Dissapointment!

What would have made The Vanishing Point better?

The plot is superficially strong (drawing heavily on an actual news story) but a number of loose ends or dead ends makes one wonder if the author lost interest in it or had to rush it out before she did a proper professional job. Two major questions among many: is the FBI agent intended as no more than a plot vehicle? If so, why are we made privy to her innermost thoughts? Were we not intended to sympathise/identify to some degree? If so, why is she just dropped mid-way through? The other question is harder to frame without giving away the ending, but perhaps I can say that I was amazed when the book ended abruptly, not so much because of the action, as the effrontery of the author in cutting and running without any kind of explanation, follow-up or resolution.

Has The Vanishing Point put you off other books in this genre?

Absolutley not, but I probably won't bother with this author again.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

She was OK.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Vanishing Point?

I would have wanted major changes to way in which the main protagonist's story is unfolded. She is in the custody of an FBI agent who ought to be trying to get her cut to the chase, not prose on about the back story. After all, there's a child out there somewhere. The noises off are insuficient to suggest that there is any sense of urgency. This whole section feels really odd. I would also have urged the author to do some major work on the ending.

Any additional comments?

I've read some of the professional reviews which are uniformly ecstatic at the brilliance of this author and this book. It's made me wonder how many of the reviewers had actually read it or, even more cynically, whether any of them would dare to write a negative review of a book by this national treasure.

35 people found this helpful

Vanishing Quality

The story line, based on the relationship between a ghost writer, Stephanie, and her reality TV celebrity, Scarlett, is tedious beyond belief. The lengthy study of their growing friendship made me want to give up listening many times, especially as the narrator used the Australian rising inflection in her voice so frequently it became like listening to finger nails scraping on a chalk board. The thriller part of the book is hidden inside the main storyline and, although I persevered, its culmination is not worth waiting for. It seemed to me the author got fed up with it and, like a primary school child's story, decided that it would be better to end it with, "and then she died!". Don't bother!

29 people found this helpful

Mixed

This had a really gripping start, but then the pace slowed so much that the story lost its edge. Too much detail of the back story told in a rather laborious way, even though it was supposed to be an interrogation into a kidnapping. The ending was a bit ridiculous.

17 people found this helpful

Eloborate, interesting in parts, but generally dul

What did you like best about The Vanishing Point? What did you like least?

The opening sequence was quite good and promised much, but the rest was a little predictable, somewhat tedious, and the ending an anticlimax

Would you recommend The Vanishing Point to your friends? Why or why not?

No, I know of much better books I could recomend

What three words best describe Antonia Beamish’s voice?

clear, a little uninteresting, OK

Do you think The Vanishing Point needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No

11 people found this helpful

Not the usual Val McDermid

If you could sum up The Vanishing Point in three words, what would they be?

unexpected, unexpected and unexpected...why ? Because it was an unexpected story line from VM, unexpectedly interesting lot and unexpected ending...

What did you like best about this story?

The flow of the story was excellent and the ending was good.

Have you listened to any of Antonia Beamish’s other performances? How does this one compare?

First one

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No

Any additional comments?

It did remind me of Jade Goody, the Essex location, the background, the loser husband, the baby boy, the terminal illness...etc...all seemed very familiar.

9 people found this helpful

Very disappointing

I am a huge fan of Val McDermid and have every audiobook of hers I can get. I am normally totally gripped and resent having to stop listening. This book however is the total opposite. It is incredibly long winded, moving very slowly indeed. Very difficult to get really engaged into it as a result. The plot rather than feeling gripping, just feels quite childish most of the time, as if little real thinking has gone into it, and as for the climax, well it is just ludicrous. A real disappointment and just completely unexpected from this author - feels to me like it was written by someone different.

17 people found this helpful

Clearly ghostwritten with contempt for the reader

Steals heavily from the life of Jade Goody. Badly written, and the plot denouement is just embarrassing. Not to mention the sneer in having a novel about a ghostwriter ghostwritten.

Should be illegal to pass off someone else's work as your own, IMHO.

4 people found this helpful

Powerful story

A different style from what I'm used to but still gripped from start to finish. Suspenseful and with great narration.

4 people found this helpful

A very good story!

This was an excellent story with a good twist at the end. The author has clearly taken some real life events and imagined a story around them which worked for this book. I thought the character development was good and thoroughly enjoyed the whole story. The only downside was that I found the narrator with her odd verbal emphasise slightly annoying but that just might be me. Overall, I found the whole book engaging, well written and I would recommend it.

4 people found this helpful

Unexpected Twist

Another excellent story from Val McDermid. I certainly didn't see that ending coming. The only downside was the narrator, whose voice was a little annoying in places.

3 people found this helpful