VANISHED
By Joseph Finder
Author Joseph Finder is a keeper. The reason being he writes such fast paced thrillers that the reader can barely keep up with the plot as it races from page to page. His new book Vanished is one of his best and that is saying a lot since he has had much success with his earlier novels.
In this book the focus is on Nick Heller, a special investigator of sorts. Trained by the Special Forces he is now working for a large organization that investigates anything and everything for the right price. But as the book starts Nick has a personal problem. His brother Roger has disappeared -- or more descriptively vanished.
Nick gets this information when his nephew Gabe calls him with that information. He also tells Nick that his mother Lauren, Roger's wife, is in the hospital after having been assaulted when she was out with her husband on a "date."
As Nick begins to search for his brother old problems begin to resurface. The primary one is his father Victor. He is in prison serving time for crimes he committed in the financial world. After his father's conviction Nick went into a field as far away from his father's as he could get, while Roger followed his father into the business arena.
The plot gets convoluted and complex but it is always fun. The reader barely has time to catch his/her breath but being this anxious and this enthralled is a fine form of reading entertainment.
Some authors sacrifice having the characters in their stories fully drawn because they are concentrating so much on the suspense of the book, but not Finder. He creates a full bodied person in Nick Heller as well as in Gabe and Lauren. Knowing them and liking them makes the dangers contained in the story that much more intense.
If you are not familiar with Joseph Finder's writing, Vanished will be a good introduction. Then you will want to go back and read his earlier works such as Paranoia, Power Play and Company Man.
Here at the end of the summer there is always time for one more good read. For that last vacation trip, pack Vanished and escape from the everyday world into Finder's.
Vanished is published by St Martin's Pres. It contains 400 pages and sells for $25.99.
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