Vanished by Irene Hannon

Vanished by Irene Hannon ISBN-13: 9780800721237 Trade Paperback: 336 pages Publisher: Fleming H. Revell Company Released: January 1, 2013

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description from Back Cover:
Reporter Moira Harrisons is lost. In the dark. In a thunderstorm. When a lone figure suddenly appears in the beam of her headlights, Moira slams on her brakes--but it's too late. She feels the solid thump against the side of her car before crashing into a tree on the far side of the road.

A man opens her door, tells her he saw everything, and promises to call 911. Then everything fades to black. When she comes to, she is alone. No man. No 911. No injured person. But she can't forget the look of terror she saw on that face in the instant before her headlights swung away. And she can't get anyone to believe her story--except a handsome ex-homicide detective turned private eye, who agrees to take on the case.


My Review:
Vanished is a Christian romantic suspense novel. It's the first book in a new series, but it's also a stand-alone novel. I found the story refreshing. Lately, it seems like most books that I read have a setup very similar to other books I've read before, but this was new to me: an injured woman vanishes and an investigative reporter and a private investigator appear to have nothing to go on.

I liked the main characters, especially how they cared about justice even when they, personally, didn't know the victim and wouldn't gain anything from pursuing the case, and even when it was a long chance that they'd be able to solve the case. The characters acted realistically, and we got to know them well.

The suspense was created by uncertainty about finding enough clues to uncover (and prove) whodunit and from physical danger. The romance came across as realistic to me and had some funny moments--how many novels have sorting through trash for a date! Loved it.

The main characters were all Christians, and we saw this more through their actions--like how they treated people--than through their talking about God. The bad guy was also a Christian, but he felt like he had "to help God out" in an extreme way. He was a very warped character, though there was a good reason for why he was that way.

There was no sex. There was a very minor amount of "he cursed" style of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable and intriguing novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


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