This debut crime novel was both fantastic and terrible. The initial set-up of the plot was intriguing and I was interested to read a book set during Apartheid. It started off well and I was invested in Augustine and her story right away. Segert is a likeable character whose moral compass is a little wobbly. The writing was solid, but the story needed editing. It was weirdly both slow and fast. There were too many characters and too many side plots. This one didn’t quite work for me.

Set against the backdrop of 1980s apartheid South Africa, The Day She Disappeared is a tense, atmospheric novel that weaves mystery, social commentary, and psychological drama into an unforgettable narrative. Sam Genever expertly portrays the stark racial and class divisions of the time, immersing readers in a world where survival depends on secrecy and fear is an ever-present companion.

The story follows Augustine, a young Coloured woman who discovers damning evidence against her former lover, a White Afrikaans teacher. Knowing that exposure could destroy his life—and put her own in grave danger—she flees with her baby, Justice. Desperate to escape his reach, she finds shelter as a domestic worker in the affluent home of the Diamond family. But safety is an illusion, and it quickly becomes clear that the house she now inhabits holds its own sinister secrets. Meanwhile, the determined detective hired to track her down follows a trail that takes him deep into the shadows of Johannesburg, where poverty, violence, and corruption complicate his search.

Genever’s storytelling is rich and immersive, painting a vivid picture of life under apartheid. The suspense builds steadily, with every turn of the page increasing the sense of unease. While Augustine’s perspective offers a gripping look at survival and resilience, much of the novel focuses on the detective’s search, which, at times, feels overly drawn out. However, the payoff is worth the wait, as the final revelations leave a lasting impact.

More than just a mystery, The Day She Disappeared is a powerful commentary on race, privilege, and oppression. The characters, while not always likable, feel real and complex, each shaped by the brutal realities of their time. The epilogue, set years after apartheid’s fall, offers a haunting look at the long-term consequences of the story’s events.

A compelling and thought-provoking read, this novel will appeal to fans of historical fiction and slow-burning psychological thrillers. Genever’s talent for crafting suspense and exploring human nature ensures that The Day She Disappeared lingers in the mind long after the final page.

This book was good. The parts where Segert was searching for Augustine were interesting and really enjoyable. I really liked reading about a book setting that was in South Africa.

I wish Augustines life after Teddy was more detailed. I struggled to fully enjoy this story due to how the book was organized in a more tell than show. It was also confusing at times and hard to keep up with the story. The epilogue tied up the story nicely.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance reader copy of this book. I was really sucked in to the world of 1980’s South Africa and intrigued by the character of Augustine. However at the half way point this book lost its way a little, too much left unsaid, paragraphs left unfinished and open to interpretation. Other characters were not as well developed and I struggled to remember who was who. The epilogue did a lot to redeem the second half and did leave me wanting more.

A young mother must hide to protect secrets.

Augustine finds out that the father of her child, a white Afrikaans teacher at her school, has dark secrets after finding explicit photos. She realises that she must go into hiding to save her life. Beukes, the teacher, discovers that she’s found out his guilty secrets and can get him sent to jail. He hires a private investigator to find her. She finds sanctuary in an affluent home where the white woman owner allows her to keep her son Justice.

Sam Genever set the book in ‘80s South Africa, still under Apartheid rules and regulations. The storyline concentrates more on the private detective and his investigations into trying to find Augustine than on the reader finding out more about Augustine’s new life. This was far too drawn out and quite irritating. I also didn’t gel with any of the characters.

Rony

Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of the book from NETGALLEY to review.

This book is the first book I have read by this author & I really enjoyed it. It kept me intrigued the whole way through!!!

This is definitely and thrilling and gripping read and one I couldn't put down. For some it may be a bit intense but I found that the intense feeling made me want to read more. Set in the 1980's in South African during apartheid it is a very dramatic book and will get you thinking (and hoping the world can change!).

A very well written book with well written characters that portray the hardships, class differences and people of the times. It is a book you immerse yourself into and you can feel the tension lift off the pages. I really couldn't put this book down.

Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is a disturbing story which is all too believable. The setting in terms of both era and location make for troubling reading, as it is all too recent a past and we continue to see racism as too common an occurrence. I liked the way the author concluded the book, giving information about what happened after the main events. A very interesting, if somewhat dark, book.

An excellent story set in the 1980's South African aparthied when there were clear lines in the privileges afforded to people of color. This young mixed race woman knows the consequences should her whie boyfriend catch her and their child. The tension builds from page 1 as she runs from the only places she has ever known. Those of us who lived during that era can easily feel her desperation. Sam Genever plays the story and the history of the era like a violinist. Even as she finds work, her fear is fed by the sure knowledge that her employers watch everything she does. Along the way, we see the dark side of the options available to those with no sponsor.
The story changes abruptly when the white household is disrupted and the family is scattered. 20+ years in the future Genever gives some hints to the paths taken by the story's characters. This book tells a dramatic story of the lives before the end of aparthied and the changes brought into the open. It is not a light read nor is a thriller. What it is......a picture portraying life, death and something in between when you do not have control of any part of your own life.

Thanks to Netgalley and Joffe Books for this compelling portrait of life under apartheid in South Africa. It is set in and around Johannesburg and is based on restrictions for Blacks, mixed races (Coloured), and White privilege. This is an immersive picture of the time, place, and racial separation. It is a slow-burn mystery, a twisted family drama of greed, power, an estate will, deception, death, and tragedy. Author Sam Genever writes a penetrating picture of the social and political situation at the time, and I look forward to his next book. I would have liked an even deeper look into apartheid.

Augustine, a young Coloured woman, runs away from her boyfriend, a White school teacher. She takes their baby with her. She finds some shocking photos that will damage his life and career. The boyfriend, the child's father, approaches Detective Segret for help. He hires him to find his baby, but his primary reason is to get the pictures back from Augustine.

Segret approaches her parents and best friend in his search but learns nothing. He shows her picture and asks questions of homeless people and prostitutes in the downtrodden, seedy side of town. Where else would a young Coloured woman go to hide with her baby? Segret gives up on finding Augustine alive, as a serial killer is murdering young women. His search moves on to hospitals and morgues, and he neglects his own family.

Augustine has found employment in an upper-class White suburb, in the home of Martin and Kimberly Diamond. She is hired to care for their baby, Nicholas, and as their maid's helper. The house has an eerie vibe that makes her uneasy. She has difficulty sleeping in the sparse, tiny room provided for her and baby Justice. She hopes the child's father doesn't find her and fears the wealthy family and staff are watching her.

The Epilogue is set a couple of decades after apartheid has ended, and we learn some tragic and surprising conclusions about the earlier story and the now political and social upheaval. Has the mystery regarding Augustine's disappearance been solved? Is she and her baby still alive? If not, who is to blame and why?
Will Justice prevail?
This book will be published today, February 4th, 2025. I recommend it to readers who like historical fiction based on fact, an engaging, twisted mystery, and well-drawn characters.

Augustine is a young mother fleeing from her boyfriend. She has no means to support herself and her child until she finds a job for a wealthy couple but things don't feel right and she is frightened. Meanwhile her boyfriend hires a PI to track Augustine and we also follow his search. I felt unsure in the beginning of the story of what was too come and it quickly gave me creepy vibes. I then felt myself becoming immersed in the plot and the welfare of the characters. The characters are not all likeable but they do take you away to the time and setting of the book. I enjoyed the narrative and the writing style which is different but outstanding.

This is the first book I have read from this author not previously having heard of him. Augustine is a young mother who is fleeing from her older boyfriend and is terrified of him finding out her whereabouts. She has hardly any funds to support herself and finds herself in a town called Greenside after managing to escape her current environment.

She finds work as a housekeeper for a wealthy family, the Diamonds, but from the beginning we are aware that something is not right, she is being watched and is even frightened to sleep of a night, holding her child close. Her ex Teddy has hired a detective to seek her out determined to find her and his childhood.

The book has quite a creepy feel to it and the reader finds themselves immersed in this tale. The characters are very realistic and take you to the heart of the environment the story is set in, from the shady clubs where the detective is trying to find clues to Augustine’s whereabouts to this house she has now become a prisoner in a town where trust is a rare commodity.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book, all opinions expressed are my own.

A really original and atmospheric debut novel. I loved the South African setting and the characters were very well-drawn. The plot is quite a slow burn but this works really well, giving the reader time to get to know the characters and soak up that glorious sense of location. A brilliant, surprise ending rounded up a very good book. I look forward to see this one fly off the shelves!

This was a really well done crime thriller novel, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed from this type of book. The characters had that feel that I was looking for and was hooked from the first page. I was on the edge of my seat and enjoyed the overall concept of this. Sam Genever wrote this perfectly and was glad I got to read this.

3.5 ⭐️ Fast paced crime thriller set in apartheid South Africa.

Teen mom Augustine and her baby Justice on the run from her white teacher boyfriend Teddy. Detective Segert is hired by Teddy to find them, but there is another reason he wants them found.

Segert searches extensively through seedy neighborhoods, bars, and residences. What he finds leads to a twist and time jump at the end I did not see coming.

Interesting and complex characters and a great plot. Kept me invested til the surprising ending.

Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a pretty good read, but you had to pay attention! Things happened quickly, and unexpectantly. I had to re-read several passages to make sure what I thought I read was correct! All in all, it was suspenseful, well written, and worth a read! I sometimes wished the characters were just a little bit more developed and the ending left me with a couple of questions that were not addressed, but I would recommend this book to others.