Vanessa Savage has been a favourite author since I read The Woman in the Dark so I was thrilled to be able to read an ARC of The Night They Vanished. This is gripping psychological thriller with a great premise! What would happen if you logged onto a true crime “tourist” website and saw an entry about your old home? And if the crime is murder and the victims are your family, what can you do? Especially if the date of these supposed murders is today…

I loved Hanna! I know others would maybe find her a little difficult to understand but I completely got why she no longer had any contact with her family! But the more you delve under the surface of this family fallout, the more you realise that things are quite as they appear! Hanna is obviously running from something terrible that’s happened in her past but does she deserve the vitriol directed at her when she decides to go back to the town that turned her back on her? As she investigates the disappearance of her family, the narrative flashes back a few months to her half sister, Sasha. What if anything does Sasha have to do with why her family vanish overnight? With the help of her friend Dee and new boyfriend Adam, Hanna is determined to find out.

The split narrative worked really well here as Sasha provided the up to date problems within the family giving more clues as to why a seemingly happy family have just vanished off the face of the earth. She’s a typical teenager but struggling with an overprotective father and a mother who won’t stand up for her. She misses Hanna and doesn’t understand why her sister never comes home and I found her relatable and likeable. But has she made some questionable decisions regarding those she hangs around with. Someone wants Hanna to suffer but who and why has it taken 14 years to put their plan into action?

I was completely gripped by this dark and intriguing storyline and surprised by some of the early twists that threw me off my game! The narrative certainly didn’t go the way I was expecting and I liked that! Family secrets can destroy the people you are trying to protect so once they are revealed the fallout can be shocking and upsetting so it was good to see the characters acting in a way that made total sense in their situation. Vanessa Savage engages you in their relationships so that you also feel the emotional fallout once the truth becomes known.

Highly recommended by me!

Set in a small Welsh village The Night They Vanished follows Hanna and her sister Sasha. Hanna has reinvented herself and left behind her family; she now lives in Cardiff. She left home when she was sixteen after an occurrence that ruined lives for which she was deemed responsible. On a true-crime website, she sees her old family home where three murders have just taken place. The website is run by her blind date, a chap called Adam, set up by her friend from her schooldays, Dee. It's not long before danger calls for Hanna and Adam.

The Night They Vanished is a dark and nuanced story with some great twists. The characters were well constructed and I did my level best to figure out whodunnit. With a haunting caravan park setting providing creepiness, I found this to be an utterly addictive read. Very highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Little, Brown Book Group via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

3.5 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2022/05/12/the-night-they-vanished-by-vanessa-savage/
My Five Word TL:DR Review : Entertaining and fast paced thriller

The Night They Vanished is an entertaining combination of family secrets and lies and past tragedy that finally catch up to the family involved.

As the story sets out we meet Hanna. It soon becomes obvious that Hanna is estranged from her family and still has dark secrets that cause her concern. But, it also becomes apparent that she has moved on, once the wild child of the family she now has a job and a home and has settled down and she reluctantly agrees to a blind date with a friend of a friend. What could possibly go wrong. Well, to be fair, in very short order Hanna and her blind date Adam are thrown full tilt into a dangerous situation. Adam has a strange and rather macabre hobby. He runs a website which promotes dark tourism. Basically, this is a site that promotes interest in places where crimes have been committed. Unfortunately, it appears that the latest addition to the site talks of three murders that have just been committed and the address is Hanna’s family home. As you may imagine this is the catalyst for multiple visits to the police, searches to the old family home and the uncovering of past secrets that have now come back to haunt them.

What this does really well is cast suspicion on multiple characters. It keeps its secrets close just releasing little snippets here and there, it follows a really short period of time that keeps the pages turning quickly and it has dual timelines that take us back to a time just a few months earlier to give us a glimpse into Hanna’s family lives and slowly reveal events that bring us to the current situation.

There are a number of characters. Hanna, primarily and her younger half sister Sasha. Both characters had their share of difficulties and these led to characteristics that came across well. Hanna is guarded and prickly, also something of a loner although she does have a very close, long term friendship that has lasted throughout the bad times. Sasha on the other hand, and primarily as a result of the way that Hanna went off the rails, is ruled with a deal of strictness on the part of her father. She is desperately lonely, bullied at school and her sheltered existence gives her a naivete that leaves her vulnerable to those who would prey on her need for friends.

In terms of criticisms. Well, I thought the eventual reveal was a little bit obvious but it didn’t really stop me from enjoying this. I would say that the actual ‘baddie’ felt a little thinly drawn and the whole idea of the dark tourism site also felt a little underused, this was a really unique idea that felt it could have played more of a role.

As it was though, this might not necessarily reinvent the wheel in respect of thrillers but regardless I found this to be an entertaining and enjoyable read.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

A twisty tale of terror and secrets, a rollercoaster of a book! Hanna must find out who is behind the frightening online posts in time to save her family - but from what?
Highly addictive and an excellent plot.

I really enjoyed reading The Night They Vanished, the story itself was full of shocking twists and turns and just when you think you've guessed what happens another shocking twist is thrown in!

I enjoyed that it was a dual timeline that alternated between Hanna and Sasha, Hanna's devastating teenage years and ultimately the run up to that fateful night.

I would have liked more background on certain characters but it was an enjoyable read!

The Night They Vanished was a complete page turner for me. It was dark with plenty of twists and turns throughout. The description of the book intrigued me and the story did not disappoint. It kept me guessing all the way through.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for my ARC.

After leaving home at sixteen following a wild rebellious streak, Hanna has been estranged from her family for fourteen years & has finally decided to cut off all ties & move on with her life, & leaves their last Christmas card to her unopened. Her last relationship went down in flames but her best friend, Dee, sets Hanna up on a blind date with Adam. He seems fairly normal but has an unusual hobby as he runs a website which focuses on Dark Tourism - the virtual touring of sites of various crimes including murder. Following their blind date, Hanna checks out the site & is horrified to see her family home listed as the site of the murder of her dad, stepmother, & step-sister, Sasha. Adam professes innocence & says his site has been hacked, so a panicked Hanna tries to contact her family but they have disappeared & no-one knows what happened or where they went.

The narrative is split between Hanna & Sasha, with Sasha's part taking place in the months leading up to her family's disappearance. I thought both main characters were easy to empathise with & I found myself becoming invested in what had happened. Hanna's story hints as at deep dark secret in the past, whilst Sasha's plot line was rather poignant as she tried to be the obedient girl her parents expected, yet longed for some freedom, friends of her own, & to get to know her older sister. I think her internal conflict was portrayed particularly well. The story line is well written & there are several twists & turns, even if the actual resolution is pretty much what I expected. Overall it kept my interest well & I enjoyed reading it - 4.5 stars (rounded down on sites where half stars are not allowed).

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Little, Brown Book Group UK / Sphere, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

I'd never heard of the phrase 'dark tourism' and I'm not entirely sure of the appeal of visiting places because you know they were linked to macabre events. However, it's a hobby that gets a lot of focus in this thriller for Vanessa Savage. I was granted early access to this from NetGalley in exchange for my review, but this has not influenced my thoughts in any way.
The book is told from numerous viewpoints. On one hand we have Sasha, a fourteen year old who is pushing against the strict regime set out for her by her father. Friendless and lonely, she is desperate for someone to notice her. The other main viewpoint is that of Hanna, who is regarded as the black sheep of the family and who has rarely been seen since an event in the past that still seems to have impact now.
Initially, the two viewpoints made things a little confusing since they occupied different timescales. However, as they start to link things become more interesting.
The main story focuses on Hanna and a bizarre post that appears on the website run by her blind date, Adam. The post tells of the murder of three people in a rundown caravan park, and the date given is the day Hanna sees the post. This might be nothing more than a creepy event, until we realise that the murders referred to are those of Hanna's family...and now they are missing. Following this, the police get involved and all manner of strange coincidences start to be acknowledged until it becomes clear that someone a lot closer to home is responsible for these things.
For me, the whole thread of the story focused on something that became more apparent as events progressed. I wasn't sure if I was overthinking the link, but it quickly becomes a secondary interest as the main thrust of the story is centred on finding Hanna's family and some of the wrongs of the past being remedied.
A solid thriller.

Summary: Hanna is about to turn 30 and she’s finally got herself together, with a job, house and car. But she has a secret, a past she doesn’t want to share but when she thinks her estranged family is missing her past is about to come back to haunt her.

Thoughts: I read this book in less than 24 hours, it was a proper good thriller. It places it was a little predictable (I did see the main twists coming) but that didn’t take away from how much I enjoyed the story. I was a little disappointed that we didn’t learn more about Jacob and Hanna and there was an extra storyline to do with the hit and run which I found a bit redundant…but aside from that, it was great and I would recommend it to any thriller fans.

The Night They Vanished is a unique and thrilling mystery that held my intrigue throughout with its interesting twists and build-up of suspense.

The concept of Dark Tourism at the start really grabbed my attention as I'm not ashamed to say that I love the macabre. And it starts the book off with a dark and unique twist that initially had me gripped. Unfortunately, it's only really used to set the story up, so the creepy and unnerving atmosphere doesn't last for long as the dark tourism element is soon cut short.

What we have, instead, is a search for the truth. The story is told over two timelines as one builds up to the disappearance of Hanna's family and the second sees her attempt to figure out what has gone on and where they are.

But while each new revelation is interesting and unexpected, the story itself never picks up the intensity that should come with these kinds of developments. I was always intrigued, but never shocked or taken aback so it lacks that breathtaking pace that it needed to have more of an impact.

Still, The Night They Vanished is a very clever and original thriller and there's a lot I enjoyed about Savage's writing, so I would definitely still recommend it.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

when hanna sees her family home on a horrific murder scene page, she is devastated, all those years of misunderstandings and no contact, but what has happened to her family

this is a 2 way pov storyline and though its a slow burner its worth reading, so many red herrings galore that it takes a while to recognise the person who is the perp

This was a dark, tense thriller. It's an engrossing read with lots of twists and turns. It kept me guessing from the start.

A thriller in two voices that did not disappoint. Hanna has turned her life around after leaving home - which is a caravan holiday park - at 16 after constant arguments with an incredibly strict father. Since that time she has had very little to almost no contact with her father, stepmother and kid sister Sasha. Sasha is 14 and friendless. Her strict father stops her from having use of the internet or a mobile phone. Being taken and collected from school she has no opportunity to socialise and her school life is a misery. On the rare occasions when Hanna does visit, she does not really communicate her.

When Hanna sees her old home on a dark tourist website as the site of a brutal multiple murder dated that day, she has to swallow any feelings about her family to find out the truth, especially as it appears that her family has mysteriously vanished.

The caravan park becomes almost a haunted place as the ghost of the delinquent Hanna is always present. Sasha can never escape her father warning her not to become like her while at the same time wanting to escape, just like Hanna.

The two perspectives allow Hanna's backstory to be slowly revealed, piece by piece until we get to the final picture and the reveals along the way, do not disappoint. I had inklings but didn't quite get it right. The twists keep you turning the page.

A really good read and as well as being a thriller, the novel also asks questions about the topic of dark tourism - why are we interested in places of murder? Thank you Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group for allowing me to read this.

The plot line of the story sounds fascinating to me. A young woman with a troubled past named Hanna while going through a website with Adam discovers her own childhood house described as the scene of gruesome murders. And as the investigation continues, Hannah's own past comes back tormenting her.

I actually did enjoy the story--as I really thought the plot sounded intriguing and intense. It was a bit of a slow burn but the story actually grew into me. The story is told from Hannah's perspective and Sasha's perspectives, Sasha being Hanna's sister. Although the first part of the story was slightly boring, it got really intense and interesting by the second part of the book. Twists and turns started developing along the well, and the ending was really good. Hanna was kind of lucky to have good friends who actually helped her to deal with the trauma.

Overall, this is a good thriller--I would like to read more books from this author. Worth four stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

This is my first book by this author and I was kindly accepted on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Night They Vanished is a slow burn psychological thiller! It had a few twists and turns that keep you intrigued and wanting to read on until the end!

The author does a great job of building suspense and revealing the mysteries throughout the story!

‘Fly free my daughter. Be what I could never be and leave the cage forever.’
Nalini Singh, Archangel’s Enigma

From the moment I started this book I knew I’d love it. Told from the perspective of Hanna (who has been shunned by her family since the age of 16) and her younger sister Sasha who remains with her dad and stepmother. It spans two timelines, Hanna’s timeline post discovery of her family being missing and from Sasha’s timeline which leads up to the event.

Essentially the storyline is very linear and doesn’t attempt to throw in any other angles or chapters from another’s point of view. But the style in which it is written carry’s that style really well as it is engaging and gritty enough to humanise the characters and make the plot believable.

In particular I liked Hanna’s character. She’s had to grow up pretty fast and in her short years has experienced a lot. So whilst she is a tough cookie it doesn’t define her as a person. I like her short wit and self-flagellation and the constant flip between what it verbalised and what is spoken. Hanna thinks like I would and that for me gave her character a sense of reality.

As far as plot twists go I guessed some but not all which is fab. The end result is neat, concise and deserved. Throughout the book there are ‘clues’ or pieces of insight that lend themselves to the reader trying to figure it out for themselves instead of blindly following Hanna and her friends as they piece together the mystery.

Overall a really good read. I’ve not read this author before but based on her style and execution I would definitely read more by her. Thank you to NetGalley for my advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Sasha, 14, lives in a small Welsh village with her subservient mother and domineering father, in the house attached to the Holiday Camp (think decaying chalets) which he manages. Sasha’s days are totally delineated by her father, so she has no freedom and no friends, and he drives her to and from school. This, he says, is to protect her – protect her from going off the rails like Hanna, her older, estranged, sister did fourteen years ago. Hanna left home at sixteen, headed for a life of sex and drugs and lager as he predicted. But Hanna as turned her life around, owns a flat in Cardiff, and a car, and has a great job. But apart from a few fleeting visits some years ago she is resolutely opposed to having anything to do with her family as long as he remains obdurate in his opinions and attitudes. Then she meets Adam on a blind date and on his website, which publishes stories about murders, she sees a picture of her family home with a message, dated today, saying that three people have been murdered there – and their descriptions matcher her mother, father and sister. She reports this to the police, who find that her family had disappeared three months earlier. Returning to the village she finds that the population, including some of the gang she used to hang out with, have long memories of her disastrous behaviour and of the harm she had wreaked. Is her past the cause of the disappearance, and is it now stirring up more trouble?
The story is written from the points of view of the sisters, Hanna in the present (but with all her old memories) and Sacha in the last few months (desperate to escape her sister’s legacy). The plotting is quite good, a bit linear, and the twists are not too difficult to spot coming. Overall, the writing is good, and the pacing is fast – but it did feel a bit overstretched, which is something of a paradox.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

A really good read. It was fast paced but not once did I find I was confused about what was happening or a character. An intense and engrossing story. Great book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This ARC was kindle given to me by The Little Brown Book Group, and will be published on 5 May 2022.

So many thrillers have a single, linear plot - that doesn’t make them any less thrilling, but it does mean that they can lack character depth or grit.

The Night They Vanished is quite the opposite. This is a Thriller that treats you like a smart reader, there’s no spoon feeding of the plot but at the same time it’s so easy to turn the pages.

We meet Hanna, who has clearly had a troubled past. The shadow of that past is something she’s never been able to shake; her reputation still in tatters. The details of her past are fed through the plot like a jigsaw, which makes her character someone you constantly re evaluate.

When Hanna sees her family home listed as the scene of a gruesome murder, she’s forced to confront her past and her future together. Not easy to do when you’re perceived as a trouble maker and a family outcast.

Fortunately Hanna has some good friends, and we get to know more about them as they support her in unraveling how her family home has come to be “a murder house”

Sometimes “that big plot twist” we’re all so familiar with in a thriller can end up being an anticlimax. One of my favourite things about this book is how the plot; past and present are so intricately knitted together - of course there’s a climax, but the clever writing is not saved for the end.

The book visits different perspectives across the chapters, this is something I either love or hate. Here, I loved it - there was no disorientation for me because of clever nuggets dropped into each perspective which tell you where you are in time and place.

Characters are believable, the setting is powerful and the book gave me so much more than I expected from the blurb.

The writing style and cleverly woven plot made this an exceptional read.

A slow burner and very predictable. A fast read but nothing special. Saying that I am sure other readers will enjoy it more just not for me.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.