The Year We Disappeared: A Father-Daughter Memoir

Tip of the ice burg

I'm a lifelong resident and knew /know a majority of these 'characters' and aliases mention in this book. I drove by the shooting scene just as they were loading Officer Busby into the ambulance and saw him sitting upright holding large amounts of gauze to what I thought was his jaws. Seeing the car in the front yard I assumed it was just a car accident¿ if I had left my girl friend¿s house 10 minutes earlier? Currently I live less than ¼ mile from they¿re old house adjacent to the cranberry bogs they often mention in this book. (Better or worse yet I lived one street from the Monterios house and often saw Monty when I played basketball with his kids¿ little did I know) After reading the book cover to cover in 3.5 hours it only sickened me to learn how the detectives, police, and selectman ruined this family¿s life. It was also very up lifting to know this family somehow persevered though this travesty brought on by the intentional ole boys club mentality that likely to be found in many small towns. Yes¿ Melvin Reine (Meyers) pulled the trigger on Office Busy and others but the guilty parties involved in this and the other disappearances / murders still hold positions of authority in Falmouth so I understand why Busby still doesn¿t feel safe to return to Falmouth. Melvin¿s brother John should be brought in for more questioning regarding the other disappearance / murders to find out who provided inside information regarding the ferry departure time for one key witness (Won¿t spoil the book) and other potential incrimination information. I bet there are a few current and retired police officers and selectman who are now not sleeping well with the release of this book and I only hope it gets at least ½ as bad as what they put the Busby¿s through. There¿s so much more corruption, entitlement and nepotism throughout Falmouth¿s government that this is only the tip of the ice berg of what¿s been festering in this town for years. I not only hope that John gets the statute of limitation passed but this book helps to bring a 3rd party non-bias investigation from the state or federal government!

5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

The Best Memoir I've Ever Read

I am truly grateful that I've had the chance to read this book. I literally did not want to put it down. What happened to John Busby, and the rest of the Busby family is very tragic. It reminded me of how important it is to have faith, patience and a supportive family. God truly protected the Busby¿s. I¿ve been recommending this memoir to everyone I know! What an honor and privilege it was to read 'The Year We Disappeared' All the best to the Busby family. -KT

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

I hope this becomes a national best seller!

I was 29 years old in 1979 when John Busby was shot and had lived in Falmouth for just four years. When I moved here from Boston in 1975, one of the first stories I heard from neighbors was about the undiscovered body of Melvin Reine's first wife. My neighbor said, 'some people think it's buried in the concrete slab foundation down the street.' Welcome to Falmouth. This is a wonderful town but the corruption in the police department that existed until recently has spread beyond the lack of justice for Busby. My abused neighbor couldn't get help from the police because her husband was 'in tight' with the police. This book is extremely well written. It was a thrill to see Cylin, John and Polly when they came to Falmouth in August to do a book signing. This was the first time they'd been back to Falmouth in almost 30 years. I can see why. I well remember Melvin Reine driving past me one day in his monster garbage truck. I happened to look up and he gave me the most evil smile I've ever seen in my life. I'll never forget it - it was bone chilling. God bless John Busby and his entire family.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Had us both in tears

Both my wife and I read this book, and I had the great honor to meet John Busby on Cape Cod last summer. I went to his signing before I read the book, I wish I had known then what I know now. The world needs more men like him. I am surprised that he is such a good writer as well, the book is one of the best I've ever read and my wife agrees. We could not put it down and are looking forward to the paperback to read it again at the beach. Thank you to the Busby family for sharing their inspiring story with all of us.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Awsome true story to read!

On the edge of your seat & tearjerker the whole book and being from Falmouth, MA knowing the stories,I was 6yrs old, my Dad a summer cop 6yrs before this took place so we knew most of the Police Officers that helped Officer Busby, my mother always telling us to stay away from the "Meyer Family" if we knew what was good for us, I remembered always seeing a Police officer standing outside a classroom in my school that year never really knowing why he was there & to finally know what ever happened to them! All this made me even more interested to read it!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The Year We Disappeared is an amazing book written by the fathe

The Year We Disappeared is an amazing book written by the father and daughter in the story. The father, John, a cop, was on his way to his work when he was shot in the jaw. He was left in the hospital unable to communicate to people who his shooter was. The nine year old daughter, Cylin, was left confused and lost about what happen to her father. It tells the story of them both struggling to overcome this new challenge in their life. The main theme throughout the book was forgiveness. John had to learn to just forgive the shooter, through it was very hard. Another theme prominent, shown mainly through Cylin’s writing, was coming of age. She had to see the way horrific things that happen in the world, and had to learn that nothing will ever be the same with her father. The overall message of the story was to never give up. John wanted to live, and never give up trying to save his life, and also his family. Cylin had to never give up on her father, when everyone else around her doubted the fact that her father would live. I would recommend the book to teenagers and adults. It can be a little graphic at parts, but it is an overall great story. The book is suspenseful, and always keeps you on your toes. I think my favorite part of the book would have to be the writing style. I loved how they both were writing the book because you saw two different sides of the story. I loved that fact that John was writing the story too. It shows how much courage he has, and how he has overcome this obstacle in his life. The only part I disliked was that there were quite a few slow parts in the book. The suspense and the great story definitely over powered that dislike though.

The Year We Disappeared is a memoir told by a father and a daugh

The Year We Disappeared is a memoir told by a father and a daughter. The two alternate between the father and daughter speaking, which makes this story more interesting, because you get to hear the view point from both a child (daughter) and an adult (father). The daughter makes the story seem real with her extra details; she gives the story a more innocent feel. While her father gives the facts and tells it as it was.

John Busby is a police officer in a small town. While on duty John is cruelly shot by a car passing. The surgeons had to completely reconstruct his jaw, and he knew that this could not have possibly been an accident and could then only think about revenge. Throughout this novel John focuses on the town and his work, along with the surgery he went through in great detail.

Cylin Busby is John Busby’s nine year old daughter (at the time). She takes a different approach on the situation, and talks more about how she and her family felt threatened, unsafe, and how they had to go into hiding.

This story was very attention-grabbing. I really liked how there was two points of view; it seemed to make the novel more real. In the ending they thanked everyone for all that they had done, and I felt that was a nice gesture they did.

A Saddening Page-Turner about a Family’s Strength and One&

A Saddening Page-Turner about a Family’s Strength and One’s Will to Live

In this exciting memoir written by a woman and her father they remember the events of 1979, when their family went from being your average middle class American family to being the targets of killer’s plans. John, a police officer in Falmouth, Massachusetts, is shot by a local mobster on his way to work. By some chance he survives but requires major medical attention including facial reconstruction surgery. But since the killer missed his mark the Busby family is now in serious danger, the man who wanted to kill their father wants to kill them too. They are guarded by police officers twenty-four hours of the day.
I found this book intriguing, not only the story, but the format of the book with alternating perspectives between John and Cylin. Cylin is only nine when the events take place and she sees her life being turned upside-down and is confused by the whole thing, whereas John is angry and plans his way to exact revenge for most of the book, before finding peace in the situation. I liked Cylin’s writing better, it was more descriptive and flowed, where John’s was more straightforward, tell it like it is. A major theme in this memoir was John’s not only will to survive but his will to thrive. He couldn’t stand to be a burden on his family an invalid for the rest of his life. I would recommend this book to anyone above the age of thirteen (there are a couple f-bombs dropped here and there), and while the subject-matter is quite serious, the way it is executed proves for a very good read. Though categorized as a Children’s book it does not belong there. I would rate this book four stars overall.

Good Point-of-View Memoir/ Great non-fiction read for teenagers

This non-fiction memoir was easy to follow and kept my interest throughout. Having the different points-of-view made the story more realistic and gave the characters depth. It is a great non-fiction book for teenagers.

Outstanding Read

The Year We Disappeared was truly a great read for teens or adults. In this book, Cylin and John Busby are a regular middle class family. John heads to his work as a police man one night, and instead of a slow night he is shot in the face while driving. John drives to the nearest house and is taken to the hospital. He knows who may have shot him, but he can't eat or talk. John wants revenge. He spends a lot of time in the hospital, and through his rage he learns that sometimes you just need to forgive. Cylin, his daughter, through all this struggles in school and is confused about what has happened to her Dad. She has to come to the realization that things will never go back to the way they were now that her father can no longer eat or talk. She is escorted to school by a police man and treated differently. In this compelling novel, the themes of family, forgiveness, and to have lost are explored. I enjoyed the way this book was set up. It showed both Cylin and John's point of views depending on the chapter. John had a tough cop view on the situation, and Cylin had a confused young girl outlook on her new life. I didn't like John's writing, it seemed choppy and less descriptive than Cylin's. I would recommend that everyone read The Year We Disappeared because it is an emotional, amazing piece. It is very moving and teaches the very important trait of being forgiving. If you enjoyed this book, I would recommend novels on the Civil War or wars like that. I gave The Year We Disappeared four stars because I really enjoyed this novel and I was entertained the whole time. I didn't rate The Year We Disappeared five stars because I felt as though John's writing could have been stronger and I would have loved to see more description.

This book is a great read!

I read this book for a school project where I have to do a report on it. I wanted to do it on a non-fiction book that was pretty emotional. I got what I wanted and then some! There were a few slow parts, but they are very emotional. I would recomend this to anyone- as long as they can handle the curseing. It does require a level of maturity...but other than that it is a great read!

Like Nothing Before

Cylin Busby and her father John Busby tell the story of their heartwrenching lives. The hardships and the disappointments keep adding up in this autobiography. Imagining what happened to John Busby is completely mind blowing, and I could never see myself coping with what he has gone through. Shot in the line of duty, stalked by the enemy, and living a life in fear while trying to handle a family has to be tough. Reading their life events from two people's views was different at first, but as the story went on, it kept me interested in what each was thinking. It's truly a great read for both genders and mature readers.

A Book that leaves an impression

I could not put this book down! The true story of the pain a daughter and her father went through is amazing! It's heart wrenching to see two sides of a life altering event, one from the nine year old daughter and the other from her police father. I highly recommend this book! It's thrilling and overwhelmingly honest!

A Family's Loss that is shared by tons!

The person who wrote this: (AnonymousI hope this becomes a national best seller!
Reader Rating See Detailed Ratings
Posted September 6, 2008, 5:51 PM EST: I was 29 years old in 1979 when John Busby was shot and had lived in Falmouth for just four years. When I moved here from Boston in 1975, one of the first stories I heard from neighbors was about the undiscovered body of Melvin Reine's first wife. My neighbor said, 'some people think it's buried in the concrete slab foundation down the street.' Welcome to Falmouth. This is a wonderful town but the corruption in the police department that existed until recently has spread beyond the lack of justice for Busby. My abused neighbor couldn't get help from the police because her husband was 'in tight' with the police. This book is extremely well written. It was a thrill to see Cylin, John and Polly when they came to Falmouth in August to do a book signing. This was the first time they'd been back to Falmouth in almost 30 years. I can see why. I well remember Melvin Reine driving past me one day in his monster garbage truck. I happened to look up and he gave me the most evil smile I've ever seen in my life. I'll never forget it - it was bone chilling. God bless John Busby and his entire family.")

Should have not used the antagonists real name or brought the antagonist's first wife into the review. I know the Busbys are only trying to heal from their experiences from 1979 but all they did was tear open a can of worms that all families involved wanted kept closed. Being from Falmouth I know about this family. But I find it hard that a thirty-nine to forty year old woman can cleary remember what happened to her that vividly thirty years later. She wrote it from an adults perspective not a child's perspective. She used terms that a nine year old hasn't even learned in their elementary school vocabulary lessons yet. As much as I wanted to read their story at the same time I lost interest in chapter ten. My family all read the book in three hours max and a huge discussion about discrepencies about characters and facts ensued.

I feel sorry for the Busbys. No one should had to go through their loss and pain but I feel sorry for every other family who was effect by a sociopath's actions and the sociopath's first wife's family who are still trying to find answers to the questions they have about her disappearance.

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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