As Cheryl Cooper’s birthday approaches, she believes her new life in Sugarcreek, Ohio is the best gift she’s ever received. She loves running the Swiss Miss gift shop, and even though there have been a few bumps along the way, she feels content. But an unexpected discovery in an abandoned laundry chute raises disturbing questions that could point to a woman who disappeared decades ago. Could she … she have been murdered? Is there a connection between the woman and the building that houses Cheryl’s beloved shop? As Cheryl begins a search for answers, her parents and her brother, Matt, come to town for a visit. Family tensions and disturbing clues from the past mix together to send Cheryl down a path that will challenge her personal relationships and finally solve an old mystery.
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This is such an unexpectedly enjoyable little series. Once again, the mystery remained lighter than in most other series in this genre (cozy mystery), although it was tinged with some heavier topics around the edges. But before I wander too far into that, let me stick with my format.
What I liked about “Simply Vanished”:
Cheryl’s character became a little more full with the introduction of her family – If you’ve been with this series from the start, you’ll know that Cheryl’s parents and her brother are occasionally referenced, but this is the first time we actually meet them, as they come to visit, and we get to see a little of their family dynamic.
As I mentioned in my brief opening, there were some heavier topics addressed – POTENTIAL SPOILER WITHIN THE PARENTHESES!! (((There were some allusions to a murder and some domestic abuse, though we don’t witness it. We see some strife within Cheryl’s family.))) While these topics can cause a little discomfort, they are handled with care and the book maintains the series’ lighter tone, despite the upheaval of a mystery to be solved.
There was resolution but it didn’t feel overly tidy – I appreciated that the author addressed all the issues that were raised throughout the story, the big ones and the smaller ones, but they didn’t all necessarily get tied up with a pretty bow with rainbows and unicorns and everyone feeling shiny. Life can be messy sometimes. Not everything is easily brought right and sometimes the resolution is ongoing. Even with that feeling, given some of the circumstances, the ending felt satisfying.
A couple of the mysteries didn’t have obvious solutions, although one did (for me) – I picked out the answer to one puzzle almost immediately and another I had correct strong suspicions about, but the fact that I was off-base on literally everything else was refreshing. It kept me engaged in the unfolding events and surprised at the reveal. My favorite kind of mystery.
Cheryl’s slow realization of…things – Something I especially enjoy about this series and its characters is that they seem to recognize “things” at the same speed as real life. It brings a sense of relate-ability that I appreciate.
Cheryl and Naomi’s friendship – I find myself especially drawn to strong female friendships in book series. I love the way they develop and the way in which they are depicted. We never know where these treasures will pop up in our own lives and it is lovely to have literary role models for these precious relationships too (and not just romantic or familial ones).
What I didn’t care for:
I had a hard time getting a feel for the timeline until deeper into the book – This is trivial, really, but this series follows such a natural feeling timeline that not knowing “when” I was in relation to the previous book felt a small bit uncomfortable for me. I kept scanning back to see if I had missed a reference somewhere, knowing that Book 7 took place around Valentine’s Day. It was eventually clarified, but I would have liked that to happen sooner.
Overall, I am pleased with the progression of this sweet series. There are obvious Christian overtones, given the publisher, but that isn’t a problem for me. I like that the “believe-ability” of this series in consistent, with the mysteries being more curious and benign, fitting in with the charming community. (Sometimes with these series and the murders upon murders upon bodies showing up everywhere makes me wonder why these people don’t move away already, to be honest!) With this series using a “revolving authors” method, I have to say that Nancy Mehl’s contributions are definitely among those that I like in terms of tone, mystery selection, and story advancement. To this point, each book I’ve read has been by a different author, so this is the first “returning author” I’ve encountered. I will be watching, going forward and referring back to earlier works, to see which of the contributing authors I prefer and how consistently that delivers.