The Vanished by Cara C. Putman Series: Secrets to Keep #1
Published by Kregel Publications on April 16, 2024
Genres: Fiction / Christian / Contemporary, Fiction / Christian / Suspense, Fiction / Thrillers / Legal
Pages: 352
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"Putman's legal expertise shines in this compelling and intricately plotted romantic suspense. Highly recommended!"
—Colleen Coble, USA Today best-selling author
Janae Simmons left the small town of Kedgewick, Virginia, ten years ago to pursue her legal career and never looked back—until a professional mistake leads her to her grandmother's historic carriage house and to the town where her past threatens to find her. The quiet streets echo with her grandfather's sterling reputation, one that conflicts with fresh questions that claw at Janae, launching her on a reluctant journey to unearth his secrets. When her new job at a local law firm doesn't live up to expectations, she wonders if coming home was the right decision.
Carter Montgomery starts his art preservation career with the only job he can get—director at the Elliott Museum of Art. At least Kedgewick is a nice enough town to provide him and his nephew with a safe place to grieve the loss of Carter's sister. But Carter's calm days disappear when an elderly woman claims two paintings in the museum's collection were stolen from her family during World War II.
Carter enlists Janae's help to unravel the legal labyrinth of art ownership, and the peaceful facade of Kedgewick morphs into a hot bed of secrets. When an attorney turns up dead and Janae uncovers another painting, what began as a simple legal issue spirals into a race against time. As the web of intrigue tightens, the duo must confront a looming question: What dark truths lie beneath the surface, waiting to be exposed?
"Cara Putman has once again created an exciting cast of characters. I was immediately drawn in by Janae and Carter's unique chemistry. This is one story you don't want to miss."
—Rebecca Hemlock, award-winning author of Fury in the Shadows
Sometimes when you have a prequel, it doesn’t go with the rest of the story. In this case, Art of Deception set up this story well. We get to know Charlotte’s brother, Carter, in The Vanished and see some of her son, Andrew, who is now living with Carter. We also meet Janae, which made me a little cozy as I’ve had people call me that is a way to change up my real name over the years. I was feeling the Janae vibes. We got art (something I will admit I know almost nothing about), we got some legal drama, and a whole lot of ethics. And while the story was good, there was just too much that didn’t deliver enough.
In all the great things we got with the art and ethics, there was a lot that just didn’t hit. There was too much going on, and it all started to bleed together. From Janae’s coming home with her tail tucked between her legs, trying to start a law firm, helping Grandma, and moving to the carriage house, to the found art that may or may not have been stolen during and after WW2. Then there’s Carter, who finds himself working with someone who had sabotaged him before, a claim that paintings on display were stolen from the family during WW2, to a break-in and then some random, maybe stalking by the Italian Mafia, all based around Andrew and what went down with his mother. There was just enough to lay the foundation but not enough to fully invest or really understand how it all works together. There’s a lot more random backstory as well that just never quite landed for me. I get it’s the lead-up to a series and so the stage is being set for the rest, but it still felt too much, and nothing got the attention it actually deserved. And that ending . . .
While not everything is wrapped up, I expect that as part two is coming. But there was a big reveal at the end- massive, I mean. If you read the prequel, you knew it would happen eventually, but it was handled so anticlimactic, and that bothered me. I think I felt more emotion than the impacted characters did. I knew the truth, but I had more questions than they did. And that bothers me on so many levels. Overall, I’m invested in this group and the future of this series, but honestly I felt too rushed with too little connection, as so many plot points were thrown at me that never developed depth or attachment for me. I still love Cara Putman, but this isn’t starting out as a series I’m loving.
About Cara C. Putman
Since the time I could read Nancy Drew, I have wanted to write mysteries. In 2005 I attended a book signing at my local Christian bookstore. The rest, as they say, is history. There I met Colleen Coble. With prompting from my husband, I shared my dream with Colleen. Since those infamous words, I’ve been writing books.
In addition to writing, I am an attorney, lecturer at a Big Ten university, active in women’s ministry, and all around crazy woman. Crazy about God, my husband and my kids. I graduated with honors from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (Go Huskers!), George Mason Law School (JD), and Purdue University’s Krannert School of Management (MBA). You can learn more about my books at https://www.caraputman.com.
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