In this novel, character Kali Jorgensen is definitely a force to be reckoned with. She is a hard-working woman who cracks the whip. So when a bunch of lawyers from the city decide to bring their client to a cattle-driving ranch for a little down time while things settle down regarding their current big case, they have no idea what they are in for. And neither does their client.

I still have chills from reading this book. *insert nervous chuckle here* I mean, the hairs on the back of my neck rose and my body stiffened every time the antagonist, Jeremy Connors, came into the picture. From the very beginning I just wanted to go through the book and punch him in the face, that is how bad my feelings toward him are. So I definitely commend the author on that.

And Kali...whew...she is definitely a firecracker. I mean, who blasts Michael Jackson at 5 in the morning? She does! She probably was one of my favourite characters in this book, mainly because she is so tough. This woman lost her husband and is still going strong...or at least that is what she portrays to the rest of the world. Behind all her toughness, though, occasionally you see this vulnerability that she saves for when she is alone. That makes her so amazingly likeable to me, because she doesn't play the victim. She just takes things day by day. And even though she does not know it, she truly just wants to be loved again. You see a loneliness about her. So I was glad to see her on the receiving end of the romance aspect of this story.

I really do love that this story hosts the topics that it does. Rape, misconduct, abusive actions...It also touches the topic of how someone's status in life can allow them to get away with things like this. And the people who defend them even when they know there is a semblance of truth to the charges against their clients. There is a morality to this story. You see it in the lead attorney of the Jeremy Connors case. He begins to question why he is even involved, and he also begins to question his morals. He truly is sickened by his client, but the promise of a promotion is kind of hard to turn down. However, he will find that there is a line he will not cross regarding how far he will go to keep his client out of trouble.

There is humor, there is pain, there is romance and horses, what more could a girl ask for?

I loved this story. It was a great read and definitely showed that not everyone should be afraid to tell the truth. It also showed that even after tragedy, things can turn out okay.

Life can change at a dime, and love can come when you least expect it.

Definitely an author to read in future.

Okay, so I was absolutely stoked when this sequel to Murder in Mystery Manor came out. So stoked, in fact, that I had already pre-ordered it before it released and spent my early morning hours of the day it came out reading it, or shall I say listening to it, since I also bought the free audio book, I listened to it that whole day, finally finishing it in the dark hours of the evening.

Now as far as audio books go, I tend to judge them by the reader, because ultimately to me, if the reader is not interesting, no matter the subject or genre of book, I will tend to stop listening. I usually will just pick up the true book copy and read it for myself when that happens. Luckily, with this book, I was just as entertained by the reader as I was in the first one. I mean, come on! It's the butler from Rue Manor for crying out loud!

And speaking of Rue Manor, it actually is mentioned in the beginning of this book, but while I do appreciate the fact this book is based off the show, I kind of wished they would not have even mentioned Rue Manor. To me, the story was not really affected by the mention of the events at Rue Manor, and also, because things do not really go into too much detail of the events, I felt like I was missing something. I kind of wish they would make a book version of the events at Rue Manor and consider that one to be the second book. That would clear things up, and also, what would I have thought if I hadn't watched the show? I would have felt lost.

All in all, this book was awesome, despite my Rue Manor rant I had a few chapters in, and it was filled with twists and turns and so much more intricate death scenes. OH, THE DEATH SCENES! That is the amazing part of books. You can do so much more with the imagination than you could ever do in real life. Well, TV-wise.

I absolutely recommend this to anyone who is a fan of the show, and those who have read the first book, because this one just adds to the story and even sets us up for a third installation. CAN'T WAIT!! Well, if they make it that is....

P.S. I TOTALLY CALLED THE KILLER!!!

Opening Line: "My name is Mila, and this is my journey."

VANISH is part 5 in the Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles series. I read it as a stand alone though and did just fine, so I can recommend it that way too. I’d also never heard of author Tess Gerritsen before this but will definitely be searching out more from her and this series. I loved her style of writing, the realistic characters, the suspenseful medical based plot and the fast moving thrill of this story as a whole. There were elements that you could tell if you were invested in the series (and reading it in order) would have been even better or funnier or sadder however I never felt lost or left out of some big plot due to the excellent story telling. This is crime writing suspense at its very best.

Vanish pulls you in from the very first page starting with Mila’s heartbreaking story of human trafficking. She and a group of Russian girls are crossing into America from Mexico having been lured there by the promise of a better life however by the end of the chapter one of the girls is dead and Mila has been sold into a prostitution ring. Mila’s story (which we keep flashing back to) is gritty and often hard to read probably because it is very real.

We then switch to coroner Maura Isles who is going about her daily routine (in vivid medical detail) when she discovers that one of the bodies in the morgue is still alive. “Jane Doe” is rushed to the emergency room where we meet up with our other protagonist Detective Jane Rizzoli who has just gone into labour following a take down at the courthouse (she rocks)

Through a fantastic series of events that kept me on the edge of my seat and never able to guess what was coming next, the formerly “dead” woman grabs a security guards gun and takes 6 people hostage in the hospital, one of which is Detective Rizzoli. “Jane Doe” won’t talk to the police negotiator and we only learn her motives after a man disguised as member of the SWAT team joins her. His story is equally enthralling.

This tense drama plays out for a large part of the book bringing in a host of other characters (and their POV’S) along with clever plot twists and exciting action. All of which Gerritsen manages to tie together. We meet Jane’s husband FBI agent Gabriel Dean (I’m assuming we met him in earlier books) we also have Jane’s partner (hints of a love triangle), reporters, spies and bad guys in Washington. We get crime scene investigations and the makings of a political thriller which thankfully doesn’t take over and a very realistic story involving a new mother trying to get to know her baby while maintaining her identity. Throughout it all we keep coming back to Mila and her story is the one that haunts me.

What a fantastic unputdownable read. Not my usual fare but a series I will definitely be coming back to. Cheers