Vanished

Sara Mason never expected to be face to face with the barrel of a gun when she made a quick trip to the convenience store for dog food. When the two gunmen attempted robbery, and found no significant cash on the premises, they shot the cashier. Sara knew she would be next, so in a desperate attempt to save herself and a child hiding nearby, together they made a run for it. After the dust settled, she was in the hospital suffering from a gunshot wound, and the little girl she tried to protect was nowhere to be found. Everyone was convinced that her trauma caused her to confuse the current events with her daughters abduction seven years prior. Jake Hogan was her best friend, but even he was having doubts about her story until a local television station aired the security tape from the store proving she wasn't crazy. Jake has been Sara's best friend and confidant since Lexie disappeared. She stormed into his office demanding to hire a private detective to find her missing daughter. It killed him that he had not been able to find any real clues to provide her some closure and peace of mind. He made a point to be there for her any time she needed him. Jake was hopeful one day when she felt strong enough to move forward; she could return the intense feelings he had for her almost from the beginning. He was worried about her though. She had been doing so much better, but after being shot, she seemed to be backsliding. When he found some of Lexie's old toys on the floor in her bedroom, his worry escalated, but when Sara started receiving calls from her daughter that disappeared, he knew in his gut that someone was trying to get to her for some reason. This was a very intense suspenseful read! Sara has lived in limbo all the years her daughter has been missing waiting and hoping for some kind of closure. She has gone through hell, and when she sees a glimmer of hope, she is shot, and her life starts to unravel all over again. Her responses are so emotional, that it was sometimes painful to read. Jake is such a good man, and has the patience of a saint! Thrilling read, but it ended very abruptly.

The book arrived in perfect time. My wife wanted something to read on our trip, and she loved it.

I read the other reviews and I was surprised that not everyone loved the book. I don't get hung up on dates as one reviewer did, as far as I'm concerned if the storyline is good, WHO CARES. Anyway, this is the story of a woman whose child Lexie was kidnapped and 7 years later she starts receiving messages from 'the child' and odd things related to Lexie start to happen. She has a best friend Jake who is secretly in love with her but because she is so devasted about the loss of her child, she can't see it. I am giving nothing away here, all above is realized very early in the book. I think it had plenty of action and I don't really think it had as much sex as one reviewer put it. Anyhow, I did enjoy it and while it took me 5 weeks to finish it, it was only because I read slowly because I didn't want it to end. Towards the end my heart beat so fast I could hardly contain it and at the very end, I very nearly cried. Loved it. Ten stars!!!

Very good book! What an ending...Her child Vanished...She's a prosecutor and her trials connect with her daughter's disappearance!

Seven years ago, Sarah Mason, now an Assistant District Attorney, the Acting Head of Major Crimes, let her five year old daughter Lexie go to a nearby table in the park to get a piece of cake. The child never returns to her mother and there are no clues for the police to follow up on. Sarah hires Jake, a private detective to search for her daughter, but he fails. Still they become friends, but Sara felt empty inside since Lexie vanished and wanted to die until, in the present, she almost does during a robbery. Somebody is trying to make Sarah believe her daughter is alive through some cruel incidents. Sarah wonders if one of her enemies from amongst those she prosecuted or the Beaufort police Department are behind the threat to her as she currently works a rape case against two cops. Calls from apparently Lexie occur and their safe word is written onto her car window. An unknown adversary is terrorizing Sarah through Lexie, but she has no idea who or why. Jake, who loves her, vows to keep her safe and somehow find out who is terrorizing a mother who lost her child. Sarah doesn't even know if her daughter is dead or alive. Karen Robards has written an exciting romantic suspense about a woman needing closure to get on with her life, but instead seven mourning years later she finds more troubles and fears. The sexual tension between Jake and Sara is so hot that sparks fly off the pages. The story is told from the points of view of the lead couple so the audience knows how the hero feels about his lady in distress. VANISHED is a haunting tale that grips readers from the moment Sarah is shot and never slows down until the final twist. Harriet Klausner