Customer Reviews

Page One: Vanished

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Nancy Barr's second mystery again features Robin Hamilton, a 30-something reporter in a small town in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. While vacationing with her best friend in a nearby tourist town, she visits a bookstore and finds a scrapbook that had been kept by a local schoolteacher, now deceased. It contains an account of and exposes the tragic disappearance of a young girl on the last day of junior high, including extensive newspaper clippings of the ensuing search. Robin becomes intrigued by the girl's story, and it leads her to investigate other missing persons. Eventually, she uncovers a disturbing pattern. Girls have been going missing in the area over the last twenty years, at a rate of one every five years. Pursuing the serial killer, and solving the crime, leads to unexpected horror.

The characters Barr has created are realistically drawn and become people you'd like to hang out with (well, except for the killer...). The backstory of Robin's recent loss, and a story of family redemption and forgiveness are well played and engaging. Robin becomes a good friend, and I'm looking forward to spending more time with her. The story takes us on a quite a nice tour of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and gives us a peek into an interesting and beautiful part of the country that I hadn't been aware of before reading this entertaining "cozy."

by Catherine Cogburn
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

When reporter Robin Hamilton finds a scrapbook of newspaper clippings about the disappearance of a young girl, her curiosity is piqued. Though the girl vanished more than three decades earlier, Robin begins to investigate and soon discovers that other girls have also gone missing over the years.

The main reason I picked up this book is because it is set in one of my favourite places: Michigan's Upper Peninsula. I'm happy to say that the descriptions of real locations are wonderfully accurate. At times during the story, the landscape becomes a character in its own right.

This is a really enjoyable book. The plot unfolds at a steady pace and the character, particularly Robin, are nicely developed. I never felt at a disadvantage because I hadn't read the first instalment in the series. The mystery is interesting and, although I figured out the killer's identity before the denouncement, there were still some surprises in the story's climax.

4.75 stars.

Nancy Barr's writing style is at ease, especially in her second mystery novel as Nancy gets comfortable in her mystery writing career. I love the setting - Michigan's rugged Upper Peninsula - and Barr takes us all over the land apart to find 5 missing girls. Can't wait for the next in the Robin Hamilton series.

Of the three "Page One" books, this one is probably my favorite because the characters are so well-crafted (especially the parents of the missing girls) and the ending is delightfully creepy. There's an element of the mystical in this book with the main character's Aunt Gina providing just enough eccentricity to make the story entertaining without being over-the-top weird, i.e. I actually know people like her.

While the story is set in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, anyone who loves a good mystery will enjoy this series.

This book is a quick read, making it perfect for the beach or a weekend at the lake!

You don't have to be a resident of Michigan's Upper Pennisula to love Nancy Barr's Robin Hamilton Mystery Series. If you are familiar with the UP (Upper Pennisula)there will be an added plus to your enjoyment. I have read and enjoyed all of Steve Hamilton's Alex McKnight novels which also are set in Michigan's UP. It is wonderful to have another author to enjoy my favorite pennisula and great mysteries with. Thank you, Nancy Barr!