4.5 stars.

The Day She Disappeared by Christobel Kent is a slow burning yet completely mesmerizing mystery set in small English town.

Natalie "Nat" Cooper seems to be the only one concerned about her co-worker and close friend, Beth Maxwell's disappearance. Their boss, pub owner Janine is not overly troubled that other than a handful of texts, no one has seen or heard from Beth since she abruptly left weeks earlier to care for her mum. Now discovering Beth is not returning, Nat is worried enough to do a little digging around and she is distressed to learn that her friend did not go to her mum's after all. But it is not until Beth's landlady makes a shocking discovery that Nat is convinced that something terrible has happened. No one, including the police, will take her fears seriously so Nat decides to investigate Beth's disappearance on her own.

Nat's life has not exactly gone as planned since after going off to college and living briefly in London, she is back in the town she grew up in. Now close to thirty, she is struggling to make peace with the choices she has recently made. She and Beth may not have much in common, but the pair were quite close. Initially a little hurt that Beth left without warning, Nat was not worried that something was amiss until Beth's out of character failure to return to work as scheduled.

Beth is a bit a free spirit who is quite popular with the male customers who come into the pub. Spontaneous and without many inhibitions, she enjoys going out with a variety of men. Beth is a surprisingly supportive friend and a reliable employee. Despite their close friendship, Nat is very surprised by some of the information she uncovers about Beth when she begins trying to find out what happened to her.

Around the same time Beth fails to return, Nat's friend, Victor Powell has been hospitalized after a fall. In his early nineties, Victor is quite active and well-liked by the rest of the townspeople. While still in hospital, he is afraid for his safety but the reason for his fear remains tantalizing out of reach. Although he cannot quite recall why he is danger, Victor is fully cognizant of his concerns that his daughter, Sophie, might be in danger from her controlling husband.

The Day She Disappeared is an intriguing whodunit that unfolds from three very different points of view: Nat, Victor and the killer. There is an underlying feeling of menace since Nat feels like someone is watching her but no one will take her fears seriously. Victor is a fantastic secondary character who desperately wants to recall information that might be relevant to what happened to Beth. Brief passages from the killer's perspective paint a very chilling portrait of a smart but twisted person who has absolutely no remorse for their actions. Through a series of red herrings and misdirects, Christobel Kent brilliantly keeps the perpetrators identity cleverly under wraps until the novel's action-packed conclusion. ( )

I did enjoy The Day She Disappeared by Christobel Kent but it did take me quite a while to really get into it, I would say I was about 30% in before I started to zone out.By this I mean when I am reading if I find a book good, I go almost into a book coma, unaware of anything else, I'm sure you get my drift. we've all been there.
So I'm gonna break it down into what worked for me and what I struggled with, but be aware this is just my personal opinion and what I struggled with may not bother you at all.
First of all, this was my first toe-dip into Christobel Kent's work, it was the story description that initially drew me to this book, I found it very intriguing.
As I said, I had difficulty at first connecting with the story. If I had to pinpoint what it was that caused this I think maybe I found the writing style quite hard to follow and as I was concentrating on deciphering the language and my brain failed to engage with the story properly.
The story follows Nat as she tries to decipher what has happened to her friend Beth.
Once I became engrossed in the story my mind was working overtime suspecting everyone.
You are kept guessing until the end and I never did work out who the killer was, so it came as I surprise, which in my opinion is a sign of a good murder mystery.
I also liked how we were allowed to creep into the killer's head, seeing the facts from his point of view while still being kept in the dark over his identity.
So, in conclusion, this is a great intriguing read, It's interesting and well paced with great world-building it just took me a small while to get my head into the game.
I received an E-Copy of The Day She Disappeared By Christobel Kent and this is my own honest opinion.

https://www.beckiebookworm.com/
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/ ( )

I did enjoy The Day She Disappeared by Christobel Kent but it did take me quite a while to really get into it, I would say I was about 30% in before I started to zone out.By this I mean when I am reading if I find a book good, I go almost into a book coma, unaware of anything else, I'm sure you get my drift. we've all been there.
So I'm gonna break it down into what worked for me and what I struggled with, but be aware this is just my personal opinion and what I struggled with may not bother you at all.
First of all, this was my first toe-dip into Christobel Kent's work, it was the story description that initially drew me to this book, I found it very intriguing.
As I said, I had difficulty at first connecting with the story. If I had to pinpoint what it was that caused this I think maybe I found the writing style quite hard to follow and as I was concentrating on deciphering the language and my brain failed to engage with the story properly.
The story follows Nat as she tries to decipher what has happened to her friend Beth.
Once I became engrossed in the story my mind was working overtime suspecting everyone.
You are kept guessing until the end and I never did work out who the killer was, so it came as I surprise, which in my opinion is a sign of a good murder mystery.
I also liked how we were allowed to creep into the killer's head, seeing the facts from his point of view while still being kept in the dark over his identity.
So, in conclusion, this is a great intriguing read, It's interesting and well paced with great world-building it just took me a small while to get my head into the game.
I received an E-Copy of The Day She Disappeared By Christobel Kent and this is my own honest opinion.

https://www.beckiebookworm.com/
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/ ( )

Title...The Day She Disappeared

Author...Christobel Kent

My " in a nutshell" summary...

Nat and Beth are both working at a smallish pub in a quaint smallish town. Beth does not come into work one day and seems to have vanished. Nat does not believe that Beth simply went away. She left everything she owned behind. Strange things begin to happen in this peaceful town...another murder and lots of unexplained occurrences...Nat continues to search for Beth but the more she does the more her own life and the lives of others seem to become endangered.

My thoughts after reading this book...

This book took on an intense feel almost from its beginning. Nat was wise enough to know that her friend...Beth...would not just leave. She was persistent in her search for Beth.

What I loved about this book...

My favorite character was sweet 92 year old Victor. His sense of his daughter’s danger was strong and he did what he could to protect her.

What I did not love about this book...

There were quite a few characters that “I loved to hate” in this book...just some really nasty neighbors but in particular...jealous pub owner Janine.

Final thoughts...
Would this be a good choice for you...potential reader?

Readers who love a deeply engrossing I tense mystery should love this book.

I received an advance reader’s copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley and Amazon. It was my choice to read it and review it. ( )

Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Sarah Crichton Books and NetGalley for providing me with an e-galley of The Day She Disappeared by Christobel Kent in exchange for an honest review. This is the first book of Kent's that I have read and I am looking forward to reading her previous novels. This murder mystery takes place in rural England and deals with one murder and the suspicious disappearance of Beth, a barmaid at the local pub. This is not a police procedural because the police do not seem very interested in the disappearance of a party girl and it is mostly left to her best friend Natalie to find out what could have happened to Beth. There are many suspects among the people who have crossed Beth's path and Natalie endangers her life to seek out the truth. The novel moves at a good pace and the ending is surely not evident. A great winter read. Highly recommended. ( )