What I'm Reading Wednesday: Vanished

Are you a mystery fan??? Well, this week’s pick is an excellent, stay up late ’til ya’ finish romantic thriller: Vanished by Kendra Elliot.

Fans of Carla Neggers, Lisa Jackson, Nora Roberts and/or Karen Robards will love this book as Elliot successfully meshes an intense mystery/thriller with a blooming romance.

Initially, the story is about an eleven year old girl abducted on her way to school, but it proves to be much more complicated than that. The cast of characters is a complexly intertwined bunch. The missing girl turns out to be the stepdaughter of Mason Callahan’s ex-wife. (Got that?) On the surface, he, his ex-wife, her new husband and HIS ex-wife seem to be on remarkably good terms with each other. As such, Mason Callahan, a local police detective, takes a leave of absence from work to be their spokesperson in front of the media.

Callahan, a reserved guy in a cowboy hat and boots – a bit out of the ordinary for the part of Oregon where the book is set – soon finds the leave of absence less voluntary as he is implicated in the death of one of his informants.

Within hours of the abduction the FBI is called in and the investigation begins. Agent Ava McLane is with the investigation from the beginning and is assigned to stay with the family during the investigation. She has a manner that is very soothing and more effective in questioning; it is revealed later that this demeanor was formed as a result of dealing with her narcissistic twin from a young age.

As the story unfolds, the tensions rise as things get more complicated. Being thrown together in tight quarters, a relationship slowly grows between Mason and Ava.

And if I tell you any more than that, well, I’ll spoil it for you.

Personally, I think this book falls more soundly in the mystery/thriller/suspense section of the bookshelves, with the romance being a lighter treatment. It was a great read that kept me up late, and would be perfect over the upcoming Fourth of July weekend, be it lazing in a hammock under a tree or under an umbrella on the beach.

Check out Vanished by Kendra Elliot. It was recently published on June 17 by Montlake Romance.