What if the client who’s hired you can’t be trusted…and the woman you’re looking for doesn’t want to be found? With Then She Vanished, three-time Edgar Award winner and New York Times-bestselling author T. Jefferson Parker delivers a new and pulse-pounding thriller.Private Investigator Roland Ford has taken a job for a fellow Marine and a rising politician, Dalton Strait. Strait is contending … Dalton Strait. Strait is contending with unexplained bombings of government buildings in his district…but that is not why he hired Ford. Strait’s wife, Natalie, has gone missing, leaving behind a cryptic plea for help. Strait has made many enemies during his time in politics–including some of his own family members–all of whom could be looking for revenge. But as Ford digs into the details of a troubled marriage, Natalie’s disappearance becomes more and more complicated.
Meanwhile, the bombings in the city intensify, with a mysterious group known only as the Chaos Committee claiming responsibility. Ford soon learns that the seemingly random attacks may be connected to the case he’s on–and suddenly, his hunt for a missing woman might decide the fate of an entire city.
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Roland Ford walks alone as the world implodes around him.
“Then She Vanished” unfolds as a first person narrative by Roland Ford, a private investigator who finds things other people cannot. He lives in Fallbrook, California, the avocado capital of the world. Parker creates a frantic story of anger and violence in an age of chaos, complete with a hotly contested political election, bomb threats, a missing woman, and the pitfalls and complications of a legal cannabis operation. All this would make a great typical thriller, but this story has something more; this story has Roland Ford.
Roland Ford is far from a typical PI. Despite the title “Then She vanished,” this is Ford’s story, and he tells it in a blunt, unhurried, way. He is faded and frayed by his experiences in war, but he can take care of himself and does not let anyone or anything stand in his way. He frequently pauses to reflect on his past and to plan his strategy, and of course to remember Justine. He is methodical and logical, not wasting time yet not wanting to miss anything. Supporting characters are complex and unique, but Ford stands, and stands alone, amidst the surrounding chaos like a movie hero, focused, walking tall and unhurried through the fire while the world implodes around him.
“Then She Vanished” has nonstop action on every page. There is a touch of humor amidst the chaos as one of Ford’s “irregulars,” tenants on his farm, reveals her predictions for the future, but she can only see ahead three weeks at a time. Ford names his truck “Vivian,” prompting readers to wonder just who Vivian might have been. I received a copy of “Then She Vanished” from T Jefferson Parker and Penguin Publishing. Parker leaves readers with thoughts of the goodness of our world and the people in it, the comfort of kindness and respect, the hope that comes from belief that the next day can be better and the day after that better still. And in the end, there is always dancing.
A little slower than the first other books in this series
Another good book
Was ok. Will be interesting to see how the story carries over to the next one.
Roland Ford rocks. A great series character who continues to evolve. This, the 4th in the series, lives up to and surpasses the previous ones. Great story, well written. Can’t wait for the next in the series.
DP Lyle, award-winning author, lecturer, story consultant
352 pages
3 stars
Private Investigator Roland Ford is asked by a former Marine acquaintance named Dalton Strait to look for his missing wife Natalie. She apparently has gone missing for a few days before, but showed up eventually. This time, she has been gone for two days and her politician husband is worried about her.
While Ford is looking for Natalie, there are a series of bombings going on in the city. The Chaos Committee is claiming responsibility. Ford soon learns that the bombings may very well be related to Natalie’s disappearance. The case gets more difficult complete with dead ends and false leads.
It has been a long time since I have read one of Mr. Parker’s novels. I don’t recall them being this confused or bland. The book doesn’t specify why the husband gets worried after two days when his wife has a history of being missing for longer periods of time. It struck me as a little odd.
I liked the book, but Mr. Parker is not living up to his potential with this story. This book seem to drag and it was almost depressing to read. I will continue to read his offerings, however, for I recall that he has been very good in the past.
I want to thank NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam/GP Putnam’s Sons for forwarding to me a copy of this good book for me to read, enjoy and review.