Missing Without A Trace: 8 Days of Horror

by Tanya Rider, Tracy Ertl

Seattle-area resident Tanya Rider crashed her blue SUV in 2007 and disappeared without a trace. Her husband, Tom, reported her missing and found himself at the center of a police investigation. Eight days after the crash, Tanya's rescue was covered by every major national media outlet. She survived for more than a week in a wrecked car that had become her potential tomb. This is the story of her survival and her husband's fight for justice.

Genres: Nonfiction

234 pages, Paperback

First published October 27, 2010

Reviews

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I heard this story on Crime Junkies and when they mentioned there was also a book I wanted to check it out. I was also under the impression that Tanya Rider herself wrote this and she is credited as an author but not very much was written from her perspective. Tanya’s story is both horrifying and inspiring.

Law enforcement should be ashamed of themselves aside from that lone rogue officer who went out on his own to search. This review in no way reflects Tanya’s story but the way it was written. I was expecting much more of her journey. The part of the book that covers Tanya’s story ends about halfway through. There is some more info sprinkled throughout the second half and some things that were covered in the first half are repeated virtually verbatim.

This isn’t to say that the information provided in the second half isn’t relevant or interesting but not what I was expecting from this book. I was expecting Tanya’s journey from the accident to the hospital then home up to when this book was being written. The book covers very little of what life is like for Tanya and Tom post hospital.

[Sandie Oiler · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a little troubled writing this review. I heard about Tanya's story on Crime Junkies and knew I needed to dig deeper into her story. I was under the misconception that this book would be more along the lines of the ordeal she went through and how she has overcome the adversities since then. I did not expect to read a guideline on missing persons in general and how and when to report them. It was more of a manuscript of the various agencies within the states to get help with reporting a missing person along with a little blurb about Tanya and her husbands journey through her missing days. I just expected more for the money I spent. I think it has good information in the book, but it just wasn't what I expected. I would not have bought it if I had known what was in it. It would have been a "borrow from the library" book.

[Stephfafahh · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a tough one for a few reasons:
1. Tanya's story is so very inspiring and her determination resonates with me. And I want to show as much respect as I feel for her
2. I didn't pick up this book to spend half of the time reading a manifesto or "how-to guide" on missing people or outdated laws or links, which are not even applicable to any reader outside the US
3. I wanted this to focus on Tanya; her struggles, her drive, her resilience, her plight, and her recovery. Not the stories of her ghost writers and their opinions.
4. Why was the last 10% of the book the EXACT SAME as the one chapter dedicated to her recovery? I was left to read the same thing because with all of the authors, the story was presented in such a manner that it was not cohesive. 5 pages appeared to be copy and pasted, almost word for word.
5. Whilst I had listened to SEVERAL podcasts covering her story/ case, I thought that spending the money and purchasing the book would provide a much deeper insight into her situation and psyche - however, I was proven wrong. This lead to a feeling of disconnection, and using the ghostwriters as her mouthpiece cheapened the telling of her story.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story is so interesting and crazy. I give the story of Tanya and Tom's ordeal a 4 star. However, their story is only about a third of this book (and the book is only 180 pages). There's a long introduction that talks about their lives up until the tragedy, which is useful but the writing is not well edited and frankly, just not well written. The second half of the book is about what to do if someone you love goes missing and tips on what to do if you are missing or abducted followed by pages of listings of organizations that work with missing people situations. This is followed by a section sort of about the emotional and psychological toll with a few strategies for the reader and a little bit about Tanya's recovery and a lot of recap of stuff from the story in the earlier section.

The book is rather scattered and not all of it is written very well. The story section is interesting (though even it has some oddities), and some of the other information is useful, but there is no indication in the title that this is also a sort of "how-to" book as well as a memoir.

[Guillermo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another book I got at the Book Expo America I attended in New York last year and I´m still catching up with the readings. This one was given to me by Titletown Publishing and I thank them the review copy. It´s about the real case of Tania Ryder, a Seattle girl that disappeared one night and was 8 days locked inside her car and trapped by her seatbelt, a seatbelt that may have saved her when she crashed into a blueberry vine, but was then her imprisonment for a whopping 200 hours.
Full Review

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutle worth every penny. The information in the book would be useful to any family. The love the Rider's share is astounding. For a book with the word horror in the title, it left me elated. Words can't express the gambit of emotions contained in it's 234 pages. It is a keeper one I will read over again and again. I highly recomend this book to any one that has loved ones. It will prepare for the unthinkable. While leaving you in awe of a love that defied death and all odds.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was intrigued to read this book after seeing the Disappeared episode on Tanya Rider. I feel as if the show was better put together then the first half of the book. It was hard for me to get past that someone else was writing Tanya's thoughts. It felt fake.

The second half of the book, however, is crucial. It is filled with important information and what you should do if a loved one goes missing.. resources of who to contact and where to gain support.

[justablondemoment · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book fell short for me in getting any kind of emotional connection to the story. While I certainly applaud the authors bravery and courage during her ordeal the telling of the story just didn't grab me.

[Richard White · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read.

Amazing story of strength and triumph over a nightmare. The advice at the end and actions references are good things to remember. You never know when you'll need these ideas, but it is nice to have a reference.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very disappointed in this book. A small portion of it was about Tonya Rider. The bulk about it was written about the process of Missing People and what to do.

[Amy Lawson]

What a strong, wonderful woman. She endured so much pain and suffering.