Vanished: A Novella

by G.M. Malliet

"A wonderful read." ―Louise Penny on G.M. Malliet's WICKED AUTUMN
~ Now from award-winning author G.M. Malliet comes VANISHED, a case of true crime, reimagined. ~

Every town hides its secrets, but Crofton Buzzard's might just burn you.

On a tempestuous night in the quiet Dales, a fire roars to life, devouring Lorton Hall and its occupants. A mother and her young daughter are found in the smoldering ruins. But one member of the family is conspicuously James Broadhurst, a devoted father—or so everyone thought.

As eerie 999 calls and chilling eyewitness accounts ripple through the community, suspicions ignite. Was this an accident, a tragedy, or something far more sinister? When the smoke clears, all that remains are whispers of betrayal, an abandoned car, and a man no one can find.

With gripping prose, twisted revelations, and a cast of characters that will keep you guessing, this suspense-filled novella will pull you deep into the shadows of a fire-streaked mystery.

Who lit the match? And where is James Broadhurst?

Download Vanished today and uncover the truth… if you dare.

134 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 2, 2025

About the author

G.M. Malliet is the author of three mystery series; a dozen or more short stories published in The Strand, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, and Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine; and WEYCOMBE, a standalone suspense novel.
 
Her Agatha Award-winning Death of a Cozy Writer (2008), the first installment of the DCI St. Just mysteries, was named one of the ten best novels of the year by Kirkus Reviews. Subsequent Max Tudor novels were Agatha finalists.

Reviews

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars, because I’m a huge G.M. Malliet fan. (I discovered her 2.5 months ago, and have read 14 of her books since then.)
That said, I listened to this short story on audio, and it was electronically narrated (by a computer). That was absolutely terrible and I will never read an electronically narrated book again. I would have enjoyed this much much much more if the audio had been read by a human, or in paper.
Lesson learned! And now I will keep waiting for Max Tudor #9. (My favorite Malliet series)

[Alison Steventon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Already knowing that Ms. Malliet was an excellent mystery writer, I anticipated this Novella to be amazing and certainly was not disappointed. From the very beginning, I was enthralled and could hardly wait to see "who done it". As each chapter progressed, I began to have my own theory of who might have been the culprit. Boy, was I ever wrong. What a shock in the end! Ms. Malliet's dry sense of humor, in the way of describing people made reading this book so enjoyable to me. I truly was sad to see this short, but wonderful Novella over. I am hooked.... trust me, you won't be disappointed!

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

A triumph for this author. You will not guess the ending, I know I didn't. No one will be disappointed. A quick read with a lot of dialogue...you will zip through it and wish is had been longer. It would make a GREAT movie.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good twist at the end. I enjoy her other books as well.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and short mystery. Twist ending. Would have been better if read instead of the virtual voice narrator audible version. Story was better than the narration allowed.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting plot device having the story revealed through a TV documentary about the crime. There was a nice plot twist at the end. A good read.