Review of Disappearance

[Sara Nóbrega Bartolomeu]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Disappearance" by Julien Ayotte.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Paul O'Malley, the head of the U.S. Marshals Service, becomes concerned when one of the witnesses in the WITSEC (witness security program) is murdered. WITSEC reallocates people who testify against mobsters to a new location under a different name, and to date, not a single life has been lost. Would there be a leak in the department? Or was it just a coincidence? His doubts dissipated when a second victim, also part of the program, was found dead.

Deeply concerned about a possible leak, Paul contacts his friend Harry, a retired Providence Bureau agent of the FBI, to help him in his investigation. Harry is the only person who is both capable and trustworthy. As Harry starts investigating, he realizes that these are not random victims who are in WITSEC. They were targeted for a reason. But what would they have in common? And who is after them? Disappearance by Julien Ayotte is a crime novel that you will not want to miss.

This novel is beautifully written and well-paced. The events follow a good sequence as the investigation proceeds and the story unfolds. I certainly did not expect the course the story would take. For some reason, I thought we would go through death after death until, eventually, they got the killer and his accomplice. To my surprise, the story took on more depth than that. The characters are incredibly credible in their own way, and I might have just found my favorite killer. His cleverness and mischievousness were a great addition to the plot. The book was exciting and gripping. It's the first book I have read from this author, and I was positively impressed. I appreciate that the author highlighted how the witnesses under the program need to leave everything behind and start over, never returning to their original location or contacting people they knew.

The author gave proper closure to all the questions. However, there was one open question regarding who killed one of the characters, Darryl. There is also the sense that some events were unlikely to happen in real life; for example, there was no apparent reason as to why the killer would take the risk of shooting at a public event. Of course, this made events much more interesting, as this was a turning point in the storyline.

The points described above didn't keep me from enjoying this book, which is why I happily rate it 5 out of 5 stars. Furthermore, the book is very well edited, and I found only two punctuation errors.

I would recommend this book to fans of crime thrillers. It is also recommended for adult readers because of the language and violent content. However, the author didn't dwell too much on the crimes themselves.

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Disappearance
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[Shem Murundu]

This book sure seems super-interesting, and I love its storyline; the book seems quite immersive and pulsating as one must be eager to find out who the killers of the witnesses are and the connection between the assassinated witnesses. What's even more intriguing? "...I might have just found my favorite killer." That there. What's so fascinating about this character that makes you like him? I'd be delighted to find out. This is an outstanding review, Sara. Kudos!

[Sarah Zain]

Your review is thorough and highlight the good points of The book which seems to have an interesting plot with twist as I understanded. It will be on my list for sure . Nicely done sara .

[Sara Nóbrega Bartolomeu]

This book sure seems super-interesting, and I love its storyline; the book seems quite immersive and pulsating as one must be eager to find out who the killers of the witnesses are and the connection between the assassinated witnesses. What's even more intriguing? "...I might have just found my favorite killer." That there. What's so fascinating about this character that makes you like him? I'd be delighted to find out. This is an outstanding review, Sara. Kudos!

Thank you so much for commenting! As I started reading the book I was sure I wanted them to catch the "damn killer" but somehow along the story I start rooting for the killer. I certainly did not expect that ahah really liked that little twist of feelings. Thank you so much again for your kind words

[Sara Nóbrega Bartolomeu]

Your review is thorough and highlight the good points of The book which seems to have an interesting plot with twist as I understanded. It will be on my list for sure . Nicely done sara .

Thank you so much Sarah. I believe it is a great read yes

[Hazel Mae Bagarinao]

The novel sounds thrilling and full of mystery. It seems that the department has a problem. And I wonder what is the reason why they targeted those who are murdered. Your review, Sarah is intriguingly well-written and I enjoyed your summary of the book.

[Sara Nóbrega Bartolomeu]

The novel sounds thrilling and full of mystery. It seems that the department has a problem. And I wonder what is the reason why they targeted those who are murdered. Your review, Sarah is intriguingly well-written and I enjoyed your summary of the book.

Thank you, Hazel! I found my new favourite book genre hahaha and I like unpredictability. Thank you so much for your kind words

[Hazel Mae Bagarinao]

The novel sounds thrilling and full of mystery. It seems that the department has a problem. And I wonder what is the reason why they targeted those who are murdered. Your review, Sarah is intriguingly well-written and I enjoyed your summary of the book.

Thank you, Hazel! I found my new favorite book genre hahaha and I like unpredictability. Thank you so much for your kind words

Your laugh, Sara is manifesting. I always like your comment because it always sounds happy. You are welcome.

[Smrithi Arun]

I absolutely love crime-thrillers! Disappeared sounds very interesting and is definitely going on my TBR. Great review!

[Sara Nóbrega Bartolomeu]

I absolutely love crime-thrillers! Disappeared sounds very interesting and is definitely going on my TBR. Great review!

Thank you so much..you are very kind! I hope you like it

[Omneya Shakeep]

This is definitely on my to-read list after your comment about the killer. The storyline sounds like a true thriller. I hope I get to read it soon so I can discuss it with you, Sara. Thanks for this exceptional review and excellent recommendation. I absolutely enjoyed reading it.

[Sara Nóbrega Bartolomeu]

This is definitely on my to-read list after your comment about the killer. The storyline sounds like a true thriller. I hope I get to read it soon so I can discuss it with you, Sara. Thanks for this exceptional review and excellent recommendation. I absolutely enjoyed reading it.

Oh dear Omneya! thank you much for your kind words. I hope you like it as much as I did yeah I don't know how I went from "get him!" to "please dont let them get him"

[MsH2k]

Being in the witness protection program sounds scary enough without adding a possible connection among the victims. This storyline would make an interesting crime novel indeed. Thank you for your thorough review and recommendation, Sara!

[Sara Nóbrega Bartolomeu]

Being in the witness protection program sounds scary enough without adding a possible connection among the victims. This storyline would make an interesting crime novel indeed. Thank you for your thorough review and recommendation, Sara!

Thank you v much for commenting. I did appreciate the author's creativity and the plot

[Kavita Shah]

Crime thrillers, I'd like that. I've watched a South Indian movie about relocating a witness, but it's more comedic. The hero had to fake his own death in order to escape the criminal and get a new identity.
I really like your review Sara. The plot sounds intriguing in what you've described and I'm down to read Disappearance. Good job!