Vanished: A Story of Betrayal, Murder, and a Father's Dying Wish

by Carlton Smith

***Please This ebook edition does not contain the photos found in the print edition.***Jana Carpenter Koklich and Bruce Koklich seemed like the ideal couple. She was an attractive 41-year-old blonde, the doted-on only child of a once-powerful California state senator. He was the dedicated and loving husband. Together they owned a lucrative Norwalk, California, real estate business, and a computer business, owned a pair of luxurious houses, and drove high-end cars. Then in August 2001, Jana Carpenter Koklich went to an Eric Clapton concert with friends. She was never heard from again.Bruce Koklich painted himself as the grieving husband. He turned up on news broadcasts, tearfully pleading for his wife's safe return. But something wasn't right.First of all, there were inexplicable money problems that police traced back to some of Bruce Koklich's shadier business dealings. Then there was the shadowy business partner who came out of the woodwork and the million dollar insurance policy on Jana Carpenter Koklich's life. Topping it all off were the supposedly grieving husband's sleazy secret attempts to bed his 18-year-old niece while his wife was secretly missing!Eventually, those who had been close to Jana grew suspicious of the man she had married. And no one was more suspicious than her father, former State Senator Paul Carpenter. He was dying of cancer in Texas, but still found in his decaying body the strength for one last fight. It would be the fight of his Justice for Jana Carpenter Koklich.Finally, in late 2003, after Jana's blood-stained car had been found, a California jury convicted Bruce Koklich for her murder and sentenced him to fifteen years to life in prison. Paul Carpenter did not live to see justice done.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction

362 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[BAM doesn’t answer to her real name · Rating 3 out of 5]

I cannot get into this book at all.
11/25 this has to be the slowest moving crime book I’ve ever read. I feel like a sloth has something to do with it. Sloth 🦥 OMG! emojis has a sloth I AM DEAD that is my spirit animal

[Sarah (is clearing her shelves) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read for the 2017 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge prompt 'A Book with Pictures'

13/5 - God! I wasted ten days on this book. I enjoy true crime, but this was a poor example of it. To start with I don't feel like Smith chose the best crime to focus on due to its unsolved nature (Jana's body has never been found and Bruce has never admitted to anything or strayed from his story). Second, I didn't like the way Smith wrote this, frequently inserting his bias into his writing. Third, the front cover is pretty and atmospheric and all, but it's completely wrong in relation to the facts. I'm guessing that the car is supposed to be Jana's car (there's no other car mentioned in the book at all) - except it's way too new (Jana disappeared in 2001 and that car looks like it's from the last 10 years at the most - no earlier than 2007), it has a storage container on the roof (Jana's car had roof racks and nothing else), and it's being shown in a parking garage (Jana's car was discovered in a storage unit just wide enough for her car).

Regarding the crime, it seems clear to me that Bruce killed Jana, that it probably wasn't premeditated, and that he had a partner who helped with the clean up. I think that partner was Chris because of the weirdness with the pillow and the fact that he was conveniently by Bruce's side for the initial (non-urgent) search for Jana. I think that Chris turned on Bruce after the fact, but he couldn't give away too many details of the crime because then there'd be probing questions for him too and Bruce couldn't retaliate by dumping Chris in it further because that would be an admission of guilt (also he may have convinced himself that he was too smart for the police and would get away with it).

I won't be reading this again, so I'm donating it to the Brotherhood of St. Laurence along with a couple of other books that I no longer want. At some point in the future I will give Smith another chance, I have his book on the Green River Killer on my 'to read' shelf, so hopefully that goes better than this one.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book for me discussed one of the topics I most hate talking about that is politics. So it was off to a bad start. It picked up for me about halfway through and kept my interest.

[Howard Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent true crime book. Not a whodunnit, but a satisfying read of justice coming under not so easy circumstances.

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember hearing about a missing woman shortly before 9/11. I think it was this case.

The daughter of a disgraced former senator is last seen on a Friday night in August 2001 after a friend drops her off after an Eric Clapton concert. On Saturday, Jana Koklich Carpenter misses her morning workout without calling, which she's never done. Over the weekend, she does not return any calls, including some worried calls from her mother.

Her husband claims he last saw her in bed Monday morning before he left for work. Jana doesn't make it to work and is later declared missing. Her SUV is later found in a rough area of town with the windows down, keys in the ignition, and purse in the vehicle. Jana's body is never found.


I thought this was pretty good, except discussions about some of the couple's business deals were boring.

[Chris Demer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bruce, an arrogant, self-centered, controlling, self-made real estate tycoon is married to the daughter of a disgraced former state senator.
Business partners and seemingly at the top of their game, Jana disappears late one Friday night after returning home from a concert with a female friend.
Greed, shady financial deals, and a shady partner, as well as Jana's increasing self-confidence may all have played a part...and all point to husband Bruce as being somehow involved. Many conplicated stories and lies later, after two trials-the whole truth may still not be known. Jana's body has never been found.

A good vacation read.

[Julie Smitj · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book while traveling to the smoky mountains and back. I love true crime and could not put this book down. The reality of people behaving badly in order to gain their own success fascinates me

[M. Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

A true story but the way it was written lacked emotion. I also wrote a true story, Surviving Justice, but it was written showing love, emotion and drams. I was put off by the manner in which Vanished was written.

[Ronnie Cramer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first read this book in 2013 but couldn't remember much about it so I gave it another go. I'll stick with my original rating of three stars since it is pretty decent. The case was entirely circumstantial (with no body), so you can imagine how damning the circumstances were.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like this author of true crime.

[Nancy Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started a little slow but the author did a good job with the background and didn't boggle down discussing the trials.

[Nemo Erehwon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, if ultimately unsatisfying. But that might be due to the lack of a real-life resolution.
Informative chapter about California politics. Then again, I know nothing of that topic.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay, but it rang of trouble among the elite.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a good true crime book.

[Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good; surprising ending. NON-FICTION.