The Day She Disappeared

Kent's (The Loving Husband) latest novel follows Nat as she tries to decipher what has happened to her friend Beth. Barmaid Beth is a "fun girl" who lives life to its fullest, so when she disappears, everyone assumes she simply ran off with some guy. But Nat knows Beth wouldn't have left without a goodbye. Victor, Beth's favorite bar patron, is an older gentleman who is in the hospital after a nasty fall. When he hears about Beth vanishing, he has a fleeting memory of something that could tie in to her disappearance, but he cannot remember what it is. This plot should have made for an exciting thriller, but it unfortunately is disjointed and hard to follow. Kent flits from character to character, making it difficult for readers to identify the narrator. The flatness of the protagonists also makes it hard to empathize with or be interested in them. As a result, the twist ending is not as fulfilling as it should be.