The Vanishing Point
One of the finest crime writers we have, Val McDermid’s heart-stopping thrillers have won her international renown and a devoted following of readers worldwide. In The Vanishing Point, she kicks off a terrifying thriller with a nightmare scenario: a parent who loses her child in a bustling international airport.
Young Jimmy Higgins is snatched from an airport security checkpoint while his guardian watches helplessly from the glass inspection box. But this is no ordinary abduction, as Jimmy is no ordinary child. His mother was Scarlett, a reality TV star who, dying of cancer and alienated from her unreliable family, entrusted the boy to the person she believed best able to give him a happy, stable life: her ghost writer, Stephanie Harker. Assisting the FBI in their attempt to recover the missing boy, Stephanie reaches into the past to uncover the motive for the abduction. Has Jimmy been taken by his own relatives? Is Stephanie’s obsessive ex-lover trying to teach her a lesson? Has one of Scarlett’s stalkers come back to haunt them all? (from Goodreads)
Young Jimmy Higgins is snatched from an airport security checkpoint while his guardian watches helplessly from the glass inspection box. But this is no ordinary abduction, as Jimmy is no ordinary child. His mother was Scarlett, a reality TV star who, dying of cancer and alienated from her unreliable family, entrusted the boy to the person she believed best able to give him a happy, stable life: her ghost writer, Stephanie Harker. Assisting the FBI in their attempt to recover the missing boy, Stephanie reaches into the past to uncover the motive for the abduction. Has Jimmy been taken by his own relatives? Is Stephanie’s obsessive ex-lover trying to teach her a lesson? Has one of Scarlett’s stalkers come back to haunt them all? (from Goodreads)
My Thoughts
This was very good. I wouldn’t call it fast paced, because the author spends a large amount of time helping us understand how Stephanie and Scarlett’s relationship went from business to close friends. This is integral to the whole story line, and through the process, I grew to really like both women.
There’s a twist close to the end that caught me off guard but was very well thought out. Initially, I did not like the very, very end. Once I let the story settle and gave the ending more thought, I decided maybe there was just no other way for this tale to close.
I am very excited, as this was my first Val McDermid book. I’m looking forward to reading more from this very talented author.
Thank you to Grove/Atlantic, Inc. (Atlantic Monthly Press) and Netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.
Publish date: September 4, 2012.
I love when the author throws in a twist that surprises you, great review!
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