The Disappearance is an ambitious novel. It combines international intrigue with a suspenseful kidnaping plot and a romance. The multiple viewpoints are handled well, which is crucial for a novel of this type. So it’s too bad that the heroine’s emotions are so illogical and that most of the secondary characters are obnoxious. And, at times, the character’s lecturing about the rain forest and other issues was a strong detraction from the narrative.

Summer Shepherd is the daughter of the Secretary of State, but first and foremost, she’s a college professor researching the depletion of the ozone layer. Her research interests often conflict with her father’s politics. At a party, Summer meets Duncan Ryder, her stepmother’s brother. Because of her feelings for her stepmother, Summer has tried to avoid getting to know Duncan. At this party, she realizes he might not be so bad after all.

Before Summer and Duncan can make steps toward forging a new relationship, Summer is kidnaped. Duncan helps negotiate for her release. He also defends Summer when the authorities think she might have been involved. Together, Summer and Duncan work to find out who was behind the kidnaping. Their work is hindered by political intrigue, though it doesn’t help that Summer withholds crucial information for too long.

Because of her illogical behavior, Summer left something to be desired as a heroine. She can’t stand up to her stepmother, yet she tries to challenge her kidnapers. That makes sense? At the beginning of the novel, Summer dislikes Duncan. Why? Simply because he’s related to her stepmother. At the same time, she gives her father more credit than he deserves, though he treats her shabbily. Don’t get me wrong, I love dysfunctional characters, but they have to be more deeply drawn than this.

Though he displays bravery and ingenuity, Duncan’s behavior is also questionable at times. He has been in love with Summer for years, yet he never told her how he felt. Why didn’t he try to hold a serious conversation with her earlier? I wish Summer had taken time to get to know him instead of making assumptions about him, so I could have gotten to know him better myself.

Most of the secondary characters are people I wouldn’t want near my family. Summer’s father and stepmother made me squirm. To call Summer’s father distant would be giving him too much credit. Why did Summer’s “flower child” mother marry this guy? There is also a villain who sounds like a dictator straight out of a second-rate action flick.

The plot has many exciting moments, such as Duncan’s race to find the kidnaper’s instructions. But because Summer has so few supporters, the plot is laden with melodrama. For example, the head of the FBI suspects that she might have staged her kidnaping to gain attention for her cause. He has no real evidence – she’s a “Save the Rain Forest” type, so that makes her automatically suspect in his eyes. (Jeepers, how would this guy react if Al Gore were kidnaped?) Summer needed more supporters to make this story believable.

Finally, while I understand that the rain forest was crucial to this novel, the author presented too much information. Characters often talked to each other about the rain forest, repeating facts that they already knew. I felt as though I were being lectured. If the author wanted to encourage her readers to save the rain forests, she should have presented her message more subtly.

If you like suspense and don’t mind melodrama, you might like this novel more than I did. You’ll find action, suspense, and plenty of intrigue. And once Summer gets over her illogical aversion to Duncan, they have a pleasant relationship. But I would have liked more of the relationship and less of the melodrama.