wow wow wow! What a great psychological thriller. I could NOT guess these twists and was instantly drawn in. I could not put this book down! I would 100% recommend this book to anyone who loves thrillers and suspense!

Such a twisty, turny delight of a story that had me glued to my screen late into the night! Great characters, creepy setting and an interesting plot makes this a real page turner. A must read for anyone who loves a good thriller!

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 (5)

Very well written on the edge of your seat thriller! Fans of McFadden, Lisa Jewell will love! I was so excited to see Amanda’s newest work after reading a Marriage of Lies and this one did not disappoint!! Fast paced short chapters that are well paced make for a psychological thriller with a great twist!

When I Disappear
By: Amanda McKinney
Pub Date: January 24, 2025
Publisher: Storm Publishing

Twenty years ago, Sylvia Stone’s mother was killed, and Rhett Cohen was convicted of killer her. Now she opens her door to find a letter suggesting that Rhett was innocent.

When Rhett is released from prison, more letters arrive claiming Sylvia is next.

This novel took a crazy turn as Sylvia and Rhett work together to find out “who framed him” and sent him to prison. As Sylvia’s attraction to Rhett heats up, things don’t add up.

I enjoyed this one as the town’s secrets come out. Is Rhett really innocent? Is the murder closer to home?

Thank you to McKinney for the advanced gifted ARC. We at Thriller Lovers The Pulse are thrilled to read this and share our thoughts. I read her last one “ A Marriage of Lies” and enjoyed that one as well.

The story starts with Sylvia Stone waking up at 2:00 a.m. to find a cryptic letter on her doorstep hinting that Rhett Cohen,the man she testified against for her mother’s murder twenty years ago, might be innocent. More letters follow, each one revealing details only the real killer would know, leaving Sylvia to question everything she thought she knew. As Rhett is finally released from prison, a final letter arrives with a chilling message: You're next.

The suspense had me hooked from the start and I found myself tearing through the pages. The characters are well-developed, with backstories that add to the mystery. Every interaction seemed meaningful at first, and the story pulled me in further, as I pieced together clues alongside Sylvia’s unraveling certainty.

But as much as I enjoyed the book, I have to admit I was let down by the twist.

I consider myself pretty adept at predicting endings. But with this one, I didn’t see it coming and not in a good way. The twist lands primarily because of omitted details that feel intentionally hidden from the reader. It’s not uncommon for thrillers to use this device, but here, it’s a bit too apparent; the story leaves gaps rather than layering subtle clues. The result is a surprise twist, yes, but one that doesn’t quite feel earned through the characters' actions or prior hints.

In retrospect, several parts of the narrative felt excessive. Some subplots seemed added purely to inject more suspense, rather than serving the core mystery. These extra elements occasionally bogged down the pacing, distracting from what could have been a more focused, intense storyline.

Still, it was a thrilling read overall, and for anyone who enjoys unpredictable endings and layered characters, it’s worth the ride, even if the twist doesn’t quite hit the mark.

Amanda McKinney does it again in the psychological thriller genre, it uses the concept perfectly and was glad I got to go on this journey from start to finish. The characters were what I wanted in this type of book and thought it was suspenseful and had me on the edge of my seat. The plot worked overall and was glad I was able to read this, I hope to read more from Amanda McKinney.

This was such a great book. It was so creepy and I could feel the paranoia for the main character. The letters, the memories, and the secrets, and all the twists and turns were so good. It kept me on the edge of my seat while reading this book.!!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

20 years ago Rhett Cohen was jailed for the murder of Marjorie Stone. He was convicted after evidence given by her daughter Sylvia.
Now Sylvia is receiving anonymous notes through her door and the last one has the bloodstained necklace in that her mother was wearing when she was killed with the chilling line, you are next.
Rhett is released on parole and the first place he goes is to Sylvia's house. He wants revenge on the person who really killed Marjorie and is determined to find answers.
This was a fairly fast paced novel with a few red herrings thrown into the mix. Although I correctly guessed the murderer a little way into the book it didn't affect my enjoyment
I'm grateful to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for this advanced copy. I will leave my review on Goodreads, Bookmory and Storygraph now and then on Amazon on publication day

When I Disappear by Amanda McKinney ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was so brilliant. I couldn’t put it down!


For the past 20 years Rhett Cohen has been behind bars for the murder of Sylvia Stones mother. Sylvia begins to get anonymous letters: “you’re next”. Rhett is then released from prison and she disappears .

J a w DROPPING!

Thank you for the ARC.

Slyvia receives a letter stating that man sitting in prison for the murder of her mother is innocent.

Now that man has turned up on her doorstep and Slyvia's life begins to change..

This book is a rollercoaster of a read, it is pacy, twisty and so so good.

It is superbly written and I really loved how the tale ended. It has a sense of reality that I loved.

This is the kind of thriller that keeps you up all night!
Sylvia Stone’s world turns upside down when she finds an anonymous letter at 2:00 a.m., hinting that Rhett Cohen—the man she testified against for her mother’s murder twenty years ago—might be innocent. More letters follow, each one revealing eerie, inside knowledge only the real killer could know, forcing Sylvia to question everything.

The story unfolds across two timelines and different points of view, shifting between Sylvia’s current-day investigation and flashbacks from the night of the murder and her childhood. This structure adds so much depth, allowing readers to piece the mystery together alongside the characters. Sylvia’s increasing paranoia, Rhett’s desperation, and an anonymous voice keep the tension sky-high, with plenty of red herrings and unexpected twists.

With its fast-paced writing, complex characters, and jaw-dropping ending, When I Disappear is a perfect read for anyone who loves a dark, layered thriller. You’ll think you know where it’s going, but trust me—you won’t see the end coming.

When I Disappear by A. McKinney, published by Storm Publishing was previously published as The Stone Secret under her pen name.
When I Disappear by A. McKinney is a full-length, stand-alone thriller.
A story full of unexpectedbtwists and turns that had me guessing til the last page. And that end I didn't see coming, not in 10 years.
Sylvia Stone recives a letter telling the murderer of her mother is innocent. Sitting in prison for 20 years, Rhett Cohen is driven by revenge. He needs to know who framed him. But when Sylvia disappears he's in the spotlight again and has to find her.
A fast paced, complex read that had me in suspense from start til the end.

This book was full of suspense and twists. I feel like it was different than other thrillers I have read which made me enjoy it a lot more. The man accused of killing Sylvia`s mother is let of jail and comes back to town and shows up at her house. He wants to find out who really was the murderer and then Sylvia starts getting letters with bits of information. This was a one day read for me and I highly recommend!

Rhett Cohen spent 20 years in prison but he always claimed he was innocent. Now, Sylvia is getting threatening letter at her door and revealing details no one else would know but the killer. Could she have sent an innocent man away for a crime he didn't commit?

Rhett gets released and he shows up at Sylvia's door as he wants to find out who framed him and why? The town thinks he is guilty and he must prove his innocence or he will be sent back to prison. Sylvia is helping him put the pieces together.

Hang, on to your seat as this one twisty psychological thriller. It has many of moving parts to keep you guessing until the end.

3.5⭐️s

I want to thank NetGalley for sending me this arc read.

The story had a lot of potential, the mystery of it was very intriguing and I was invested early on.

The multiple POVs was nice, it’s always great having different perspectives as the story unfolds.

Where it fell flat for me was the quality. I thought there was too much going on, the story felt very busy. Also, it was a little confusing when the flashbacks occurred because I didn’t realize it was a flashback until I got into the chapter.

Not sure if that’ll be labeled better when the book releases. The chapters were labeled towards the end but not for a good chunk.

Some grammatical errors but not enough to impact the rating.

Overall, decent read.

A shocking murder that captivated the country. Now 20 years later, it’s back in the headlines!
Twenty years ago Sylvia’s mother Marjorie was brutally murdered in her home. All fingers pointed to Rhett Cohen, renovating Marjorie’s kitchen at the time. He has been serving time for the murder, but always claimed to be innocent.

Right now, Sylvia has her own concerns. She’s been receiving disturbing notes on her doorstep referring to her mother’s murder. The latest of which includes threatening her life! Why now? It’s been twenty years. What a handy coincidence that Rhett was just released from prison…hmmmm.🤔

I was so anxious to jump into this latest book by one of my new favorite authors!
Amanda McKinney delivers once again! A quick read with short chapters. You won’t be able to put it down! Though I had most of it figured out early, I still devoured this book in just a couple sittings. Now I’m already looking forward to her next thriller!

Thank you to Storm Publishing via NetGalley

Rhett Cohen is released from prison after serving 20 years for the murder of Marjorie Stone although he claims his innocence. At the same time Marjorie's daughter Sylvia begins to receive enigmatic letters from the real killer.
Narrated alternately from the point of view of Rhett and Sylvia, there are also chapters from Marjorie's diary that draw us into the story.
This is a book that I enjoyed trying to figure out who the culprit was. There are some twists that make it more intriguing although at the end you begin to suspect the truth.
An interesting read for fans of the genre.

This book started off great for me, the man who killed Sylvia's mother is out from prison and she starts getting letters at 2am relating to her mothers murder. and one that says she's next She starts investigating with the man accused of murdering her mother as they both now think he was framed. I liked the plot and was intrigued with the story, Sylvia got on my nerves a little as I thought her lustful thoughts of this man didn't add anything to the story for me. I skimmed those parts as I'm not a fan. The book had some twists but for the me the ending was lacklustre. It was great until about 90% and then I could see where it was heading and not what I was hoping for. the writing was good but I was disappointed by the ending.

5 stars. I've seen this author's books on Goodreads, but have never read one. This book hit in a way most books don't. At least not for me. This book earned its stars by being like a warm, comforting, old blanket. I started reading and was just wrapped up snuggly, totally immersed. I mean totally. This doesn't happen a lot to me. I have ADHD and some books I struggle with if they're too slow paced. Others, I like but I rip through them anticipating the ending. I kind of figured out the ending about half way through, but for this book, that was ok with me.

Rhett is a carpenter working on Marjorie's kitchen. He meets Marjorie's daughter, Sylvia. They chat a little, but that's about all. A few nights later, Marjorie is found dead by Sylvia when she came by to check on her mother on her way to work. Marjorie had been brutally stabbed. Rhett is accused of the crime and with Sylvia's testimony is sent to jail for 20 years.

20 years later, Sylvia begins receiving strange letters on her doorstep. 4 letters in total. The last letter simply says you are next. She takes these to the police but not much is done. In the meantime, she runs into Rhett and they try to solve the real mystery of who stabbed Sylvia's mother 20 years ago. Sylvia has had a change of heart and doesn't believe that Rhett was the murderer. I loved the characters. Rhett was such a grateful laid back guy. He didn't say a lot but wanted a life of simple things. Sylvia was funny and relatable. The characters really made the book for me. There's a lot more to the book and about Marjorie and Sylvia as a child. I found it immersive, intriguing, and very well written.

Thank you to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for this ARC. I greatly appreciate it. I highly recommend this book.

This is the first book I’ve read from this author and I really enjoyed it. The storyline involves the 20yr old case of a murdered woman and the man convicted of the crime who has just been released on parole. He finds himself back in his hometown and face to face with the deceased’s daughter. The pace of the book was really good - and I enjoyed how the author draws in other characters to throw the reader off the scent. I’d definitely recommend this book and look forward to reading other titles from the author. Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC