Sam Wren boarded his normal tube to work but never got off. Six months after his disappearance the police have more pressing matters to deal with, so his wife hires David Raker to find answers.
After reading The Dead Tracks (my review is here) by Tim Weaver in August, I just knew it wouldn't be long before I read the next book in the David Raker series. In Vanished, Raker is hired to find a married man who went out to work one morning and never returned. CCTV shows Sam Wren boarding a tube train and that's the last sighting anyone has of him, he doesn't appear to have ever got off the train.
David Raker is tenacious, he knows it's impossible for someone to disappear from a train. We see him use every avenue possible to discover exactly what happened to Sam Wren. As a result, we meet some extremely unpleasant characters. Not only does The Vanished introduce us to a hidden side of London, it also shows us the underbelly of humanity, a side most of us will never brush against, thankfully.
The author shines a spotlight on how missing persons cases are investigated; demographics play a huge role in how police resources are allocated. In the case of Sam Wren, only a cursory glance is shown since he's a stable, solvent man, someone able to make decisions for themselves. As far as the police are concerned, Sam has chosen to disappear.
In The Dead Tracks, we were introduced to detective Colm Healy, and he quickly becomes involved in Raker's current case. Healy is a damaged man, someone distrusted by everyone around him. Raker understands the hurt Healy has suffered, but their relationship is still fractious.
There are lots of creepy and sinister moments as Raker descends deeper and deeper into the murky underside of society, with some sections making for difficult reading. And just when you think that Raker has resolved everything satisfactorily, there's an unbelievable twist and an ending that leaves you stunned.
Author Details
Tim Weaver is the Sunday Times bestselling author of fifteen novels, including No One Home, The Blackbird and The Last Goodbye, and a short story collection. He is also the host and producer of the chart-topping Missing podcast and is currently developing an original TV series with the team behind Line of Duty. A former journalist and magazine editor, he lives near Bath with his wife and daughter.
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