What do you think?
Rate this book
Lee Callaway #11
The Vanishing Kin
One moment they were there, the next they were gone.
How can an entire family vanish into thin air?
Fourteen years ago, a doctor, his wife, and two sons disappear unexpectedly. The dinner table was set. There was food on the stove. Their car was in the driveway. But they were nowhere to be seen.
Private Investigator Lee Callaway is pulled into finding out what might have happened to the missing family. The only remaining relative is fighting dementia, and he is desperate to know the truth. Callaway knows time is running out, but he also knows, the odds are stacked against him.
Can Callaway solve the baffling mystery before it’s too late? Or will he finally concede that this case might be the one that is truly unsolvable?
How can an entire family vanish into thin air?
Fourteen years ago, a doctor, his wife, and two sons disappear unexpectedly. The dinner table was set. There was food on the stove. Their car was in the driveway. But they were nowhere to be seen.
Private Investigator Lee Callaway is pulled into finding out what might have happened to the missing family. The only remaining relative is fighting dementia, and he is desperate to know the truth. Callaway knows time is running out, but he also knows, the odds are stacked against him.
Can Callaway solve the baffling mystery before it’s too late? Or will he finally concede that this case might be the one that is truly unsolvable?
377 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 13, 2023
1067 people are currently reading
557 people want to read
About the author
Thomas Fincham
77 books152 followerspen name for Mobashar Qureshi
THOMAS FINCHAM holds a graduate degree in Economics. His travels throughout the world have given him an appreciation for other cultures and beliefs. He has lived in Africa, Asia, and North America. An avid reader of mysteries and thrillers, he decided to give writing a try. Several novels later, he can honestly say he has found his calling. He is married with two kids, and he lives in a hundred-year-old house. He is the author of LEE CALLAWAY series, the HYDER ALI series, the MARTIN RHODES series, and the ECHO ROSE series.
THOMAS FINCHAM holds a graduate degree in Economics. His travels throughout the world have given him an appreciation for other cultures and beliefs. He has lived in Africa, Asia, and North America. An avid reader of mysteries and thrillers, he decided to give writing a try. Several novels later, he can honestly say he has found his calling. He is married with two kids, and he lives in a hundred-year-old house. He is the author of LEE CALLAWAY series, the HYDER ALI series, the MARTIN RHODES series, and the ECHO ROSE series.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
January 20, 2024
One of the worst books I've ever read. I usually don't take the time to write reviews, but this book was so bad I felt I had to for this one.
Two totally different stories were told throughout the book that never came together or ever related to one another. Never made sense. Don't waste your time on this one!
Two totally different stories were told throughout the book that never came together or ever related to one another. Never made sense. Don't waste your time on this one!
January 30, 2024
Absolutely Incredible
This book is absolutely incredible. The storyline keeps you guessing from beginning to end. I absolutely loved all the twists and turns!
This book is absolutely incredible. The storyline keeps you guessing from beginning to end. I absolutely loved all the twists and turns!
December 24, 2024
Great read
The story started slow, but there are a lot of people to introduce. Once you get to know all of them, the story moved along very well.. Great ending.
The story started slow, but there are a lot of people to introduce. Once you get to know all of them, the story moved along very well.. Great ending.
January 1, 2025
I really wanted to give this a higher rating, with better writing and/or editing it could have been a very interesting story. Unfortunately there were just too many errors both grammatical and factual to overlook, with several of the factual errors being egregious enough as to ruin any attempt at suspension of disbelief on the part of the reader. Furthermore, the writing felt exceedingly lazy at points with plot devices that were taken, detail for detail, directly from viral stories spread on social media. In fact, one part of the story seemed to be nothing more than a reimagining of the Gabby Petito story. At some points the details were irritating either due to their repetition - how many times do we need to be told that Callaway drives a Charger and is uncomfortable leaving it in seedy parts of town - or else due to their utterly pointless inclusion - no one needs the author to describe what a high chair is and how it is typically used. Additionally, as others have mentioned, I did expect the two separate stories to eventually come together so the fact that they were unrelated certainly left something to be desired. And lastly, the “twist ending” felt obvious pretty much from the start.
December 25, 2024
This book suffered from a lack of editing. There were so many errors that even a causal reader could spot them. There were grammatical and factual errors. For instance, someone was hit in the head with a rock, the killer bent down immediately, touched the arm of the victim, and knew the person was dead because the arm was cold. Really? It takes more than a few seconds for a body to go cold! This is the first book of the series I have read. It will also probably be the last.
February 4, 2025
Don’t event bother. The two plot lines never come together, the chapters end so abruptly and jump around so chaotically it’s hard to follow either of them at times. The author way over explains everything and most of the dialogue sounds nothing like how actual people speak. And we get it. He drives a Dodge Charger. Let it go. And the kindle formatting is absolutely atrocious, it’s hard to focus. Will not be reading anymore from this series and suggest you do not either.
May 18, 2025
I think this is the first time I’ve ever given a book a 1-star rating. I honestly only finished it because I wanted to know what happened to Lily’s bulldog.
First of all, there were two separate storylines that had absolutely nothing to do with each other. I thought (assumed) they would eventually tie in to each other, but nope.
Secondly, the writing was horrible—especially the dialogue. Totally stilted and not at all the way people actually speak to each other.
Third, the writer would go off on tangents, like he’d just been waiting for the opportunity to make a point about something.
Last, but certainly not least, he obviously didn’t do much research. What animal shelter allows you to drop off a dog and say, “I’m going on vacation. I’ll be back for him in a couple of weeks.” ??? Umm … the answer is: there is NO animal shelter that would allow you to do that. Animal shelters are not free boarding facilities.
I’m intrigued by the fact that this is #11 in a series and baffled as to how it’s rated higher than 4 stars.
First of all, there were two separate storylines that had absolutely nothing to do with each other. I thought (assumed) they would eventually tie in to each other, but nope.
Secondly, the writing was horrible—especially the dialogue. Totally stilted and not at all the way people actually speak to each other.
Third, the writer would go off on tangents, like he’d just been waiting for the opportunity to make a point about something.
Last, but certainly not least, he obviously didn’t do much research. What animal shelter allows you to drop off a dog and say, “I’m going on vacation. I’ll be back for him in a couple of weeks.” ??? Umm … the answer is: there is NO animal shelter that would allow you to do that. Animal shelters are not free boarding facilities.
I’m intrigued by the fact that this is #11 in a series and baffled as to how it’s rated higher than 4 stars.
December 16, 2025
I just finished this book, the first I have read in a series of 11 books. Callaway is an old school PI who is tasked with finding a family presumed murdered 14 years ago. His client is the father, suffering from dementia , hoping to see them again if possible before his memory fades for good. At the same time, Lilly, a van living video blogger, is found murdered and 2 detectives are on the trail. Also, a third story of a missing waitress who stole money from her boss plays out. The plots are complex and the characters are well developed. My only concern was that this was like reading 3 short stories with pages shuffled, as it kept going from one to another, breaking up the rhythm to my reading. Good writing for sure. Enjoy.
December 20, 2023
delighted with this book!
Lee Callaway’s PI practice trundles along, while Fisher and Holt fulfill their civic duties.
A new employee of the cafe absconds with a chunk of cash, and Callaway goes on a quest to find the girl and the cash - with unexpected results.
At the same tine, an elderly man suffering from bouts of dementia seeks out Callaway to solve a fifteen-year mystery before his memories completely disappear; and on the official law enforcement side, the unexplained death of an itinerant van vlogger takes Fisher to a tattoo parlor, with a stop at an unattended death (thanks to Callaway) and the temporary absence of Holt.
Lee Callaway’s PI practice trundles along, while Fisher and Holt fulfill their civic duties.
A new employee of the cafe absconds with a chunk of cash, and Callaway goes on a quest to find the girl and the cash - with unexpected results.
At the same tine, an elderly man suffering from bouts of dementia seeks out Callaway to solve a fifteen-year mystery before his memories completely disappear; and on the official law enforcement side, the unexplained death of an itinerant van vlogger takes Fisher to a tattoo parlor, with a stop at an unattended death (thanks to Callaway) and the temporary absence of Holt.
December 17, 2024
A devastating drama
When Lee Callaway, a private investigator, is hired to looking into a 14 year old missing person case he seems to have taken on more than was possible.. This was simple missing person case it was in fact the disappearance of a whole family.. How had a whole family, father, mother and two children simply vanished in to and why?
A peculiar and very intricate scenario. Where could Lee Calloway start and what would he find. A torturous and delicate case unfolds.
,
When Lee Callaway, a private investigator, is hired to looking into a 14 year old missing person case he seems to have taken on more than was possible.. This was simple missing person case it was in fact the disappearance of a whole family.. How had a whole family, father, mother and two children simply vanished in to and why?
A peculiar and very intricate scenario. Where could Lee Calloway start and what would he find. A torturous and delicate case unfolds.
,
January 4, 2025
4⭐️
The Vanishing Kin was an absorbing thriller, focusing on two crimes occurring at different times - I was intrigued how these were connected, and even more so when a third crime was introduced. The main negative for me, was that Maurice’s dementia wasn’t written very authentically. I am fully aware that memory “comes and goes” however being able to recall such detail when only a line before he didn’t recall anything was stretching the truth slightly. According to Goodreads, this is the 11th book in the Lee Callaway series - I will be reading the others.
The Vanishing Kin was an absorbing thriller, focusing on two crimes occurring at different times - I was intrigued how these were connected, and even more so when a third crime was introduced. The main negative for me, was that Maurice’s dementia wasn’t written very authentically. I am fully aware that memory “comes and goes” however being able to recall such detail when only a line before he didn’t recall anything was stretching the truth slightly. According to Goodreads, this is the 11th book in the Lee Callaway series - I will be reading the others.
February 16, 2025
I enjoyed reading this author! He did give lots of details, sometimes too many but the premise of a family missing was interesting and then having a second plot next to this took a lot of talent and foreshadowing on the author's part.
I loved the private detective character, so believable! Lots of character! I will definitely be reading more of this author's writings. I also liked how he did not give the location of the missing family or the premise until the very ending.
Great escapism for the weekend!
I loved the private detective character, so believable! Lots of character! I will definitely be reading more of this author's writings. I also liked how he did not give the location of the missing family or the premise until the very ending.
Great escapism for the weekend!
October 14, 2025
Complex and thrilling!
Lee Callaway is back with a couple of complex cases to solve. One unfolds after some good old fashioned investigating but the other is more perplexing, with added danger, a missing family and cartel connections.
Holt and Fisher are great characters that I enjoy reading and they are tenacious in following leads, for every case. A heart warming conclusion for Holt that will have such a positive impact, on his life.
A great book and series, I highly recommend them all.
Lee Callaway is back with a couple of complex cases to solve. One unfolds after some good old fashioned investigating but the other is more perplexing, with added danger, a missing family and cartel connections.
Holt and Fisher are great characters that I enjoy reading and they are tenacious in following leads, for every case. A heart warming conclusion for Holt that will have such a positive impact, on his life.
A great book and series, I highly recommend them all.
December 19, 2024
A 3 because it was ok, not fabulous.
I agree with others who were bothered about the fact that the two story lines didn't have anything to do with each other.
Callaway annoyed me and the whole thing with the drug lord and the DEA made no sense.
The story involving the police wasn't much better, though it was somewhat more interesting. Though why even talk about the station wagon incident when it had zero bearing on the story is beyond me.
I doubt I'll read any more of this series.
I agree with others who were bothered about the fact that the two story lines didn't have anything to do with each other.
Callaway annoyed me and the whole thing with the drug lord and the DEA made no sense.
The story involving the police wasn't much better, though it was somewhat more interesting. Though why even talk about the station wagon incident when it had zero bearing on the story is beyond me.
I doubt I'll read any more of this series.
January 12, 2025
I was very confused as I began reading. The book description mentions a family of four disappearing. That sounded interesting. However, as the book progressed more people were introduced and two other situations. So as I read, each chapter flipped through the 3 story lines. Fortunately one plot was resolved halfway through. Still, there were so many people to keep track of that I got very annoyed. I think the book would have been much more enjoyable with just one plot.
August 19, 2025
This was the first book I’ve read by this author. It kept me interested from the very beginning and kept me guessing as to what happened till the very end.
The down on his luck PI was hired by a father who suffered from early onset dementia who was searching for his son and family who disappeared one day never to be seen again. Another part of the book was a body of travel video entrepreneur found and her dog missing. Enjoyable read.
The down on his luck PI was hired by a father who suffered from early onset dementia who was searching for his son and family who disappeared one day never to be seen again. Another part of the book was a body of travel video entrepreneur found and her dog missing. Enjoyable read.
February 12, 2024
A mystery that keeps you wanting to know more.
I read this book in one sitting. It kept my interest all the way through. I recommend it for anyone who enjoys mysteries I loved the way Calloway Introduced and developed each character, and there were quite a few. I loved meeting and following each one of them.
I read this book in one sitting. It kept my interest all the way through. I recommend it for anyone who enjoys mysteries I loved the way Calloway Introduced and developed each character, and there were quite a few. I loved meeting and following each one of them.
April 22, 2024
It was two different mysteries that had no connection to each other so that was odd. Also thd writer interjected useless information not necessary to either storyline. Like she went into a gym and then told the readers things like - most people join gyms but never stick it out and it’s a waste of money etc. So a strange thing to write. Did this multiple times. Waste of the readers’ time.
December 18, 2024
Couldn't Put This Down!
I recommend this to anyone who knows how to read. Wow! What a mixture of interwoven stories that all worked together. I'd still be afraid of Vasquez though. Whay a surprise about the van woman, Whooda Thunklt. I am particularly glad to see a character with dementia portrayed well. This is a wonderful book that everyone can really get into.
I recommend this to anyone who knows how to read. Wow! What a mixture of interwoven stories that all worked together. I'd still be afraid of Vasquez though. Whay a surprise about the van woman, Whooda Thunklt. I am particularly glad to see a character with dementia portrayed well. This is a wonderful book that everyone can really get into.
December 28, 2024
4* Easy to read. 3 cases are developed and followed without confusion. Short chapters. Plot continues to move well without heavy descriptions. All cases are solved satisfactorily by the end of the book.
Fourteen years ago, a doctor, his wife, and two sons disappear unexpectedly. The dinner table was set. There was food on the stove. Their car was in the driveway. But they were nowhere to be seen.
Private Investigator Lee Callaway is pulled into finding out what might have happened to the missing family. The only remaining relative is fighting dementia, and he is desperate to know the truth.
Fourteen years ago, a doctor, his wife, and two sons disappear unexpectedly. The dinner table was set. There was food on the stove. Their car was in the driveway. But they were nowhere to be seen.
Private Investigator Lee Callaway is pulled into finding out what might have happened to the missing family. The only remaining relative is fighting dementia, and he is desperate to know the truth.
November 29, 2025
The Vanishing Kin: A Murder Mystery (Lee Callaway Book 11) Thomas Fincham
Another great in this series. Two ongoing stories. One of death and the other of missing kin and a Father with dementia that wants them found. An ongoing thriller that has everyone researching what happened and who was responsible.
Another great in this series. Two ongoing stories. One of death and the other of missing kin and a Father with dementia that wants them found. An ongoing thriller that has everyone researching what happened and who was responsible.
November 26, 2023
Been a long time
Reading a Lee Callaway story is always enjoyable. This one was a little different. There were multiple stories going on at the same time. That made it even more interesting and complex and a few crimes/mysteries were solved at the same time.
Reading a Lee Callaway story is always enjoyable. This one was a little different. There were multiple stories going on at the same time. That made it even more interesting and complex and a few crimes/mysteries were solved at the same time.
November 27, 2023
I love the Lee Callaway books
The story line was fantastic!! I truly love how Mr. Fincham have Holt, Fisher and Callaway cases run simultaneously. Keep up the great writing. I will miss these guys.
The story line was fantastic!! I truly love how Mr. Fincham have Holt, Fisher and Callaway cases run simultaneously. Keep up the great writing. I will miss these guys.
December 1, 2023
The Vanishing Kin
Lots of twists and turns to keep me thinking in this book! Another book I didn’t want to put down because it was so interesting and kept me trying to figure things out and figure out the ending.
If you like a good mystery, this won’t disappoint.
Lots of twists and turns to keep me thinking in this book! Another book I didn’t want to put down because it was so interesting and kept me trying to figure things out and figure out the ending.
If you like a good mystery, this won’t disappoint.
December 11, 2023
Great book
Love Thomas Fincham's books. Lee Callaway is my hero. Maurice's worsening dementia is the saddest thing. Callaway is so patient and works harder for him than anyone has in fourteen years.
Love Thomas Fincham's books. Lee Callaway is my hero. Maurice's worsening dementia is the saddest thing. Callaway is so patient and works harder for him than anyone has in fourteen years.
January 6, 2024
Great book
This book was wonderful! I read it in a day because I couldn't put it down! I loved all the different characters and their storylines. I was engaged with the storylines from the very first page! This was the first book I have read by this author.
This book was wonderful! I read it in a day because I couldn't put it down! I loved all the different characters and their storylines. I was engaged with the storylines from the very first page! This was the first book I have read by this author.
January 12, 2024
Vanishing kin
It took me a bit of reading to get into the book. The author wrote a little different than I am used to. About one fourth of the way through it got interesting to me then I couldn't put it down After so many years would the son be found? One can only hope
It took me a bit of reading to get into the book. The author wrote a little different than I am used to. About one fourth of the way through it got interesting to me then I couldn't put it down After so many years would the son be found? One can only hope
January 18, 2024
Awesome read
Lee Callaway is thorough, street smart, caring and crying to do right in his personalities life as well. The other detectives never gave up on seeking the truth. This book was a page turner to me. It kept my interest. I would recommend all of Mr. Fincham books.
Lee Callaway is thorough, street smart, caring and crying to do right in his personalities life as well. The other detectives never gave up on seeking the truth. This book was a page turner to me. It kept my interest. I would recommend all of Mr. Fincham books.
January 28, 2024
Nice book - lots of twists and turns
With two independent cases running at the same time, The Vanishing Kin is definitely a good read. My first by this author, but I will look for others.
With two independent cases running at the same time, The Vanishing Kin is definitely a good read. My first by this author, but I will look for others.
August 17, 2024
Good storyline...but be prepared for a host of characters and a story within a story. Kept my interest though trying to figure out just what might have happened to either of the story lines characters! Spoiler...did bring tears of joy at the end.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews