Kat Richardson: Vanished

Review by Vicky London

Vanished by Kat Richardson is the fourth book in her bestselling Greywalker series.

Here’s the cover blurb:

“For Seattle investigator Harper Blaine, her own case may prove the most difficult to solve. Why did she as opposed to others with near death experiences become a Greywalker? When Harper begins digging into her own past, she unearths some unpleasant truths about her father’s early death as well as a mysterious puzzle. She sets out to find his ghost but encounters only a void where he should be, leaving her with more unanswered questions.

Before she can continue her search, Harper gets an offer she can’t refuse to go to London and pursue an investigation on behalf of some very demanding vampires. But there are unpleasant surprises waiting for her, and Harper soon discovers her present trouble in England is entangled with her dark past back in Seattle and her ultimate destiny as a Greywalker.”

I’ve very much enjoyed Kat’s other Greywalker novels. They are pure urban fantasy done with skill and imagination. I liked Vanished even more because of the vampires and other creatures that took a starring role in this book and boy are they scary. The method through which the vampire Alice survives life threatening injuries is truly creepy and the creature, Jakob, that serves the vampires is the stuff of nightmares. Most frightening of all is the vampire that Alice keeps on a short leash. He is a creature of pure rage with a single minded goal of destruction.

I was hoping for more of Harper’s new relationship with Quinton but the bits that were included were quite nice. The hope and love that surrounds them helps to balance out the darkness of the story. As with other Greywalker books, the plot is very convoluted with many twists and turns. At times it tested my brain a bit and I was hoping for an explanation rather than having to figure things out myself. It bothered me that her ex-boyfriend Will was in danger and put through such extreme circumstances just because of his association with Harper but I loved that a woman was the one coming to the rescue. One of the things I find really cool about urban fantasy is that most books feature a strong female protagonist who doesn’t need a man to save the day. If you’re a fan of the series, you can’t miss this installment. If you haven’t been introduced to Harper Blaine yet, check out the first book in the series, Greywalker.