- Paperback: 441 pages
- Publisher: Pocket Books; New edition edition (2 Aug 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0743469070
- ISBN-13: 978-0743469074
- Product Dimensions: 17.8 x 10.4 x 3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 637,481 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Vanished
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Product Description
Book Description
People can't just disappear...or can they?
Five murders in one week, a smuggling operation gone wrong, and a crime reporter desperate to find the truth...
--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.Product Description
A hurricane sweeps across southern Sweden, leaving chaos in its wake. Two men lie dead in Stockholm's Free Port, shot in the head at point-blank range. A young woman runs for her life. She finds refuge in Paradise, a foundation dedicated to people whose lives are in danger. Newpaper sub-editor Annika Bengtzon is trying to piece her life together following the violent death of her fiance. Covering the story of Paradise is the opening she needs to get her personal life and her career back on track. But, as she's about to find out, neither Paradise nor the young woman, Aida, are quite what they appear to be. Annika's quest for the truth will force both her and Aida to confront their troubled pasts - and ultimately Annika will be faced with the most difficult decision of her life.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Another installment of the Swedish crime series by Liza Marklund and featuring 'Evening Post' reporter Annika Bengtzon. In this novel, Annika is actually just working in the capacity of copy-editor, her past having had a bearing on her current role at the newspaper. As the novel commences, two bodies have been found out at a Stockholm port and a woman is on the run from a gunman. At the newspaper, Annika takes a call from a mysterious woman wanting the newspaper to run a story about her organisation, the 'Paradise Foundation', which, she claims, exists to help people disappear, to escape from troubled pasts. Annika starts to look into the woman and the organisation, and realises that things aren't all as they first seemed. Our heroine has worries of her own, as her beloved Grandmother is taken ill, and her uneasy relationship with her mother is placed under greater strain.
Alongside these storylines, there is also the ongoing daily activities at the newspaper, much of which is seen through the eyes of both Annika and also the editor, who is often mulling over the internal politics and who is aware that change is needed in the near future to keep the newspaper up to standard and at the forefront of the market. As well as this, there are further murders and links to serious international crime. The author also highlights social issues within Sweden, primarily through the character of Thomas Samuelsson who works at a local authority.
This is a fast-paced crime novel. I really enjoyed reading it, I like this author's style of writing, and felt like the plot carried me along. It's one of those reads where I kept thinking, I'll read just one more chapter. I read 'The Bomber' last year, another novel by this author featuring Annika, and the events recounted in that novel are actually further on in Annika's career than the ones in 'Vanished'. But I think the story is strong enough for anyone to read this as a stand-alone book. Having said that, it's always nice to read a series in order to see the main character develop. For me, it's kind of interesting to see what Annika was like before, as in this novel she is much less confident I think, and dealing with personal problems and her own demons, as well as uncovering scandal and finding herself in risky situations. I love the newsroom setting and feel that this is authentic, given the author's background in newspaper reporting.
Another top read from this author for me with an engrossing storyline and compelling characters, very well translated by Neil Smith, and I look forward to reading the rest of the novels featuring Annika very soon.
Alongside these storylines, there is also the ongoing daily activities at the newspaper, much of which is seen through the eyes of both Annika and also the editor, who is often mulling over the internal politics and who is aware that change is needed in the near future to keep the newspaper up to standard and at the forefront of the market. As well as this, there are further murders and links to serious international crime. The author also highlights social issues within Sweden, primarily through the character of Thomas Samuelsson who works at a local authority.
This is a fast-paced crime novel. I really enjoyed reading it, I like this author's style of writing, and felt like the plot carried me along. It's one of those reads where I kept thinking, I'll read just one more chapter. I read 'The Bomber' last year, another novel by this author featuring Annika, and the events recounted in that novel are actually further on in Annika's career than the ones in 'Vanished'. But I think the story is strong enough for anyone to read this as a stand-alone book. Having said that, it's always nice to read a series in order to see the main character develop. For me, it's kind of interesting to see what Annika was like before, as in this novel she is much less confident I think, and dealing with personal problems and her own demons, as well as uncovering scandal and finding herself in risky situations. I love the newsroom setting and feel that this is authentic, given the author's background in newspaper reporting.
Another top read from this author for me with an engrossing storyline and compelling characters, very well translated by Neil Smith, and I look forward to reading the rest of the novels featuring Annika very soon.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Annika Bengtzon is a copy editor at a newspaper in Stockholm. Her colleagues are working on a double murder that happened in the harbour. Annika hasn't got much to do so when gets a call from a woman who wants to meet a journalist to talk about her Paradise Foundation, she agrees to meet her.
The Paradise Foundation, it turns out, is set up to help people change identity and leave no traces behind of their old identity (for instance, because they have been threatened and the police can't do anything about it). When Annika comes across a foreign woman called Aida who was present at the harbour murders and escaped death herself, she puts her into contact with the Paradise Foundation to help her stay away from her pursuer.
But is the Paradise Foundation all that it seems? Annika researches the foundation in more detail and is assisted by a council employee who is also doubtful about them. Endangering her own life, Annika manages to get to the bottom of the Foundation's work, and in the meantime also finds out about the murders in the harbour.
There is a lot going on in Annika's life: a mysterious organisation that she wants to investigate, her work: because she is really a copy-editor she shouldn't be out and about interviewing people, there is the disappearance of Aida, Annika's grandmother is ill, and she has a bit of a love affair.
But it's not too much to keep track of for the reader. In fact, the balance of working life and home life makes the story feel quite realistic, especially the love interest. Some of the details to do with the Paradise Foundation and the missing woman were less realistic. But as it made a nice story it didn't really matter.
The Paradise Foundation, it turns out, is set up to help people change identity and leave no traces behind of their old identity (for instance, because they have been threatened and the police can't do anything about it). When Annika comes across a foreign woman called Aida who was present at the harbour murders and escaped death herself, she puts her into contact with the Paradise Foundation to help her stay away from her pursuer.
But is the Paradise Foundation all that it seems? Annika researches the foundation in more detail and is assisted by a council employee who is also doubtful about them. Endangering her own life, Annika manages to get to the bottom of the Foundation's work, and in the meantime also finds out about the murders in the harbour.
There is a lot going on in Annika's life: a mysterious organisation that she wants to investigate, her work: because she is really a copy-editor she shouldn't be out and about interviewing people, there is the disappearance of Aida, Annika's grandmother is ill, and she has a bit of a love affair.
But it's not too much to keep track of for the reader. In fact, the balance of working life and home life makes the story feel quite realistic, especially the love interest. Some of the details to do with the Paradise Foundation and the missing woman were less realistic. But as it made a nice story it didn't really matter.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Last year I read The Bomber as part of the Transworld Book Club and whilst I had reservations, I said I'd give Annika, the main character, a second chance. I took the offer of a review copy of Vanished as a sign. At this point, I need to point out I am not reading this series in chronological order and you may very well enjoy it more if you start at the beginning.
Vanished is, chronologically, the second book featuring Annika Bengtzon and these events happen years before those of The Bomber. Annika is working as a copy editor at the Evening Post in Stockholm. It would seem that after the events of the previous book, she has been demoted because she killed a man in self defence. Bear with me here, I was rather confused at first. There's a friendly little note saying the story follows on from Exposed but the books can be enjoyed by themselves. Fair enough. Yet if you have read The Bomber, it might make more sense to go right back to the beginning. Otherwise you'll be spending the first 100 pages working out what hasn't happened yet or what has happened but you didn't read about. Confused yet?
Once I'd got my facts straight, I did worry that it was going to focus on newspaper politics again but this does tail off after a few chapters. Whilst she might well work in a sexist environment, Annika isn't the model employee, keeping secrets and disappearing out the office without informing her colleagues. For a young copy editor I think she is very lucky to have succeeded in her job and it has nothing to do with her being a woman.
Fortunately for me, the bulk of the book deals with the mystery of Paradise, an organisation which promises to help women in need. They help these people vanish in the eyes of the world. After an initial meeting with the founder, Annika comes into contact with a terrified young woman, convinced that she is being hunted. She directs the woman to Paradise without thinking. Later, she starts to suspect that the organisation isn't quite as benevolent as it seems and worries she's sent the woman to a fraud. I found the main storyline pacey and enjoyable.
I'm not entirely sure the personal parts fitted in with the rest of the plot but again this might be caused by my reading out of order. Possibly Marklund just wanted a few reasons for Annika to have a breakdown, but she already seemed fragile to start with and adding bereavement, a horrible mother, abandonment and other personal issues seemed a bit much. She also didn't seem to be the kind of person I'd expect to fall in love in one night, let alone when she didn't like the man much a few days before. Knowing what happens in her future, I was expecting it, yet it still was all too sudden.
I have softened towards Annika. Maybe I would have been kinder to her before had I read the series from the beginning.
Vanished is, chronologically, the second book featuring Annika Bengtzon and these events happen years before those of The Bomber. Annika is working as a copy editor at the Evening Post in Stockholm. It would seem that after the events of the previous book, she has been demoted because she killed a man in self defence. Bear with me here, I was rather confused at first. There's a friendly little note saying the story follows on from Exposed but the books can be enjoyed by themselves. Fair enough. Yet if you have read The Bomber, it might make more sense to go right back to the beginning. Otherwise you'll be spending the first 100 pages working out what hasn't happened yet or what has happened but you didn't read about. Confused yet?
Once I'd got my facts straight, I did worry that it was going to focus on newspaper politics again but this does tail off after a few chapters. Whilst she might well work in a sexist environment, Annika isn't the model employee, keeping secrets and disappearing out the office without informing her colleagues. For a young copy editor I think she is very lucky to have succeeded in her job and it has nothing to do with her being a woman.
Fortunately for me, the bulk of the book deals with the mystery of Paradise, an organisation which promises to help women in need. They help these people vanish in the eyes of the world. After an initial meeting with the founder, Annika comes into contact with a terrified young woman, convinced that she is being hunted. She directs the woman to Paradise without thinking. Later, she starts to suspect that the organisation isn't quite as benevolent as it seems and worries she's sent the woman to a fraud. I found the main storyline pacey and enjoyable.
I'm not entirely sure the personal parts fitted in with the rest of the plot but again this might be caused by my reading out of order. Possibly Marklund just wanted a few reasons for Annika to have a breakdown, but she already seemed fragile to start with and adding bereavement, a horrible mother, abandonment and other personal issues seemed a bit much. She also didn't seem to be the kind of person I'd expect to fall in love in one night, let alone when she didn't like the man much a few days before. Knowing what happens in her future, I was expecting it, yet it still was all too sudden.
I have softened towards Annika. Maybe I would have been kinder to her before had I read the series from the beginning.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Vanished by Liza Marklund
Fans of Liza Marklund will not be disappointed by Vanished. One of the strengths of Marklund's detective novels is that they are not the usual run of the mill police procedurals in... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Mr. Malcolm Byard
OK but predictable
Having been switched on the Scandinavian Crime wave a while ago I've always tried to keep up with the latest and one of the authors that have been riding the new wave is Liza... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Gareth Wilson - Falcata Times Blog
Good, but just toooo much
I read and very much liked Red Wolf, so I was looking forward to this one.
In the end, I was disappointed. Read more
In the end, I was disappointed. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Apple-eater
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