The Art of Vanishing

I'm a little surprised I requested this book from Netgalley. That cover looks an awful lot like the style used on so many not-to-my-taste cozy mysteries – I really don't like that style. It might have been the "Academic Mystery" that got me – and I'm glad it did, because I really enjoyed this. The main character, Professor Lila Maclean shares several of the characteristics cozy mystery authors often give to their characters – she's klutzy, smart, and beleaguered by her boss for no reason that is sensible to a sensible person. She has a colorful (to put it mildly) mother, with a past that serves as a great basis for this and future stories. What differentiates this book from others I've seen is that it's believable. It's – what's show more that really annoying adjective? Organic. Lila isn't klutzy to further the plot, or to make her an Extra Quirky Cozy Heroine – she just is. In fact, it makes sense that there's a psychological basis for it. Her boss's antagonism is somewhat out of the blue, but there is a seed of "because" in there. He hasn't taken against her randomly – and that antagonism feels really familiar. We've probably all known, and God help us worked for, people just like him. and beleaguered by her boss for no reason that is sensible to a sensible person.

The story is twisty and – yay! – unpredictable. At one point I was just waiting for one character to get knocked off – I was sure of who the next victim was going to be – and I was completely wrong. And the author did that on purpose. It was a great fakeout.

It was just a lot of fun. And I will absolutely read more by this author. This is Netgalley doing what Netgalley's supposed to do.

"You should pat the gryphon too."
"I’m not going to—"
"Pat the gryphon, Lil," she commanded sternly.

The usual disclaimer: I received this book via Netgalley for review. show less

**Some spoilers ahead**

When Lila Maclean, a professor at Stonedale University in Colorado, is requested by the school chancellor to interview Damon Von Tussel, she's reluctant but has no choice but to agree. So she attends a book reading by the reclusive author, who, on this particular night, does what he does best - is rude and belligerent, cutting the question and answer session short. Unable to see him before the reading, she attempts to do so afterward, only to find that he has apparently vanished into thin air. While she's not looking forward to explaining her failure of her task, she's going to have to - since Van Tussel is the featured author for Stonedale's Arts Week.

Damon Van Tussel is famous for only one book written decades show more ago and has been living off that laudatory fame since then, But now he's managed to write another celebrated book and the university considers it a coup to even get him to speak. Since no one can find him, it's soon discovered that Lila's mother, famous artist Violet O, once dated the man, so she's put in charge of seeing that he shows up. After reluctantly asking her mother for help, he agrees to appear.

But then Lila receives a threatening email stating not to let Van Tussel speak "or else" and it seems the entire English department received the same but are, for the most part, blowing it off until during a featured panel discussing the author, one of the guest speakers is 'accidentally' hit on the head with a stage light, sending him to the hospital, and a loaned manuscript of Damon's famous novel is stolen from the library.

It doesn't help that Lila's mother shows up and decides to renew her relationship with the churlish author; a colleague does her best to sabotage her in front of everyone; and it's close to Valentine's Day and she begins to notice everyone around her seems to be coupled except her. What's worse, she's worried about eventually getting tenure and is feeling the pressure to publish her dissertation, and soon.

While this isn't your typical mystery in that nobody dies, it is still a very good one. It gives the reader an inside view into academia and the push to 'publish or perish' in order to gain tenure. There is an intense desire to be recognized in the academic world, and that depends not only upon your teaching ability, but your ability to create something others will want to read - and find a university press willing to publish the same. (One look at the giant e-tailer Amazon and you can see the massive collection of books published on various subjects). It is this world that the novice professor is trying to navigate, and her insecurities show throughout the book.

Of which this is a very good thing as it makes Lila quite a believable character, watching her try to navigate her career and still manage her personal life, which sadly seems lacking when she looks around her; and while I do believe it is a good thing, in future books I wouldn't take it amiss if Lila were to develop a bit of a backbone and bite back at certain people (I'm looking at you, Simone). There is a very cute subplot regarding this, and gives a nice break while we try to find out who wants Damon dead (and why). We also learn more about her mother, who is a delight, and their relationship. I do hope to see more of her in other books.

When we find out the reason for the many 'accidents' surrounding Damon, it comes together nicely. Even though we are not given a murder to investigate, the book is so interesting and so involved that we stop looking for a body and just enjoy the process. I think the nicest way I can summarize the end of the book is: when it rains it pours; but I implore you not to peek because the journey is as much fun as the destination. Highly recommended. show less

This is lovely cozy mystery where nobody dies. Instead, there are shenanigans taking place in the cut-throat world of academia. The stakes are raised when the ivory tower intersects with personalities from the literary world. The book’s plucky hero is required to navigate the mine-field of campus politics and save the day—not to mention her career.
This is an easy book to get absorbed into. The writing style is crisp, the story engaging, and the characterizations are nicely done. There’s a lot going on, and at times I was tempted to keep notes just to keep up with who was doing what to whom. Then I surrendered and simply let the story take me along for a most enjoyable ride and a satisfying conclusion.
Recommended for lovers of show more cozies who want something little different.
Why 4 stars instead of 5? To me, 3 stars indicates something worth reading, 4 stars indicates that a book that has something special going for it in addition to being a good read, and 5 stars is reserved for books with a richness and depth that totally blow me away (eg. "Dune" or "Lord of the Rings").
DISCLAIMER : I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review as part of Mystery Thriller Week. show less

Good, but not great; I thought the first book showed a lot of potential because I liked the setting, I liked the characters and I liked that the author wasn't trying to make everything cute. It exceeded my expectations, which have, admittedly, been lowered dramatically by the dreck published en masse the last few years.

What I liked about this, the second one:
* It's a mystery, but not a murder mystery. This isn't uncommon in the mystery genre, but it's not mainstream either so it feels fresh.

* The continuation of a narrative that doesn't feel overly melodramatic: Lila is just trying to get through her days.

* No TSTL stuff. Lila isn't running around trying to act like Nancy Drew and interrogate everyone; she just pays attention and show more thinks.

* I liked the plot twist; when I read it I started to think "same old, same old" but she did something a tiny bit different that really didn't matter much in the scheme of things, but again, gave it that tiny bit of freshness.


What wasn't so great about The Art of Vanishing
* What's up with this trend of needing to have an over-the-top nasty nemesis? How is it that in the current age of anti-bullying authors seem so hot to include cartoonish bullies in every book? And Lila gets two of them - two nemesis (nemesii?) is surely two too many.

* Love triangle setup. 'nuff said.

These are short and I think, better written than most of what's out there currently. I hate the cliche of the love triangle but I'll give it one more book to see if - hopefully - the author is just dangling it there as a red herring. show less

Things start going wrong for Professor Lila Maclean when she is sent to interview author Damon Von Tussel - warning received, items go missing,and accidents start to happen.
Disappointed as I didn't find the mystery very interesting or any of the people.
A NetGalley Book

Author's guest post at my blog:
https://bookfare.blogspot.com/2021/10/foodfic-please-welcome-cynthia-kuhn.html