ONE MURDER THAT WAS NEVER SOLVED.Two lovers on the run.And three kidnappings, cover-ups, and betrayals.Imagine GET SHORTY meets ROMANCING THE STONE.“The best mystery-thriller-adventure book I’ve read this year!”Cooper Chain can’t sleep. He doesn’t want to believe it. And he can’t stop singing the lyrics from the old Hall & Oates song, “She’s gone.”Stuck in Miami to drop off his daughter, … song, “She’s gone.”
Stuck in Miami to drop off his daughter, Cooper’s world goes from bad to worse. But is there a clue on a dead body that could lead him to Willow?
On the run from the cops and aided by a woman with skills akin to the Black Widow, Cooper’s quest to find Willow is met with one death threat after another. Who can he really trust?
Ten years ago a little boy was murdered in a hilly Alabama forest. Is it possible that a re-connection of Ball & Chain is tied to uncovering the killer?
There’s a dark shadow looming over one county in the deep south. And a black hole might just devour Ball & Chain…unless they’re to trust a clan of misfits. It might just be too crazy to work.
With the clock about to run out, can Cooper, Willow, and their new friends solve a cold case and out-run, out-think a legion of ruthless mercenaries before they’re buried for good?
You’ll bust a gut at the wild cast of characters that ride shotgun in this heart-pounding Ball & Chain adventure.
Get VANISH now!
You’ll devour this book if you’re a fan of Michael Connelly’s Ballard and Bosch, David Baldacci’s King and Maxwell, Harlan Coben’s Myron Bolitar, Tess Gerritsen’s Rizzoli and Isles, Janet Evanovich’s Fox and O’Hare, Stuart Woods, or the TV show “Castle.”
*Warning: The Ball & Chain Thrillers are an addictive thrill ride full of white-knuckle suspense and snarky wit. Mystery-thrillers with a slice of humor and a dash of romance. Proceed with caution.
Don’t miss out on all the Ball & Chain Thrillers:
MERCY – Book 1
FEAR – Book 2
BURY – Book 3
LURE – Book 4
PREY- Book 5
VANISH – Book 6
ESCAPE – Book 7more
Willow took off leaving Cooper only a note–he is devastated and after dropping his daughter off at her Mom’s in Florida he decides he just has to find her. Now if you have been reading along with this series you will know that these two are magnets for trouble with a capital T! Cooper is followed and ends up in an alley with a really bad guy. He manages to fight him off and kill him but finds a note that might lead him to Willow.
So much happens in this novel and at the speed of light as Cooper and Willow attempt to get out of it alive.
Will they find each other? Will they be able to overcome all the bad guys? AND just who are the good guys and who are the bad guys-pretty hard to tell and you will have to read this thrilling suspense novel to find out!
Vanish is the latest installment in the A Ball & Chain Thriller by John W. Mefford. This is book #6 in the series and the books just keep getting better and better. John W. Mefford writes a interesting and exciting story which drew me right in, making me forget everything else and did not let me go until I turned the last page. There are so many twists and turns, you don’t know who is friend and who is foe. Who can you trust? The characters are well defined and believable. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat furiously turning the pages to find out what happens next. This can be read as a standalone but much more enjoyable if you read the series from the beginning. If you like fast paced exciting thrillers this is the series for you. I can’t wait for the next book to come out.
This series just keeps getting better and better. The drama and action builds to a new high as the chase is on. The characters have fully developed a rapport that drives the plot forward. Can’t wait for the next one.
A most entertaining Ball and Chain! The backwoods characters and the ” missed her by that much” will keep you turning the pages for more.
Vanish by John Mefford is the latest installment in the A Ball & Chain Thriller. It continues the adventures of Willow and Cooper. At the end of the previous book, Willow decided to accompany a stranger hoping to gather information on her father’s whereabouts. However, this decision would lead her in danger, which had the potential to end her life.
At the start of Vanish, Cooper is struggling with Willow’s decision. He refused to let it slide and decided he would go search for her. Cooper is a magnet for trouble, so it came as no surprise when he was attacked by a strange man outside of a bar. To make matters worse the man chose to kill himself instead of answering Cooper’s questions. As a result he is on the run from the law and the people who want to hurt him. Aided by beautiful, but deadly woman, he would find himself in the middle of a dangerous situation. Will he be able to find Willow before it is too late?
Mefford weaved a fast-paced spine tingling and nerve-wracking tale, which never gave me a chance to catch my breath. Action, suspense and danger could be found at every turn of the page. Chase after endless chase with no end in sight. The addition of a new slew of characters made things more interesting. Differentiating between the good and the bad guys proved to be a difficult task for Willow and Cooper, which placed them in a precarious situation. However, to find their way back to each other, while eluding their enemies they had to place their trust in strangers and hope for the best.
In the midst of the danger, there were some funny moments, which helped to lighten the mood somewhat.
The author did a great job of depicting the emotions of the characters. Willow struggled with her decisions and was remorseful about the danger she brought to the door of persons who came to her assistance. Cooper’s regret of not telling Willow of his true feelings stood out.
This latest ordeal may have ended, but their troubles are not over. There are still unanswered questions and the danger is ever present.
Conclusion/Recommendation
Vanish is another exciting and suspenseful addition to the series. I wait with bated breath for Escape, the next installment, where the adventures of Ball and Chain continues. Fans of suspense and thrillers will get a kick out of this series.
A great fun ride through the back woods of Alabama. There is so much local hysteria going on that you almost forget that Willow and Cooper are constantly fighting for their lives.John Mefford keeps getting better with each book he writes.
Mefford brought this into my backyard (almost literally since I’m in Tennessee!). As if the dark backwoods weren’t creepy enough, I don’t think I’ll be strolling through them any time soon. Willow makes a hair-brained move that puts her, and those connected to her, in danger. She’s desperate to know information about her father, so much that she is willing to VANISH with a stranger. When this series began, I would have told you that I’d expect Cooper to do something so crazy; but we’ve come to learn that Willow often does things on a whim — especially when emotional or personal connections are involved. Cooper’s heartbreak nearly broke my own – he definitely needed a hug! In typical Chain style, a drink, a stranger, and an attack all turn the situation onto its head. We are swept into a cross-state chase adventure that makes you question everyone Ball & Chain come into contact with along the way. Mefford has an incredible way of shifting your trust as to everyone’s motives! VANISH is another strong installment in the series and makes sure it keeps a grip on you to ensure a reading of the next one. Movie/TV execs need to be in talks with Mefford about turning his series to screen – phenomenal!
I have volunteered to share my review and all the opinions are 100% my own.
This series gets more and more exciting with each book, and this one pretty much doesn’t let up on the excitement stakes from the first chapter.
Willow has been persuaded to leave with an FBI agent who claims to have information about her missing father (who may or may not be involved in organised crime) but this is without letting Cooper know why, so he is heartbroken.
I won’t say anything more about the plot as I don’t want to avoid spoilers, but what I will say is that there is a superb range of characters, both good and bad (and some who may be a bit of both), and they are all really well described and believable. You do know with a book from this author that the action passages are going to be really exciting, and this book really delivers on that front, in fact it is on the verge of almost having having too many and getting too manic, but fortunately it avoids that.
One slight drawback to the frenetic nature of this book is that Cooper doesn’t have very many opportunities to let loose with his usual snarky humour, it is there, but I thought that there was less than in the other books.
As usual with series, this book makes much more sense if it is read in the context of the earlier books, but it could just squeak through as a stand-alone.
I received an advance copy of the book from the author, but have voluntarily written this honest review.
Vanish is the sixth book in the Ball and Chain series by John Mefford. Before I began this series I was not one to pick up a thriller or a suspense book, always assuming that they wouldn’t be ‘my type of books’. With that in mind, I had not expected to embark upon this series, and the more I read about Willow Ball and Cooper chain, the more i am kept on the edge of my seat, rapidly page-turning whilst trying to get to the end for the real twists.
Vanish is an excellent addition to the series, it continues with the mystery of Willow’s father, and how she entrusts a stranger in an attempt to gain answers. However, all is not what it seems. Cooper is beside himself, unsure of what to do without Willow, and shocked to find her gone leaving only a note. But it’s not long before he’s on the hunt to track her down, but like all of Mefford’s books, it’s not without drama, action and some unexpected twists and turns.
It is a perfect read for anyone who loves fast-paced books, and loves action/thriller/suspense books. It has really changed my mind about the genre, and I am always recommending this series to family and friends.
Wow what a crazy ride this was! Willow has upped and left Cooper to go and find out more information about her dad after she takes off with an FBI agent, leaving him feeling like a little lost sheep. After dropping his daughter Lauren off at her mum’s in Miami he heads to a bar for some down time and decides he is going to go look for Willow. From that moment things take a slightly sinister turn. We discover that Willow has been taken and heading to god know where, and Copper is attacked by a guy after leaving the bar, only for him to take a suicide pill and die before Copper can get any info out of him.
The host of characters and thrilling story line in this book will have you hooked and on the edge of you seat as you follow Copper tracking narrowly missing Willow by what feels like mere minutes. This is one thrilling adventure for both of them with some comedic moments that you can’t help but think that only Copper and Willow could get involved in! Vanish is just the tip of the iceberg with regards to what is going on with Willow’s father, and I have no idea what direction Mefford is going to take us but I am sure its going to be one helluva ride and one that I cant wait to take right along with them.
5 stars
VANISH
Willow leaves a note and takes off in search of information about her father.
Cooper takes Lauren to Miami to spend some time with her mom. While in Miami Cooper meets a beautiful woman named Lucia who seems interested in him. As he is leaving Lucia and walking back to his motel, he is attacked and fights with his attacker who ends up dead. As the cops are closing in, Lucia races into the alley and whisks Cooper away. Cooper finds a note left by the attacker which eventually sends him and Lucia to what is called the Coke Ovens in Alabama. So now Cooper is on the run but with help from Lucia. Meanwhile Willow is also headed to Alabama with the mysterious lady in the silver Camry (who is called Silver). After driving for a couple of weeks Willow get suspicious and escapes Silver. Now both Willow and Cooper are on the run separately being hunted, chased, shot at, kidnapped and more. They each meet different characters and are involved in different situations, trying to find each other and stay alive. I was a little confused trying to figure out what in the world was going on, but by the end it all made sense. An interesting read with some whacky characters!
The Ball and Chain story continues with Vanish. This story will have you guessing throughout the whole book. You will wonder who, what, why and hope there will be answers along the way. Very well written and gripping. Love how John W Mefford creates his characters and gives them life. I highly recommend this book and all of the Ball and Chain ones. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this story.
If you like all the other Mefford thrillers you’ll enjoy this one as well. I love how fast everything happens and there is always twists and turns and this one does have all of that. There are several new people introduced here not just Cooper Chain and Willow Ball. They are all well developed interesting characters but the one thing missing was the banter between Cooper and Willow. Since the majority of the book Cooper was searching for Willow, they didn’t have the back and forth funny moments.I missed that since it is one of the great parts of their relationship. But I did like the new characters and the book did the same as others which is keep my attention and was sorry for it to end. I look forward to additional books with Cooper and Willow. I have become a fan of books in a series instead of just one book. There is so much more the author can do by having a series. Great book once again from Mefford.
Author John W Mefford at his very best with his new book, VANISH!! Willow had disappeared, and Cooper decides to go try to find her, even though she had left a note to say “Do not try to find me.” On Cooper’s quest to try to find Willow, the love of his life, there then begins ONE HUGE WILD AND CRAZY READ RIDE!! Cooper and Willow get into so many predicaments, each on their own, that it feels like the world’s best roller coaster ride EVER. An abundance of very unique characters surround Cooper and Willow and their scary episodes, as they each separately parallel each other all over the creation as they are both on the run of their lives, with Cooper trying to escape getting caught, and Willow trying to escape the perils she finds herself in at the same time, but their paths not diverging on each other…so close to each other, but not knowing it. This is the MOST action packed book I have EVER READ!! I felt like I was running with them!! Heart pounding moments that left me breathless and dizzy, and laughter along with tears, because I was laughing to so hard at times. VERY unique characters. VANISH is the best YET from accomplished Author John W Mefford. NO spoilers so you just MUST get this book, and experience one of life’s greatest moments as you read VANISH, and you WILL NOT be able to put this book down until you finish it!! KUDOS to John W Mefford for this work of book art!!! You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll be frightened for Cooper and Willow, and you’ll meet up with some very very UNIQUE characters that Cooper and Willow meet up with during their crazy CAPTIVATING RUN!! ENJOY!!
After Willow left a note telling Cooper not to follow in her pursuit to find her father, Cooper couldn’t let it go. After dropping his daughter off in Miami, he tries to sort out where Willow could have gone. While there, as usual, Cooper ends up on the wrong side of the law, but this time he flees with a new friend and a clue. Chaos and danger follow them to the Alabama backwoods. Will he find Willow? He doesn’t know, but he won’t stop until he does.
This was a fun read. The characters that Cooper met on his quest to find Willow were such a hoot. I was laughing so hard at all the predicaments Cooper found himself in. This series has gotten so good. I am so ready for the next encounter of Willow Ball and Cooper Chain.
I am lucky enough to have gotten a ARC copy of this book from the author. I am volunteering to leave this review. Another edge of your seat book. Awesome book, fantastic series, and a author that just keeps getting better and better.