Vanished

David Raker #3

by Tim Weaver

For millions of Londoners, the morning of 16 December is just like any other. But not for Sam Wren. An hour after leaving home, he gets on a Tube train - and never gets off again. No witnesses. No trace of him on security cameras. Six months later, he's still missing.

Out of options and desperate for answers, Sam's wife Julia hires David Raker to track him down. Raker has made a career out of finding the lost. He knows how they think. And in missing person cases, the only certainty is that everyone has something to hide.

But in this case the secrets go deeper than anyone imagined.

For, as Raker starts to suspect that even the police are lying to him, someone is watching. Someone who knows what happened on the Tube that day. And with Raker in his sights, he'll do anything to keep Sam's secrets to himself.

Genres: Crime, Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook, Suspense, Mystery Thriller

486 pages, Paperback

First published July 19, 2012

About the author

Tim Weaver is the Sunday Times Top 3 bestselling author of the David Raker missing persons series, the standalone thriller, Missing Pieces, and the novella collection, The Shadow at the Door. His novels have been selected for the Richard and Judy Book Club four times, and his work has been nominated for a National Book Award and the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger. He is currently developing an original TV drama with the team behind Line of Duty. He lives near Bath in the UK. Find out more about Tim and his writing at www.timweaverbooks.com.

Reviews

[Siobhan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The David Raker series is highly addictive and if the truth is to be known Vanished is my favourite of the books (to date, as more are to come at the time of writing this).

This time we’re dealt a different bag as we’re not only watching the story unfold from David’s perspective but we’re also viewing things through the eyes of Colm, giving us an insight into what is going on with him following on from the last story rather than it being simple word of mouth from David. At first I was slightly unsure if I would enjoy the change but I certainly enjoyed it, coming to really enjoy the reappearance of Colm in this second book.

Once again we’re offered an interesting story: this time the mystery of Sam Wren. He gets on the tube train only to never get off. The police have been looking – or at least, did a quick look – but cannot find anything. Enter David and his methods of finding missing people. Sure enough, Sam has secrets that he has no wish for his wife to find out about. Yet in searching for Sam it appears as though David has entered a dangerous game and is soon finding out there is much more to Sam’s disappearance than the mere mystery surrounding the events.

Honestly, I cannot begin to explain how much I enjoyed this one. In fact, I finished it in one sitting as I was unable to put it down. Were it not for the fact that there are more books I would have been saddened by the ending but in no way would I have been disappointed – and that, in all honesty, is the closest thing to a criticism I have (and it isn’t even a criticism if we’re to be truthful). Of course, to explain my emotions would be to spoil things for the reader, but believe me when I say any fan of David Raker will certainly enjoy this great read – and if you’re not a David Raker fan I suggest you pick up Chasing the Dead and get up to date!

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 3rd book in the David Raker series by author Tim Weaver. I accidentally read this series out of order but it didn't spoil my enjoyment one bit. The character David Raker is an investigator who specialises in finding missing people.
Julia Wren approaches David Raker when her husband Sam goes missing. It appears he boarded a tube train on his way to work and simply disappeared. The police show little interest and they cannot throw any light on Sam's disappearance. Six months later, a cash strapped Julia is desperate to find her husband and asks David Raker to help.
Once David Raker starts looking into Sam's case it becomes obvious to him that there are untold secrets that need to be discovered. He is sure that both Sam and Julia have secrets that are being kept well hidden and will need to be exposed if this case is to be solved.
These books are well written with interesting plots and good strong characters. My only slight criticism is that I personally generally find the writing a little long winded at times and in need of a good editing. That said I am enjoying the series and about to start on the next book immediately.

[NILTON TEIXEIRA · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Vanished” (book 3 of David Raker series), by Tim Weaver

4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A short opinion:

This was my 3rd book by this author within a month.
Like the previous two, the writing and storytelling are very good, with a slow development and some gory details, but this one wasn’t so over the top and unbalanced.
The main character is smart, sensitive and very interesting.
This author likes to describe everything, so the book is longer than needed, but because I really like his writing style, that did not bother me at all and I didn’t find a second of boredom.

I’m looking forward to reading the 4th volume.

e-book (Kobo): 352 pages (default), 117 k words - divided into 5 parts and a total of 82 chapters.

[Bookread2day · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great novel by Tim Weaver. Vanished is totally unput downable.

Sam Wren gets on his tube on the circle line on the 17th December to go to work just like any other day. But this time Sam gets on his tube tand he does not get off.

Sam has no money with him and he has not taken any money out from his bank account since the day he disappeared.

Julia is questioned by police who Sam's friends are and relative's. Sam's tooth-brush is taken away for a DNA sample to help find Sam. Will Sam be found?

I highly recommend Vanished to all readers who like psychological suspense.

[Sibel Gandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Çok iyi ilerliyor seri 🖒

[Jefi Sevilay · Rating 3 out of 5]

En son okuduğum dedektiflik hikayesi Guguk Kuşu'na göre oldukça zayıf ve yüzeyseldi. Hikayeyi tam anlayabilmek için Londra Metrosu'na hakim olmanız gerek. Yoksa duraklarla ilgili anlatılanlar pek de birşey ifade etmiyor. Biri Yenikapı - Hacıosman'da kaybolsa hadi neyse.

Bir de genelde devam eden dedektiflik hikayeleri geçmiş kitaplardan bir nebze bahseder ama Tünel'in ben David Raker serisinin 3. kitabı olduğunu bilmiyordum ve geçmişten o kadar referans vardı ki hakim olamamak hikayeye de etki etmeye başladı.

Sonuç olarak okumazsanız hiçbirşey kaybetmezsiniz.

Herkese keyifli okumalar!

[Rob Twinem · Rating 4 out of 5]

"All of his novels were so fast-paced that the reader was compelled to turn the pages in a non-stop effort to reach the end of the book. The final page often produced a totally unexpected plot twist that would invariably leave even his most die-hard fans surprised. His early books contained some violence that matched the era in which they were written, though this was considerably toned down as plots centred more on circumstantial situations to create the high degree of tension that was the hallmark of his writing. Sex was never explicit and, though often hinted at, seldom happened" This is a Wikipedia description of James Hadley Chase, a prolific quaintly English crime writer of the 1950's, 60's 70's His novels were always tightly constructed, intricate without being overly complicated but at the same time fast and exciting reads. I do hope Tim Weaver will not mind when I compare his style of writing to that of Chase but with very modern twists and themes. From the opening paragraphs- of "Vanished" we the reader are immediately drawn in...."Healy looked down at the temperature readout as he pulled up outside the estate. Almost twenty degrees. It felt hotter than that. He'd had the air conditioning on all the way from the station but, on the journey over, nothing had cooled His sleeves were rolled up, his top button undone, but the car was still stifling. Even in the middle of the night, under cover of darkness, the heat continued to cling on....." And so we ask...who is Healy and why is he out in the middle of a hot and sultry English summer night?

There are no wasted words in Vanished every page is readable and exciting drawing you in and inviting you to stay. The central character in all Weaver's books is David Raker an ex journalist who now uses his inquisitive skills hiring himself out as a kind of private detective to search for those individuals who have disappeared, desperately sought by loved ones who really only want to know why? Julia Wren hires Raker to find her husband Sam who disappeared some months ago, took an early morning London tube ride and was never seen again. Layer by layer, like the peeling of an onion, the twists and turns of this excellent thriller proceed at a terrific pace. The London underground/railway is used to great effect for the action scenes; the police are searching for The Snatcher and as his name suggests he removes his victims with stealth and cunning, is there any connection between this killer and the disappearance of Sam Wren? In the final chapters just when we the reader thought the killer had been successfully identified there is a Hadley Chase moment and a "totally unexpected plot twist." My favourite character and one who demands greatest sympathy is ex London met detective Colm Healy, he was one of the Met's best detectives - until the unsolved murders of a mother and her twin daughters consumed his career, his family and his life. Healy's world finally collapses when his own daughter Leanne disappears, soon to be the subject of a murder enquiry. Raker and Healy have a tenuous relationship and one can never be sure if the broken and distraught detective will finally succumb to suicidal thoughts.

As an ardent reviewer and keen blogger I awarded this book with four stars simply because the early David Raker lacked a little of the oomph, vitality and sparkle of later adventures (What remains;David Raker 6 and Broken Heart;David Raker 7 are exceptional) Tim Weaver is an extraordinary talent whose love of writing and his wonderful storytelling ability is beyond reproach and I look forward with great anticipation the new Raker adventure due for release at the end of July 2017.

[Lynda Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Third time's the charm !! The first 2 in this series I gave 4* but this one I liked the most so it's a 5* at last for Mr Weaver. Even though he left us with an "Eastenders moment"....dum, dum, dum, right at the end ! I think if you've read the first 3 you're clearly a fan, as I am, so would be buying the 4th anyway. No doubt when I check reviews people will be bleating, however.....
Some of David's escapades in the past have left me wondering how on earth he gets out of such scrapes, let alone how he keeps getting into them in the first place. With this one, I didn't find it was so unbelievable, though. I enjoyed the parts featuring the London Underground. I've heard about ghost stations before and it has to be pretty fascinating down there. He mentions, however, that Westminster was the deepest one but I thought that accolade went to London Bridge ??
The story was full of twists 'n' turns and I made guesses in notations the whole way through, all wrong as per usual !! This is why I read and leave others to the writing part !! I couldn't even picture homes where the steps led down to the front doors, however much I tried (that aren't basements). I did wonder about Julia's reason for hiring Raker, as he did....she was an odd bird. I hope Raker will be working with Healy in the next stories as well. He has the most filthy temper but I can't help but like him. I liked his boss lady as well.
The portion where Jonathan invites a friend round was really cleverly done in being so sinister. I also liked his description of a tear falling and of a heart beating fast. I underlined both.
And yes, he persists in sticking to spelling the American way. There were odd mistakes....Mc Gregor not needing a space (and yes, despite myself, I muttered 'Mind the Gap'), a couple of sentences lost words, such as "Werr said, smile on his face" and "...I wouldn't have change lines on the journey home" Then he wrote born and not borne a couple of times and I'd have capitalised Magic Circle. Nothing truly appalling, though.
I'm looking forward to the next one for sure.

[Jo_Scho_Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Raker is back! In book no 3 he’s asked to track down a missing Londoner, Sam Wren, who sets off to work via the tube one day and never returns.

As usual with anything involving David Raker there is violence, blood, and so many twists and turns that you can’t stop reading. I really like Tim Weaver’s style of writing, and although you wouldn’t need to read the first 2 books there are returning characters in this one which do add to the story. Another great book by him.

[Cath Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love these books. Wish I had read them in the correct order though.
This is not one of the best in the series, but it makes me dying to read more.

This one reintroduced us to the familiar characters, and made me gasp in shock at least 3 different times!

[Kt Dixon · Rating 3 out of 5]

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

So initially I gave this book 4 stars - mainly because of how gripped I was with the story. I will say, for me, 75% of the book was a page-turner, and as a London resident, I enjoyed the Tube storyline and was able to easily follow the references.

That said, the last 25% of the book let me down, and I felt like the story had been abandoned from its original premise.

Firstly, by the end, there were chapters written by 3 different perspectives, 1 of which was shoehorned in and to be honest, was probably not needed. Too much time was spent on Healy's perspective and his storyline with the psychologist was also unnecessary and hard to follow, even as someone who had read the previous book and understood his background. I'm here to read about Raker.

Second, the premise was finding Sam Wren, and so his fate in the book by the end was reduced to a mere paragraph. I was expecting a meeting with Sam and Raker, to talk about how he vanished and his connection to Smart etc, something that would provide closure, so the fact that the last mention of him was about 3 chapters before the end and referenced him to being in hospital, our only lasting connection to him being through a short conversation between Raker and Sam's wife Julia - well, that just didn't make sense to me.

Finally, through more plot twists, we find out the drama isn't over, and the villain is still on the loose, with the author leading the reader to believe our protagonist is dead at the end. Now since this was written in 2012 and I know there are subsequent novels in this series, I know that not to be true. Was Weaver at the end of his book deal at the time of sending this to the publishers? It just felt like a bad cliffhanger and weak ending to the story.

These points haven't put me off entirely, and I'll continue to read the Raker series, as I do enjoy them. In this case though, I felt Weaver had bitten off more than he could chew and he couldn't quite tie everything together, so he rushed it instead and hoped for the best.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fast paced who 'dunnit' which goes off in many varied tangents,making the initial premise barely unrecognisable at story's end.

A gruesome,gritty and dark read,not for the faint hearted.

[Kasia (kasikowykurz) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 ✰ // Panie autor, za to zakończenie, to my się musimy rozmówić! Nie chcę nic mówić, ale ta seria jakby z każdym tomem robi się odrobinę lepsza, choć jednocześnie jest to jedyna część z serii, której nie przesłuchałam na raz, tylko zostawiłam na później (ale ten tydzień w ogóle jest ciężki książkowo). Po początku spodziewałam się raczej podobnych odczuć, co przy poprzednich tomach - stabilnie, ale bez większego szału, a tu proszę, takie zaskoczenie.

[Raven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite having already published two highly successful crime novels ‘Chasing The Dead’ and ‘The Dead Tracks’ featuring missing persons investigator, David Raker, this was my first foray into Weaver’s world and found this a well-crafted and dark psychological thriller. Although I was playing catch-up character-wise, Weaver’s exemplery and unintrusive insertion of back story made sure I was more than up to speed with Raker’s background and the causes of his uneasy relationship with the emotionally haunted detective Colm Healy. As Raker embarks on an intriguing missing persons case, layers of mystery unfold regarding the missing man, leading Raker back into the path of Healy who is himself on the trail of an elusive abductor ‘The Snatcher’- a man targeting homosexual men who is not all he appears to be. Healy is probably the most complex and interesting character of the whole affair, mentally tortured by the disintergration of his marriage and the murder of his daughter, and what we see is a man in need of revenge and redemption. Healy, we discover, is playing the long game by insinuating himself back into the police force after these events, but also trying to gain access to someone who has a played a part in the cause of his emotional turmoil- I’ll say no more. Although Raker is an altogether different character to Healy, he is no less determined and focused when tasked with finding the elusive Sam Wren, as Healy is in his search for ‘The Snatcher, putting himself in physical danger and uncovering a world of sordid and violent goings on that may be a little graphic for some readers. Weaver interlinks the two plot lines skilfully so the conflicting investigations of both men seem to naturally diverge, setting up the interesting interplay of their characters. We see a grudging but mutual respect develop between the two, which makes the bombshell events at the conclusion of the book all the more affecting.

I know in previous reviews I have criticised authors for not adhering to the 400 page rule but in this case the drift to over 500 did not irk me half as much as I thought it would! Due to the solid plotting and the overlapping stories, I think Weaver pretty much gets away with it and there are plenty of red herrings and surprises along the way that held my attention. This may also be due in part to my weird fascination with the London Underground, as Weaver incorporates a good amount of detail about the history of the Tube which is enough to be interesting but not enough to be show-offy, with the scenes in the disused tube stations being particularly effective and really quite sinister. All I would say is that if you use the Tube regularly, be on your guard!

I would certainly recommend this to lovers of the darker strand of crime fiction in the mould of writers such as Mo Hayder or Brian Freeman, and overall I found this an entertaining and satisfying read if a little disturbing…

[Giota]

Ντέιβιντ Ρέικερ: ο ερευνητής που θα ήθελε στην ομάδα της μέχρι και η Αγγελική Νικολούλη…
Μπορεί τον Tim Weaver να τον γνωρίσαμε σχετικά πρόσφατα, αλλά έχει ήδη αποκτήσει φανατικό κοινό. Τα βιβλία του, τρία μέχρι στιγμής κυκλοφορούν από τις εκδόσεις Bell, αποτελούν τη σειρά Υποθέσεις Εξαφανισμένων Προσώπων με πρωταγωνιστή τον ερευνητή Ντέιβιντ Ρέικερ και αποτελούν αυτοτελείς υποθέσεις με κοινό χαρακτηριστικό ότι σε καθένα απ΄ αυτά υπάρχει ένα εξαφανισμένο πρόσωπο που το αναζητά κάποιος.
Το πρώτο βιβλίο της σειράς έχει τον τίτλο «Κυνηγώντας τους νεκρούς» (Chasing the Dead), στο οποίο μία μητέρα η Μέρι, βλέπει στο δρόμο το γιο της Άλεξ στο δρόμο, ο οποίος όμως είναι ένα χρόνο νεκρός! Ζητά, λοιπόν, από το φίλο της Ρέικερ να τη βοηθήσει να εντοπίσει τί γίνεται. Όπως γράφεται και στο οπισθόφυλλο: «Σύντομα ο Ρέικερ θ’ ανακαλύψει ότι υπάρχουν πράγματα πολύ χειρότερα απ’ το θάνατο…»
Στο δεύτερο βιβλίο «Στις ράγες των νεκρών» (The dead Tracks), η 17χρονη μαθήτρια Μέγκαν Κάρβερ εξαφανίζεται από το σπίτι της πριν έξι μήνες και ακόμα δεν έχει δώσει κανένα σημάδι ζωής. Φαινομενικά δεν είχε κάποιον ιδιαίτερο λόγο να εξαφανιστεί, επρόκειτο για άριστη μαθήτρια και από μία υποδειγματική οικογένεια.
«Οι άνθρωποι που αγαπάς μετατρέπονται συνήθως σε αδυναμίες σου…»
Και έρχεται το τρίτο βιβλίο «Ο αφανιστής» (Vanished) , στο οποίο ο Σαμ Ρεν μπαίνει στον Υπόγειο Σιδηρόδρομο του Λονδίνου για να πάει για δουλειά, αλλά δε βγαίνει ποτέ και πάλι επιστρατεύεται ο Ρέικερ για τον εντοπισμό του… αυτή τη φορά έχει απέναντί του και την αστυνομία, η οποία όχι μόνο δεν τον διευκολύνει, αλλά του δυσκολεύει αφόρητα τη ζωή…
«Κάθε βήμα που είχαμε κάνει μέσα στη σήραγγα, κάθε θόρυβος που είχαμε ακούσει, κάθε είσοδος που θα έπρεπε να είναι κλειστή επιβεβαίωνε την ανησυχία του. Ήταν σαν να μπορούσες να αισθανθείς κάτι κακό εδώ κάτω…»
Ο συγγραφέας, εκτός από τις ενδιαφέρουσες ιστορίες, καταφέρνει να μας καθηλώσει με τα ανατρεπτικά φινάλε του. Για φανατικούς του είδους σαν εμάς, ο Ρέικερ σχοινοβατεί στη συνείδησή μας ως υπαρκτό πρόσωπο, με τα προσωπικά πάθη και βιώματα. Είναι σαν το φίλο απ’ τα παλιά που συναντάμε μία φορά το χρόνο τυχαία, μάς λέει μαζεμένα τα νέα του και χάνεται μέχρι την επόμενη φορά. Εν αναμονή της επόμενης φοράς, της έκδοσης του τέταρτου βιβλίου δηλαδή…

https://www.clevernews.gr/nteivint-re...

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank goodness for time off work. I picked this up 3 days ago and haven't been able to put it down. Easily Tim Weaver's best yet.

What I love about Weaver's books is that the reader is drawn in by an intriguing premise; here it's a man getting on a train, never getting off, and vanishing into thin air. But the beauty of his writing is this is barely scratching the surface and the deeper Raker looks the bigger the secrets he uncovers. And this time round the secrets are huge.

Surprisingly the book focuses heavily on the case. I say this because there's usually a lot of time dedicated to the main character's personal life in a crime / thriller. I'm not saying there was no time spent on the latter or that it's a bad thing either way but it was unusual.

Colm Healey makes a return and in one of the biggest surprises to myself I'm happy about this. I really wasn't a fan of him in The Dead Tracks but here he added a different dynamic to the book. He had dedicated chapters written in a different tense, his personal life was very much at the forefront and getting inside his head made it easier to understand him better. That's not to say his "wonderful" personality didn't surface but I was very happy to see Raker call him out on it.

Being a thriller there are plenty of twists, red herrings and utter shocks. I didn't manage to guess the suspect but trying to figure it out is all part of the fun. The early stages as Raker was beginning his investigation could be considered slow but to me it's just good exposition and taking it as a steadier pace isn't a bad thing at all.

I don't do trigger warnings but I will say that if you get disturbed to the point you can't continue reading by things that really should disturb you then this book won't be for you. The plot is extremely dark, graphic and horrible at times.

I don't have any complaints about this book. I was hooked immediately and couldn't turn the pages fast enough. If I was forced to come up with something (and it really doesn't take away from the fact I loved this book) it would be that cream was used a lot to describe the colour of things. I'm not asking for a diverse colour chart the likes of which you'd find in Wickes or B&Q but it did get a tad repetitive.

[Yiota Vasileiou · Rating 4 out of 5]

❣️ Ο Tim Weaver είναι ένα εξαιρετικό ταλέντο, του οποίου η αγάπη ❤️ για το γράψιμο και η αφηγηματική του ικανότητα είναι αδιαμφισβήτητα. Τα μυθιστορήματά του είναι πάντα σφιχτά δομημένα και περίπλοκα χωρίς όμως να είναι χαοτικά και συνάμα είναι γρήγορα και συναρπαστικά αναγνώσματα. 💯

«Ο Αφανιστής» λοιπόν δεν διαφέρει σε τίποτα από τα προηγούμενα της σειράς. Είναι τόσο εθιστικό τόσο που δε μπορείς να το αφήσεις από τα χέρια σου. Έχει…

👌 Ενδιαφέρουσα και συμπαγή πλοκή
👌 Συνεχή ροή της ιστορίας χωρίς σκαμπανεβάσματα
👌 Δυνατούς και καλοσχεδιασμένους χαρακτήρες
👌 Ατμόσφαιρα σκοτεινή και υποχθόνια
👌 Ανατρεπτικό τέλος που σε κάνει να θες να δαγκώσεις τα νύχια σου

❣️ Εν κατακλείδι, «Ο Αφανιστής» του Tim Weaver είναι μια σκληρή αλλά συναρπαστική ιστορία, ένα σκοτεινό παζλ 🧩 που κρύβει πολλά και νοσηρά μυστικά. Ο καταιγιστικά γρήγορος ρυθμός αφήγησης, ξεστρατίζει από χίλιες μεριές, κάνοντας την αρχική υπόθεση μετά βίας αναγνωρίσιμη στο τέλος της ιστορίας. Όταν πέσει στα χέρια σου ένα βιβλίο του Weaver ξέρεις, πέρα από κάθε αμφιβολία, ότι θα απολαύσεις μια υπέροχη κινηματογραφική παραγωγή 🎥🎥χωρίς όμως χολιγουντιανές υπερβολές και παράδοξα. Γι’ αυτό κάτσε αναπαυτικά γιατί η περιπέτεια αρχίζει‼️

Και για λόγους που δε μπορώ να αναφέρω υπό τον φόβο του σπόιλερ 😬, αυτή τη φορά περιμένω με ακόμη μεγαλύτερη ανυπομονησία τη νέα περιπέτεια του Ρέικερ που αναμένεται να κυκλοφορήσει… πότε, αγαπημένα μας BELL books
Καλές αναγνώσεις❣️

4,5*

https://vivliografika.blogspot.com/

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Setting: London, England; early 21st century.
This is the third outing for missing persons investigator David Raker and is yet another totally gripping read from this author.
Sam Wren boards his regular Tube train on the morning of 16 December but never gets off again - there are no eye witnesses as to what happened and Sam cannot be spotted on the extensive CCTV footage covering the Underground network. The police have drawn a blank but Sam is not vulnerable and therefore not a priority - so Sam's wife Julia hires David to find out what happened to him. It soon becomes clear that both Sam and Julia are keeping secrets and David soon turns up possible links between Sam's disappearance and those of several apparently gay men who have disappeared from their homes, with only their shaved hair being left behind. The media have dubbed this person The Snatcher - and David soon finds himself inadvertently hot on his heels and in great danger....
Another great read in this series and I have several more of them ready to read - which makes the cliffhanger of an ending even harder to accept! - 9/10.

[Anirban · Rating 5 out of 5]

21-22 October, 2014

5 stars

Tim Weaver is a name I had never heard before, but now that I have finished reading VANISHED its hard to make his name vanish from my mind, because he weaves great tales of crime and he writes then in a way which makes them fast and entertaining. David Raker, a London based P.I. specialising in finding missing person takes up a case where he is asked to find a missing husband.

The basic plot wasn’t anything new, but the writing style, the suspense created and the smooth flow of the plot made the reading experience something to cherish. Weaver’s creation David Raker, though a widower, is not gloomy and grumpy and has a social life. A breath of fresh air among the many and clichéd gloomy protagonists.

The plot if anything was simple, but the presentation and the ending with a twist that would go down as one of my most favourite twist, is a real pleasure. He keeps the book fast and literally turns this book into a page turner. Though this is my first Tim Weaver book, I am sure it won’t be the last one.

[Rainz ❤️rainnbooks❤️(on a break) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really not for the fainthearted, its tough and gritty with hard to bear details about the torture that humans can inflict upon other poor souls. Vanished is the story of how Sam Wren vanishes without a trace after boarding a Tube train to work. 3rd book in the David Raker series which I'm beginning in the middle like always but it didn't spoil the thriller in any way except for maybe the background info about the past case where Healy, the detective from MET is also involved. The ending gave me an electrifying jolt and if I hadn't seen other books in the series I would have been very disappointed. When you read such hard to digest books, I always wish for some positive hopeful ending if not, the negativity can affect me badly. The ending was perfect for this book but somehow the imagination just left me feeling hollow. Love to continue this series!

[June · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had never heard of this author,but picked up Vanished in the supermarket and will certainly be looking for more of his books.Its a crime novel with a difference that keeps you guessing until the very end.Loved it.

[Zeynep Gunduz Seyhan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ephesus’un o şaşalı günlerinden kalan bir kitap daha. Ne güzel polisiyeler basıyordu, tekrar özüne döner umarım.

[Book is always the answer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rozhodne zatím nejlepsi díl ze série, dokonce se snad hned podívám do dalsiho, protože mě konec nenechal chladnou 😁

[Πάνος Τουρλής · Rating 4 out of 5]

Μια γυναίκα αναθέτει στον Ντέιβιντ Ρέικερ να βρει τον σύζυγό της που εξαφανίστηκε στο μετρό του Λονδίνου. Ταυτόχρονα, ένας άγνωστος απάγει και εξαφανίζει ομοφυλόφιλους άνδρες και την υπόθεση την αναλαμβάνει ο αστυφύλακας Κολμ Χίλι. Ποιος είναι αυτός ο Αφανιστής και πώς μπλέκεται στην ιστορία;

Η τρίτη Υπόθεση Εξαφανισμένων Προσώπων με πρωταγωνιστή τον Ντέιβιντ Ρέικερ είναι εξίσου συναρπαστική και γεμάτη από αναπάντεχες εξελίξεις που συγκροτούν μια επίσης πολυδιάστατη και έξυπνη πλοκή. Έχουμε δύο ιστορίες που αρχικά εξελίσσονται παράλληλα, με τις έρευνες του Χίλι να ξεκινάνε λίγους μήνες πριν την υπόθεση εξαφάνισης του Σαμ Ρεν κι όταν τελικά συναντιούνται η ιστορία απογειώνεται γιατί αρχίζουν κάποια μυστικά να βγαίνουν στο φως, κάποια πρόσωπα να ταυτίζονται, κάποιοι ρόλοι να ανατρέπονται κι όλα αυτά οδηγούν σε μια καταιγιστική συνέχεια που με άφησε με κομμένη την ανάσα.

Ο αστυφύλακας πλέον Κολμ Χίλι κερδίζει την εμπιστοσύνη της αρχιεπιθεωρήτριας Μέλανι Κρόου και αναλαμβάνει τον εντοπισμό του Αφανιστή. Η επιστροφή του Χίλι στον Τομέα Διερεύνησης Εγκλημάτων μετά απ’ όσα έκανε για την απαχθείσα κόρη του προκειμένου να τη βρει (και συνέβησαν στο προηγούμενο, δεύτερο βιβλίο της σειράς), χώρισε την υπηρεσία σε δύο στρατόπεδα: κάποιοι τον κατανοούν και κάποιοι τον θεωρούν απερίσκεπτο και αναξιόπιστο. Τα βασικά προβλήματα ξεκινάνε με τον αρχιφύλακα Έντι Ντέιβιντσον, φανατικό ζηλωτή της αστυνομίας, που στα μάτια του ο Χίλι πήγε ενάντια σε αυτήν τη θρησκεία, για να μην αναφέρουμε και τους προσωπικούς του λόγους που ξεδιπλώθηκαν αναπάντεχα στο ανωτέρω βιβλίο. Παρ’ όλ’ αυτά, η Κρόου αναθέτει στον Χίλι, προς δυσαρέσκεια των νταήδων συναδέλφων του, να βρει τον άγνωστο που έχει απαγάγει τους Στίβεν Γουίλκι και Μαρκ Έβανς, δύο μικρόσωμους ομοφυλόφιλους, των οποίων ξύρισε τα μαλλιά και τα άφησε στο σπίτι τους, χωρίς κανένα άλλο ίχνος της ταυτότητάς του. Θα καταφέρει να τον εντοπίσει ο Χίλι, κερδίζοντας μια δεύτερη ευκαιρία στην καριέρα του; Θα υποταχθεί στους κανόνες ευπρέπειας ή θα κάνει πάλι τα δικά του; Γιατί όμως παρακολουθεί κρυφά και συστηματικά την ψυχολόγο Τερίσα Ριντ; Γιατί μυρίζει η ατμόσφαιρα μπαρούτι;

Ταυτόχρονα, με πρωτοπρόσωπη αφήγηση, ο Ντέιβιντ Ρέικερ εξιχνιάζει την εξαφάνιση του Σαμ Ρεν, διαπιστώνοντας πως έχει μπλέξει και πάλι σ’ έναν κυκεώνα από ψέματα και καλά κρυμμένα μυστικά που θα τον εμποδίσουν στις έρευνές του. Σε προσωπικό επίπεδο, έχει προχωρήσει τη σχέση του με τη δικηγόρο Ελίζαμπεθ Φίνι, οχτώ μήνες μετά τα γεγονότα του προηγούμενου μυθιστορήματος, και βλέπουμε έναν χαρακτήρα που ακροβατεί ανάμεσα στη θέληση για αλλαγή και στην ανάγκη να συνεχίσει την ίδια συμπεριφορά. Κατάφερε η Λιζ να τον αλλάξει; Του έδειξε τον λάθος δρόμο που ακολουθούσε; Ο Ντέιβιντ είναι ειλικρινής: «…μπορούσα να ελέγξω αυτό το κομμάτι μου και να αλλάξω. Να είμαι όχι ακριβώς αποστασιοποιημένος αλλά ούτε και να εμπλέκομαι τόσο συναισθηματικά με τους ανθρώπους που αναζητούσα. Όταν εμπλεκόσουν συναισθηματικά μ’ αυτούς, με τις ιστορίες τους, με τους ανθρώπους που είχαν χάσει, έπαιρνες ρίσκα: έμπαινες στο σκοτάδι, χωρίς να ξέρεις τι υπήρχε εκεί…». Η αλήθεια είναι πως στο μεσοδιάστημα αυτό ο ντετέκτιβ αντιστάθηκε στον πειρασμό να παρασυρθεί στις σκιές κι έμενε στη σωστή πλευρά της διαχωριστικής γραμμής αλλά αυτό δε θα κρατούσε για πάντα: «Το να εκπληρώνω τη δέσμευσή μου στους χαμένους… συνιστούσε αυτό που ήμουν. Ήταν συνυφασμένο μαζί μου» και τελικά ίσως η έλλειψη κατανόησης της Λιζ να δημιουργήσει και το ρήγμα. Θα καταφέρουν να το παλέψουν άραγε σωστά και οι δύο;

Η Τζούλια Ρεν αναζητά τον άντρα της που μπήκε στον σταθμό της Γκλόστερ Ρόουντ πριν από έξι μήνες και δεν ξαναβγήκε. Πώς μπορεί κάποιος να χαθεί σ’ ένα μετρό; Τι άλλαξε στη ζωή του τους τελευταίους έξι μήνες; Γιατί δούλευε τόσο πολύ χωρίς να κερδίζει περισσότερα χρήματα; Ο αστυφύλακας Μπράιαν Γουέστερλι που ανέλαβε την υπόθεση την άφησε να σέρνεται αφού δε συντρέχουν σοβαροί λόγοι υγείας. Τα ίχνη οδηγούν όχι μόνο σε κύκλωμα σωματεμπορίας ανηλίκων αλλά και σε κάτι πιο σκοτεινό και βαθύ και τα πράγματα γίνονται χειρότερα όταν ο Ντέιβιντ Ρέικερ διαπιστώνει πως η έρευνά του τέμνεται με αυτήν του Κολμ Χίλι. Περπατάμε στο δαιδαλώδες σύστημα του Υπογείου του Λονδίνου, σε ενεργούς αλλά και κλειστούς σταθμούς και, ακόμη χειρότερα, σε μια σκοτεινή ύπαρξη που οφείλει τη δημιουργία της στην κακοποίηση που υπέστη κατά την παιδική ηλικία. Ο συγγραφέας αποφεύγει τις λοιδορίες και τις αιτιάσεις, ποιος φταίει, γιατί και κατά πόσο και στρέφει τη ματιά του στο καθαυτό κακό που μπορεί κάποιος να προξενήσει μεγαλώνοντας σε τέτοιο περιβάλλον.

«Ο Αφανιστής» είναι ο νέος εχθρός του Ντέιβιντ Ρέικερ και τον οδηγεί στα βάθη των συρμών και των ψυχών σε μια περιπέτεια πιο «μαζεμένη» από τις προηγούμενες, χωρίς πολλά παρακλάδια αλλά με εξίσου ενδιαφέρουσες και ποικίλες ανατροπές. Τα βήματα επίλυσης του εξαφανισμένου άντρα και του κατά συρροή απαγωγέα εκτείνονται, αναλύονται, διασταυρώνονται και τα κομμάτια του παζλ συγκροτούν μια ανατριχιαστική εικόνα, ανεκτή μόνο απ’ όσους αντέχουν να βυθίζονται στην ατμόσφαιρα και στα θέματα του Tim Weaver. Το Λονδίνο τελικά δεν έχει τίποτα να ζηλέψει από την Αμερική ως προς τους δολοφόνους, τη βία και τα σκοτεινά μονοπάτια…

Πρώτη δημοσίευση στο site μου: www.vivliokritikes.com/%ce%bf-%ce%b1%...

[Talei Loto · Rating 2 out of 5]

SPOILER ALERT: Do not read further, if you have not read the book and want to be 'surprised.'

In a nutshell. Enjoyed the setting - could pinpoint places in London, which I liked. My only criticism on the setting, is that working in the city, you have security guards so you can't just waltz into buildings as this story alluded to several times.

On the characters and plot - I felt there was one too many characters in the story and I didn't have time to really empathise with all of them. Also - and *spoiler alert here* I couldn't understand why you would 'knock off' your main guy at the end - that really annoyed me. Overall, I thought the story was promising, some nice gritty stuff in there but you know, I just felt let down with the bloody ending.

[Yumiko Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are two plot lines at the beginning of the book;
David Raker is searching for a man who went missing six months earlier during a Tube journey, while meantime DC Healy has been assigned to the hunt for a supposed serial killer who removes the body of his victims but leaves behind their hair, and these two eventually merge.

The book is well written and the characterisation of the main protagonists Raker and Healy is absolutely brilliant.
Much of the story involves the Tube (London Underground) and the author manages to make this aspect atmospheric and sometimes downright creepy.

I can't wait to read the next installment (Never Coming Back) very soon.

[Debbie Cleaveley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This started promisingly but lost any realistic plot about halfway through. I finished it more out of curiosity rather than compulsion. I’ve not read any of the other volumes in this series and based upon this book, can’t imagine that I will.

[Seda Şendenel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bu tarzı seviyorum

[Míša Končelová · Rating 5 out of 5]

Je to prostě Tim Weaver! Nemůže zklamat!

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite an epic story that keeps you enthralled. Rich characters, a creepy story, a real puzzle, satisfyingly written. Nice to consume.