Shelley Burr was our International Women’s Day speaker last year and we have been waiting excitedly for the release of her next book.
Vanish did not disappoint. I couldn’t put it down.
This is the third Lane Holland mystery. I am sure you can enjoy it as a stand-alone book, but Wake and Ripper will give you even more background.
It is set on a community farm at Hume Weir near Albury where Lane knows people have mysteriously disappeared. Are they dead or in hiding? Is the farm a commune or a controlling cult? Are these people evil or all working for a common good?
Lane has been moved to the Kaparthy farm from prison in preparation for life as a free man. He had been a detective who specialised in missing persons, and he still has one more case he needs to solve. He knows Matilda Carver was living on this farm nearly 20 years ago before she vanished! He uses the guise of a man wanting to become a farmer to learn more about the Kaparthy farm, its residents and why people disappeared without a trace. There are a variety of lost souls and interesting characters living on the farm. They all work hard and are supplied with accommodation and living essentials, but no money is paid to them until they leave the farm. Is this a safe place for them?
There are so many questions and unexpected plot twists that keep you guessing until the end. The story was inspired by an actual criminal case, which gives it an authentic feel.
Vanish was a riveting and thought-provoking read.
-Jenny Congdon, Berrigan Shire Library
