Dual Review of Vanished in the Night by Eileen Carr

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Release Date: July 26, 2011

More Info: Amazon     The Book Depository

Book Blurb (from goodreads):

She doesn’t trust cops . . .

Veronica Osborne has had enough problems with the police, thanks to her volatile father. So when tall, strapping Sergeant Zach McKnight shows up at her door, she’s prepared for anything—except the news that her beloved missing brother, Max, has been dead for nearly twenty years . . . ever since he ran away.. . . until she meets one who’d risk everything to protect her.

Appalled when the police suspect her father of Max’s murder, Veronica begins her own investigation. But as her surprising role in her brother’s disappearance surfaces, so do more bodies. The ghosts of Max’s past are working hard to hide the truth, while another, more sinister force will do anything to expose it. How far will a killer go to get revenge? And can Zach stop him before he targets the woman Zach’s coming to love?

Our Thoughts:

Jax: Y'know, for all that mystery novels aren't my genre of choice, I've been enjoying an awful lot of them lately. Usually I find them to be a bit far fetched. (yes, I know that's funny from a fantasy/scifi fan, but it's the truth.) Eileen takes a very disturbing situation and very neatly shows us the gamut of realistic responses in a well paced, intriguing, twisting tale. Zach and Veronica have a great chemistry, and wonderfully thorough back stories that make this more than your typical thrilling mystery.



Bea: Mwahahahaha, my evil plan is working. :D I'll turn Jax into a mystery reader yet.

I liked this book and may hunt down the previous one, "Hold Back the Dark", which featured several detectives, Josh and Elise, who have minor supporting roles in this one. Carr takes her time unraveling the story, and introducing the players. It all starts with the discovery of a set of bones which are identified as belonging to Veronica's long lost, older half brother, Max. From there, the story spirals. We meet characters who die horribly almost as soon as we meet them, or have some yet unknown connection to Max.

There are twists and turns, solid writing, well developed characters, and a romance that plays out realistically and believably. This is very much a procedural mystery so it can move a bit slowly at times but it's interesting, it's well done, and it's definitely worth reading.




We each received a paperback from the publisher for review.