The Disappearance
Non-series
Efrem
Sigel
The Permanent Press (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-57962-180-5 (1579621805)
ISBN-13: 978-1-57962-180-3 (9781579621803)
Publication Date: February 2009
List Price: $28.00
Synopsis (from
the publisher): When Joshua and Nathalie Sandler's only child,
14-year-old Daniel, disappears one flawless summer day in a tiny hamlet
in western Massachusetts, their world changes in an instant. Over the
next year, Joshua neglects everything else to search for their son
while Nathalie, a beautiful and gifted cellist, withdraws into herself,
unable to play even a note of music.
The Disappearance
immerses the reader in the Sandlers' world, deftly portraying the
various townspeople who might be involved in this mystery, among them a
mean-spirited local town leader, half a dozen troubled teenagers, and a
dark-haired, passionate young woman who is drawn to Joshua and his
plight.
Review: Efrem
Sigel's suspense novel The
Disappearance is more than a mystery; it's a powerful study of
interpersonal relationships, what keeps them together and what tears
them apart.
Nathalie and Joshua Sandler’s son, their only child, 14-year-old
Daniel was absent from their home when they returned from running an
errand that lasted just two hours. It was a beautiful August morning in
The Hollow, a small village in the town of Smithfield, Massachusetts
where the Sandler’s had their summer home. Dan’s bike was
in the garage. Nothing about the house or Dan’s room was
disturbed. Maybe he had met his friends to take a swim in the river.
Maybe they went for a hike. Maybe. Maybe. As the hours passed Nathalie
and Joshua spoke with Dan’s friends. Nathalie called the parents
of the friends they could not find. Nobody in this town of about sixty
people had seen or been in contact with Daniel. Joshua, along with the
small town police force, questioned adults and children. Had anyone
seen somebody or anything out of the ordinary on that morning between
10 AM and noon? No one had. Joshua endlessly continued his search for
almost a year to find his son. Nathalie, a cellist with the New York
Philharmonic, put her cello down, and took a leave of absence from the
orchestra and retreated into herself. It is with heartache that
Nathalie and Joshua resolve they must continue their lives.
The Disappearance is a
story of love, heartbreak, and tragedy. But it also am absorbing
character study. Nathalie and Joshua are outsiders in Smithfield, rich
people from the city. Some members of the town board aren't totally
sympathetic to their loss, believing that change (in the form of summer
folk) isn't good for the community. The compassionate police chief,
however, a parent like many others in the town, does everything in his
power to help in the search. But the focus here is on Nathalie and
Joshua. Nathalie refuses to believe Daniel may be gone, but rather than
continue to hope, gives up in despair. Joshua eventually accepts the
reality of their son's disappearance, but never gives up his pursuit in
finding him. He understands they must try to rebuild their lives
together or lead them separately and apart. The mystery of Daniel is
eventually resolved, but the story here, and the reason to read the
book, centers around the consequences of a child's disappearance, not
the act itself.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of The Disappearance and to Author Marketing Experts for providing an ARC of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2009 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read The Disappearance? How would you rate it?
Mysteries in this series ...
The Disappearance
The Permanent Press (Hardcover), February 2009
ISBN-10: 1-57962-180-5 (1579621805)
ISBN-13: 978-1-57962-180-3 (9781579621803)
Omnimystery keywords for The Disappearance ...
Location(s) referenced: Massachusetts.
