The Vanishing

Recently widowed and rendered penniless by her Ponzi-scheming husband, Julia Bishop is eager to start anew. So when a stranger appears on her doorstep with a job offer, she finds herself accepting the mysterious yet unique position: caretaker to his mother, Amaris Sinclair, the famous and rather eccentric horror novelist whom Julia has always admired...and who the world believes is dead.

When she arrives at the Sinclairs' enormous estate on Lake Superior, Julia begins to suspect that there may be sinister undercurrents to her "too-good-to-be-true" position. As Julia delves into the reasons of why Amaris chose to abandon her successful writing career and withdraw from the public eye, her search leads to unsettling connections to her own family tree, making her wonder why she really was invited to Havenwood in the first place, and what monstrous secrets are still held prisoner within its walls.

©2014 Wendy Webb (P)2014 Tantor

A total surprise!

If you could sum up The Vanishing in three words, what would they be?

Unexpected. Hunting. Slow

What did you like best about this story?

I love Xe Sands, the narrator. She is amazing!!!

The ghostly feeling about the entire story. Also, the unexpected slight twist at the end.
Overall, it was haunting although I would have liked a little more risk, more danger.

Which character – as performed by Xe Sands – was your favorite?

The lady of the house.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It got creepy a few times but it could have been creepier and I would have loved that.

Any additional comments?

It was a little bit predictable, and it could have been more intense. I got a good feeling about the whole thing, but it was lacking something... It could have been more engaging, and pack more danger! :)

Well, that was fun!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. I enjoyed this story. There were some flaws and this isn't War and Peace but overall an enjoyable listen.

What about Xe Sands’s performance did you like?

EXCELLENT narration! The narrator draws you in and keeps you.

Who was the most memorable character of The Vanishing and why?

I enjoyed all of them!

Best of Wendy Webb

This is the best of Wendy Webb. Unlike a couple of her other books, this ending is unexpected (wait for it—you think you know but you don’t!). Xe Sands is masterful at her craft as well.

Haunting

I’m not brave enough for scary books but since Xe was reading I thought I would give it a chance. I feel like there should be a sequel. I enjoyed the Vanishing very much. Written well and performed as always, wonderfully entertaining.
P.S. think about a sequel with Xe narrating. Thanks

Many twists & turns to the story.

A wonderful tale. This is the type of story where it's hard to tell the 'real' from the 'fake'. Is she crazy or not? I really enjoyed this audio book. I did think the ending was a bit rushed but it still held my interest through the entire book. The narrator did an excellent job with the accents portrayed in the book.