Secrets and corruption spin a web of misunderstanding and lies in Gillian McAllister’s twisted tense tale, How To Disappear.

After witnessing the murder of her homeless friend Jamie in a foul act of football-initiation-gone-wrong, Zara becomes Girl A - the discredited witness who lied in court faced with a death warrant. She finds herself swept off to the Lakes with her mum Lauren under a strict witness protection programme.
Meanwhile in London, her stepfather Aiden infiltrates the football gang to track their knowledge and throw them off Zara’s scent.

This novel is a psychologically thrilling. There are some breathtaking moments and others where you find yourself on the edge of your seat.
The third person narration leaves you seeing for yourself the misinformation being passed from person to person into a web of fatal misunderstandings.

Gillian McAllister gave me the ending I was hoping for, and I was brought to tears of relief by the end of the novel.

How to Disappear is a stellar novel and I wish it all the success it deserves.
(I would have rated it 5* but my ebook file was misformatted in places which slightly impaired my reading experience.)

Thank you to Michael Joseph, NetGalley and Gillian McAllister for this advanced copy of How to Disappear in exchange for an honest review.

I swear Gillian is a genius. Every book she writes just gets better and better. This was SUCH a fantastic read with so many impossible questions at the heart of it. What would you even do in the same situation?!
Sublime storytelling, amazingly well drawn characters and a plot that packs a hell of a punch, YES. I. Loved. It.

This was a real page turner and one that had me gripped from the start! I liked every character in the story - each with their own personal problems. The story is written from different perspectives which adds to how good a read it is and touches on key topics, some of which I could relate to. How to Disappear is based on Zara's experience as a young teenager witnessing a horrible crime and being forced into witness protection for her safety.
I was surprised to feel so emotionally invested in the characters and was pleasantly surprised by the ending which I was not expecting!

WOW
Not sure I need to say much more.

I have loved all of Gillian McAllister’s previous books and rated them 5* but this one blows even those out of the water.

Zara only known as Girl A due to her age witnesses a murder...now her identity is out.
Her and her mother, Lauren need to disappear and leave everything and everyone behind.

The story had me from page one, I loved the idea and it really got me thinking what would I do? Could I just disappear like Lauren and Zara? The characters are believable and behave exactly as I would have expected them to even though I was cringing and shouting at them in parts.
The whole book was fast paced and kept me gripped and wanting to turn the pages from the beginning.
BRILLIANT you must read it.
I’d give more than 5* if I could.

What a brilliant book! Lauren has to go into witness protection after her daughter Zara is found to have lied during a murder trial of a homeless man by two young footballers. Lauren leaves her husband and step daughter behind to go into hiding and the injustice of what happens to her and Zara is just heartbreaking. The power of social media is examined and the way people can manipulate it is actually quite terrifying.
Extremely relevant topics are explored in this book and it is a brilliant roller coaster ride which I certainly couldn't stop reading. I would highly recommend this book.

Wow!! Action packed from start to finish it had me clenching my teeth, so tense I was reading it until the early hours as couldn't put it down.
Lauren and Zara are taken into witness protection, Lauren's husband Aidan can't leave his daughter Poppy. Can they ever return to a normal family life, people are trying to find them to kill them but Zara isn't finished yet with trying to get justice
All the characters are believable and really come to life. I hated the ending but then I didn't!!!!

I’m a big fan of this author so it was a given that I’d enjoy this book, I underestimated just how much! I intended to read it as soon as I was accepted but life got in the way of reading for a few days. I finally made a start on it last night and couldn’t put it down until I’d finished.

What a book! I didn’t think Gillian could better what she’s already done but I was wrong. This had so much tension throughout and my heart was in my mouth at times. The characters were believable and I was really invested in them. The ending when it came was completely unexpected. I had to read the epilogue twice to take it in. Absolutely amazing book!

I already have this on pre-order and will be one I read again and again.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

I’m definitely on a roll recently, with terrific books from some of my favourite authors - Gillian McAllister being one of them.

When 15 year old Zara witnesses the murder of a young homeless man Jamie, by two up and coming footballers about to sign with a Premier League club, she believes that the evidence she gives at their trial will put them behind bars for a very long time, but everything turns on its head during the trial, leading to threats on Zara’s life, so she and her mother Lauren are left with no option but to enter witness protection, with Lauren having to leave her husband Aidan (Zara’s stepfather) behind.

Can you imagine having to give up everything you know? Yes everything, - your husband, home, job, family, friends, and Bill Gates the dog, who follows Lauren everywhere -loyal devoted Bill, who’s soft silky ears Lauren loves to ruffle, unconsciously comforting, and done without even thinking. This forfeiting of everything you know, is what happens when you enter the witness protection program, and what a frightening scenario Ms McAllister has painted. It’s not only the ones being protected that are in danger, but also the ones they leave behind.

I’m not going to give away any more details, as I would hate to spoil it for other readers, but OMG the tension! the fear, the twists, and the raw emotion that this storyline elicited! Well just WOW is all I can say. An absolute page turner, and just for the record, I think this is probably my favourite book so far this year, and I’ve read some really good ones. Don’t miss this one!

Belting 5 stars from me! I love Gillian McAllister and this did not disappoint. Aidan and Lauren have to make a heartbreaking decision after Lauren’s daughter witnessed a crime and lies about it. When the guilty are freed because of her lie, significance threats are made against Zara and the family go into witness protection - leaving Aidan and his daughter Poppy behind! This book shows mob mentality and social media at its worst! Shocking at times, but really easy to relate to - this had me gripped from start to end! Outstanding!

A fantastic read! If you need a book to take your mind off everything that is going on, this is the one! I really like Gillian McAllister’s books and this is my favourite so far. Aidan and Lauren have a terrible decision to make after Lauren’s daughter Zara witnesses a murder. The family is broken apart. It’s such an exciting read, I couldn’t put it down and felt part of the story. The characters are realistic and likeable. I have read very little about witness protection but it all seemed real - and terrifying -to me. The excellent writing propels the story along at a cracking pace. Definitely one of my favourite books in a long time!

For me a different book with a different theme for the story. It is absolutely brilliant and should not to be missed. I think that the ending is probably one of the best I have encountered. The book builds in suspense bit by bit but you don't really know how it will end. The book cleverly mixes social media, tracing the whereabouts of someone and the presumed intricacies of witness protection. It is easy to criticise characters for making 'silly' errors' but you have to ask yourself 'would I do the same'?
Well worth any expense and time on your part if you decide to read it

This is one of those psychological novels that you have to keep putting down to delay the traumas you know are surely coming!
Zara and and her mother have to go into witness protection and take on new identities, after Zara becomes ‘Girl A’ as the witness to a murder.
But will they really be able to leave everyone they love, and the past, behind them?
The aftermath is a rollercoaster ride. Who can you trust? Will they be found by the gang hunting them?
I’d really recommend this for fans of fast-paced thrillers: think Gone Girl.

Gillian McAllister gets better with each book but I can't see how she can top this one.
After Zara witnesses the murder of a homeless man you would expect the trial of the offenders to be a formality but Zara has made one mistake. She told a lie, and that lie would change her life forever. Witness protection is her only escape and she and her mother , Lauren, have to leave everything and everyone in their past behind to escape revenge. The ending left me reeling as it took me by surprise, so unexpected. A page turning thriller that i found difficult to put down.

This was the first Gillian McAllister book that I have read and it certainly won't be the last. It had everything that I crave in a psychological thriller. Thrills, spills, a brilliant plot and well drawn characters who you believe in and are credible.

The action is non-stop and the book drew me in from the beginning. This really was good.

Heavily recommended.

I absolutely adored this one! I'm a massive Gillian McAllister fan and this is her best yet. Have raved about it on YouTube already!

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher and of course the author who everything she has written has bee fabulous. If you want a thriller with twists and turns and great characters you will really enjoy this book. I loved it.

If your daughter witnessed a murder could you leave behind your husband and step daughter to go into witness protection with her? That's what happened when Lauren has to leave Aiden and Poppy with Zara as they are whisked away for their safety.
I don't think I've read a book about witness protection before and after a slow start to the book where I wasn't sure I would enjoy it, I found it to be really well written. The characters were well thought out and delivered well.
We live through Lauren and Zara's new identities and also discover how Aiden and Poppy are coping being left behind. Aiden will stop at nothing to make sure his family are safe even if he's not allowed to know where they are or who they are.

WOW. This book is absolutely incredible. I read it in one desperate gulp, genuinely unable to put it down. It's such a joy to read something so utterly absorbing that you completely forget about the rest of the world while you are immersed in it. The plot is clever and twisty, the storyline compelling, but more than that, you fall in love with and care about the characters so deeply. I don't want to say anything else about it because it should remain a total surprise to anyone going in. Can't recommend it highly enough. A very well-deserved five stars.

A good thriller however the characters were difficult to like. I found it quite hard to believe. However a good page turner and you do want to get to the end of it.

I’ve read other books by the author and am quite a fan. I was really looking forward to reading this. The blub on #NetGalley made me want to really read the book. I had high hopes for this book but wasn’t expecting to love it as much as I did. The book has a really relevant and current premise and I can easily imagine what happens to Zara taking place in the real world. This book is a lesson on who to trust or not to trust as the case may be and to be very careful before you stick your neck above the water. This book is fast paced and intense and there’s barely time to pause for breath as one trauma leads to another. I love books with this sort of pacing. This is a fantastic read. I haven’t read many books by the author so need to catch up on her back catalogue.