Saturday 24 April 2021

#Blogtour Vanished by James Delargy

 It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Vanished by James Delargy.

About the Author

James Delargy was born and raised in Ireland and lived in South Africa, Australia and Scotland, before ending up in semirural England where he now lives. He incorporates this diverse knowledge of towns, cities, landscape and culture picked up on his travels into his writing. His first novel, 55, was published in 2019 and has been sold to 21 territories to date. Vanished is his second novel. Find him on Twitter: @jdelargyauthor, Visit jamesdelargy.com

About the book

The Kane family, Lorcan, Naiyana and their young son, are desperate to move their young family far away from the hustle and bustle of modern city life in Perth. The abandoned town of Kallayee, an abandoned mining town in the Great Victoria Desert, seems like the perfect getaway: no one has lived there for decades. It will be peaceful. Quiet. Secure.

But life in Kallayee isn’t quite as straightforward as they hope. Lights flicker at night. There are noises in the earth, mysterious shadows and tracks in the dust as if their presence is breathing new life back into the long-dead town. Lorcan and Naiyana refuse to leave. No one can talk sense into them. And now, no one can talk to them at all. They’ve simply vanished.

Review

A young family has vanished. One day they were there and the next day everyone is more or less acting as if they were never there at all. Given where they were living it's perhaps not that much of a surprise. A ghost town that inspires fear, caution and paranoia. Who knows what evil forces are lurking in the dark, dusty corners. Has that evil swallowed them up?

Emmaline, who is unapologetically herself at all times, is determined to find out what happened to the small family. As the reader is narrated by Lorcan, Naiyana and the police, the idyllic picture of a family rebuilding their lives after a hard time starts to crumble with frightening velocity.

Both Lorcan and Naiyana have burnt their bridges and are on the run or hiding from people who are looking for vengeance. Unfortunately Lorcan thinks squatting in a ghost town is a brilliant idea for his family, which includes a young son. Really?

It reminded me of Jane Harper and Scrubland by Chris Hammer, and to a certain extent Mystery Road. A very distinctive voice and style that makes the surroundings, and the ensuing atmosphere, part of the character ensemble. 

It is a bit drawn out in the middle and given the excellent characters, especially Emmaline, there are some missed opportunities perhaps, however I really enjoyed it and wouldn't hesitate to pick up another book by this author. It's a great crime read.

Buy Vanished at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK Publishing 15th April 2021 | Hardback | £14.99. Buy at Hive.

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