A Disappearing Act, by Jo Dixon

Four artistic friends are reuniting for a relaxing holiday in Tasmania, instigated by the most successful of the group – bestselling author Marnie. The four were housemates 25 years ago, sharing a bohemian warehouse in Melbourne while they established their careers in art, literature and design. The Tassie trip should be a blissful catchup of scattered friends, but there are simmering tensions around finances and long-buried secrets and then one of the four goes missing on a bushwalk. Was it an accident, an escape, or something more sinister? The story alternates between the points of view of designer Sarah in the present day and writer Marnie in 1999, slowly revealing events and consequences, past and current. Unfortunately most of the action is flagged and is based on a highly suspect premise, so there are few surprises and the four women are so unpleasant it is difficult to care. More than one character lierally gets away with murder, so it is ironic that the final word of the book is ‘justice’.