Before He Vanished: A Romantic Thriller

Before He Vanished by Debra Webb has Halle Lane back in Winchester, Tennessee and working at the Winchester Gazette. Her best friend, Andy Clark disappeared twenty-five years ago on his way home from school. Andy’s mother, Nancy has never talked to a reporter. Halle is given the assignment of interviewing Nancy for an article. Halle is pleased when Nancy agrees to an interview and the article is picked up by other papers. Liam Hart gets an envelope in the mail with a copy of Halle’s article. The pictures of young Andy Clark look just like his childhood photos. Liam arrives in Winchester looking for answers. Halle is shocked when she looks in Liam’s eyes and sees those of her missing friend. Halle and Liam begin digging into the past searching for answers. Before He Vanished has such an intriguing premise (it is why I picked up this book). You cannot help but wonder what happened to Andy Clark. Is Liam really Andy or just a look alike? There is suspense, murder, mystery, romance and intrigue. The mystery moves the story forward as they search for the truth. The story moves back-and-forth between the past (then) and present (now). Before He Vanished has a clever mystery with surprising twists (my type of mystery). There is romance (of course) as Halle and Liam search for the truth. I liked the epilogue that nicely wrapped up the story. Before He Vanished can be read on its own if you have not read the other novels in A Winchester, Tennessee Thriller series (this is the sixth installment). This is the second book I have read by Debra Webb and I am looking forward to reading more. Before He Vanished is an intriguing romantic suspense with a kidnapped child, a resolved reporter, a mystified man and a curious crime.

This is only the second book I've read in Debra Webb's Winchester, Tennessee series, but I'm really enjoying these characters. Like the last book, this one does work as a standalone, as the author does give us any backstory we may need as this one progresses. I liked the mystery in this one, and while I had some guesses about some of it, I didn't have it all figured out. I will say that the reveal was a bit convoluted, but not so much that I was put off by it. Halle and Liam were both likable characters and there was good chemistry between them from the beginning, and they were easy to root for. We also get some glimpses of Halle and Andy when they were children that were not only sweet, but they make these characters even more endearing. To sum it up, the romance is sweet, the mystery is - well, mysterious, and the story moves at a good pace for an entertaining read that has this series firmly on my radar.