Readable but did not stand out in any way for me. ( )

Very good dynamic between the two detectives FBI and Portland PD . I look forward to the rest of the series and the development of their relationship. I know even if they don't end up romantic partners they will end up friends, that is how Kendra writes, realistically. Ms Elliot understands that just because men and women don't sleep together they can work together and be friends and just because they sleep together here and there they can still have a great relationship, personal and working. ( )

Pre-oderded with release date for Kindle of June 17, 2014 ( )

3.5 Stars. Vanished centers around a child kidnapping that takes place just before Christmas. Henley is the step-daughter of Mason Callahan's ex-wife. Detective Mason Callahan, has just found out that one of his confidential informants, a prostitute has been murdered and he is under suspicion of the murder. He is asked by his ex-wife to help, and becomes the family spokesperson. Thanks to the quick thinking of the family, the FBI quickly assembles a special taskforce to investigate this case. Chief among the agents is special Agent Ava McLane, who is specifically assigned to be a liaison to the family. As Agent McLane and the other members of the taskforce begin working the case, secrets surrounding the family members begin to be revealed. Working tirelessly and hand-in-hand to bring Henley home safe, Mason and Ava develop a mutual admiration for one another. Soon one thing leads to another.

This story started out as any book by about a child kidnapping, but there was a twist that I was definitely not suspecting. There was some suspense, quite a bit of drama and a bit of romance toward the end of the story. All in all a satisfying story, but not as good as the later series I have read by this author. I listened to the audio book using Kindle Unlimited and enjoyed it. This book has a dual narration by Nick Podehl and Amy McFadden, reading the chapters based on whose POV it was. I really enjoyed this, as the voices were so much more realistic than one narrator trying to do voices. I will read/listen to the next book in this series to see how the relationship between Callahan and McLane develops.
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Vanished
3.5 Stars

When his ex's stepdaughter is kidnapped, Oregon State Police detective, Mason Callahan, teams up with FBI agent Ava MacLane to investigate the disappearance. But as the time passes and the evidence emerges, Mason realizes that his ties to the case may be closer than anyone imagined.

Series note: This book #1 in the spin-off from the Bone Secrets series. While the story can be read as a standalone, Mason does feature prominently in the earlier series.

Mason is an intriguing character in the original series and his story lives up to expectations. The mystery revolving around a child abduction is gripping from the start and the details on FBI procedure are well-researched an realistic. While the resolution is ultimately predictable, the climax is intense and exciting.

On the romance front, Mason and Ava have great chemistry and the development of their relationship is believable.

One problematic aspect, which is unfortunately a trademark of Elliot's writing, is her tendency toward having characters behave inconsistently or in a TSTL manner in order to further the plot. That said, this is not a significant detraction and the book is enjoyable overall.

In sum, an entertaining romantic suspense read and I look forward to reading more about Mason and Ava.
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Review for the audiobook edition: I found the narration rather compelling, and truly enjoyed the way that the narrators shifted based on the point of view at work in the given section of the book, since the story is told from the alternating viewpoints of the two main characters. But, this practice has a downside. That is, everything in that particular section of the book, including dialogue, would come from the given narrator representing the current point of view. This means, in effect, every character had two different voices, which could be distracting and confusing, though I did get used to it after a bit. Though it would have been more work, I would have liked if they had kept the point of view shifts, but with the appropriate narrator stepping in for the dialogue as needed, for the sake of consistency.

As for the story: while it isn't the most captivating work I have encountered in the genre, I did find it compelling and intriguing, and I will be reading/listening to the other books in the series. Callahan and McLane are both rather compelling characters and, while their relationship develops rather quickly here given the amount of time actually spent together in the narrative, they are each believable in their own right. It's also worth mentioning that, while this book does introduce the two, the narrative seems to be completely freestanding. That is, there are no big cliffhangers or anything like that, so, while I have not yet read book two, I would be very surprised to find that the books in the series don't stand essentially completely independent of each other outside of sharing the same main characters. This is always a concern that I have as I debate whether to read a book in a series. But, if you only get book one to see if you like the narrative style, you won't be left hanging at all. ( )

The combined elements of a murder mystery and kidnapping of a young child make up this psychological thriller that deals with danger more on a mental level rather than a physical one.

Mason Callahan is a character we’ve met in previous books in the series. He and his partner Ray Lusco are with the Oregon State Police Major crimes division and have been instrumental in solving cases in the previous books. Mason has always been a fascinating character and I was thrilled to learn this book was going to be about him. We’ve only got to see the work side of Mason – even though that’s all Mason’s life really is about – so it was nice to finally get to know the man behind the cowboy hat.

While I was reading this it came to mind more than once what on earth Mason had done to the author to warrant her putting this poor man through the mental anguish she did in this book. But that makes for good reading and she didn’t just stop with him, the heroine FBI Special Agent Ava McLane, who was part of the team working to find the girl, certainly had her fair share of mental anguish too. I really liked Ava, she was good at her job and had great insights and was able to separate personal issues from the job which was something Mason wasnt able to do in this book.

There was a large cast of characters in this one along with many facets of the FBI including the Child Abduction Rapid Deployment (CARD) Team which was fascinating to learn about. They deploy teams of experienced personnel to provide on-the-ground investigative, technical, and resource assistance to state and local law enforcement when a child is abducted. There was obviously a lot of homework done in the writing of this book and it really showed. I was captivated from page one and of course was rooting for my man Mason to get his HEA and some peace of mind.
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No book report here just some general thoughts

* although true to life for this type of situation - I got tired quickly of all of the family dynamics and conflict that took up at least a 1/3 of the book
* I was more interested in the death of the CI, then the missing child
* Ava's sister Jane seemed to just complicate the story line - there was no resolution to this relationship
* finally at approx. 2/3 into the book the connection between the suitcase, missing child, missing dog, CI death, and man in peacoat is being made - finally things started to get interesting
* I like Mason as a character - strong, honest, riddled with guilt, not afraid to show his emotions
* For me Ava is still a work in progress - not 100% behind her character
* not feeling the connection, chemistry between Mason and Ava - will call this a work in progress since they reprise roles in book 2 in the series ( )

A Page Turner

A great story from the start. Couldn't wait to get to the next page. Looking forward to next book in series. ( )

An eleven-year-old is abducted on her way to school and the FBI and the local authorities waste taking measures to bring her home. FBI agent Ava McClane is sent to act as the family liaison and Oregon State Police Detective, Mason Callahan is on hand. Minis ex-wife's step-daughter has been the child abducted. ( )

VANISHED was another engaging, heart-pounding suspense novel from Kendra Elliot. The main crime is one that sends chills up the spine of any parent - a child abduction. Detective Mason Callahan learns that one of his confidential informants has been murdered and then he gets the call that his ex-wife's eleven-year-old stepdaughter has been kidnapped. Mason is close to his ex-wife and her new husband. After all, they have had the major responsibility of raising Mason's son Jake. Mason is married to his job. It caused the break-up of his marriage and is about the only thing that gives his life meaning.

The FBI pulls out all the stops to try to find young Henley Fairchild. Agent Ava McLane is embedded into the family to help them while the investigation is going on. Since Mason is also staying with the family to be their public spokesmen and liaison with the police, the two of them get to know each other. First of all, the respect each other's competence and dedication. But soon the respect turns to romance. Both of them are wary because of previous bad relationships.

The tensions just keep ratcheting up in this thriller as clues are found and investigated and as evidence builds that Mason is the one who killed his confidential informant. Mason knows he is being framed but his main concern is for finding Henley. It takes a long time, and Mason spends a lot of time in denial, before they realize that the two crimes are connected.

I like that the characters in Elliot's romantic suspense titles are multi-dimensional people. Ava McLane is also trying to deal with her mentally ill, drug-addicted twin sister while trying to concentrate on finding Henley. She fears that she might become like her sister and she feels so helpless because she can't help the sister who doesn't think that anything is wrong with her.

This story was hard to put down and kept me reading late into the night. I highly recommend it. ( )