The Day She Disappeared

By: Sam Genever

Narrated by: Peter Noble

Discover the most gripping crime thriller of the year. Winner of the Joffe Books Prize. TRUST NO ONE.

Johannesburg, 1980s Apartheid South Africa.

Augustine flees her vengeful ex-boyfriend with nothing but her child and the clothes on her back, terrified he will find her.

Because she also possesses a dangerous secret.

One he will kill for. One he will never stop hunting her for.

But Augustine is rescued by a wealthy white housewife who takes pity on her, offering both employment and refuge. Or so she thinks.

It might seem that she is safe inside the walls of the prosperous Diamond family home, but outside her every move is watched. Her sanctuary has become her prison.

In this city, where trust is a rare commodity, Augustine has made a mistake that could cost her everything.

This absolutely gripping crime thriller is perfect for fans of Deon Meyer, J.M. Coetzee, Chris Hammer, Jane Harper, Chris Whitaker or Paul Mendelson.

THE SETTING

In the heart of 1980s Johannesburg, where sprawling suburbs meet crime-ridden neighbourhoods, the line between privilege and poverty is razor-thin. The quiet, suburban streets hide dark secrets behind their pristine facades while the streets hum with tension.

©2022 Sam Genever (P)2025 Audible Ltd.

The middle is where it got good

Slow confusing start but super god midway and ending . The reading on the women agh made them sound like seventy year olds, perhaps more upbeat reader on them.

So many unanswered questions

Overall I liked this story but it could have been so much better. There were multiple storylines going simultaneously that were never wrapped up. Maybe because it’s meant to be a series these other storylines will resurface? What happened to Augustine was so quick that it would have been easy to miss. I wondered through the rest of the book if I had it wrong and she would resurface at the end. There were several characters that were unnecessary making the story hard to follow at times. The narration was good although there were times it was difficult to distinguish between characters because there names were so similar. A decent read for a free book.

very slow

i did not care for the story. it lacked so much. the author went into excruciating detail about flowers, sunset, grasses, birds- but missed out in dialogue and story. it dragged in many areas and never seemed to get to the point. about half of the characters could have been eliminated completely from the story. frustrating read. i won’t even go into the end. uhhh

Worst Book I’ve Ever Listened To!

I’ve listened to SO many books on Audible. I only have 1 credit a month so once it’s used I will try some free books. This was by far THE WORST book. The story was incredibly disjointed. It was so hard to follow. The narrator had little to no expression so it was very difficult to know what was going on. His accent was nice, but the way he read was not good. This story MIGHT have been a little better if it had a better narrator. The bones of the story were good but it was so all over the place. I seemed like the author had a good idea but could execute on the writing.

Good book

At first it was ok, then it got better, but then I got confused. I still have questions, but overall a goodish book.

Justice

I honestly cannot express how I feel about this book. So many unanswered questions. But loved the accent and performance of the narrator.

Interesting beginning but strayed as it went along.

I couldn’t even finish this. Halfway through I had lost track of the characters and it seemed like the whole story was off track. Disappointed in the writing.

confusing, sloppy ending

Wild weird ride through 1980s South Africa. Still not sure what exactly I was listening to. An edit of the book probably should have been made, I don't need to know every time someone pees behind a building, or what kind of beer they drink. Glad this was free...

hard slog thru narration

Story was pretty good. enlighten to get a glimpse into life in apartheid South Africa - something I know little about, having only read Trever Noah's "Born a Crime." I kinda guessed the surprise ending.

I had hard time paying attention to narrator. His cadence is in monotonous cyclical waves... whooshing over me & putting me to sleep. too bad. He has a nice voice & sometimes his reading was interesting, but mostly not. :-(

The only good part was the performance

This story was disjointed and confusing. I finished it because I was hoping it would get better, but it never did.