From the Bookshelf of Reading the Detectives…

The Lady Vanishes

Ethel Lina White

Start date: February 1, 2019

Finish date: February 28, 2019

Discussion: Group reads

Why we're reading this: Winner of the poll for our February group read.
[close] Winner of the poll for our February group read.

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 331 topics — 11,925 comments total

Group reads

* VOTE NOW for December 2025 group read!
By Judy · 18 posts · 20 views

last updated Oct 06, 2025 07:49AM

* Oct 25: Murder Included (#1 D.I. Price) by Joanna Cannan
By Susan · 11 posts · 13 views

last updated Oct 02, 2025 10:38AM

showing 4 of 4 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Jan 31, 2019 Susan rated it liked it · review of another edition

This was first published in 1936 and was, of course, made into a popular film (although I have never seen it). However, when it was chosen by my reading group, I was interested to read it and liked the cover of this edition – released to celebrate 70 years of Pan books.

Iris Carr is a young woman, who has been on holiday with a group of friends. She is an independently wealthy orphan, but somewhat disenchanted by her frivolous lifestyle. As such, she decides to allow her friends to leave for Eng ...more

19 likes · Like · see review

Dec 08, 2024 Lady Clementina ffinch-ffarowmore rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, british, british-literature, psychology, trains, ethel-lina-white

I received a review copy of the book from Pushkin Vertigo via Edelweiss for which my thanks.

In Ethel Lina White’s mystery–thriller The Lady Vanishes (1936), psychological factors and circumstances combine to create nail-biting suspense which continues to intensify until the very last moment. This was the basis of the Hitchcock film of the same name but he of course introduced several changes including replacing many of the characters.

In a set of background chapters that extend more than is usua ...more

18 likes · Like · see review

Jul 04, 2024 Frances rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This was a short, gripping read featuring Englishwoman Iris Carr, a "bright young thing" who has stayed behind when her set heads home from a hedonistic holiday, and is now travelling back on her own in a crowded train. She is feeling under the weather, and meets kindly, chatty Miss Froy, who keeps her company for a while, and then vanishes without a trace. No one else on the train admits to having seen her, and Iris feels compelled to figure out where she has gone. Her search leads to an increa ...more

Like · see review

Feb 15, 2019 Tracey rated it liked it

An enjoyable caper! Having seen both the Hitchcock and 1979 version (with the delightful Angela Lansbury as Miss Froy) the story was very familiar to me. Was good to see how the original text fared with the adaptions.

1 like · Like · see review

Apr 20, 2024 Lynnie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2024, train-travel, mystery-suspense, british-library-crime, hitchcockian

I loved this! A compelling read, couldn't put it down. I could read this again and again! ...more

Like · see review

Jan 19, 2019 Jill rated it it was amazing

Really liked this book a lot. It made me really feel for the characters. I could feel the frustration of Iris, and the helplessness. The British travelers behaved so like one imagines they would, wanting to distance themselves from any form of trouble, although this particular gathering all seemed to have something to hide. This was published in 1936, but it felt like it could so easily happen today. So easy to see why Hitchcock made a film of it.

Like · see review