The Disappearing Act by Catherine Steadman

​   Not only is Catherine Steadman quite steadily one of the best beach thriller (That’s a genre, right? Kinda mindless, but really fun. Sunny. Features sea on the covers.) writers, she’s also quite possibly the best looking one. What kind of a superficial comment is that, you ask? Well, it’s actually pertinent, because prior to her writing career, Steadman was an actress. Still might be, actually. And yet, interestingly enough, it took her until book three to bring all that experience and firsthand behind the scenes knowledge into her writing. But here it is, a thriller that’s a perfect marriage of Steadman’s writing talents and acting career. The perfect storm of write what you know from an author who has already perfected her thriller game.
   And so Mia, the book’s protagonist, seems to have outdone her creator fame wise, she’s just done a starmaking turn as Jane Eyre and amid the talks of the Bafta nomination and in the wake of her actor boyfriend literally trading her in for a younger model, she jets off to LA, to take her mind off things and strike that proverbial iron while she’s red hot. Tinseltown is all agog for the new British it girl, there are auditions, parties and a potential hunky love interest, but Mia gets distracted by a fellow actress who does the eponymous disappearing act on her after a chance meeting at casting. Really distracted. So much so she decides to Nancy Drew this thing to the bitter end instead of leaving it well enough alone. After all, no everyone wants to (or needs to) be found. And so you get to follow Mia’s investigation amid all the tinsel of the town known for it and it’s just as fun as geographically close to the ocean to yet again make it a great beach thriller. Plus such a timely one, MeToo ready for the post Weinstein era.
    I’ve been watching a surprisingly good and addictive Search Party recently and thematically this book went perfectly with season one of that show. Plot wise it’s very much its own thing, though interestingly enough, despite being the one so obviously near and dear to the author on a personal level, it’s also her least compelling book thus far. Or maybe not least compelling, because Steadman’s writing is really compelling by nature, she writes very well (not just well for an actress, either), her books are genuinely tough to put down. It just wasn’t as exciting or as mysterious as its predecessors. It was still very good and the behind the scenes material make it all the more so, but the story itself…much like the first season of Search Party…guess I just wanted more out of plot, more mystery. It isn’t bathetic as such, it just somewhat milder on wow effects.
   Still, though, very enjoyable, very entertaining and lots of fun. LA after dark proves to be a great stage and one of the most famous signs ever makes for an especially striking finale. There are morals and lessons, but in the end it’s all about the high cost of and the irresistible siren song of fame. And irresistible is about right for the general book appeal here too. Don’t fret, as light as it may seem, this is very much the dark psychological thriller you were hoping for, the sunny skies are deceptive. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.