Irene Hannon's Vanished ~ Reviewed

Vanished

By Irene Hannon

Published by Revell

ISBN# 978-0800721237

336 Pages

Book Cover:  Reporter Moira Harrisons is lost. In the dark. In a thunderstorm. When a confusing detour places her on a rural, wooded road, she's startled by the sudden appearance of a lone figure caught in the beam of her headlights. Though Moira jams on her brakes, the car careens across the wet pavement--and the solid thump against the side of the vehicle tells her she hit the person before she crashes into a tree on the far side of the road. 
A dazed Moira is relieved when a man opens her door, tells her he saw everything, and promises to call 911. Then everything fades to black. When she comes to an hour later, she is alone. No man. No 911. No injured person lying on the side of the road. But she can't forget the look of terror she saw on the person's face in the instant before her headlights swung away. The person she hit had been in trouble. She's sure of it. But she can't get anyone to believe her story--except a handsome former police detective, now a private eye, who agrees to take on the case.


Vanished is the exciting first book in the Private Justice series: Three justice seekers who got burned playing by the rules now have a second chance to make things right.

Review:  Irene Hannon’s new novel engages the reader from the start. Action crashes on the scene literary from page one. Reporter Moria Harrison is caught in a bad storm at night. Someone runs out on the road. Moria sees her at the last minute. Tries to avoid the women but it’s too late! A Good Samaritan shows up on the scene to help. He says he’ll call 911 and see to the woman in the street. Relieved, Moria feels kind of out of it – the next she knows she’s been out of it for a few hours. When she awakes she doesn’t see police, no ambulance and no women! Did she dream all this?  She dials 911 herself and they soon arrive on the scene, hear her story and find nothing to back it up.

Did she imagine all this? Was the night playing tricks with her mind? It was dark and storming. She’s not sure what the woman or the Good Samaritan looked like. The Police think she’s bumped her too hard! She wants answers but needs help. A Phoenix PI service is recommended. All they could do was say no we can’t take the case! You’re Crazy. She already heard this from the police, so off she goes. She had nothing to lose and everything to gain if they said they’d look into it.

I enjoyed the three young men who made up the Phoenix team. They were college room mates and had history together. They reminded me of the three musketeers’. All of them had an Irish heritage and served in different parts of law enforcement before they decided to work together. The Phoenix team specializes in cases that fell through the cracks of traditional law enforcement.

This author pens a suspenseful drama that could be ripped from today’s headlines.  It’s the first novel in a new series about the Phoenix P.I. Service called Private Justice. Vanished focuses on Cal one member of the team who takes on Moria’s case. I liked reading about the mystery, suspense and the budding romance between Moria and Cal. It was playful and fun as they sandwiched it in between the drama and the surprising turns the case takes. It’s a tale that keeps you guessing right up till the end. I recommend this as a book club pick. It will create lively discussion. It’s a layered story everyone one will want to discuss, and give their opinion how they viewed the story. I’m looking forward to the next book in this suspenseful and fun series.

Reviewed by: Nora St.Laurent

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