Vanished

By: Joseph Finder

Narrated by: Holter Graham

Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

Nick Heller is tough, smart, and stubborn. And in his line of work, it's essential. Trained in the Special Forces, Nick is a high-powered intelligence investigator - exposing secrets that powerful people would rather keep hidden. He's a guy you don't want to mess with. He's also the man you call when you need a problem fixed.

Desperate, with nowhere else to run, Nick's nephew, Gabe makes that call one night. After being attacked in Georgetown, his mother lies in a coma, and his step-dad, Roger, Nick's brother, has vanished without a trace. Nick and Roger have been on the outs since the arrest, trial, and conviction of their father, the notorious "fugitive financier" Victor Heller. Where Nick strayed from the path, Roger followed their father's footsteps into the corporate world. Now, as Nick searches for his brother, he's on a collision course with one of the most powerful corporations in the world - and they will stop at nothing to protect their secrets, in Joseph Finder's thrilling Vanished.

©2009 Joseph Finder (P)2009 Macmillan Audio

Gonna Give Finder and Graham One More Try...

This is my first Finder book and, were the "Buried Secrets" not on sale, this would probably be my last. After reading comments by others, I find that I agree with some and disagree with others as follows:
- I was not as annoyed with the narrator as others... in fact, I found the "whiny" mom and "cracking, high" voice of Gabe really funny!
- I liked the way Finder described the "reasoning" behind the actions of his "hero" protagonist, but like another person mentioned... he AIN'T no "Mitch Rapp".
- Regarding character development, I agree with another that said they didn't really "care" about the characters... I didn't really get close enough to any of them to cheer them on.
- Regarding length, I do agree with the person that said there was too much filler/detail and that the action didn't move along fast enough... this could have been a "better" short story.
- Plausibility... pretty weak (but it IS fiction!), and silly how none of the bad guys can seem to shoot straight whatsoever. I didn't mind the references to "gadgets" like another reviewer mentioned.

In summary, if I had know how I'd feel about this book prior to having listened to it, I would not have purchased it... but I didn't strongly dislike it enough to be remorseful about having spent the credit. I hope "Buried Secrets" is better.

Captivating story!

This was my first book from Joseph Finder and I absolutely loved it! The only qualms I had about this book was the narrator. His impression of Gabe and Lauren were terrible!! The whiny tone was not good and hard too listen too at times.

Falls Apart

This book starts out great. Then, the plot falls apart. I found myself thinking, "Huh? How can that be." It is almost as if the writer had a great beginning, but he didn't know how to finish the story, so he put a lot of stuff together just to have an ending. The narrator sounds really young, so he is a great Gabe, but that is about all. If this had been my first Finder book, it would probably be my last, but I have listened to his other stuff and it was pretty good, so I'll try again.

Good story, GREAT narration

I've been a fan of Finder for years, and this story does not disappoint. However, he goes in a different direction this time. The normal Finder novel features a reluctant hero who just can't seem to make the right choices. You find yourself, over and over again, saying "Don't open that door! Are you stupid??!!!" This story doesn't follow that formula, but it's just as good. The reveal at the end is a little bit contrived. It would have been nice for some of the information to have come out during the course of the narrative. But it's well worth the time for the listen.

The narrator, Holter Graham, is AMAZING! This is the first story I've listened to that he has narrated, but it won't be the last. Major props for the job that he does with Gabe's character.

Classic Joseph Finder book

Liked the booked, this is a classic Finder novel, with three twists and turns as in a his books. This one had many obvious story lines that didn't surprise me like previous books. Was a fun and easy listening to.

Great book!

This is my second Joseph Finder book - what a great story! Love the characters and the PLOT.

Just too convoluted

Like all of Joseph Finder's books, this one starts out with a bang that immediately engaged me. Unfortunately, what followed was so convoluted and repetitious that I stopped caring who did what to whomever long before the tale ended. For me, there was too much chase and not enough character and plot development.

Really well done mystery.

I was engaged all the way. But the audiobook narrator was annoying.

I loved the way Nick and the reader learn things and clues along the way. No tell-all at the end. There were many interesting things, like the way Nick repeatedly set off window alarms to get in a building. I liked what he did with a FedEx envelope. I liked what he did to a key card. I liked how Nick learned something about Roger by what the father accidentally said.

Someone compared Nick Heller to Jack Reacher (by author Lee Child). He was similar in that he took-on three guys at once and beat them in hand-to-hand combat. The Reacher books have more fighting scenes than this book. This book had Nick fighting about twice. That’s not a complaint, just a comparison. Finder might be a little better with plotting.

I “require” happy endings. And the ending was good for me.

The Nick chapters were 1st person, and then many chapters were 3rd person which was well done. I don’t like 1st person, but if you have to do it, this is the way to go.

AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR: Holter Graham.
I was annoyed with the narrator using weird voices for Gabe and Lauren (the stepson and wife of the missing guy Roger). He sounded the opposite of constipated. He sounded like he had to go to the bathroom but was holding it in and holding his breath. It was really off-putting. Other characters also had the “holding the breath” feel.

In an interview the narrator said he wanted Gabe to have a voice that cracked like many 15-year-old boys. The idea is ok, but the voice ended up being more weird than authentic. Also Graham’s voice for Nick sounded like a college kid instead of an adult ex-military guy.

However Graham did have a good general narration style.

Genre: mystery suspense.

OTHER BOOKS:
This is book 1 in the Nick Heller series. They do not need to be read in order, but I’d recommend it. Book 2 is “Buried Secrets.”

Pretty good

Story was pretty good if a little unbelievable. The narrator was so annoying I almost quit listening. His voice for the son and wife is terrible. It sounds like a bad impression of someone starting to cry with a stuffed nose. If he is a reader for the remainder of the books I will certainly not purchase them.

Great thriller - ear candy

I really enjoyed this first book in the Nick Heller series. Nick Heller is called in to investigate his brother’s disappearance and ends up coming up against a powerful private military contractor. The mystery itself is nothing special, but the storytelling is great. The characters are likable and the pacing is consistent and moves along briskly. Nick Heller is your standard Jack Reacher/John Puller type of extremely resourceful former military private investigator. If you enjoy that genre, you should enjoy this book. I look forward to the rest of this series.