Vanished (Greywalker Series #4)

Out of the grey, and into ... London?

The vampires are restless, and the head vampire in Seatle, has requested services of the local greywalker, namely Harper Blaine, who just happens to be on the cusp of discovering the events behind her father's unnatural demise. But as she begins her work for the vampires, she begins to realize, that her father and the vampires may have something... or someone in common.
Ms. Richardson is truly a talented author, as her success surely proves with the Greywalker series. VANISHED is utterly relentless in the action and flow of information. It's a serious page turner, and hard to put down.
Learn more about the greywalker and the powers that abound among the denizens of the underworld.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

super urban investigative fantasy

In Seattle, the perpetrator failed to give private investigator Harper Blaine the two minute warning when he slammed her temple; for 120 seconds she was dead. However, unlike most people who suffer a near death experience only to come back to their mortal lives, Harper returned differently as a Greywalker who travels both sides of the boundary between the living and other realms (see GREYWALKER). Her investigations have taken one hellish twist from cheating spouses to cheating paranormals (see POLTERGEIST) who she can see, but these monsters see her too. Two years since her death, Harper has a dying need to know why she didn't just come back like most. ----

A call from the dead leads Harper to investigate her heritage with a focus on the pivotal event before her short-lived death; the demise of her father when she was young. In Los Angeles her mom says he killed himself. Harper reads his tormented writings in which he claimed the monster was coming and he feared for his sweet Harper. She tries to meet her dad's ghost, but frighteningly he is nowhere as if his spirit VANISHED. However, her mind is taken off of her confusion when vampires order her to London to look into a bloody mess. Harper uncovers a connection between England and Seattle that makes her wonder whether her "genes" made it inevitable for her to walk the grey line.----

The latest Greywalker investigation is a terrific tale that takes a deep personal spin for the heroine as she inquires into her heritage in an attempt to better understand what happened. The story line is fast-paced and filled with plenty of action as for instance a plane ride to Los Angeles leads to a teenage female ghost popping in wet over Oregon with no one else on board able to sense her. Kat Richardson is at her best with this super urban investigative fantasy as the worlds of the grey and paranormal come figuratively alive through the intrepid but mentally tired heroine.
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Harriet Klausner

2 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Once again we have to wait!?

Oh, gosh, I hate waiting for these books! They are just the best as far as I'm concerned! I love Harper and all her other-worldly friends (and non-friends). I can't wait to see what happens with her this time. The idea of her going to London really interests me - I know it'll be great! You know I'll be buying it the day it comes out, just like I did with the others! It's just so hard to wait! We have to wait for the next Kristina Marrick, too! Oh, why?

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Suspenseful PI mystery

In this book protagonist PI Harper Blaine has lots of questions. How is her father linked to the Grey? What is happening to the vampires in Seattle? Why is she dreaming about her ex-boyfriend? When head vamp Edward hires her to investigate his business and missing partner in London, Harper boards the next plane. In London the investigation asks more questions then it answers creating a suspenseful fast past read that keeps you up reading into the wee hours. This is one series you don't want to miss!

Adds interesting depths to the series

Kat Richardson's Greywalker series sets off on a roller-coaster ride of mysteries to be solved with this book. Harper Blaine learns more than she might wish about her father, and finds herself desperate to find out what she's missed. Ex-boyfriend Will learns more than he wants about Harper's world. Present boyfriend Quinton is trying to learn. Ferret Chaos has curious skills. And London proves even more haunted than Seattle.

The author, having introduced the grey planes of history (and ghosts) in earlier books, does a very neat job of layering even more years into the city of London. The imagery is great, the feel of London's ghostly past, of tangled streets in the present and the beyond, of underground monsters and riding on underground trains. The story felt more confusing that earlier books, but perhaps I just wasn't reading carefully enough. Shifting political alliances between vampire clans, broken treaties, mysterious ampoules, puzzles and machinery carry the tale. There's secrets revealed and secrets kept, with even another greywalker chased by his own special demons. Sewer rats swarm in a dramatic rescue. Motorbikes zip through traffic. And ancient cemeteries hide timeless fears.

London and Los Angeles stand in intriguing contrast to Seattle, and Harper Blaine's friends in contrast to her family. The end of the book leaves the present tale satisfyingly concluded, but hints of the larger tale are unresolved, making the next in the series an absolute must-read. Pity it's not in paperback yet.

Great series

I have enjoyed every book in this series so far. This one begins to expose more of the character's past as she discovers it. I really enjoy the creativity of the characters and I like the main character's personality. My only complaint is that this book does leave you hanging at the end - a preparation for the next book, I guess - whereas the others ended and you only hoped there would be another. So now I have to wait until the next one comes out. This book is a page-turner.

Ok, but not the best book to read

This author is losing her skill to write a good book. As the series goes on, I like this writer less and less. I might buy the book as a paperback if bored, but never again as a new hardback.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Vanished or When Harry meets Stephanie.

I completely enjoyed this read. In this latest edition of, "When Harry Potter meets Stephanie Plum", the character development was able to support the story line. The author answered the question, why did Harper's client attack and kill her? Since I read the first book I wondered, why such a violent response to their discussion? Everything was not as it seemed through the first three books.
With the conclusion of this book, its not hard to tell the direction of the next one. The action will continue back in Seattle with old friends who rested from their last battle with evil.

Vanished -- Throughly enjoyable

I really enjoy Kat Richardson's writing -- it keeps me involved and is easy to read and hard to put down when I know I need to stop and go to bed :-)

The series continues with excitement and unexpected surprises!

Kat Richardson does not slow down as she propels her readers through another thrilling adventure with Harper Blaine. Your interest is piqued whether you enjoy a captivating mystery or the revelation of characteristics of some of the great mysteries and legends of our world. A dip into the foggy mists of the Grey allows the reader an electrifying glimpse into a world mere humans rarely have an opportuity to view.

Exceptional work! Looking forward to the next adventure!

Gray London and LA

As a Seattle native, I am somewhat biased about books set in my hometown and authors from my area. My only disappointment was the lack of Seattle in this finely crafted book. I really enjoyed getting a look at Harper's background and loved the developments of the magical world Harper lives in. I've said it before, but I find the magic system in the Greywalker series highly intuitive; it just feels right to me, and Richardson contiues this trend. Clearly there is a PLOT that has been developing this whole time, and I'm looking forward to seeing the resolution.

Rambling Investigation Capped Off By Spirited Showdown

The first third of this book is an unresolved but interesting exploration of Harper's past and her father's death. The final two-thirds primarily involves an overseas assignment from vampire Edward Kammerling, and the complications which arise as Harper comes to realize that she's been lured to London. Harper's investigation starts out at a slow to moderate pace with too many descriptions of London, not enough clues and little progress made as to the whereabouts of Kammerling's London agent. At about mid-point, the tension ratchets up when Harper avoids a run-in with an old foe. The pace quickens when she discovers, the following day, that her ex-boyfriend, Will, has been replaced by a golem. A charmingly quirky English Greywalker named Marsden infuriates then reluctantly enlightens Harper. It all ends in a spirited fight which, unfortunately, never resolves the issue as to how Harper's ultimate enemy intends to use her in the Grey. Readers like myself who prefer end-of-book answers to all questions posed within a mystery will be a bit frustrated by this lack of resolution. Nonetheless, I recommend this installment to all series fans. It's essential to understanding Harper's greywalking and is entertaining albeit occasionally wearisome.

Best Yet

I absolutely love the Greywalker series and I found Vanished to be the best yet. I have become attached to Harper and love following her through the Grey. Can't wait for the next enstallment.

The book to read this summer...

Vanished, book 4 of the Greywalker series is a superb addition to Kat Richardson's tales of ghosts, vampires, and things that go bump in the night--and the day. Fast-paced, action-packed, spine-tingling, and intriguing, Vanished will appeal to fans and new readers alike. This is a definite must-read.

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