Vanished Echoes: A Breaking News Story

So when Lucy Carver, aged ten, vanishes, leaving no trace, the hunt for clues only inflames smouldering bombs around race, immigration and trust in institutions.

As the country collapses into tumult, we look through them with a critical lens, which makes evident how human nature at its very worst and best is revealed in moments of crisis.

The mass media—a friend and a foe—rallies millions to hope and ultimately breeds disunity. While reason gives way to suspicion, passion diminishes.

As the lives of innocent people are sacrificed (for it was no accident that the arsonist torched a boat full of immigrants), one small community's conscience is put to the test - and even a nation's character.

Combining mesmerising suspense with thoughtful insight, this audacious debut novel from Luigi Pascal Rondanini is a shout throughout the urgent warning system. Whether concern turns away or hatred takes power, it is still the same. And vanishing echoes sound a cautionary alarm to be heeded before shadows swallow our shared humanity.