The Disappeared

A Retrieval Artist Novel

By: Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Narrated by: Jay Snyder

Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

Retrieval Artists help the lost find their way back home, whether they like it or not. Specialized private detectives, they investigate the most unusual crimes in the galaxy. But Miles Flint isn't a Retrieval Artist. He's just a cop, trying to do his job.

In a stolen space yacht, three people have been found eviscerated, the grisly signature of an alien vengeance killing. Moments later, the border patrol halts another ship launched out of the moon's orbit. Its passengers are two human children, kidnapped by the most ruthless aliens in the universe. Both ships are linked to a woman on the run: a Disappeared relocated to the inhospitable landscape of Mars. A reluctant outlaw with a bounty on her head and a detective on her case, she's about to teach all of them a lesson: it's dangerous to gamble with your life in a universe that rigs the game.

Listen to more in the Retrieval Artist series.

©2002 White Mist Mountain, Inc. (P)2008 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A masterful writer is at work." (Orson Scott Card)

"Top 10 Greatest Science Fiction Detective Novels of all Time." (io9.com)

"If you love puzzle mysteries, crime novels, well-invented sci-fi worlds or stories about characters you can believe in and care about, you owe it to yourself to give Rusch's Retrieval Artist novels a try." (Orson Scott Card)

Be very careful when you start this series

This is a highly addictive series. Ms. Rauch builds an excellent world with an excellent cast. The future amenities are things I wish we had now as they are not only very clever but possible too. Complex, well narrated stories. I have a love/hate with this series as not only is it the Retrieval Artist series but goes on into the Anniversary Day Saga series. This is a lot of books and none are in my local lending library. Oh my groaning purse. You probably know but if not: you can get the kindle books for a lot of these for 5.99 with an add on audible for 1.99. You will have to have them all.

A good story and well read

This story has a few surprises in it that you do not expect. A few twists and turns that keep you interested throughout. I like the way in which the story unfolds, slowly but, without boredom becoming an issue. So the plot is a good one, and it is well written without the plodding unimaginative prose that so often goes along with this genre. The narrator does a fine job with only one of the voices that does not quite fit the character in my humble opinion. That being said, the character only plays a minor part, so this isn’t a huge issue. Hence if you like this genre I would certainly recommend you buy this book.

Police Procedural on the Moon, with Aliens

In addition to being a stay at home Dad to two, I have a part time gig that involves lots of data analysis. I am in one of the seasons where that data has to be transferred from one format to another, so I am doing a lot of data entry. This is fairly mindless work and one of the things I have alway liked about my job because I can listen to audiobooks in the background while I do it.

A Facebook friend recommended a book series that starts with The Disappeared last week that seemed like a perfect data entry book and I picked it up and listened to it immediately since it was on sale.

The setting is the moon. The oldest and largest of the moon colonies is Armstrong Base. Armstrong Base has the biggest spaceport and so the largest traffic. This future has a number of different alien groups that trade with humans. One of the side problems with alien economic trade is the different cultural and legal systems. Intergalactic trade policy has to include systems for prosecution of local offenses.

Several of the alien groups have bounty hunters that come to search out humans that are in violation of various ‘crimes’. This gives rise to disappearance services that help hide humans that have been convicted or are in danger of being convicted for crimes that will have harsh sentences, often for just being ignorant of cultural offenses.

Two detectives on the moon have a confluence of several different alien interactions that fall on them. Several dead humans that appear to have been killed in an honor killing by one alien race, another set of aliens that is kidnapping children as part of their legal system. A third alien group that is pursuing a human on a warrant. All of which raises legal, ethical, communication and vocational challenges.

The Disappeared is a mix of genres. It is a police procedural that is not really a mystery. Most of the crimes/events are laid out fairly early. The mystery is the connection. The scifi setting allows for a different spin on the police procedural. And in the end this is a set up for a long series that appears to be more of a thriller.

The Disappeared is nice change of pace for me. I would not have picked it up if it had not been recommended and I would not have picked it up if it had not been on sale. But I enjoyed the book and I will pick up more of them as I see them on sale and have time.

slow start

it was slow to get going. I almost gave up. it got better and I enjoyed it.

Great premise. Wonderful story.

More than sci-fi. More than a police procedural. Speaks to a universal story of understanding and interconnectedness.

Caught and Retrieved

I had for some reason, held off on listening to any of KK Rusch's books and feel like I've been holding out on myself. Well, no more, holding back!
This was a really interesting book. Rusch has really thought about this idea and developed it so that it sounds plausible. Sort of like witness protection with quite a twist. The alien cultures the she has created sound scary, but also plausible, and I wanted to know more about them. Why do they think the way they do, how did their sense of justice develop, what do their worlds look like, and how do they live? There are just glimpses of these races, a tantalizing taste that piques the curiosity.
Character development starts of strong and just builds as the story continues. You care about these people, you want them to succeed. Also, the issues that are the heart of the story are frightening and look to be unsolvable. There aren't any nicely packaged solutions that are applied here. Here are imperfect solutions, sort of like real life.
I also greatly enjoyed Jay Snyder's reading. He has a voice that is easy to listen to, and if you really must know, he sort of "disappears" into the reading. Its as if you aren't really aware that someone else is reading the story to you.
Excellent read, I am looking forward to my next KK Rusch book!

Good story but not thrilled with the narrator

Would you be willing to try another one of Jay Snyder’s performances?

Mr. Snyder has a smooth voice, in fact I found it way too smooth and dramatic for my taste. I was always conscious that someone was reading and couldn't lose myself in the story. I kept thinking about the over the top deep-voiced narrators of action-flic trailers that are now parodied for other commercials.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was so happy to find a sci-fi series that I hadn't read yet and I am interested in the "world" that has been created by the author. I will listen to the next in the series and see if I can get over the narrator.

Entertaining

While it's not the best book I've ever read it's paced well, has enough character development and the plot is interesting enough to keep me listening. There a some pretty big holes in the premise the Disappeared is based on but if you can get over that you will be entertained. 3.7 stars would be a fair overall rating.

Fast paced space detective novel

This is a fast, interesting and well-developed novel with interesting aliens and a suspenseful plot.

There are some gaps where the story seems to jump and a major story thread gets concluded "behind the scenes" (i.e. we last see one character on the run from the police then at the end of the book we find out she's been relocated to Earth, but there is no indication of how or when this happened).

The narration is very good; the characters are distinctly voiced and I will certainly be reading more in the series.

Very interesting first novel of a new series

Kristine Rusch has developed a great hook with this series, and she's joined with Jay Snyder as narrator to come out with a great new story arc--at last-a NEW SiFi story line.

Rusch writes tight dialog, both human and alien and Snyder does a wonderful job of inventing the aliens speech patterns and voices. Together they have a intriguing new idea that caught my attention in the first hour.

Other reviews have covered the story line so I won't-I just have encourage those who love good tight SiFi thats not based in uber tech but reads like it's just the normal day except hundreds of years in the future, to check this first novel out. As for me, I'm on to # 2