Vanishing Point

Claire Reynier #2

by Judith Van Gieson

When talented young writer Jonathan Vail vanishes without a trace on a camping trip, he leaves behind a wilderness journal, and an acclaimed first novel. But questions abound. Has the twenty-three-year-old prodigy been dispatched by thieves? Does his girlfriend, whose version of Vail's disappearance in Utah's Slickrock Canyon satisfies no one, know more about Vail's fate than she is telling? And what of Vail's eagerly anticipated work-in-progress, a new canyonlands journal, apparently lost along with his body? Flash forward more than thirty years, when a rock slide reveals a hidden cave near Slickrock Canyon. Vail's body isn't recovered, but the missing journal is. When it is presented for authentication to Claire Reynier, an archivist and rare-books expert at the University of New Mexico's Center for Southwest Research, danger and mayhem suddenly come to anyone who touches the faded spiral notebook or seeks to discover what happened to Jonathan. Suspenseful twists of plot make this story a page-turner. Vanishing Point , the second in Judith Van Gieson's Claire Reynier mystery series, will please all mystery buffs who seek authentic Southwest settings, including ones in and around Albuquerque and the University of New Mexico, the town of Madrid, and the wide skies and long shadows of the Southwest's canyonlands. Lovers of the literary mystery, meanwhile, will delight in Reynier's detective work.

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

Hardcover

First published February 1, 2001

About the author

Judith Van Gieson is the author of a children’s book, a collection of poetry and short stories, and thirteen mysteries. Her short stories have appeared in several mystery anthologies. In the first mystery series eight books, featuring female Albuquerque attorney/sleuth Neil Hamel, were published by HarperCollins. Neil’s work often involved environmental issues including endangered species and wildfires. Books in this series were published in England, Japan and Germany. It was optioned by CBS. The Lies That Bind was a finalist for the Shamus Award for best detective novel. The series won the Spirit of Magnifico Literary Award.

There were five books in the second series with heroine Claire Reynier published in paperback by Signet, in hardcover by University of New Mexico Press and in a large print edition by Thorndike. Claire works as an archivist and librarian at the Center for Southwest Research at UNM. This series involved rare artifacts and New Mexico history. The Stolen Blue was a finalist for the Reviewer’s Choice Award. The Shadow of Venus was a finalist for the Barry Award and won the Zia Award given by New Mexico Press Women for Best Work of Fiction by a New Mexico woman.

Series:
* Neil Hamel
* Claire Reynier

Reviews

[Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars for Vanishing Point: Claire Reynier Series, Book 2 (audiobook) by Judith Van Gieson read by Meredith Mitchell.

This is a really interesting mystery set in southern Utah. This story twists and turns all the way back to the Vietnam War.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another great novel by Judith Van Gieson - the sleuth (Claire Reynier) is the archivist of rare books at the University of Albuquerque library - I want her job! I also want to go to New Mexico, not only because so many mysteries to do with books seem to take place there, but also because the scenery and nature are described in brilliant detail - the canyons, caves and endless skies. In this novel, the case of the missing diary leads to murder and danger amongst the mesas and mountains of this magnificent southern US state ....
Sadly, there are only 5 novels in the Claire Reynier series and I have now read them all. Fortunately, though, there is another crime and thriller series by Judith Van Gieson, featuring Neil Hamel, 'a woman and lawyer with a passion for the truth....' (Amazon), which is now available on Kindle, so I will start with the first in the series, and trust that it, too, will deliver.

[a · Rating 5 out of 5]

A most excellent 5 star read! I really enjoy the writing, the descriptions of New Mexico are spot on. I like the slow pace and the no sex or violence is nice. the writing is thoughtful and descriptive. Maybe my favorite aspect is Claire's age, being in my 50's as well, it's a whole new world...

[Jeff Dickison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good novel about a literary mystery. Famed youthful anti-establishment author goes on the run from the draft in 1966. He enters a canyon in New Mexico and disappears forever. Or did he? Well written, very enjoyable with a great leading lady. Recommended.

[Arizonagirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Claire Reynier series, book*2. Archivist Claire Reynier is in charge of the archived writing's of a young activist novelist, Jonathan Vail, who disappeared in Utah's Slickrock Canyon. When a grad student shows up with Vail's missing diary, Reynier is drawn into the mystery of the missing novelist.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 - Good

[Carmella · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and fast mystery read!!! I would be interested in reading more by this author!!

[T J · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good New Mexico mystery.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Jonathan Vail's novel made him famous. His disappearance made him a legend. Thirty-five years ago the young writer embarked on a camping trip in Utah's Slickrock Canyon, never to be seen again. His journal vanished with him. Now, archivist Claire Reynier, preserver of Vail's legacy, finds herself drawn into literature's most elusive mystery. But separating fact from fiction proves to be a dangerous proposition. The search for the missing diary ha led Claire to a case of cold-blooded murder committed in the shadow of Vail family secrets -- and linker to a devoted fan determined to keep the mystery of Jonathan Vail's vanishing buried forever . . ."
~~back cover

A nice little mystery -- one in which the focus shifts several times until the truth is finally discovered, in the oddest of places. Not exactly a page turner, the book still holds the reader's interest, partially because of the ethereal descriptions of the New Mexico landscape in all it's autumnal beauty.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just started. I like her main character Claire.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy the Claire Reynier Mysteries! I have the next one and the final one...I'm going to have to search for book #4.

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adventures of an UNM archivist.