The Girl That Vanished by A.J. Rivers
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Author’s Journal | Pen Date 3.22.22 | TW: Violence Against Children, Child Death, Language
Have you Read “the Girl That Vanished” or any of the other Emma Griffin Fbi Mysteries?
Tell me what you thought!
This is the Second Novel in A.J. River’s Emma Griffin FBI Mysteries.
If you’re interested in a female-led mystery series, go check out my review for the first book, The Girl In Cabin 13.
I will say the first novel was a little convoluted, with too many plot lines, as Rivers set out to establish the series. The sequel is the exact opposite. It’s straight forward, and though it teases some series wide plot lines, it predominately focuses on an A-plot.
In fact, this very much could be a stand-alone novel as any major continuation plot points are recapped.
|Synopsis|
Emma needs to go on vacation, but her old home town needs her more. The Sheriff of Sherwood, VA, Sam (Emma’s past love-interest) calls her up and says, I’ve got two missing kids in town, please help.
It’s a weird call to get out of the blue, especially when it’s revealed he had no clue about Emma’s current role with the FBI or in the high profile case of the first novel.
Despite her better judgment, she goes. Together, the pair must investigate these disappearances which begin to add up into a pattern.
Alice Brooks (check)
Caleb Donahue (check)
Eva Francis (check)
Gloria Hernandez (check)
Can Sam and Emma stop the kidnappings and capture the culprit before they get to the next letters, or worse, one of the children ends up dead.
|The Good|
A very easy read and honestly good writing. The prose is solid and engaging, and the mystery twists and turns enough to keep readers guessing as to who the perpetrator is.
|The Bad|
The end feels rushed and just falls flat. I like the twist, and I certainly fell for the red herring this time, but Rivers is a bit trickier with this one.
That’s not to say, there are some real leaps that River’s takes to develop an original MO for the perpetrator.
The canonical story doesn’t get much depth either. What readers were constantly reminded of in the first book feels pushed aside and like an after thought.
|Overall|
Having been gifted the first three books in this series I now turn to the third. Girl in The Manor. I’m looking forward to it, but if the series doesn’t develop better as a whole, I won’t see myself purchasing the fourth and so-on. . .
For more of my overall opinions and takeaways on River’s Follow Up to The Girl in Cabin 13, head over to Ko-Fi and consider joining my “knowledge tier” for more in-depth reviews and takeaways on novels and KindleVella exclusives that won’t be find anywhere else.
Review also available on Goodreads
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The Complete EMMA GRIFFIN FBI MYSTERY SERIES
Check out her other series | The Ava James FBI Mystery Series
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