As noted by other reviewers of this book, it's pretty clear that Bentley Little books hit a few home runs, but have some strikeouts too with readers. Happily, this was the category of the former and not the latter for me. In "The Disappearance", Little weaves a genuinely creepy plot around the lives of 5 UCLA college students who become ensnared in the clutches of a cult led by its leader known as "Father".
Unbeknownst to the quintet, one of their members, Joan, once belonged to Father's cult but was able to escape. While the group is partying out at the Burning Man festival, the group is drugged and Joan is kidnapped by cult members. Her boyfriend, Gary, and the others are determined to find out what happened to her. From this point on, Little takes readers on a realistic look into the world of cults and their effect on its believers. There are a few dynamic plot twists that all culminate in a satisfying ending. ( )

I can usually count on Bentley Little to grab my attention and get my heart pounding from the very first chapter if not the very first page. This one just didn't do that for me. The first few chapters dragged a bit. Once it got going, it was an enjoyable, albeit predictable tale. ( )

Really liked this book - finished it pretty quick - love Bentley Little's books - lots of mystery with some twists and turns - if you like Bentley Little, then this is must add for your book collection. ( )

One thing about having a super long To Be Read list of books is that some authors don't show up for large chunks of time. Bentley Little has been missed. And THE DISAPPEARANCE was the perfect way to catch up with him. Not as many supernatural elements in this story as most of his others but still spooky and scary.

Gary, his girlfriend Joan, and three other friends are all students at UCLA. They all decide to go out to Burning Man in the middle of the desert. While there, Joan vanishes. Hoping she got another ride home, Gary and his friends go back to UCLA where they discover that Joan has really disappeared. No more Facebook page, no more school records, nothing. Completely erased. Frustrated with the lack of help from the police who are hesitant to investigate a missing person who doesn't exist, Gary starts looking for her himself.

The book follows the theme for a Bentley Little book: a normal person has their life disrupted by "something bad". In this case though, the evil entity behind the something bad is a little easier to understand. I'm not going to spoil the story because when I found out, it both pleased me and disappointed me. The theme of being powerless while other forces ruin your life still exists. I enjoyed the hunt and the results. I also enjoyed how the book could have ended at about page 300 with a good ending but it didn't. That final 100 pages helped hammer in the reality of the situation. At the same time, the location of the final confrontation was figured out a tad conveniently. Realistic but convenient. A minor point that was easy to bypass in the big picture. An enjoyable book. I'm glad I'm at that part of my To Be Read list where Bentley Little will be making more appearances. ( )

From Amazon:
When Gary's girlfriend Joan vanishes, calls to her parents' home yield only dead air. Her school records are gone. There is no longer any evidence that she even existed. Most disturbing of all is what Gary does find: a warning and a tantalizing clue, leading to a mysterious backward cult known as the Homesteaders. Now Gary may be the next to disappear.

My Thoughts:

This is a creepy book, which relies more on suspense and the author's ability to make the banal seem horrific. This book is more of a thriller, with a great story and characters you really care about. The story has a cast of mostly likable characters, a good dose of mystery and a great ending. What more could you possibly ask for? ( )