The Cold Vanish: Seeking the Missing in North America's Wildlands

John Billman gives a first-person narrative on how he came to find out about the 'cold vanish' - essentially unsolved cold cases where people disappear, usually presumed dead (or not). The cold vanish of persons especially in the U.S. national forests and national parks lends an extra layer of not only intrigue, but Billman gives first-hand account to family and loved ones' experiences in navigating the liminal space of how and who to turn to when searching for a loved one that disappeared in the vast wilderness in our nation. This lends an extra complication where jurisdictions and local law enforcement can't and won't tread. Billman travels with some of the family members looking for answers. Some cold vanishes are found tragically, and some are still a mystery. Billman also records the NPO's that have put their best efforts to create databases and records of missing persons in national parks and national forests as local, state and national records are scarce - there is so much work to be done on this mysterious circumstances. A fascinating read.

If you want a Tru Crime series in the version of a book, this is it. If you want a good read and good writing I would suggest Ghosts of the Tsunami. Every other paragraph in this book ends with a doom-laden sentence. It would have been a really interesting read if it had actual facts and not just stories of serial killers and guesstimates for numbers. I was really disappointed with this books and think I'll re-gift it to someone I know who thinks conspiracies lurk around every corner.