Accidentally downloaded this twice, but just the one read was enough. This was OK, I have read worse but I have read better, I would recommend this book but not as strongly as I have other books. If I spotted another book by this author at the airport I might consider passing the time with it but that is about as much as I can push this title.

I have been a fan of Gillian McAllister since the release of her first novel ‘Everything but the truth’ and I have really loved seeing her style develop! ‘How to disappear’ has all of her trademarks of deception, suspense and a sprinkling of courtroom drama and will keep you gripped until the last page. (Personally this is my new favourite novel by McAllister.)
The story focuses on a family that faces threats from all sides after their daughter, Zara, witnesses an awful crime but in an age of social media is it truly possible to disappear? Zara and her mother, Lauren, have to leave behind their friends, jobs and family just to stay safe but will the sacrifices be worth it and outweigh the risks that still follow them?
I loved the way McAllister builds up her characters from their bad habits to their clothing choices, they become so vivid that you become fully immersed in their individual experiences.
I particularly enjoyed the pace of this thriller which was perfectly primed to build up tension right until the very end. A perfect, compulsive summer read.

This is a fantastic psychological thriller which keeps the reader turning the pages and guessing the outcome until the very end. It is scary to read how a modern-day lynch-mob goes about tracking down it's victim using technology. The variety of characters and situations make this a highly readable book. Recommended.

I really wanted to enjoy this book more than I did. I found the premise for the book appealing, it had chapters alternating between different characters (which I always love in a book), it was fast paced so I'm not sure why it fell short for me. I can only put it down to the characters who I just didn't connect with and struggled to feel empathy for.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to preview in exchange for this honest review.

BOOM!!! This is an absolute stonker of a book, and it's slammed right into my top ten reads of this year so far. This author quite simply writes THE BEST thrillers involving the British legal system and how people fare when they come up against it. This book, in my opinion, is her best yet. I read this in just over a day, reading well into the small hours. It's exciting, intriguing, and will make your heart beat that little bit faster. And the ending? Wow!! I just loved it.

My review is on Goodreads, and will be posted on Amazon on publication day.

This is a powerful suspense thriller which tells you the story of Zara, who witnesses a murder when she is just 14 years old. Giving evidence anonymously she believes she is doing the right thing, something she’s always been proud of doing.

Unfortunately the trial collapses and a hate group against Zara is formed, the group having found out her identity. To escape the family have to change their lives forever and enter witness protection, but this isn’t a simple decision and the family becomes spilt. The disappearing is the easy part though, actually staying hidden is where the problems lie.

The story is told from four different perspectives and as the story progresses you really feel the emotion that the characters are feeling. I did struggle a little with Zara and Poppy’s perspectives as I don’t think they were clearly defined as children, couldn’t really tell the difference from the adults which didn’t seem likely. It however didn’t ruin the story which still flowed well from chapter to chapter. I did guess the twist at the end but nevertheless enjoyed the journey of getting there.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin a Random House for the advanced reader copy. Review also shared on www.instagram.com/somethingaboutbooks23

Gillian McAllister hits the high notes again with this tense storyline based round the witness protection service. Zara is a key witness in a trial against 2 young footballers who are on trial for killing a homeless man. The case collapses and although Zara gave testimony anonymously her identity is discovered . She and her family need to go into witness protection but her stepfather. An ‘underground‘ group sets out to track them and seek revenge stopping at nothing.
This is a tense story with well sketched out characters that you can sometimes love or hate and looks at the dilemmas of family love trust and loyalty as well as trust within authority. There are a few unexpected twists and turns along the way
A thoroughly enjoyable read once agsin

"Zara has always tried to do the right thing. And, today, on this sofa, she tells the truth and anchors herself to it, like a ship out to sea with only this to tether her. She knows that it was right, even though everything fell apart. Nobody can tell her otherwise. Especially not now, nor after what Anna told her on Sunday."

In Islington, London, teenage Zara witnesses a murder. Mother Lauren, stepfather Aidan and stepsister, teenager Poppy support her testimony in court, which is done anonymously; Zara is known as Girl A. However, when Girl A's identity is discovered and threats are made, Zara and her family are advised by the police to go into witness protection. Their happy blended family is blown apart by their decisions about who goes and who stays.

It is an unimaginable moral dilemma, made imaginable by McAllister's empathetic writing. Aidan loves his wife and step-daughter, but he also loves his daughter Poppy (who lives with her mum), so he makes the almost impossible decision to let Lauren and Zara go, leaving him a broken man. Lauren doesn’t want to leave Aidan because he's her soul mate and her best friend, but Zara is in mortal danger and so she reluctantly leaves her family, friends, job, home and entire life to ensure Zara is safe.

What follows is gripping and constantly evolving as the narrative moves between Lauren, Zara, Aidan and Poppy, counting time up (in witness protection) and time down (to potential resolution). It is stressful and terrifying as the threats to Zara and her family continue, compulsive reading. There were heart-wrenching situations and I felt I was with them as they struggled to make the right decisions, reacting to constantly changing situations. I can't write more without plot-spoilers, but, having read all of the author's novels, they keep getting better and better. I highly recommend reading this compelling tale of love, family, protection and justice.

My word!.. what an intense, emotional, psychological thriller this was. I've read all of Gillian McAllister's previous books but this one, for me, has to be her best yet.
A murder, a court case, a witness and the aftermath are all drawn brilliantly and crafted into an extremely fast paced story that will keep you reading way past your bedtime. I wont rehash the story or giveaway any spoilers but I will say there were times I didn't like the main characters of Zara, Lauren, Aiden and Poppy very much and at others my heart went out to them. My emotions chopped and changed with each chapter as I headed towards an amazing ending. Will I recommend this book to friends, family, Uncle Tom Cobbley and all? You bet I most certainly will!
Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers and the author for an advance copy of this book.

An interesting thriller with a not so common theme. I really enjoyed it and struggled to put it down!
When Zara witnesses the murder of a homeless man she is the only person who sees what has happened and becomes the key witness at the subsequent trial. But things don’t go according to plan and Zara’s evidence is discredited.
Zara lives with her Mother, Lauren and step father Aiden, Following the collapsed trial it becomes clear that Zara is in danger and she and her mother are put in witness protection. Aiden is offered a place too but he is torn as he has a daughter Poppy from a previous marriage who still needs his support. He remains behind not knowing where his wife and step daughter are, he is devastated but becomes determined to infiltrate the group who are a threat to his family.
I found all the characters very believable, not the usual cliched dynamics seen in step relationships which was quite refreshing.

I really enjoyed this unique storyline about having to 'disappear' into witness protection. The author writes in a note that she hopes it was believable as for obvious reasons witness protection is not a very easy subject to research. Well I found it totally believable and was totally fascinated by the thought-provoking. I really felt for Aidan who had to decide whether to disappear with his wife and step-daughter or stay behind with his own daughter and mother - a no-win situation either way.

A rarity but I actually liked all the characters, perhaps because they were so well developed with the author celebrating differences and the hidden strengths of every personality type. For example, the author’s sensitive portrayal of Zara and her insecurities about being serious, shy, bookish, and not fitting in because of those things but also her strength of character and maturity in doing the right thing. I also loved that for once it was a book with a blended family who actually love and care for each other rather than the usual step rivalries so often depicted.

I was particularly drawn to extroverts Lauren and Poppy but especially Poppy a remarkably selfless, mature, caring, positive individual caring for her mother full-time and trying to protect her step family whilst dealing with normal teenage stuff such as college applications. And, of course who wouldn’t love Bill Gates, the dog...

Annoyingly it was implied at times that there was more going on than there actually was – in terms of Jon for example. But, then the ending was a massive unexpected twist that really did deliver!

Another fantastic book by Gillian McAllister. I love the way the story unfolds and the twists and turns that come along the way. Very well written and had me hooked from the start. Each chapter left me wanting more, I just couldn't put it down. The story could have unfolded much quicker but I loved the clever way each chapter unfolded with just the right amount of pace. A must read this summer!!

While this was a tense and well written book, I'm afraid I couldn't finish it. It was just too sad. too emotionally intense, and I could not understand why Lauren and Aiden were being so careless with their new lives. What a risk they were prepared to take.
I am glad to have had the opportunity to review the book even if I couldn't finish it. Thanks to NetGalley.

Oh my word! What can I say about this book? It was absolutely brilliant. I read it in 2 days as I couldn't put it down.

Zara is a girl who witnesses an awful crime. She testifies, but things don't go to plan. Zara and her mum have to leave the rest of the family behind and go into witness protection. Keeping their identities secret is hard and if they let their guards down they could be in more danger.

I hadn't guessed the plot at all which definitely kept me page turning to find out.

I would score this 10/10 as I can't fault it at all. Brilliant writing and storyline.

i have never read anything from this author before but will most definitely be looking for more books from Gillian now.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publishers for an advance copy. I am so please to discover a new author.

‘How To Disappear’ by Gillean McAllister is a really interesting psychological thriller. I’ve never read a book about witness protection, so I was immediately intrigued by the plot.

The book shows us different perspectives – Zara, Lauren, Aiden (Lauren’s husband) and Poppy (Zara’s stepsister). I always love reading these types of layouts, and this worked particularly well because we could learn about Zara and Lauren’s life in witness protection, and how this impacted those that were left behind.

There are a lot of great characters in this book, and I think I sympathised with the main four quite a lot, but they all frustrated me sometimes. I know how hard it must be to completely leave your old life behind, but the silly mistakes some of these characters made were truly annoying and I just wanted to have a go at them. (If anything, that just shows how invested I was in the plot).

As a whole, I thought the story line was really well paced and intriguing. My only criticism is that the final couple of chapters felt a tad bit rushed, especially after we read the final shocking twist (which I loved).

This was a great and gripping read, one to add to your TBR for sure!

Thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph Books for providing me with an early copy in exchange for a review.

Excellent people/witness protection story with many twists.

Lauren's daughter Zara witnessed a terrible death of a homeless man, but speaking up in court became a nightmare in more ways than one. Not only did she fail to be a credible witness, she found herself violently threatened. There was little choice but police protection after her identity was revealed online..

That is only the part of the story as her father is left behind and he began his own campaign against the probable murderers of the homeless man.

No more spoilers from me only to say that each character is well drawn; Ms McAllister keeps the action going right to the end. I don't know why I have not read any of her books before? I see there are quite a few to 'get my teeth into'.

I was not that keen on the fact that a WHOLE club was involved - surely someone would have had a conscience? The book also had a slightly laboured start whilst all the characters were sorted out; after this it was well worth it!

Thanks to Net Galley and Penguin Books for the chance to read and review.

This book drew me in from the start! A seemingly straightforward murder trial with a child witness rapidly unravels, leaving the child and part of her family needing to go into witness protection. The details of what actually happened, the larger series of crimes, and the desperate search to find out who is after the child kept me on the edge of my seat. What really resonated with me, however, is the depiction of life in witness protection. The complete isolation, the terror of one wrong move undoing everything, and the battle to stay away from any connection with friends and family when social media is so accessible. I highly recommend this book!

A quite unique and gripping story that I enjoyed from beginning to end. The story flowed along nicely and with a promising ending. I did feel that the characters made too many mistakes when they were first put into witness protection but this added to the plot. Lots of twists and turns a few I did not see coming!

As with other reviewers, I found this book very hard to put down. The characters were excellent and memorable, from Lauren and her wonderful beguiling quips to Poppy who wears expensive make up on the way to school and looks after her mum who suffers with MS.. Her friend, Emily, was a very much needed breath of fresh air in Poppy's difficult life. . I felt that Zara only really came to life once she met Dom, prior to that she was a very much grown up teenager in her devotion to the local homeless community, the point at which the whole story starts. What can I say about Aiden, he's stoic, loyal, unafraid, reliable, the list is really endless, he feels his responsibilities to both his new family and his old, to both Poppy and Zara. I didn;t feel that the ending was quite as realistic as the rest of the book. Those who haven't read it yet will know what I mean. If you haven't then please don't continue with this review........................... criminals who end up in prison still have plenty of contacts in the outside world to do their bidding, enough said. I suppose Gillian wanted to give us a happy ending. I'm hoping that the whole family moved away to start a new life. I have to give it five stars as it was such a pleasure to read and was totally gripping.

How to disappear
Gillian McAllister

I did enjoy this book, the story was good.
I liked the characters, the only negative thing I can say is that it’s a bit too long. I usually read a book in a few days but this took me nearly a week. There was lots of parts that probably didn’t need to be in here but it wasn’t a terrible thing.
Not 100% sure on the ending, no spoilers but maybe it could have gone another way. I don’t know!
This book definitely made me think about it for a while after finishing reading.
Overall a 3 star from me.