Author: Kevin O’Brien
Narrator: Kyle Tait
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Publication Date: July 2021
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible
Description: SOME NIGHTMARES YOU CAN'T FORGET
From the depths of sleep, Seattle TV reporter Anna Malone awakens to her phone ringing. She rarely drinks, and this hangover is brutal. Why can't she shake the feeling that something terrible happened last night? And why can't she recall any of it?
BUT EVEN WORSE
What Anna does remember: an awkward restaurant meal with her married lover, Russ Knoll, and his unsuspecting wife, Courtney. Russ's phone call reveals that Courtney is missing, and as days go by with no trace, he comes under police scrutiny. Anna's in the spotlight too, thanks to a TV rival with a grudge. Anna's not proud of her affair, but she and Russ aren't bad people. They're certainly not the killing kind.
IS THE ONE YOU CAN'T REMEMBER . . .
Anna already suspected that Courtney--a successful, charming author--might have a darker side. Is she truly missing? Perhaps the sudden disturbances in Anna's life aren't accidental after all. But no scenario that Anna imagines can compare to the twisted game unfolding around her, one chilling piece at a time . . .
My Thoughts: If you are a reader that likes a lot of build-up, especially lots of twists and turns in the plot, then grab a copy of The Night She Disappeared by new to me author Kevin O’Brien. I didn’t particularly like any of the characters, but I was all in to find out what happens.
The protagonist of this story is Anna Malone, a Seattle TV reporter who finds herself in the middle of the biggest news story in history because she is involved. The question is just how involved she is. Anna is having an affair with Russ Knoll, doctor and married man. Usually, this plot device stops me in my tracks. When the protagonist of a story is the one involved in adultery, I don’t like it. I’m supposed to be rooting for the hero/heroine of the story, but if they lack all moral fiber, it makes it very difficult.
Russ’s wife is author, Courtney Knoll, who is working with Anna on a news story about her. She’s deaf and has written a young adult series about deaf teenagers with superpowers, so her star is on the rise. The three meet at a restaurant for dinner where the lemon drop cocktails are flowing faster than they are poured and before you know it, Anna and Courtney are pretty drunk. If you haven’t guess already, Courtney is not a very nice person, drunk or sober, but she definitely has a cruel side when she’s drunk. After dinner, Anna accompanies them back to their place and Courtney becomes even more nasty and hateful…hmmm could she be on to you two cheating fornicators? Inquiring minds want to know!
Russ drives Anna home and puts her to bed, but calls her the next morning to tell her that Courtney is gone, some of her things are gone and has she been in touch with Anna? At this point in the story, I’m suspicious of all three of them! Is Courtney really missing or is she setting them up? Is Russ a killer and just trying to cover his tracks? Did Anna go off on Courtney because she’s tired of waiting for Russ to file for divorce?
And just when things can’t possibly get any worse, guess what? They get worse! There is a Nancy Grace type character, Sally, who appears to have a vendetta against Anna and uses her show to put Anna and Russ through the wringer. Before you know it, the show is using every speculation it can to convict and judge Anna and Russ.
Several additional supporting characters made the story more intriguing. Sally’s daughter, Taylor, can’t stand what her mother is doing to Anna, so she reaches out behind her mother’s back to warn her and tries to help Anna figure out what happened that night, since as we all know, Anna was drunk and can’t remember. Taylor is also deaf and knew Courtney too. Anna’s brother who ran away from home as a teenager comes back into Anna’s life but is a drug addict. These characters really added to the story, for me, because their motives and intentions are unclear. What do they have to gain by getting involved?
When everything finally comes into the light and all is revealed, I was completely shocked. I wasn’t expecting this outcome, but it worked really well and provided the much-needed closure without any loose ends hanging. The author did a fantastic job of creating characters that don’t have to be likable for the reader to be invested in what happens to them. He gives just enough of the story to keep the reader interested without giving away the ending too soon. This was an audiobook and Kyle Tait narrated this story very well. I would have preferred a female narrator to read the female parts, but Mr. Tait’s performance was terrific, especially his vocalization of Taylor’s lines as a deaf woman who never learned to speak.
My Final Verdict: Overall, this was a very well written story that delivered a great deal of suspense and intrigue. I never anticipated the conclusion and was quite surprised. I recommend this story to readers who enjoy a twisty novel of suspense and mystery and don’t mind that the characters don’t always have to be likable or redeemable.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of The Night She Disappeared from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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