Review: How Quickly She Disappears by Raymond Fleischmann (Blog Tour)

Genre:
Thriller, Suspense

Format:
E-ARC

Publisher:
Berkley

Release Date:
January 14, 2020





Synopsis from Goodreads:

The Dry meets Silence of the Lambs in this intoxicating tale of literary suspense set in the relentless Alaskan landscape about madness and obsession, loneliness and grief, and the ferocious bonds of family …

It’s 1941 in small-town Alaska and Elisabeth Pfautz is alone. She’s living far from home, struggling through an unhappy marriage, and she spends her days tutoring her precocious young daughter. Elisabeth’s twin sister disappeared without a trace twenty years earlier, and Elisabeth’s life has never recovered. Cryptic visions of her sister haunt her dreams, and Elisabeth’s crushing loneliness grows more intense by the day. But through it all, she clings to one belief: That her sister is still alive, and that they’ll be reunited one day.

And that day may be coming soon. Elisabeth’s world is upended when Alfred Seidel — an enigmatic German bush pilot — arrives in town and murders a local man in cold blood. Sitting in his cell in the wake of his crime, Alfred refuses to speak to anyone except for Elisabeth. He has something to tell her: He knows exactly what happened to her long-missing sister, but he’ll reveal this truth only if Elisabeth fulfills three requests.

Increasingly isolated from her neighbors and imprisoned by the bitter cold and her own obsession, Elisabeth lets herself slip deeper into Alfred’s web. A tenuous friendship forms between them, even as Elisabeth struggles to understand Alfred’s game and what he’s after.

But if it means she’ll get answers, she’s willing to play by his rules. She’s ready to sacrifice whatever it takes to be reunited with her sister, even if it means putting herself — and her family — in mortal danger.

My Review

Elisabeth Pfautz lives in Alaska with her husband and daughter. Twenty years ago in 1921, her twin sister, Jacqueline, disappeared never to be heard from again. Elisabeth’s life has never been the same. She can’t help but believe her sister is alive and well somewhere in the world.

When a stranger, Alfred Seidel, arrives in town, Elisabeth is stunned when he murders a local man and insists Elisabeth is the only one he will talk to. He leads Elisabeth through a psychological maze insinuating that her sister is alive and he knows where she is located. Elisabeth feels she has no choice but to follow the directions of a killer.

It took me time to get into this story, but when I did, I couldn’t put it down. It was addicting. It reminded me very much of the movie The Silence of the Lambs. It kept me guessing throughout the whole book. I was trying to figure things out along with Elisabeth.

The author did a wonderful job of painting the scene. I felt like I was in Alaska and was even a bit chilled at times. The characters are well-written and realistic.

For me, although it started a bit slowly, it drew me in. It ended up being a real page-turner for me.

For reading challenges:
Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge 2020
Alphabet Soup . Reading Challenge 2020
Literary Escapes Reading Challenge 2020 (Alaska)

FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.