The book was archived before our group could download it. We are sure that we would have enjoyed the book judging from the reviews it has received.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

The Kane family move from Perth to the quiet, outback town of Kallayee. to escape their troubles but it isn’t as quiet as they expect.
Then they mysteriously vanish and Detective Emmaline Taylor is brought in to investigate their disappearance..
Claustrophobic, eerie and intense this is a real page turning psychological thriller.
Highly recommended.
4 Stars ⭐️
Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for a fair review.

This is the first book I've read by this author and would read others.

I enjoyed the writing style and it was written in a way where you think I'll just read one more chapter and before you know its been another 6!

Thank you to #NetGalley for the copy of the bookin exchange for an honest review #Vanished

Great start,intriguing,different,full of promise,good characters and then for me got bogged down in unbelievability. and seemed to lose its vibrancy,loved the Investigating Policewoman,not so keen on the main 2 characters who really shudn’t have had Dylan as all they wanted to do was foist him off on each other, worthy of a read but didn’t end as started,which was thrilling

This is a crime thriller with a difference as a family relocate from Perth in Australia to a deserted town as they attempt to escape their beleaguered past. However, rather than escaping their past, they find new threats await them.....and then the family disappears.

Detective Emmaline Taylor is the interesting lead investigator sent to investigate their disappearance and the story follows her experiences as well as detailing flashbacks of the family..

It starts really well and I was absolutely hooked on the tension between the characters as they attempt to settle in this bleak, inhospitable isolation. It’s incredibly descriptive as they attempt to choose a derelict building to make home in the intense heat of Australia. However, partway through it felt a bit slow and plodding. It then picks up again and has an explosive ending. All in all it’s a solid, tense read, set in this abandoned town, full of strange, unwelcoming inhabitants, making it an unusual and interesting story.

Thanks to the Author, NetGalley and Simon & Schuster UK for the opportunity to preview in exchange for this honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed James Delargy’s previous book 55, so no hesitation in picking up his second, Vanished, once again transporting us to the Australian outback, and into the grip of an intriguing mystery…

The absolute hook of this book throughout is the use of location, and how Delargy depicts this totally inhospitable, bleak and uncomfortable landscape to such great effect throughout the book. The abandoned gold mining town of Kallayee (use the skeleton of dead kangaroo to navigate your way there- how creepy is that?) is a gem of a place to set a deeply unsettling and dark mystery, with its biting sense of desolation and emptiness, punctuated by strange noises, mysterious overnight visitors and the overall creepiness of this barren location. The idea that any family would want to locate there, whatever they are running from, does beggar belief, but that’s just what Delargy’s characters do. More fool them. This is a haunted town with a dark history, with blood in its very foundations, and as the plot unfolds, there will be more bloodshed and death of that you can be sure…

Told through the contrasting viewpoints of the family members, Lorcan and Naiyana, the detective Emmaline Taylor tasked with investigating their sudden disappearance, and some additional characters that I can’t reveal for fear of spoilers, the story takes the reader on a journey from a crime committed in the big city, to a family on the run. Delargy’s characterisation is assured and I liked the way he played with the strength and weaknesses of his main protagonists, subtly manipulating the reader’s feelings towards them. There did feel like a little bit of box ticking in terms of a couple of his characters, especially Detective Emmaline Taylor with the superficial emphasis on her being a woman of colour, which wasn’t really developed with any particular nuance throughout the book. We do, however, perceive how professionally she conducts her investigation, and her reluctance to let others overshadow her, and to dictate the course of her actions. I thought overall she was the strongest voice in the book, and really held the plot together in the shadow of the bizarre events playing out around her, and would love to see her return in future books maybe with her strident character and attitude.

Along the way in Vanished we meet a small band of badly behaving characters who threaten the family’s safety, but how much can this family really trust one another? And there’s the rub, as Delargy pulls us in different directions, undermining our belief and trust in the characters he portrays, until the book hurtles towards a host dark and violent reveals, some of which will surprise and unnerve you. I will be completely honest, and say that I didn’t completely buy into some of the plot twists, with the ending giving me somewhat of a furrowed brow, but I thoroughly enjoyed the ride overall, and the claustrophobic atmosphere of this tale saturated with rapacity, violence, lust and dastardly betrayal. Worth a look if only for the trip to the truly creepy town of Kallayee. Mwhahaha…

A suspenseful read where you’ll rabidly second-guess everyone’s motives and morals alike.

This can be 100% attributed to the way one young family’s destiny is meted out in tantalising bites, between which you learn the reasons why they abandoned their lives to experience a bitter taste of isolation that will linger unforgivingly.

The two distinct timelines, the present day and the family’s life in the town shortly before their disappearance, are perfectly balanced and achieve the very definition of suspense.

Yet a couple of incredible co-incidences take place – it’s not as if the events themselves were unconvincing, not at all, they just felt a touch improbable under the circumstances. This, and the unlikeability factor of most of the characters, had me flip-flopping all over the place – one minute I’d find myself sympathising with them, and the next they’d test my patience to breaking point!

But hands down, it’s the tension that’s the real winner here. So if you prefer a book that keeps its cards close to its chest then this is an excellent example. Would I recommend it? Yes, I absolutely would.

This book came highly recommended and I really liked the synopsis which promised an original, unusual story. I have heard about the author and his previous book - 55 so was interested. This book is good, can be a quick read, grabs your attention and the story keeps you going. It is not something that I will remember and discuss at length, it is not a negative with the book or the story, just it was not that gripping and for the genre, there is a lot better at the moment.

Wow that was one heck of a page turner, a novel where tension bubbles underneath the surface with every page and keeps you hooked into the narrative from first page to last.

After the brilliant 55 I did wonder if the author could keep that level up, but he sure can - Vanished is a very different book but equally compelling, equally unpredictable and lives up to its promise with a cleverly emotive finale.

The characters are the kind you love to hate to love, the plotting is tight and cohesive, moving back in time to show the reader how events unfolded whilst the investigation is itself ongoing. The setting is vividly described and adds depth to the whole feeling of it, hot, isolated, giving the story a claustrophobic feel.

Overall I loved it. Vanished is a classic mystery in a modern world and I definitely recommend it.