The Vanishing Act

An unputdownable, darkly comic thriller packed with twists

Jo Jakeman author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Little, Brown Book Group

Published:11th Sep '25

£21.99

Supplier delay - available to order, but may take longer than usual.

The Vanishing Act cover

'Completely gripping and incredibly addictive... I absolutely loved it and can't recommend it highly enough!' - The Book Magnet blog ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Life as a missing person is absolute murder...


When artist Eloise Ford hears that human remains found in an abandoned mine are believed to be those of long-missing teenager Elizabeth King, the shock sends her reeling.

It can't be true. Eloise knows this for a fact because... she is Elizabeth King.

Now, her carefully curated life in Cornwall is falling apart. Her husband is acting strangely, her children aren't speaking to her and she can't sell a painting for love nor money. But much more worrying are the signs that someone knows exactly who she is... and why she had to vanish thirty years ago.

Eloise needs answers. Is her son's ex-girlfriend just plain annoying... or does she know something? Will the detection skills of the online 'Truth Seekers' group prove more than amateurish? What's the real story behind those village newcomers?

And just how far would she go to keep her family, her friends, and her fraudulent life, safe?

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Readers and reviewers love The Vanishing Act!

'I have laughed, I have gasped at the twists, I have loved characters, I have hated characters. This is crime fiction laced with dry wit that is incredibly clever' - Random Things Through My Letterbox, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'I absolutely loved it and flew through it; the perfect combination of suspense, heart and humour!' - Laura Marshall, author of Friend Request

'I raced through this intriguing, twisty and darkly funny thriller!' - Roz Watkins, author of The Red House

'Cleverly plotted and compulsively readable' - _fortheloveofbooksx

'I couldn't put this down - such a clever, witty mystery, with great twists and a brilliant cast of characters who aren't always what they seem... I loved it!' - Nicci Cloke, author of Her Many Faces

'A deliciously darkly funny thriller of the very best kind' - Fiona Cummins, author of When I Was Ten

'As well as a good mystery, Jakeman writes warm and funny dialogue that brings the relationships between the characters thoroughly to life' - The Morning Star

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read more...

I raced through this intriguing, twisty and darkly funny thriller! -- Roz Watkins

ISBN: 9781408718421

Dimensions: 238mm x 162mm x 34mm

Weight: 560g

368 pages