Member Reviews
"The Vanishing Wife" by Nichole Severn was a solid 3-star read! This is the second book featuring FBI agent Leigh Brody. Despite being on medical leave after surgery, she is called to Gulf Shores, Alabama, to assist Elyse, her only true friend.
The story alternates between dual timelines, following both Elyse and Leigh. It moves through a "before and after" structure as they each work on their own investigations, which eventually intertwine. However, I didn’t enjoy this book as much as the first one. At times, the pacing felt slow, and there was an overemphasis on characters "memorizing" unnecessary details, like the layout of a room or hard water stains in a shower.
Leigh teams up with Detective Moore from the local police department, who was probably my favorite character. She was strong-willed, assertive, and clearly in charge. Like the first book, there were plenty of twists, although none were quite as shocking as before. The ending, however, felt a bit off, especially given how meticulously things had been planned up until that point.
Overall, while this book didn’t quite live up to the first in the series, I’ll likely continue reading the next book in the Leigh Brody series.
Thanks to Storm Publishing, Nichole Severn, and NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read this ARC and share my honest review.
I really enjoyed this book! It was an easy read and had me invested from the start. I was slightly disappointed with the ending because I found it slightly predictable but otherwise it was a great book full of twists and turns throughout
This book is an easy read and by that I don’t mean simple but it follows a well thought out plot over two timelines which conjoin towards the end. Elyse is at her holiday home on the Gulf in Atlanta with her husband and 14 year old daughter. We encounter her after she returns home from a run with head and shoulder injuries and no memory of how she acquired them. We are introduced to Elyse’s best friend, a FBI detective who while on medical leave received a message from Elyse that she needed her. I’m not going to give away the story but suffice to say the writing is tight, the characters are well described and the tension will have you turning pages quickly.
Thanks to #NetGalley and #StormPublishing for the book #TheVanishingWife by #NicholeSevern. This book has drama, murder and violence and I loved it! Leigh gets a call from Elyse, her really good friend, and she sounds very distressed. Leigh fits to Gulf Shores to help immediately.upon arrival, Elyse is missing and blood is all over her kitchen. Her husband and daughter have no clue where she is. What has happened to Elyse and can Leigh find her in time?
I liked this sequel better than the first one in this series. Still a few questionable connections and how unaware the wife was of her husbands financial actions..and other things that were not very believable.
Now, this book is actually the second book in this series but can definitely be read as a 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙚. It was absolutely 𝙛𝙖𝙨𝙩-𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙚𝙙 and 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜, exactly the way I love my thrillers! I am in love with Detective Moore and Agent Brody’s relationship!
Thank you NetGalley & Storm Publishing for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review!
Second book in this superb psychological thriller series by the very talented Nichole Severn and I have to tell you I am usually good at working out the who and what but this one had me guessing as we kept getting twists and turns that changed my thoughts on the bad guy. This makes this a book that you won't want to put down until you turn the last page
Leigh Brody the FBI criminologist is determined to get to the bottom of her missing friend Elyse and the dead or missing children in the area even if she is told by her boss to not get involved. It doesn't take Leigh long to realise that her friend a nurse has been acting as a sleuth to get to the bottom of what is happening in her town but has she signed her death warrant You will have to read to see .
Leigh is back and it's a page-turner! The mystery is full of twists. The characters are interesting and keep you guessing who you can believe. I didn't see the reveal coming. Another read it in one sitting story by this author!
Great flow and fast paced. This book drew me in and kept me up way too late. This is one of few books where I could not have predicted the ending. It was wild. So many twists and turns. This book takes you into a full on mystery with everyone lying or hiding something and adds an element that brings to light the most depraved of humanity.
A great read
Ok, I started reading this and wasn’t sure about it. I was wrong I loved it. The twists were amazing and unexpected! This was a very good read, in my opinion! We have the FBI and the local police, all the families! Itjustworks!
The Vanishing Wife by Nichole Severn is a mystery which is not the usual genre I remember reading by this author. She brings her wonderful writing style and character development to this FBI story. This becomes personal since it involves a missing friend. Then the story takes a turn for the worse when another female is missing.
Not only a mystery of who-did-it but also one of what did they do. A wonderful main character, and the development of the story is excellent. You must solve this one along with FBI criminologist Leigh Brody, since there is no easy answer. Just the kind of thinking mystery I like so much so that I purchased the first book to get to know Leigh from the beginning, I guess you would say. Mystery that keeps you guessing, read The Vanishing Wife today.
4.5 Stars
The Vanishing Wife
by Nichole Severn
Pub Date: Sep 12 2024
The Vanishing Wife is the 2nd in the Leigh Brody FBI Mystery series but can be read as a stand-a-lone. A very fast paced, unputdownable thrilling and easy read! A lot of cop/FBI procedures that were really interesting, like watching an episode of "Criminal Minds!" I definitely recommend this suspense/thriller and mystery 5 star book!
Synopsis: Her friend is missing. A teen has been murdered. And Leigh will have to put everything on the line in this serene town where secrets simmer below the surface…FBI criminologist Leigh Brody arrives at her friend Elyse’s beachfront Alabama vacation home and walks straight into a crime scene. Blood spatters the floor, and Elyse’s worried husband and reserved teenage daughter have no idea where she is.
Many thanks to #TheVanishingWife #NetGalley and #StormPublishing for providing me with an E-ARC of this 5 star book!
I really, really liked the first book in this series. I was looking forward to reading this next installment. FBI agent Leigh Brody's friend, Elyse is missing. She has been at her beach home for 2 weeks with her family for a vacation. One night she leaves a message for Leigh. When Leigh tries to call her back, there is no answer. Since Leigh is on medical leave, she decides to go to the beach house and check on her friend. When she gets there she discovers that Elyse is missing, and there is a puddle of blood on the floor. She discovers that Elyse had been attacked a week before, but the police could not find who had attacked her. Leigh also discovers that teen girls are missing from the area.
This story is told through 2 times: the present, and the previous weeks following up to the disappearance of Elyse.
Ok- the best way for me to approach this is with what I liked, and what I struggled with.
What I liked:
1. Leigh Brody. I really like how she is growing as a person and dealing with her childhood trauma. I also like how she approaches investigations, and notices things that seem irrelevant. She is intelligent, yet also honest in her personal struggles.
2. I liked the lead detective from the area, Detective Henrietta Moore. She is a strong female, intelligent, and carries a lot on her shoulders. She has a connection to the missing girls case.
3. The relationship/beginning of friendship between Leigh and Henrietta. At first they are at odds. However, they begin to respect each other and see that they have more in common than they thought.
4. The first third of the book. I was pulled in by the opening chapter, where Elyse comes home and has blood on her. However, she doesn't know what happened to her, where the blood comes from, or where she was. This leads into the weeks before she disappeared, and I wanted to know what happened. The author really drew me into this part of the story.
Struggles:
As the story continued, I felt it was a little far fetched. And I could not empathize with Elyse. The investigation part was strong. But the "villain" aspect seemed a bit forced. I understood the reason for the murderer to want to do what was done, but it was a bit over the top, and did not have a natural flow to it. I was really taken out of the story by this.
There is a "twist" at the end, but I had that figured out when the story started going down the path of discovery.
So, while I thoroughly enjoyed the first in this series, this was not what I was hoping for.
Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC. This is my honest and voluntary review.
FBI Agent Leigh Brody was on medical leave when she received a message from her friend Elyse saying she needed help. So against everything she knew was right, Leigh took a flight to Gulf Shores, Alabama, heading for the beach house where Elyse and her family were having their annual vacation. Leigh met with the local detective, Henrietta Moore, who was against Leigh's attendance, but Leigh was determined - and the blood spatters confirmed that yes, there was something very wrong.
When the body of a young girl was discovered, and others had gone missing, it looked like they had a serial offender on their hands. Moore and Brody worked side by side, Moore reluctantly, and gradually Leigh could see that her friend was attempting to catch a killer as the police didn't believe her. What was she doing? Elyse was a nurse, not a cop!
The Vanishing Wife is the 2nd in the Leigh Brody FBI Mystery series by Nichole Severn and a heads up is needed for those who haven't read book 1. There are loads of spoilers for the previous story in this book. Lots of twists and turns with a fast pace and plenty of red herrings fill The Vanishing Wife with an intense last third keeping me turning the pages. Recommended.
With thanks to NetGalley & Storm Publishing for my digital ARC to read and review.
I have all of these adjectives running through my mind, and none of them seem appropriate enough to describe this gripping story.
Leigh Brody is an FBI criminologist, who I learned in the previous book in this series, is not someone that you want to battle with. You want her on your side. Her sharp mind and keen senses, as well as personal experience with a killer have made her the best at her job. This is how she arrives at her friend's beach house. She got a strange message from Elyse and knew she needed to come to her rescue. A significant amount of blood has been found in the home, which leads law enforcement to believe the worse for Elyse, but they have not found her body. Leigh can sense that Elyse's husband and daughter are hiding something, but she cannot figure out exactly what those secrets may be, at least not yet.
At this point you can find a seat on the roller coaster known as Nicole Severn, as she takes you for a wild ride filled with suppositions, blind curves, as well as shocking twists and loops that will have you screaming what is next? Though the predator is revealed early in the book this does not detract from the story that is being laid out. This is a compulsively readable book, so forget about work, sleep or anything else in your life until you finish it. Sleep is for the weak, especially when there are good books like this one to read.
You do not have to read the first book in this series, as the author does a good job of catching you up. However, I read the first book, and I would highly recommend it as well.
Thank you to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The Vanishing Wife is the second book in Nichole Severn 's Leigh Brody FBI Mystery series. Leigh Brody an FBI Behavioral Analysis agent, living in Quantico VA, on medical leave, recives a voice message from her nurse and friend, Elyse Portman saying she needs help. Leigh is recovering from a hysterectomy, and during her recovery she and Elyse became close. As a result of her brother being missing for several years and her father's wrongful incarceration Leigh is a private person with no real close friends. Therefore when she receives Elyse's call she boards a plane to Gulf Shores, Alabama to help Elyse; Eylse, her husband Wesley and 14 year old daughter Ava own a vacation home in Gulf Shores. When Leigh arrives she discovers that Elyse is missing, after having an accident where she fell or was pushed from from a balcony. Elyse suffered a concussion, yet as she healed she believed she had been brutally pushed. She shared this information with Detective Henrietta Moore- even showing her the home where it happened. The resident denied anything, saying he had never seen Elyse before. Moore's priority was finding Ruby Davis, a fifteen year old had been missing for almost 2 weeks; thus she failed to give much credence to Elyse's claim. That is just the backdrop of the story, more girls go missing, Detective Moore is not pleased that Leigh Brody has infiltrated her cases, add to the mix that Leigh is conducting her investigation without FBI approval and the suspense just increases exponentially. I liked the book for the most part, although at times it moved slowly and felt redundant. I struggled with the abduction and torture of her brother storyline- most likely as I have not read the fist book. All in all it was a satisfying read. Thanks to NetGalley, Storm Publishing and the author for the opportunity to read an ARC of The Vanishing Wife, this review reflects my honest opinion. 4 stars.
While on medical Leave from the FBI, agent Leigh Brody, who works for the behavioral analysis unit (BAU) gets a voicemail call from her friend Elyse stating that she needs her help. Elyse and her family are spending their summer at their vacation house on the gulf shores and when Leigh gets there she finds that Elyse is missing and there is a large pool of blood on the floor. Determined to find out what happened to her friend, Leigh must work with local detectives to figure out what happened to Elyse and as she digs into the case, she finds more than she bargained for and discovers motives and deep secrets.
Even though this was the second book in the series (I didn't read the first 😬) I did not feel like I was missing out on plot points or back story. It was well established and also gave you just enough insight to understand what happened previously without sounding redundant. It flowed easily into this current story so you felt all caught up on events.
This was a really good thriller! The end was a good twist and the writing kept a good pace. The alternating timelines were the perfect way to get clues but also keep you on your toes. This book didn’t have any obvious plots that the reader was able to figure out but not the main character. Leigh was smart and while she didn’t always do things ”by the book” she got results and was able to follow the clues and her intuition as an investigator to form the puzzle together.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for sharing this book’s digital advanced review copy with me in exchange for an honest review.
I read this book through a digital ARC from NetGalley
Author: Nichole Severn
Genre: Domestic Thriller
4⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for an advanced copy of The Vanishing Wife.
Agent Leigh Brody is recovering from surgery and on medical leave when she gets a message from her friend Elyse that something happened and she needs her help. Leigh arrives at Elyse’s vacation home to see police officers there, a pool of blood in the living room, and Elyse is missing. She convinces the detective to let her join the case to find her friend. Not long after the investigation begins a body is found but it is not Elyse instead it is a teenager who has been missing a few weeks. Is it connected to her missing friend? The more Leigh digs the more she realizes she may not know Elyse at all.
This is the second book in the Agent Leigh Brody series. I would say you should read the first book in the series before you read this book because it gives a lot of background on how Leigh and Elyse became friends. I loved both books! I could not put this book down and I did not see some of the twists coming. It also ends on a little bit of a cliffhanger so I cannot wait for the next book in this series!
After reading book 1, I just couldn't wait to dive into this story.
This time Leigh is on medical leave when she received a call for help from a friend.
Leigh heads to the Gulf shores only to find her missing. There is blood and the mystery begins.
How are the missing teenagers connected to this crime?
So many twists and turns in this story that will leave your head spinning.
Fantastic ending and I can't wait for the next story.
Severn’s Leigh Brody series is keeping me on the edge of my seat. I really like Leigh’s character and enjoyed seeing her in a new situation. The cliffhanger won’t make some readers happy, but at least book 3 is on the way.