Intriguing legal thriller set around the disappearance of a young girl in seemingly impossible circumstances.

The lawyer characters are really good, the mystery itself is clever and keeps you guessing. The outcome was perhaps somewhat convoluted but overall an entertaining read.

Good writing. Look forward to more from this author.

Set in Poland this is a very accomplished story from an author who was unknown to me until I was asked to join in this blog tour and yet has, understandably, a huge following in Poland. The story sounded intriguing and the setting of a courtroom or, if you prefer, a legal drama in Poland was new to me and I was eager to read it.

The story of a child abduction in a ‘closed room’, or in this case the summer home of wealthy couple Awit and Angelika Szlezyngier, mystery gives the reader an insight into how the Polish legal system works.

It brings a compelling, intricate story of how a child is used as a pawn by manipulative and self absorbed people. It’s fascinating how the legal system works and yet this is no stuffy courtroom affair it is much more. Allowing the reader the opportunity to be a part of what is happening as it happens from the moment Angelika Szlezyngier rings her old schoolmate Joanna Chylka to ask her to represent her and her husband as their daughter, Nikola, has gone missing makes it an enthralling read.

The house was locked and with only roof skylights not connected it was fully alarmed. So how could Nikola be taken? And, if she wasn’t taken, what happened? As the evidence builds it becomes clear that the Police are not looking any further than the parents!

Joanna and her novice protégé, Kordian Orynski, work hard to find evidence that a third party was responsible for taking the child but it’s not easy and then everything comes crashing down when Angelika makes a devastating statement under oath!

This is a tremendous blow for the defence but what unfolds from then on will have the reader completely gripped. What happened that night? Is Nikola alive or dead? When everything is revealed will Joanna place her own career in jeopardy to bring justice for the victim and her client?

Well there are no spoilers here so you’re going to have to read this book to find out what really happens and I hope you do as The Disappearance is a really good read and definitely one I would recommend.

The Disappearance by Remigiusz Mróz is the second in this series and it’s the first book by Remigiusz Mróz that I’ve read but it won’t be the last. I’ve already bought the first in this series Final Appeal and I do hope there are more of this series to come as I’d love to know what happens next to Joanna Chylka.

Thanks
My thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for the invite to join The Disappearance Blog Tour. Also, thanks to the author and publisher for an advanced reader copy of the book in order to share my thoughts. Any thoughts shared are completely my own.

The legal thriller is a really interesting spin-off of crime fiction. While most mysteries start with the crime and a detective seeking whodunnit in the legal thriller this is often after someone has been named the suspect. Here then is a question of did they do it? If a detective novel is able to explore society and uncover kits secrets with the lawyer, we also get to peek inside the system of justice we have and while the detective is a often the knight-like figure the layer is more hired gun and this gets us into the quandary of helping people we think (or even know are guilty) – is this too justice? We get a great exhilarating and unusual take on this in Remigiusz Mroz’s thriller The Disappearance (expertly translated by Joanna Saunder) where in present day Poland we meet a duo of ambitious defence lawyers given a case that stretches even their capabilities.

The famous (or infamous) defence lawyer Joanna Chylka is rudely awakened from her night out by Angelika a sort of friend from her high schools. Angelica and her wealthy husband Awit Szlezyngier have been staying in their remote holiday home and found their three-year-old daughter missing, even though the alarms are on all night. The police have strong suspicions that foul play has occurred and the parents are very likely to be arrested. Chylka brings in her trainee lawyer Orynski Kordian to assist and the two find themselves in rural Poland and dealing with an unfriendly police force, suspicious village, media storm and a wily prosecutor. The case is not simple, many people are lying and connections to other criminal activity is being found. This may be a case that Chylka and Kordian cannot actually win.

First off this is a really engrossing thriller. The core storyline is a fine mystery and as readers knowing a chid is in danger or worse instantly gets us invested in uncovering the truth. There is a touch of the impossible crime in how Nicola was taken. We then have a growing list of suspects with secrets coming to like which actually includes Chylka and Kordian’s clients. This brings in the dilemma - can you really defend someone who is likely guilty and there is a marked contrast in how the veteran Chylka ignores the moral dilemma and the more idealist Kordian wants to find evidence to clear a client. The story cleverly weaves in enough clues we can’t make our mind up until the very end. Then we even get into organised crime and both Kordian and Chylka find themselves out in the field getting into danger and the set pieces later in the book really pile the pressure on both. It is incredibly fast paced but knows when to slow down to piece clues together, devise a strategy or even take an unexpected turn to keep you plunging into the story.

At the heart is the pairing of Chylka and Kordian who are absolutely fascinating as leading characters. Chylka is very much the lead – a middle aged, metal loving and ambitious lawyer who loves winning and knows many tricks inside and outside the courtroom to get a result. Kordian while equally ambitious to work his way u the law firm is intelligent but still lacking in court skills. The dynamic between the two is really interesting. They are in many ways very similar in their desires to win but Kordian just wants to also be shown to be on the right side while Chylka declares she never cares. They can be very similar - the story has a funny running plotline on their bet between each other to quit smoking. They trade insults with each other (Chylka’s are much funnier – she calls Kordian Zordon from the Power rangers!) and yet they have this interesting mix of mentor/pupil as Chylka shares her insights in the court to a strange sense of will they/won’t they as there is often some form of resisted attraction between then which simmers in the background (as they work together this would be career ending). They’re extremely likeable, imperfect and as each gets into danger we care for the outcome.

All of which supports the courtroom side of the thriller and for a UK reader its fascinating to actually get to see a different legal system at work rather than the British or american ones I’m most used to. While there are aspects we are used to – forensics, digital data, and the examinations and cross-examinations of witnesses but then we get the more unique aspects. How people become persons of interest, the appeals system and the way it is more judge than jury focused. The mix of the new and familiar means some aspects are not as predictable. Mroz uses these scenes to propel the story forwards and provide dramatic twists and turns before leading us to a conclusion that gives us a clear ending to the case but really unsettles our lawyers’ lives and definitely make you want to know what happens next.

Finishing (possibly devouring) The Disappearance I quickly got myself the first book in the series (this is only the second translated in the UK) and am very eager to see the tv show based on it. This is a really interesting and enjoyable thriller delivering a great mix of plot and unique characters to root for. I highly recommend booking your appointment with Chylka and Zordon (sorry Kordian) now you will probably be visiting them quite often!

Joanna is what you would typically expect of a high flying lawyer working out of a large law firm, she takes no nonsense and seems to live for her work and relish in any challenge that comes her way. So when she receives a call from an old friend asking her to represent her and her husband in the mysterious disappearance of their daughter, Joanna could hardly refuse.

She takes along her trainee lawyer, Kordian, and they begin to investigate further into what happened to the little girl. But every way they look, the evidence seems to stack up against their clients with all roads leading one way, that they are guilty. Joanna and Kordian seem to be fighting a losing battle.

Being a lawyer myself who works in the criminal justice system, I am always drawn towards legal thrillers. Granted this one is not based in England and Wales and therefore operates on a different legal system than I'm used to, but I still really enjoyed following along with Joanna and Kordians case nonetheless.

This book is full of twists and turns and just when you think Joanna and Kordian have reached a dead end a small glimmer of hope appears that allows them to keep pushing with the hope they might be able to get their client acquitted. I had the feeling from the beginning of this story that all wasn't quite what it seemed but I didn't manage to fully put the pieces together until the end.

There are some references throughout the book to a previous case that the two lawyers worked on and I realised that this was actually the second book featuring these two characters. This book is still entirely capable of being read as a standalone but I'm intrigued now as to what the book first is like and will be seeking it out to add to my TBR pile.

If you enjoy a courtroom thriller then this book is definitely one you will want to add to your reading list. I hope to see more from these characters as I definitely feel they haven't worked their last case together.

I love a good courtroom drama and this is definitely that. After reading it I discovered this is the second in the Chylka and Zordon Series which made sense as I had felt there was probably a previous book with these characters. Set in Poland where the court system is quite different to ours, however, it was easy to following as it was very well described. It’s quite a long book at nearly 500 pages but at no time did I feel it was too long. It’s very well plotted and written and a compelling read.

Briefly, Nikola, the 3 year old daughter of wealthy Awit Szlezyngier and his wife Angelika, has been kidnapped and Angelika has asked lawyer and old schoolfriend Joanna Chylka to help. Chylka has brought her junior Kordian ‘Zordon’ Orynski with her to meet with the family. With no obvious explanation for the disappearance, the alarm was on all night, no signs of forced entry or any disturbance, the police charge the parents with murder even though there is no body and the evidence is purely circumstantial. But this is only the start of the lies and deception around Nikola’s disappearance.

The two main protagonists are very different but both brilliant characters. Chylka is a hard, determined woman who is single minded and often at odds with those around her whereas Kordian is much more understanding and gentle. However, those two personalities work well together and underneath their businesslike manner there is a simmering attraction that they are both fighting against. The twists and turns in this will definitely keep you on your feet, and there are some shocking reveals coming your way. I really enjoyed this book and would definitely have purchased the earlier book had it been available in English.

I really enjoyed this one which is part mystery, part legal/courtroom drama (both genres which I love).

The book centres on the disappearance of a three year old girl taken from the home of her very wealthy parents. However, with the alarm set (and not triggered), no signs of entry (forced or otherwise) and a set of parents who appear quite edgy, the suspicion quickly falls on the parents who Joanna and her legal protégé, Kordian, are asked to represent.

What follows is part thriller, part domestic, and part courtroom drama. What makes the book so interesting for me is that the Polish legal system appears very different from the British and US systems (which I ordinarily read about) so it was interesting - and well explained - how the Polish system works.

The only thing which knocked a star off was that the book, despite being almost 500 pages, really rushed the ending in the last 20 pages or so. I did enjoy the conclusion but it just seemed to build to what seemed to be a thrilling climax and then ended abruptly.

All in all a really good and interesting read from a country where I read very little from,

A fascinating story mainly being told in a courtroom drama. The characters were all a bit larger than life but that’s the style of the book. I did find the Easter European names very hard to get used to and even towards the end of the book I always had to think who was who.

I really enjoy a courtroom drama, and The Disappearance was one such novel. It's a little different to other novels in the genre, which made it stand out for me and I loved trying to guess what would happen next, even though I had no idea. It's set in Poland, which means the justice and court system operates differently to the ways with which I am familiar, but the author explains these differences very clearly so that the plot is easy to follow.

The protagonists of The Disappearance are Joanna Chylka and Kordian Orynski. Remigiusz Mroz has built these characters really well and they are both fascinating characters in their own right; however the chemistry and back and forth between them is on another level. It provided another layer to the story and also gave us some lighter moments in between the darker elements of the plot.

The court case which forms the plot of The Disappearance is brilliantly conceived and I loved trying to fit the pieces of the puzzle together and work out what had happened. I loved the way the novel made me think about what would happen next, and there are plenty of twists and turns that add to the intrigue all the way through.