolutely rooting for something fabulous to come her way.

Sarah Ward is one of those authors who never lets you down. In my most humble opinion, the series featuring Connie Childs is still her best work but I always know that I will not be disappointed when I pick up a book by her. And 'The Vanishing Act' certainly didn't disappoint. Once you realise what's going on, the tension definitely goes up a notch. There are a lot of secrets and lies to uncover from the family's past, and there are even some who wonder if there might not be something supernatural about it all.

I thoroughly enjoyed 'The Vanishing Act' and for fans of Mallory and Harri who are maybe wanting a little something more ... well, let's just say I'm very much looking forward to the next instalment in the series.

So this is the third book in the Mallory Dawson Crime Thriller series and I have actually read these all and in order... (very unusual for me to get that right haha).

I have enjoyed the previous two books, so was looking forward to this one and I wasn't disappointed. And I think the story and the writing gives enough back story that you could read this as a standalone book.

The story is of a family of 5 who vanish from their holiday home in a remote area of Wales which the cleaner of the property notices is under strange circumstances. The cleaner Elsa knows Mallory and calls her as she is concerned for the family.

Through the book it becomes apparent that the house has a past which involves alleged poltergeists and strange happenings when a family lived their back in 2003 3 siblings and their hippy parents.

Leaving Mallory and DI Harri Evans to investigate the disappearance of the family and trying to see if there is a connection between what is happening now and the houses history, sue to the unexplained events.

I really enjoyed this book and thought it followed on nicely from the last book, I enjoy the returning characters and feel very comfortable and confident when they are involved in the story. The settings are well described and I really enjoy the atmosphere created and all the tension, with the building of the plot and the story, along with the twists and turns you expect from a good mystery.

My main niggle is the constant referencing of Welsh language TV and Radio, I don't think it's always necessary to mention, although it is very comforting to read and be immersed in the Welsh language in this book.

I hope there are more books to come in this series as I feel so invested in Mallory, her son Toby and DI Harri Evans stories I want to know how their relationships progress.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for this ARC.

I enjoyed my first two meetings with Mallory Dawson, so of course I couldn't resist adding book number three The Vanishing Act to my shelves. Add the fact that the blurb sounded fascinating with a family disappearing without a trace, the false identities and the hint at the paranormal, and I've been looking forward to read it. I have to say that this story hit the right spot for me again! Book two was a bit slower and less engaging for me, but The Vanish Act raises the stakes again and delivers us a suspenseful and truly intriguing ride.

The Vanishing Act can quite easily be read as a stand-alone without missing out on too much, although I do have to say that you might not understand certain references and character dynamics. Spoilers might also be found for certain developments on a personal level... So if you are planning to read the whole series, it's best to do so in order. That said, the case discussed in The Vanishing Act completely stands on its own, and it's a fascinating one at that with the family disappearing from a holiday cottage in the middle of a forest, seemingly without a trace... And that same Welsh cottage having a dark past.

This sequel switches back between past and present as we explore both the missing family and their secrets as well as what exactly happened inside that same cottage to give it its reputation. The events set in 2003 give the story a bit of a paranormal/supernatural vibe, and I loved how this element was incorporated into the plot without it being too overpowering. Nothing concrete is said about the events being either made up or in fact something not natural, and this gives the story the perfect ominous atmosphere without truly venturing into the fantasy genre. In fact, it's more of a Welsh myth/folklore vibe?

While it was great to meet up with Mallory, Harri and the rest again, I could appreciate that the main focus was on the disappearance and the events in 2003 this time around. It helped preventing the pace from slowing down too much, and there were so many secrets to unravel in past and present that the personal developments would have distracted other wise. Most of the characters are flawed and they all have their issues, but again the focus was mostly on the plot this time around. And while I did guess part of the truth, there were also things I didn't see coming. The story without doubt goes out with a bang!

In short, The Vanishing Act turned out to be another successful Mallory Dawson sequel. After how things ended, I will definitely be looking forward to the next book, that's for sure! If you like well written thrillers with a Welsh setting and don't mind a hint of the supernatural, The Vanishing Act is a great option.

Thank you to NetGalley, Canelo and Sarah Ward for the eARC of this book. This is the 3rd installment of the Mallory Dawson crime books. Mallory is a former police officer and in each book is working with DI Harri Evans as a police consultant.

In this outing, Mallory is contacted by Elsa, a former colleague, about an eirie situation she has encountered. Elsa is a cleaner of holiday homes. She headed out to clean this particular home only to find it abandoned. Half eaten food on the table, a kettle about to boil, a chair knocked over, and the family all missing. Mallory is uneasy too and reports her findings to DI Harri Evans. Harri remembers the home from early on in his career. As a detective constable he was sent to investigate when the daughter of the renters had her face slashed. The two teenage girls claimed a poltergeist was haunting them and had slashed one's face. Merely a coincidence surely, but then the father of the missing family is found dead in his vehicle and a link to the past trouble is uncovered.

I found the story's premise very interesting and unusual. I wasn't entirely satisfied with the ending. It felt a little forced, and characters involved didn't appear till later in the book. Overall though it was a good book. Well written and enjoyable. I'll be reading more from this series. 3 out of 5 stars.

Firstly I would like to thank netgalley and Canelo and the author Sarah ward for an early copy of her book.


I've read a few books from this author. Mallory Dawson receives a call from Elsa concerned about a cottage she was cleaning the family are not there half eaten sandwiches and a burning smell,Mallory wasnt to concerned. Until the father was found dead in a car.wheres the rest of the family? My rating is 3.5 a good storyline.

What a ride!
I was expecting a mystery, and not an obvious one. But this went way beyond my expectations. It's unlike anything I have read in a long time, and sort of haunted me. Which is also what the book is about. Or maybe not.
The twists and turns were plenty but not ridiculous, it was all about families and relationships taken to extremes.
There is also a very strong sense of place, of area, of landscape. This could not be set just anywhere!
I will certainly read the rest of the series, though I found the heavy hinting at the previous book a bit annoying.
Fill me in, or don't, but I have come to your book fresh.

This is the 3rd book in the series and as I haven’t read the other two I was a little confused! It was a slow start and I didn’t really warm to the characters which made for tough reading! I would definitely have enjoyed more if i’d read the other 2 books first!

Unfortunately this just wasn't for me... Had such a hard time getting into the writing and really feeling for the characters.
DNF at 15% for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and Canelo for the opportunity to read this book.

Elsa is a cleaner and is tasked to clean a holiday cottage. She enters, and the cottage is empty, but there is a boiling kettle on the Aga, and buttered toast on the table, and one of the chairs is overturned.
She cleans, expecting the family to walk in, but no one arrives. She calls Mallory Dawson, who used to be a police officer, and says she finds the situation to be strange.
The cottage has a reputation. A family that lived there were besieged by a poltergeist.

This is a very interesting crime thriller. The investigators are reluctant to believe in any paranormal activity.
There is a creepy atmosphere though, and much mystery around the girl's injuries.
I like Mallory, she is a good investigator and has a passion to solve mysteries, and has a lot of empathy.

4/5 stars from me.

Everyone in the family had a secret. Which one has proved deadly?
Good book! I definitely enjoyed reading this one! This book had suspense, intrigue, action, murder, mystery, a great who done it and some crazy twists and turns! The storyline was very interesting and kept me glued to my kindle! I highly recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

I read this in one sitting on a flight and it certainly held my interest. The initial set up, with cleaner Elsa discovering one of her holiday homes having been abandoned with the kettle left on and sandwiches half made etc was really intriguing. I like the character of Mallory Dawson, who helpfully gets co-opted as a police consultant for each of these books, although I am beginning to wonder if her son needs to be dragged into all her cases - no wonder his father is concerned about him staying with Mallory.

On the other hand, after that really excellent opening set up, the logic of the rest of the plot didn't really hold together. I had questions both about the circumstances of what happened to the parents who disappeared in the present day - why did they succumb so easily? - and about the sections set in the past, where I didn't understand why certain things were kept secret. Without being spoilery it is hard to be more specific, but many of the characters seemed to be required by the plot to act in ways which seemed to me to be illogical.

Still, I will continue with this series - I need to find out if Mallory goes on holiday with Harri!

2.5/3 stars ⭐️

I was glued to this book as the writing style was great throughout the book. I especially liked the cross over between a past history with a specific incident that happened and then in recent time the disappearance of a family. I was eager to find out what,why and how regarding the current events. I wasn’t really a fan of some of the character names as the pronunciation I found difficult to read. Some parts did drag on to which I felt the need to skip through. It’s a shame because the plot itself is interesting.

The ending I felt had quite a few loose threats that weren’t wrapped up properly. I still had questions about ‘okay but what happened to so and so and what happened then after?’

This police procedural provides a perspective on an unusual case that proves to be far stranger than it initially appears when Mallory Dawson is informed that a cleaner at a local holiday spot arrived at one of the properties to discover that the family had left a kettle on the hob and unfinished sandwiches to indicate an inexplicably swift departure.

When the father of the family is subsequently found dead, it raises questions not only about where the other family members are, but also possible links with an earlier case which was even stranger. As the family's secrets begin to reveal themselves, a disturbing picture emerges...

This mystery contained a paranormal element, which I really don't like in thrillers. However, the core story is fascinating and holds the reader's attention. So if you don't mind the unnecessary supernatural aspect, you will enjoy this book even more than I did.

3.5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book (TBR July 4th, 2024)
I really enjoyed this book! The writing was really well done. the author did a very good job at keeping me hooked to find out what was going to happen, and revealed just enough at the right times to keep me hooked. I do not usually enjoy books from cop perspectives, however, in this book I had no problem with it! It also touched on supernatural, but not enough to turn me off from the story.

However, I felt like I was left with a lot of questions at the end. I would have liked to know WHY all of this happened. A deeper look into the past would have satisfied me in the end.

Overall! I do recommend this author and will keep an eye out for future books

The Vanishing Act by Sarah Ward
Rating:4/5
Release Date: 4 July 2024

When Mallory Dawson receives a call from her former colleague Elsa, recounting a peculiar scenario, she initially brushes it off. Elsa describes finding a holiday cottage in the forest with a kettle boiling on the Aga, half-made sandwiches, and the family who rented it mysteriously vanished.

DI Harri Evans, however, recalls a haunting incident from his time in uniform involving the same location. He responded to a distress call from a girl with scratches on her face, alleging an unseen assailant attacked her.

The discovery of the missing family's father dead in their rental car triggers an urgent search for the remaining members. However, their identities prove to be false, and their history remains shrouded in mystery.

“The Vanishing Act” is an exciting and well-written addition to the Mallory Dawson series, brimming with intriguing characters.

I found it incredibly addictive and compelling—perfect for devouring in one sitting. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment, flying through the pages, completely captivated. I can't wait for more from this author and the Mallory Dawson series.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Canelo, and the author, Sarah Ward, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.