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The Vanishing of Class 3B
‘An ingenious plot, a captivating cast of character, and twists and turns that kept me guessing to the last page, loved it!’ Amanda Reynolds One spring morning, a bus full of children and their teachers from a Cotswolds primary school head off on a much-anticipated day trip. But as night falls and the well-heeled parents – one or two of them famous, as well as wealthy – wait at the school to collect their weary offspring, it soon becomes clear that something has gone very wrong. The children and their teachers simply do not come back. What’s happened doesn’t seem possible. How can an entire class of children simply vanish?
353 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 11, 2023
1902 people are currently reading
5061 people want to read
About the author
Jackie Kabler
19 books433 followersJackie Kabler is a journalist, TV presenter and author. She spent twenty years as a TV news reporter for GMTV, ITV and BBC news, and now works as a presenter for shopping channel QVC and is author of the Cora Baxter Mysteries, a series of murder mysteries set in a television newsroom.
The Development is her third novel. Jackie lives in Gloucestershire with her husband, who is a GP.
The Development is her third novel. Jackie lives in Gloucestershire with her husband, who is a GP.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 781 reviews
April 30, 2024
A bit hit and miss!
The idea was certainly good, the story began well, the middle dragged somewhat and the ending, while unexpected, was a bit cheesy. I found the main parental characters both boorish and generally unpleasant. They were an entitled group of wealthy individuals who all harboured dark secrets. Their assailants were also a self entitled group who, amazingly, considered themselves victims even as they committed a series of horrendous crimes. The overall story wasn't bad but, it could have been a lot better.
The idea was certainly good, the story began well, the middle dragged somewhat and the ending, while unexpected, was a bit cheesy. I found the main parental characters both boorish and generally unpleasant. They were an entitled group of wealthy individuals who all harboured dark secrets. Their assailants were also a self entitled group who, amazingly, considered themselves victims even as they committed a series of horrendous crimes. The overall story wasn't bad but, it could have been a lot better.
May 2, 2024
4⭐
Genre ~ mystery thriller
Publication date ~ May 11, 2023
Page Count ~ 353
Audio length ~ 10 hours 5 minutes
Narrator ~ Ashley Tucker
POV ~ multiple 3rd
Featuring ~ police procedural, secrets
Ah my mama heart. As terrible as it sounds I do like a missing child plot and in this one we have 10 missing children and 4 missing adults.
Our main narrators are parents: Reynold, Clare & Ben. Olivia is headmaster of Littleford Primary School and Sadie & Daniel are our detectives. We hear from one of the teachers in The Bunker and The Visitor too. And excitingly we hear from one of the children, Luca, to ease our pounding hearts just a little to let us know what's going on where they are, but in turn it decreased the suspense since we knew they were okay.
There are so many different POV's that it does have some repetition, but I wasn't too bothered by that because we are slowly given little nuggets about why the children might have been kidnapped. Some things were pretty predictable and I wasn't thrilled with the 2 similar secrets from the parents. And the secret that started this all, while on the terrible side, was not really groundbreaking IMO.
On to the police ~ I could just feel how tired they were from working nonstop, but do I feel they could've been a little quicker and a smidgen more thorough. I won't give much away, but this could have been wrapped up quicker than it was. They made a few questionable choices as well.
Overall, not perfect, but enjoyable and fast paced. The ending was rather surprising.
Cover gripe ~ there are 2 options, but I'm not in love with either. Maybe the school bus one if I had to choose, but I'd have liked it to look like the one described. I do like that the yellow lettering matches the lock though.
*Thanks to Jackie Kabler, Rachel's Random Resources, One More Chapter and NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
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Genre ~ mystery thriller
Publication date ~ May 11, 2023
Page Count ~ 353
Audio length ~ 10 hours 5 minutes
Narrator ~ Ashley Tucker
POV ~ multiple 3rd
Featuring ~ police procedural, secrets
Ah my mama heart. As terrible as it sounds I do like a missing child plot and in this one we have 10 missing children and 4 missing adults.
Our main narrators are parents: Reynold, Clare & Ben. Olivia is headmaster of Littleford Primary School and Sadie & Daniel are our detectives. We hear from one of the teachers in The Bunker and The Visitor too. And excitingly we hear from one of the children, Luca, to ease our pounding hearts just a little to let us know what's going on where they are, but in turn it decreased the suspense since we knew they were okay.
There are so many different POV's that it does have some repetition, but I wasn't too bothered by that because we are slowly given little nuggets about why the children might have been kidnapped. Some things were pretty predictable and I wasn't thrilled with the 2 similar secrets from the parents. And the secret that started this all, while on the terrible side, was not really groundbreaking IMO.
On to the police ~ I could just feel how tired they were from working nonstop, but do I feel they could've been a little quicker and a smidgen more thorough. I won't give much away, but this could have been wrapped up quicker than it was. They made a few questionable choices as well.
Overall, not perfect, but enjoyable and fast paced. The ending was rather surprising.
Cover gripe ~ there are 2 options, but I'm not in love with either. Maybe the school bus one if I had to choose, but I'd have liked it to look like the one described. I do like that the yellow lettering matches the lock though.
*Thanks to Jackie Kabler, Rachel's Random Resources, One More Chapter and NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
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September 11, 2024
What a scandalous hilarious diabolical read!
This book starts of hot and heavy and we are getting into the crux of the drama immediately! We have 10 students and 4 teachers who are off on a school day trip and the parents wave them off. But now its pick up time and the parents are waiting and waiting till they cant wait anymore and realize that something serious must have happen because the school bus has not returned. We are now thrown into the whirlwind of most of the students affluent parents and let me tell you they are all hiding a secret or two! Are these secrets connected to the disappearance? We have to continue reading too see! EEEEK!
I love a book that gets straight into the drama and throughout the book we find out more and more about how the puzzle might fit. I was a bit confused for a hot minute because we have A LOT of characters in this book but around the halfway point I figured who was who and who their spouse was. NOW if you ask me who their children were, I don’t have a Scooby Doo bar one family! Looooool!
Now the DRAMA in this book was SCANDALOOOOOOOOUS, and I had my extra large popcorn while eating this all up! Every time I wanted to put the book down, I just couldn’t, I needed one more chapter and more juicy gossip! Most of the twists and reveals are easily guessable which is fine because I was having such a good time but the big reveal about what happened to the students and teachers had me throwing my head back while doing a major eye roll! LIKE ARE YOU FOR REAL!???? I mean I know this fictional and we can make anything up but at least make it just a little bit plausible!
The reveal had me soooo gutted because this truly could have been a five star read. But everything that happened thereafter had me grimacing and cringing and I was over it! I don’t mind a crazy, implausible twist (*cough*A majority of Freida McFadden books) in my reads but you have to make it exciting and have me shouting STFU in AWE and not DISGUST!
The police procedural was a whole joke in itself! There is a particular scene towards the ending that was so barbaric, I nearly spat my coffee out! CAN YOU ALL BEHAVE!? Even though I did enjoy the detective’s characters particularly Sadie, I couldn’t take their whole investigation seriously whatsoever! The parents even with their ‘Lifetime’ drama are not memorable and will be forgotten from my noggin in like under 24 hours, but while reading about them they were entertaining, privileged and annoying.
⋆｡°✩WHAT I LIKED⋆｡°✩
➽ Audacious characters
➽Even paced
➽ Plenty of twists (although some easily guessable)
➽ Writing Style
➽ Difficult to put down
⋆｡°✩WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE⋆｡°✩
➽ The police investigation
➽ Underwhelming reveal/ ending
➽ Very Far-Fetched motives (not in a good way)
So minus the absurd underwhelming reveal and ending, I did have a good time. Suspension of disbelief is a necessity for this one! This is a first from this author and truthfully, I am excited to read more of her backlist.
3.5 ⭐
Thank you so much to Harper Collins Publishers for gifting me a physical copy of this book
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
⋆｡°✩pre read⋆｡°✩
Bus full of children and their teacher go on a day school trip
No one returns back to school
Where the hell did everyone go!????
OMGGGG I AM SO GAGGED FOR THIS ONE! 💙💛
This book starts of hot and heavy and we are getting into the crux of the drama immediately! We have 10 students and 4 teachers who are off on a school day trip and the parents wave them off. But now its pick up time and the parents are waiting and waiting till they cant wait anymore and realize that something serious must have happen because the school bus has not returned. We are now thrown into the whirlwind of most of the students affluent parents and let me tell you they are all hiding a secret or two! Are these secrets connected to the disappearance? We have to continue reading too see! EEEEK!
I love a book that gets straight into the drama and throughout the book we find out more and more about how the puzzle might fit. I was a bit confused for a hot minute because we have A LOT of characters in this book but around the halfway point I figured who was who and who their spouse was. NOW if you ask me who their children were, I don’t have a Scooby Doo bar one family! Looooool!
Now the DRAMA in this book was SCANDALOOOOOOOOUS, and I had my extra large popcorn while eating this all up! Every time I wanted to put the book down, I just couldn’t, I needed one more chapter and more juicy gossip! Most of the twists and reveals are easily guessable which is fine because I was having such a good time but the big reveal about what happened to the students and teachers had me throwing my head back while doing a major eye roll! LIKE ARE YOU FOR REAL!???? I mean I know this fictional and we can make anything up but at least make it just a little bit plausible!
The reveal had me soooo gutted because this truly could have been a five star read. But everything that happened thereafter had me grimacing and cringing and I was over it! I don’t mind a crazy, implausible twist (*cough*A majority of Freida McFadden books) in my reads but you have to make it exciting and have me shouting STFU in AWE and not DISGUST!
The police procedural was a whole joke in itself! There is a particular scene towards the ending that was so barbaric, I nearly spat my coffee out! CAN YOU ALL BEHAVE!? Even though I did enjoy the detective’s characters particularly Sadie, I couldn’t take their whole investigation seriously whatsoever! The parents even with their ‘Lifetime’ drama are not memorable and will be forgotten from my noggin in like under 24 hours, but while reading about them they were entertaining, privileged and annoying.
⋆｡°✩WHAT I LIKED⋆｡°✩
➽ Audacious characters
➽Even paced
➽ Plenty of twists (although some easily guessable)
➽ Writing Style
➽ Difficult to put down
⋆｡°✩WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE⋆｡°✩
➽ The police investigation
➽ Underwhelming reveal/ ending
➽ Very Far-Fetched motives (not in a good way)
So minus the absurd underwhelming reveal and ending, I did have a good time. Suspension of disbelief is a necessity for this one! This is a first from this author and truthfully, I am excited to read more of her backlist.
3.5 ⭐
Thank you so much to Harper Collins Publishers for gifting me a physical copy of this book
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
⋆｡°✩pre read⋆｡°✩
Bus full of children and their teacher go on a day school trip
No one returns back to school
Where the hell did everyone go!????
OMGGGG I AM SO GAGGED FOR THIS ONE! 💙💛
March 30, 2023
A bit of a mixed bag, the story, of course is headline/book grabbing….a group of kids and their teachers disappear into thin air whilst on a school trip….no trace of anything can be found and then ransom texts start to appear….with threats…
The parents, well a few of them, they call themselves ‘the 8’ in the end all have life changing secrets that could be the reason for the kidnap of their children and so they confess all…
The tension nay anguish from the 8 ( and other parents not having secrets ) is real and you believe their total helplessness at the situation, the Police dealing with it are a bit wooden in comparison and don’t really leave much of an impression, the kidnappers and the story behind it when revealed is a mix of ‘Wow’ and ‘Oh’ and am not 100% sure I was invested enough by then to believe the plot
None the less a story to finish and characters to loathe ( always good ) and I like the authors informal style of writing
7/10
3 Stars
The parents, well a few of them, they call themselves ‘the 8’ in the end all have life changing secrets that could be the reason for the kidnap of their children and so they confess all…
The tension nay anguish from the 8 ( and other parents not having secrets ) is real and you believe their total helplessness at the situation, the Police dealing with it are a bit wooden in comparison and don’t really leave much of an impression, the kidnappers and the story behind it when revealed is a mix of ‘Wow’ and ‘Oh’ and am not 100% sure I was invested enough by then to believe the plot
None the less a story to finish and characters to loathe ( always good ) and I like the authors informal style of writing
7/10
3 Stars
March 19, 2023
This had the makings to be good but really fell flat due to some major holes.
Are the police supposed to be bumbling idiots? I couldn’t tell if we were supposed to think they were doing a good job or not, but I thought they were absolute morons. First, the kidnappers reach out and say that this is happening because of a secret that a parent has. Ok, so you’d think the immediate police reaction would be to…interview the parents, right? NOPE. There’s no interrogation of the parents, they just review their past arrests (or lack thereof) and throw their hands up. What??? If the kidnapper has reached out and hinted at the reason for the kidnapping, you better believe none of the parents in question are going to be let off the hook like that! It was unreal. The detectives instead interview the principal for the third time (?!?!) in case she has any insight into the parents’ deep dark secrets. HUH??? Why don’t you just go straight to the source!!?? Then it turns out they had actually SEARCHED the building where the 13 people were being hidden, and the police didn’t notice brand new locks on this decrepit location? Ok. Nice work. Then, when they have identified that the abductees are very likely being held in the old mansion, they just sit around? Hello? What? I’m not sure what they do in England but I’m pretty sure whatever the British equivalent of a SWAT team would’ve been there in under an hour. Then they let a civilian in to talk to the mastermind because they’re afraid she’s going to kill the kids before the kidnap specialists show up. Ummm. The mastermind is inside of a bunker. She has no idea you’re there. They should’ve just let things play out and all the kids would’ve been safe. It made no sense.
On the other hand, the parents are also aware that their kids have been abducted due to one of their secrets, and they keep repeatedly saying they’ll do anything to get their kids back. Anything, except, it seems, DIVULGE THEIR SECRETS TO THE POLICE. Lol. Ok. Instead they blow up their marriages and social lives by sharing them with each other.
And finally, to be frank, what Reynold did wasn’t even that awful. Ok, having an affair with someone he has power over is sexual harassment and inappropriate for the workplace, urging her to get an abortion is shitty, and then having his boxer friend go threaten her is scary, but uhhh the people who ran someone over and then drove away and covered it up are DEF WORSE. I just felt like the lengths Cally, Brandon, and Oscar went to to make this dude suffer were nonsensical given the actual role he played. They made it seem like he had done something way more heinous. Also the twist at the end with Cally being twins with Oscar was just like…I don’t care. It didn’t feel exciting or even interesting. I didn’t care that Reynold ended up killing his own son. It was just like trying too hard to be a soap opera at that point.
So this was a 3 for me. The writing itself was fine, but the plot has MAJOR issues. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.
Are the police supposed to be bumbling idiots? I couldn’t tell if we were supposed to think they were doing a good job or not, but I thought they were absolute morons. First, the kidnappers reach out and say that this is happening because of a secret that a parent has. Ok, so you’d think the immediate police reaction would be to…interview the parents, right? NOPE. There’s no interrogation of the parents, they just review their past arrests (or lack thereof) and throw their hands up. What??? If the kidnapper has reached out and hinted at the reason for the kidnapping, you better believe none of the parents in question are going to be let off the hook like that! It was unreal. The detectives instead interview the principal for the third time (?!?!) in case she has any insight into the parents’ deep dark secrets. HUH??? Why don’t you just go straight to the source!!?? Then it turns out they had actually SEARCHED the building where the 13 people were being hidden, and the police didn’t notice brand new locks on this decrepit location? Ok. Nice work. Then, when they have identified that the abductees are very likely being held in the old mansion, they just sit around? Hello? What? I’m not sure what they do in England but I’m pretty sure whatever the British equivalent of a SWAT team would’ve been there in under an hour. Then they let a civilian in to talk to the mastermind because they’re afraid she’s going to kill the kids before the kidnap specialists show up. Ummm. The mastermind is inside of a bunker. She has no idea you’re there. They should’ve just let things play out and all the kids would’ve been safe. It made no sense.
On the other hand, the parents are also aware that their kids have been abducted due to one of their secrets, and they keep repeatedly saying they’ll do anything to get their kids back. Anything, except, it seems, DIVULGE THEIR SECRETS TO THE POLICE. Lol. Ok. Instead they blow up their marriages and social lives by sharing them with each other.
And finally, to be frank, what Reynold did wasn’t even that awful. Ok, having an affair with someone he has power over is sexual harassment and inappropriate for the workplace, urging her to get an abortion is shitty, and then having his boxer friend go threaten her is scary, but uhhh the people who ran someone over and then drove away and covered it up are DEF WORSE. I just felt like the lengths Cally, Brandon, and Oscar went to to make this dude suffer were nonsensical given the actual role he played. They made it seem like he had done something way more heinous. Also the twist at the end with Cally being twins with Oscar was just like…I don’t care. It didn’t feel exciting or even interesting. I didn’t care that Reynold ended up killing his own son. It was just like trying too hard to be a soap opera at that point.
So this was a 3 for me. The writing itself was fine, but the plot has MAJOR issues. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 9, 2024
3.5
Where on earth are the 10 children of Class 5B and their 4 teachers? En route back to Littleford Primary School from the Cotswolds Wilderness Park in a minibus, they disappear off police ANPR cams at 4.30pm. This is a wealthy area with at least three high profile parents- is that the reason for the disappearance?The story is told via several points of view.
I like the premise of the story and it’s an entertaining and easy read with a much better first half than second, when, amongst other things, it becomes repetitive. Some of the details that help to unravel the mystery are thin to say the least. It gets to the point where there’s just too much going on, too many secrets and twists. Yes, I know and I’m a twist lover. There are a lot of characters to get your head around too. Some of the dialogue is dreadful especially from the police. As for them, I think the word inept sums them up beautifully.
All in all, it would make an easy beach read.
Kindle Unlimited read.
Where on earth are the 10 children of Class 5B and their 4 teachers? En route back to Littleford Primary School from the Cotswolds Wilderness Park in a minibus, they disappear off police ANPR cams at 4.30pm. This is a wealthy area with at least three high profile parents- is that the reason for the disappearance?The story is told via several points of view.
I like the premise of the story and it’s an entertaining and easy read with a much better first half than second, when, amongst other things, it becomes repetitive. Some of the details that help to unravel the mystery are thin to say the least. It gets to the point where there’s just too much going on, too many secrets and twists. Yes, I know and I’m a twist lover. There are a lot of characters to get your head around too. Some of the dialogue is dreadful especially from the police. As for them, I think the word inept sums them up beautifully.
All in all, it would make an easy beach read.
Kindle Unlimited read.
May 19, 2023
I absolutely loved this book!
As soon as I read the blurb, I knew it was one I needed to read.
I am a huge fan of missing person books, and the school children added an intriguing element for me, being a former primary teacher.
I could NOT put this down. Constant drama, suspicion meant I read this in 2 sittings, which is unheard of for me these days.
The book is written with each chapter taking the reader through the days following the children going missing, with the different times, locations and perspectives of several of the characters keeping the reader turning the pages.
Brilliant.
As soon as I read the blurb, I knew it was one I needed to read.
I am a huge fan of missing person books, and the school children added an intriguing element for me, being a former primary teacher.
I could NOT put this down. Constant drama, suspicion meant I read this in 2 sittings, which is unheard of for me these days.
The book is written with each chapter taking the reader through the days following the children going missing, with the different times, locations and perspectives of several of the characters keeping the reader turning the pages.
Brilliant.
May 8, 2023
This engaging thriller is told from multiple points-of-view. There are a lot of characters with a lot of secrets, making it a lot of fun to read! When a bus full of children and their teachers on a school field trip disappear, detectives assigned to the case start taking a close look at the parents of the young students. Many of the parents are wealthy and famous and some of the things they are unwilling to disclose to the police could have devastating effects on the fate of the missing children.
I enjoyed all of the different points-of-view as a way of getting to know the characters and piecing together what really happened to the children and their teachers. I especially liked the point-of-view from one of the children as it helped give the reader a clue regarding the mysterious disappearance. I was able to figure some things out from details in the story, but there are several shockers at the end that I didn't see coming. After such a big build-up, the main secret wasn't as shocking as I had imagined, but an explanation was given to how one person's actions had such devastating consequences for others. I enjoy Jackie Kabler's style of writing and I really enjoyed this suspenseful story and would rate it 4.5 stars.
I received an advance copy of this ebook at no cost from NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, and One More Chapter. My review is voluntary and unbiased.
I enjoyed all of the different points-of-view as a way of getting to know the characters and piecing together what really happened to the children and their teachers. I especially liked the point-of-view from one of the children as it helped give the reader a clue regarding the mysterious disappearance. I was able to figure some things out from details in the story, but there are several shockers at the end that I didn't see coming. After such a big build-up, the main secret wasn't as shocking as I had imagined, but an explanation was given to how one person's actions had such devastating consequences for others. I enjoy Jackie Kabler's style of writing and I really enjoyed this suspenseful story and would rate it 4.5 stars.
I received an advance copy of this ebook at no cost from NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, and One More Chapter. My review is voluntary and unbiased.
April 23, 2023
One spring morning, a bus full of children and their teachers from a Cotswold primary school head off on a much-anticipated day trip. But as night falls, and the well-heeled parents - one or two of them famous, as well as wealthy - wait at the school to collect their weary offspring. It soon becomes clear that something has gone very wrong. The children and their teachers simply do not come back.
Apart from Monique, none of the other parents seemed that bothered that their children had not returned from their day trip. The others were more bothered about trying to keep their secrets. The story focuses more on the police investigation rather than the families and what they were going through, I would have preferred more of a mixture of both. The characters aren't very likeable, and I felt the ending was a bit rushed. It's told from multiple points of view. The pace was fast in the first part, then it was more of a steady pace in the second part.
I would like to thank #NetGalley #HarperCollinsUk #OneMoreChapter and the author #JackieKabler for my ARC of #TheVanishingClass Of3B in exchange for an honest review.
Apart from Monique, none of the other parents seemed that bothered that their children had not returned from their day trip. The others were more bothered about trying to keep their secrets. The story focuses more on the police investigation rather than the families and what they were going through, I would have preferred more of a mixture of both. The characters aren't very likeable, and I felt the ending was a bit rushed. It's told from multiple points of view. The pace was fast in the first part, then it was more of a steady pace in the second part.
I would like to thank #NetGalley #HarperCollinsUk #OneMoreChapter and the author #JackieKabler for my ARC of #TheVanishingClass Of3B in exchange for an honest review.
May 19, 2023
Ten children accompanied by four teaching staff set off on a day trip to a wilderness park. One of the staff messages the Head Teacher, Mrs Chamberlain, to let her know they’ll be late coming back, but should get home for 5.30 pm.
When 5.30 pm comes and they don’t return, Olivia Chamberlain tells herself that they must be stuck in traffic. But soon, the parents and the Head Teacher become agitated, thinking something must have gone wrong – maybe an accident? Especially when none of the staff are answering their phones and Olivia hasn’t heard from any of them since that text message.
What happened?
I really enjoyed this tense psychological thriller. It’s told from various points of view, including the children’s and the staff’s, which gave me an insight of what their life was like in captivity.
The picturesque village of Littleford was full of secrets, which were slowly revealed as the action unfolded. Some of the parents were quite wealthy and couldn’t risk such exposure.
I was suspecting everyone as one point, but I didn’t guess who was behind it all.
It was my first book by this author, but it won’t be my last.
When 5.30 pm comes and they don’t return, Olivia Chamberlain tells herself that they must be stuck in traffic. But soon, the parents and the Head Teacher become agitated, thinking something must have gone wrong – maybe an accident? Especially when none of the staff are answering their phones and Olivia hasn’t heard from any of them since that text message.
What happened?
I really enjoyed this tense psychological thriller. It’s told from various points of view, including the children’s and the staff’s, which gave me an insight of what their life was like in captivity.
The picturesque village of Littleford was full of secrets, which were slowly revealed as the action unfolded. Some of the parents were quite wealthy and couldn’t risk such exposure.
I was suspecting everyone as one point, but I didn’t guess who was behind it all.
It was my first book by this author, but it won’t be my last.
November 18, 2024
I hate-read it lol cause it was gonna be my 30th book of this year and i just pushed through so i can mark it as read otherwise would have definitely dnf'ed it
The police were useless, the characters didn't feel real, the ending was far fetched and we had to hear the inner monologues and povs of almost every character one by one about anything and everything that really happened in the book lmao, and i found it useless and tiresome and repetitive
Also no parent's secret in my opinion was worth the vanishing, i was expecting something other than all the infidelity and every other character sleeping with every other character
The police were useless, the characters didn't feel real, the ending was far fetched and we had to hear the inner monologues and povs of almost every character one by one about anything and everything that really happened in the book lmao, and i found it useless and tiresome and repetitive
Also no parent's secret in my opinion was worth the vanishing, i was expecting something other than all the infidelity and every other character sleeping with every other character
May 14, 2024
An enthusiastic "A-plus/5 stars"..........
for "The Vanishing of Class 3B".
The book begins with a parent's worst nightmare:
A bus of affluent primary school children and their teachers depart on a field trip and never return.
WHAT HAPPENED......and WHERE ARE THEY?
From beginning to end, I was absolutely, positively transfixed.
IMHO, this is Jackie Kabler's best book yet.
I listened to the audiobook read by Ashley Tucker who slayed the narration.
One of my besties of 2024.
June 9, 2023
3.25 / 5
A frustrating book to say the least. I didn't really enjoy the book, although I did enjoy the premise of the plot. A slow paced book, stalling plot half way through and questionable policing all contributed to the low rating.
Basically the general plot of the book follows the events of little school kids from a prestigious primary school kidnapped with their teachers travelling back from the day trip visiting a nature reserve outside of Cotswold in the UK. What was meant to become a innocent day trip out, becomes a nightmare ordeal for the parents where their kids have mysteriously vanished. Soon the kidnappers demand request that starts to threaten the livelihood of the parents and secrets are spilled!
The book is slow and repetitive, I really struggled getting into book because the build up is at a very slow pace. I found the book too clique and obvious at points. But what frustrated me more was the lack of police involvement or just headway on their department. I found the book to be boring at some parts, and the same thing being repeated over. The book is banking on the slow drop of reveals to add suspense and tension but I found it obvious within the first 100 pages. I couldn't wait to finish this book because its that boring. The other thing I didn't like is the reveal, which I found too cringe, I didn't like it one bit. Felt like a forced connection was needed to make the plot make sense so why not add in the most clique thing you can do in a book 'surprise its me kinda moment'.
If slow paced books are not your forte this book is definitely not for you. I wouldn't recommend the book, but if you like missing kid plots I guess this book is for you.
A frustrating book to say the least. I didn't really enjoy the book, although I did enjoy the premise of the plot. A slow paced book, stalling plot half way through and questionable policing all contributed to the low rating.
Basically the general plot of the book follows the events of little school kids from a prestigious primary school kidnapped with their teachers travelling back from the day trip visiting a nature reserve outside of Cotswold in the UK. What was meant to become a innocent day trip out, becomes a nightmare ordeal for the parents where their kids have mysteriously vanished. Soon the kidnappers demand request that starts to threaten the livelihood of the parents and secrets are spilled!
The book is slow and repetitive, I really struggled getting into book because the build up is at a very slow pace. I found the book too clique and obvious at points. But what frustrated me more was the lack of police involvement or just headway on their department. I found the book to be boring at some parts, and the same thing being repeated over. The book is banking on the slow drop of reveals to add suspense and tension but I found it obvious within the first 100 pages. I couldn't wait to finish this book because its that boring. The other thing I didn't like is the reveal, which I found too cringe, I didn't like it one bit. Felt like a forced connection was needed to make the plot make sense so why not add in the most clique thing you can do in a book 'surprise its me kinda moment'.
If slow paced books are not your forte this book is definitely not for you. I wouldn't recommend the book, but if you like missing kid plots I guess this book is for you.
January 9, 2024
I was going to give this a 4* however on reflection I can’t go down in halves so I’m going to chose 3* simply because for my ratings it means it was an OK book but for various reasons it didn’t tilt upwards in my total enjoyment.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not sitting on judgement this is my experience with reading my choice.
I did enjoy it. It wasn’t a unique plot, it been worked over and over in books, in films etc until you realise, same plot, different characters, different route, same outcome yet various ways of twisting it all up.
That’s how I felt about this book.
I was jogging along fine listening to it until……
The author found need to start explaining to me the ins and outs of it all instead of allowing me (the reader) to have that capacity and pleasure to use my brain cells for myself.
Hence the drop in my ratings. Without that I would have let it remain a 4*.
After all….the entire class of children on the school bus vanished! That in itself was a good mystery until the reveal.
It’s worth a read though if you don’t read regular genres like this.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not sitting on judgement this is my experience with reading my choice.
I did enjoy it. It wasn’t a unique plot, it been worked over and over in books, in films etc until you realise, same plot, different characters, different route, same outcome yet various ways of twisting it all up.
That’s how I felt about this book.
I was jogging along fine listening to it until……
The author found need to start explaining to me the ins and outs of it all instead of allowing me (the reader) to have that capacity and pleasure to use my brain cells for myself.
Hence the drop in my ratings. Without that I would have let it remain a 4*.
After all….the entire class of children on the school bus vanished! That in itself was a good mystery until the reveal.
It’s worth a read though if you don’t read regular genres like this.
May 22, 2023
3☆ It was an ok read
I really struggled with this one. It took me so long to get into the story I nearly gave up reading it.
But I wanted to know what happened to the children.
To be honest there was way too many characters to keep track of who was who it was so confusing. Which meant I had no connections with any of the characters. Including the parents and the police. To be honest none of the parents were particularly likeable anyway, and i didn't have much faith in the police either.
There was lots of secrets, lies and twists to this story. But like I said I struggled to keep track.
This wasn't one of my favourite reads and I absolutely love a good Thriller. The premise of the book sounded sooo good. It just wasn't the book for me I'm afraid.
That said this is just my personal opinion and others will really enjoy The Vanishing of Class 3B.
Thank you to One More Chapter and Netgalley for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
I really struggled with this one. It took me so long to get into the story I nearly gave up reading it.
But I wanted to know what happened to the children.
To be honest there was way too many characters to keep track of who was who it was so confusing. Which meant I had no connections with any of the characters. Including the parents and the police. To be honest none of the parents were particularly likeable anyway, and i didn't have much faith in the police either.
There was lots of secrets, lies and twists to this story. But like I said I struggled to keep track.
This wasn't one of my favourite reads and I absolutely love a good Thriller. The premise of the book sounded sooo good. It just wasn't the book for me I'm afraid.
That said this is just my personal opinion and others will really enjoy The Vanishing of Class 3B.
Thank you to One More Chapter and Netgalley for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
July 15, 2024
You are smarter than the police…I promise that, as you’ll partially solve this one a long time before they will. And then you’ll marvel at how dumb they can be, about something else entirely.
I don’t know, maybe I was in a mood when I read this, because I had a hard time settling down to it. It was OK, I guess.
I don’t know, maybe I was in a mood when I read this, because I had a hard time settling down to it. It was OK, I guess.
July 18, 2023
This was a mostly enjoyable but predictable read I did love the initial mystery which is what first grabbed my attention and sold me on reading this. There’s just something about a whole bus of primary school children just vanishing into thin air that equally repels and entices it’s definitely every parent's worst nightmare including mine. So class 3b head off on a school trip to a local wildlife park only to fail to return on schedule all 10 primary-age children plus 4 teachers have seemingly vanished into thin air. This is then told from multiple viewpoints as the parents some of them quite high/profile experience all of the fear and uncertainty whilst also wrestling with many skeletons and demons in their personal closets.
It’s a police procedural slash mystery suspense and though the subject is definitely an attention grab the story itself was less so. It was quite predictable and I managed to guess extremely early on parts of this it was just so obvious to me. Then when the reasoning behind it all was revealed it was just felt so meh and underwhelming.
This is a decent enough read the writing itself was good but personally I wasn’t overly fond of the style of narration and did feel quite disconnected from it and there were definitely too many POV’s which kept knocking me out of my stride. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of The Vanishing Of Class 3B.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com
March 23, 2023
This was…not my favorite. All of these characters were so messed up that I didn’t have anyone to root for. I really wasn’t anxious over what was happening with the kids, the suspense was not killing me. I found myself skimming large portions of the chapters involving the police who were investigating, they were pretty oblivious. The parents weren’t believable and the plot points didn’t make me want to continue. Overall this isn’t a story I’d recommend.
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC.
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC.
February 18, 2024
I put this book down a month ago and came back to it. I’m so glad that I did. I just had to know what happened to all those kids. Multiple POVs, everyone had secrets and that made me suspicious of them all. I felt like it dragged a bit in the beginning but it picked up and kept me invested til the end!
June 30, 2024
The plot moves at a snail's pace.
I’m not sure why this is classified as a thriller.
I’m not sure why this is classified as a thriller.
July 13, 2023
4.5 Stars
Not what you think.
6 school students go missing on a class trip. Most of the children's parents have secrets. Some of these secrets are terrible and could ruin some lives if told.
The parents will do anything to get their children back, including secrets getting out.
A good mystery/ suspense
Not what you think.
6 school students go missing on a class trip. Most of the children's parents have secrets. Some of these secrets are terrible and could ruin some lives if told.
The parents will do anything to get their children back, including secrets getting out.
A good mystery/ suspense
May 6, 2023
What a frustrating book. I was with it until about 70/75% of the way in, then the ending just ruined it for me by being so far fetched. It was frustrating enough to have to wait until around 50% of the way through before any of the major “secrets” were revealed (2 of the 3 were easily guessed), but then the ending with the big, etched out life-plan was just too much. I don’t know if the author has ever applied for a teaching job in a 1-form entry school, but you’d be more likely to see a flying pig than to have two siblings as teachers in one. A great concept but just let down by the ending. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC copy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 13, 2023
I got pulled in by the title and blurb for this story, both of which gave off a vibe of maybe something supernatural going on. And I really could’ve gone for a spooky, gripping supernatural story. Alas.
The story was well-written but not exactly enjoyable. Why are so many thrillers always populated with slimy people with no moral compass and leave me feeling like I need to take a shower?
Idk, this def wasn’t the worst of the lot but I’m apparently nearly impossible to please these days. I finished the story feeling underwhelmed and unsatisfied. Whomp whomp.
The story was well-written but not exactly enjoyable. Why are so many thrillers always populated with slimy people with no moral compass and leave me feeling like I need to take a shower?
Idk, this def wasn’t the worst of the lot but I’m apparently nearly impossible to please these days. I finished the story feeling underwhelmed and unsatisfied. Whomp whomp.
June 5, 2023
This was an excellent book full of twists and turns and it kept me guessing. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.
May 19, 2023
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'The Vanishing Of Class 3b' by Jackie Kabler.
Read and reviewed via Netgalley for Jackie Kabler, One More Chapter publishing and Rachel's Random Resources Tours.
Publication date 11th May 2023.
This is the first book I have read by this author.
I was originally drawn to this book by its eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being One More Chapter. I have yet to read a book published by One More Chapter that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of 52 chapters. The chapters are short in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is set in England 🏴 , UK 🇬🇧. I always seem to get on with books that are set in the UK better as I am from Wales and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book.
This book is written in third person perspective with several protagonists.The benefits of third person perspective with multiple protagonists are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything. To have the benefit of both first and third person perspective ensures you don't miss out on anything.
Well, Well, Well I did NOT expect that bombshell of an ending!!! Absolutely LOVED THIS compelling, gripping and addictive page turner!!!
Wow!!! What a rollercoaster ride of a read!!! Fantastically written with vivid descriptions throughout making me feel like I was in the storyline. The synopsis, title and cover suited the plot perfectly.
I could not put this book down and read it in one sitting!!! It is one of those books that each and every time I said one more chapter and then bed something happened so there was no chance I could put it down so I ended up walking around with my kindle glued to my hands until I had devoured it in one go!! . The storyline was absolutely gripping and kept me up until the early hours of the morning as I could not put it down!! I absolutely love how intriguing, complex and multi-layered the storyline is with so much going on!!! I was sitting on the edge of my seat with a pounding heart and my jaw dropping as Jackie takes us on a psychological ride of suspense and tension!!! I must say as a parent this has got to be one of my worse nightmares!! The worse part is that my eldest son has three trips coming up next month and if I thought I was nervous then it was nothing compared to how Jackie has me feeling now!! Just imagine,you drop your excited children off to school for a class trip to a wildlife park. Unfortunately when you get there there is a problem with the bus!!! However,the day is saved when a local taxi company comes up with another vehicle to take the children and off they go. However, because of the late start the children will be late getting home. Things take a turn for the worse when hours after the later time and there is still no news from the bus and nobody can get hold of the teachers. The bus is later found but there is far from relief when a discovery is made!!! We are told the story from the perspectives of the parents, children, teachers and police and the deeper we delve into the story the more we discover. What are the parents hiding? What is going on? How can a whole class go missing ???? You'll just have to pick your copy up today to find out more as there's no chance I want to spoil this explosive thriller for anyone. I was absolutely gobsmacked when everything was revealed, absolutely explosive twists which I was not expecting!!! A HUGE congratulations to Jackie on that as it is definitely getting harder and harder to shock me but you most definitely did that!!! There were points where my heart was in my throat and I was on the edge of my seat, and then the edge of my bed as I was not putting this book down until I finished!!! I loved that everything was tied up nicely at the end as a pet hate of mine is loose ends and having something mentioned in a book that the author seems to then forget about but absolutely everything was explained by the end of this one. I must also admit that I was shocked that I was actually pleased by the outcome when I should have been angry and wanted more justice but I think someone definitely deserved to get and receive justice and Jackie gave it out perfectly!!! It is rammed with bombshells, revenge, deceipt, heartache, secrets, twists, lies, and absolutely everything you could ask for in an explosive psychological thriller! I was absolutely mind blown by some of the secrets that were coming out and just when I thought they had all been told BOOM another shocker!!! The ending was definitely the biggest twist and I would not have seen that one coming in a million years!! This book would make a fantastic movie!!
Clear your schedules before glancing into this absolutely addictive and explosive psychological thriller as once your hooked there's no letting go until the very end!!
The characters were all strong, realistic and very well developed. I was completely invested in each and every one of their stories. They all had such unique personalities and I felt different about each of them, liking them or not trusting them for different reasons. It is hard to say much about any of them really without giving anything away so I will go by how I felt before certain announcements were made. My heart completely went out to so many of the characters, shocking myself with some of them who I felt sorry for and as I said previously as a parent this really is a parents worse nightmare!!! Unfortunately I really cannot say anymore at the risk of giving anything away with the amount of secrets kept and revealed so again you'll just have to go and grab your copy today!! Jackie brings each of the characters to life with her fantastic writing skills and between the characters and the plot you will be left absolutely gobsmacked!! Regardless of whether you love or hated the characters they all worked perfectly well to make this a page turning psychological thriller!!
I absolutely loved your book Jackie and congratulations on yet a HUGE success . I cannot wait to read more of what promises to be heart stopping reads. I would definitely like to welcome you to my top 5 favourite female psychological thriller author list and Here's to your next success 🥂.
Overall a heart pounding, page turning, edge of your seat psychological thriller filled with explosive twists that will keep you up late at night.
Genres covered in this novel include Womens Crime Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Women Sleuths, Psychological Thriller, Literary Fiction, Womens Psychological Fiction, Suspense Thriller, Psychological Literary Fiction, Crime Fiction, Women Writers & Fiction, Mystery , Women's Literary Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Mystery ,Thriller & Suspense Literary Fiction, Psychological Suspense, Womens New Adult & College Fiction and Thriller amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Lisa Jewell, 'The Girl on the Train' ,Ruth Ware, Paula Hawkins, Gillian Flynn , Shari Lapena 'Gone Girl', 'The Wife Between Us', 'The Housemaid' and anyone looking for a mind blowing psychological thriller!
353 pages.
This book is just 99p to purchase on kindle and £8.95 in paperback (at time of review) via Amazon or which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5/5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews
#TheVanishingOfClass3b #JackieKabler #OneMoreChapter #RachelsRandomResources #rararesources #BookReview #BlogTour #BooksOnTour #BookReview #BlogTour #BooksOnTour #Goodreads #NetGalley #Amazon #AmazonKindle #Bookstagram #Bookblogger #NetGalley
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Review for 'The Vanishing Of Class 3b' by Jackie Kabler.
Read and reviewed via Netgalley for Jackie Kabler, One More Chapter publishing and Rachel's Random Resources Tours.
Publication date 11th May 2023.
This is the first book I have read by this author.
I was originally drawn to this book by its eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being One More Chapter. I have yet to read a book published by One More Chapter that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of 52 chapters. The chapters are short in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is set in England 🏴 , UK 🇬🇧. I always seem to get on with books that are set in the UK better as I am from Wales and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book.
This book is written in third person perspective with several protagonists.The benefits of third person perspective with multiple protagonists are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything. To have the benefit of both first and third person perspective ensures you don't miss out on anything.
Well, Well, Well I did NOT expect that bombshell of an ending!!! Absolutely LOVED THIS compelling, gripping and addictive page turner!!!
Wow!!! What a rollercoaster ride of a read!!! Fantastically written with vivid descriptions throughout making me feel like I was in the storyline. The synopsis, title and cover suited the plot perfectly.
I could not put this book down and read it in one sitting!!! It is one of those books that each and every time I said one more chapter and then bed something happened so there was no chance I could put it down so I ended up walking around with my kindle glued to my hands until I had devoured it in one go!! . The storyline was absolutely gripping and kept me up until the early hours of the morning as I could not put it down!! I absolutely love how intriguing, complex and multi-layered the storyline is with so much going on!!! I was sitting on the edge of my seat with a pounding heart and my jaw dropping as Jackie takes us on a psychological ride of suspense and tension!!! I must say as a parent this has got to be one of my worse nightmares!! The worse part is that my eldest son has three trips coming up next month and if I thought I was nervous then it was nothing compared to how Jackie has me feeling now!! Just imagine,you drop your excited children off to school for a class trip to a wildlife park. Unfortunately when you get there there is a problem with the bus!!! However,the day is saved when a local taxi company comes up with another vehicle to take the children and off they go. However, because of the late start the children will be late getting home. Things take a turn for the worse when hours after the later time and there is still no news from the bus and nobody can get hold of the teachers. The bus is later found but there is far from relief when a discovery is made!!! We are told the story from the perspectives of the parents, children, teachers and police and the deeper we delve into the story the more we discover. What are the parents hiding? What is going on? How can a whole class go missing ???? You'll just have to pick your copy up today to find out more as there's no chance I want to spoil this explosive thriller for anyone. I was absolutely gobsmacked when everything was revealed, absolutely explosive twists which I was not expecting!!! A HUGE congratulations to Jackie on that as it is definitely getting harder and harder to shock me but you most definitely did that!!! There were points where my heart was in my throat and I was on the edge of my seat, and then the edge of my bed as I was not putting this book down until I finished!!! I loved that everything was tied up nicely at the end as a pet hate of mine is loose ends and having something mentioned in a book that the author seems to then forget about but absolutely everything was explained by the end of this one. I must also admit that I was shocked that I was actually pleased by the outcome when I should have been angry and wanted more justice but I think someone definitely deserved to get and receive justice and Jackie gave it out perfectly!!! It is rammed with bombshells, revenge, deceipt, heartache, secrets, twists, lies, and absolutely everything you could ask for in an explosive psychological thriller! I was absolutely mind blown by some of the secrets that were coming out and just when I thought they had all been told BOOM another shocker!!! The ending was definitely the biggest twist and I would not have seen that one coming in a million years!! This book would make a fantastic movie!!
Clear your schedules before glancing into this absolutely addictive and explosive psychological thriller as once your hooked there's no letting go until the very end!!
The characters were all strong, realistic and very well developed. I was completely invested in each and every one of their stories. They all had such unique personalities and I felt different about each of them, liking them or not trusting them for different reasons. It is hard to say much about any of them really without giving anything away so I will go by how I felt before certain announcements were made. My heart completely went out to so many of the characters, shocking myself with some of them who I felt sorry for and as I said previously as a parent this really is a parents worse nightmare!!! Unfortunately I really cannot say anymore at the risk of giving anything away with the amount of secrets kept and revealed so again you'll just have to go and grab your copy today!! Jackie brings each of the characters to life with her fantastic writing skills and between the characters and the plot you will be left absolutely gobsmacked!! Regardless of whether you love or hated the characters they all worked perfectly well to make this a page turning psychological thriller!!
I absolutely loved your book Jackie and congratulations on yet a HUGE success . I cannot wait to read more of what promises to be heart stopping reads. I would definitely like to welcome you to my top 5 favourite female psychological thriller author list and Here's to your next success 🥂.
Overall a heart pounding, page turning, edge of your seat psychological thriller filled with explosive twists that will keep you up late at night.
Genres covered in this novel include Womens Crime Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Women Sleuths, Psychological Thriller, Literary Fiction, Womens Psychological Fiction, Suspense Thriller, Psychological Literary Fiction, Crime Fiction, Women Writers & Fiction, Mystery , Women's Literary Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Mystery ,Thriller & Suspense Literary Fiction, Psychological Suspense, Womens New Adult & College Fiction and Thriller amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Lisa Jewell, 'The Girl on the Train' ,Ruth Ware, Paula Hawkins, Gillian Flynn , Shari Lapena 'Gone Girl', 'The Wife Between Us', 'The Housemaid' and anyone looking for a mind blowing psychological thriller!
353 pages.
This book is just 99p to purchase on kindle and £8.95 in paperback (at time of review) via Amazon or which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5/5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews
#TheVanishingOfClass3b #JackieKabler #OneMoreChapter #RachelsRandomResources #rararesources #BookReview #BlogTour #BooksOnTour #BookReview #BlogTour #BooksOnTour #Goodreads #NetGalley #Amazon #AmazonKindle #Bookstagram #Bookblogger #NetGalley
@TheVanishingOfClass3b @JackieKabler @OneMoreChapter @Netgalley @RachelsRandomResources @rararesources @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86 @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86 @Goodreads @Amazon @AmazonKindle @Bookstagram @BookBlogger
https://kcmw86.wixsite.com/bookworm86
https://m.facebook.com/Bookworm1986/?...
https://m.facebook.com/Bookwork86/?__...
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March 11, 2024
This book was so good 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻
May 7, 2024
Talk about a parental nightmare!
A smaller school bus, filled with just over a dozen children and teachers, takes off for a one-day field trip. Normal enough, right? All of the adults have cellphones and report in: first, that they have reached their destination, and then after a few hours, that they are returning back to the school.
Except they don't arrive!
How could a school bus in this day and age simply disappear? Why would ALL of the adult's cellphones remain silent?
Ms. Kabler follows the escalating tension and visceral concerns of the parents, as well as the emotions and actions of other school personnel and law enforcement officers.
Some days go by before a ransom message is received! Relief, of a sort. But then the message demands not only a great sum of money be prepared to be turned over, but that "the secret" one of the parents is carrying must also be confessed before the children will be returned safely.
The identity of the kidnappers -- and the nature of that "secret" -- will keep you guessing, as it did me.
A smaller school bus, filled with just over a dozen children and teachers, takes off for a one-day field trip. Normal enough, right? All of the adults have cellphones and report in: first, that they have reached their destination, and then after a few hours, that they are returning back to the school.
Except they don't arrive!
How could a school bus in this day and age simply disappear? Why would ALL of the adult's cellphones remain silent?
Ms. Kabler follows the escalating tension and visceral concerns of the parents, as well as the emotions and actions of other school personnel and law enforcement officers.
Some days go by before a ransom message is received! Relief, of a sort. But then the message demands not only a great sum of money be prepared to be turned over, but that "the secret" one of the parents is carrying must also be confessed before the children will be returned safely.
The identity of the kidnappers -- and the nature of that "secret" -- will keep you guessing, as it did me.
March 26, 2024
I enjoyed this. Excellent Mothers’Day game gift, from someone who knows me well!!
March 17, 2023
Rating: 2.0/5
I was drawn to this novel by its premise: A bus full of children, some with wealthy, famous parents, inexplicably goes missing while on a school trip. It put me in mind of the US television drama, "Crisis" from about 8 or 9 years ago and which starred Gillian Anderson and Dermot Mulroney. I was all set for a riveting thriller - but that isn't really what I got.
Things started okay, but even considering the dramatic nature of events in the opening chapters, I wasn't getting a sense of heart-pounding excitement. It all felt a little flat and failed evoke any emotional involvement. As the story progressed, so matters deteriorated further. Events were far-fetched and the writing was on the simplistic side. I am not a fan of contrived melodrama and there was plenty of that on display, with hackneyed literary techniques intended to (supposedly) heighten the tension - but without success.
It was hard to take the characters seriously, let alone find their actions, or the situations they found themselves in, believable. However, for all that, there were occasions when it, almost perversely, made for enjoyable light-hearted reading - in spite of (or perhaps even because of) the laughably ludicrous scenarios being presented.
There are worse ways to spend a few hours than reading disposable fiction such as this, but it is unlikely to live long in the memory - at least, not for the right reasons.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.
I was drawn to this novel by its premise: A bus full of children, some with wealthy, famous parents, inexplicably goes missing while on a school trip. It put me in mind of the US television drama, "Crisis" from about 8 or 9 years ago and which starred Gillian Anderson and Dermot Mulroney. I was all set for a riveting thriller - but that isn't really what I got.
Things started okay, but even considering the dramatic nature of events in the opening chapters, I wasn't getting a sense of heart-pounding excitement. It all felt a little flat and failed evoke any emotional involvement. As the story progressed, so matters deteriorated further. Events were far-fetched and the writing was on the simplistic side. I am not a fan of contrived melodrama and there was plenty of that on display, with hackneyed literary techniques intended to (supposedly) heighten the tension - but without success.
It was hard to take the characters seriously, let alone find their actions, or the situations they found themselves in, believable. However, for all that, there were occasions when it, almost perversely, made for enjoyable light-hearted reading - in spite of (or perhaps even because of) the laughably ludicrous scenarios being presented.
There are worse ways to spend a few hours than reading disposable fiction such as this, but it is unlikely to live long in the memory - at least, not for the right reasons.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 781 reviews