Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Kindle ARC. This is usually the type of book I read with great interest. I found The Vanishing at Smokestack Hollow to be a slow-moving story. A lot about the disappearance of the family but not much other substance.

3. I wanted to love this…but it is soooooooo long. If you want an exhaustive account of of the Jamison family disappearance, this would be it. However, it is so meandering and detailed that it drains this reader’s attention quickly. Such an interesting case, but no sign of dramatic, gripping nonfiction writing. I’m afraid this is a catalog, peppered with opinions instead of coherent examination. I respect the author’s research, but this reads as a first draft.

When I first heard about this book, I was very eager to get my hands on it. I really enjoyed the authors first book, and was eager to check out his second book. Unfortunately, this one fell a little flat for me. It was easy to tell the author put a lot of research into this book, and he really related to the victims, particularly Sherilyn. However, there were times when he inserted information about his life into the narrative when it wasn’t appropriate to do so, and had no relevance to the story, making it confusing as to why it was there. The structure of this story also proved problematic to me. We bounced back and forth between past and present, but there are jumps that occur throughout the past chapters as well. This made it very hard to put events into a timeline and tell what happened when. I also found that we got very little background information on the victims, so it was hard to feel like I knew them the way I want to know and understand the victims in true crime novels. The case itself is compelling, but this book needed some more editing.

This begs the all important question often queried in writing - who can write what?

This is a layered question, plenty of perspective and often involves the concept of truth and objectivity vs subjectivity in narrative. Very interesting stuff for me to consider.

But I can draw a line at an author writing about a tragic case where people have suffered and experienced this horror for themselves, and then inserting themself as the main character. It is; in short, distasteful and disgusting.

This is an example of the issues of morality in true crime - it is an exploitation of someone else's suffering for personal gain. Call it "art' or 'explorative literature' if you want, but all I see is a lack of respect.

And not only that, it's written poorly.

Jake Anderson. No, sir. No, you did not. You did not disrespect the lives of Bobby, Sherilynn and Madyson Jamison by making this book including yourself as a main character. So we, the readers, could read about your psychiatric issues, your dating life, your injuries, your drug problem for no reason at all. You were not related to the victims. You were not involved in this case. No one who picks up this book has any interest in reading about you.

You are shameless. And shameful. Anything I had to say about the book is lost in my disgust for you. I regret that there isn’t something lower than one star.

Oh, and it’s poorly written with incredibly stilted language where the author makes every attempt to show the reader he knows big words.

Investigative journalist Jake Anderson delves into the bizarre disappearance of the Jamison family in the rugged Sans Bois Mountains. "The Vanishing at Smokestack Hollow" details the largest eight-month search in Oklahoma history, unraveling the mystery with meticulous research. A chilling read for fans of the true crime genre.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Kensington Publishing, and Jake Anderson for the opportunity to read and review "The Vanishing at Smokestack Hollow" prior to its publication date.

An utterly bizarre case and book. A lot of the information included is very strange. I'm not interested in the so-called demons and occult and woo-woo stuff, so that part of the book was very unappealing. It is truly a tragic case.

Going into this I already knew a little bit about the case but the way the author tells it , but facts out that I didn't know, plus also but up questions that are still not answered.