Vanished Without a Trace by Sarah Hamaker is a Love Inspired Suspense stand-alone novel. Attorney Henderson Parker has been searching for his missing sister for nine years. When he receives a new clue he goes to Twin Oaks, Virginia. There he runs into podcaster Elle Updike who wants to help; but she’s the last person Henderson wants help from. The only problem is that someone is desperate to keep Henderson from uncovering any information. Teaming up with Elle is the only way he will be able to hopefully find his sister. This story takes you on a wild ride from the beginning page to the end. There are so many twists and turns that it’s hard to breathe. You can’t turn the pages fast enough!
I received this book from Celebrate-Lit for my honest review.
About the Author
Sarah Hamaker loves writing books “where the hero and heroine fall in love while running for their lives.” She’s written romantic suspense novels and nonfiction books, as well as stories in Chicken Soup for the Soul volumes. As a writers coach, her heart is encouraging writers. She’s a member of ACFW; ACFW Virginia Chapter; and Faith, Hope and Love, as well as the president of Capital Christian Writers Fellowship. Her podcast, “The Romantic Side of Suspense,” can be found wherever you listen to podcasts. Sarah lives in Virginia with her husband, four teenagers, a preschool foster child and three cats. Visit her online at sarahhamakerfiction.com.
More from Sarah
As a podcaster myself, I’ve listened to many true crime podcasts, such as “Up and Vanished” and “Accused,” so when I was thinking about the plot for Vanished Without a Trace, I decided to have my heroine be a true crime podcaster investigating cold missing persons cases. I also am fascinated by unsolved mysteries, probably because I love history, and have a strong sense of justice—I want those who commit crimes to be caught. Of course, as a Christian, I do rest in the assurance of God as the ultimate and only truly righteous Judge, but I do find myself rooting for cold cases to be solved and criminals brought to justice. Thus the book combines my two of my interests—cold cases and true crime.
Personally, I can’t imagine anything more difficult than to have a loved one go missing and never be found or heard from again. The uncertainty of their fate must weigh very heavily on the family members left behind. I wanted to capture some of that with Henderson’s strong desire to find his missing sister, Helena, and reunite her with their mother. He’s seen how much Helena’s absence has taken a toll on their mother’s health and mental well-being, and when he has a chance to chase down the first real lead in years, he jumps at it.
Elle’s motives are no less personal than Henderson’s—her own heart aches for these grieving families. Having distant parents, she wants to help families heal by discovering what happened to a loved one if possible. But Henderson doesn’t trust her motives and the two clash more often than not over her podcast.
I hope you enjoy seeing how Elle and Henderson learn to work together to find Helena…and perhaps, their own happy ending.