Vanishing Hour by Laura Griffin

(Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!)

 

about book:

When a cold case in Texas leads to a sinister string of disappearances, a newcomer to the small town helps a detective piece together the clues in this new romantic thriller from New York Timesbestselling author Laura Griffin.

Corporate lawyer Ava Burch has had enough of the big city and the daily grind. She grew up with her father, who raised search-and-rescue dogs, in rural Texas and has moved to the small town of Cuervo to spend time in the dry, rugged wilderness near Big Bend National Park. When she and her dog, Huck, discover an abandoned campsite on a volunteer search-and-rescue mission, she's perplexed, but she carefully photographs it all the same.

All Grant Wycoff can see when he looks at Ava is a city slicker--with her designer jeans and shiny car--who has no business on a serious team made of seasoned outdoorsmen and retired cops. But when she tells him of her findings on the trail, he sees there's more to her than meets the eye.

Ava's discovery reminds Grant of the unsolved case of a young woman who went missing two years ago. As they look into the campsite further, another woman disappears under odd circumstances. With time running out, Ava and Grant must work against the brutal heat from both the Texas sun and their own electric chemistry to solve the case.

my thoughts:

Romance, suspense, mystery, and thrills - what more could I want from a book, right? Well, Laura Griffin provides all the goods in her latest novel, Vanishing Hour - and it is awesome!

Ava is a corporate lawyer and she's tired of city life and nonstop work. So, she moves to a small town called Cuervo, right near Big Bend National Park. She joins her friend in opening the law firm in the area and volunteers for SAR (search-and-rescue) missions in her spare time. It's while she's out on a SAR mission with Huck, her dog, that she discovers an abandoned campsite. Intrigued and disturbed by the site, Ava takes photographs of it. She reports her findings to the local sheriff, who just dismisses it all. However, Deputy Sheriff Grant Wycoff is interested and asks her to show him the site. Once there, they discover that the campsite is gone. They continue to search and find female skeletal remains. Yikes! Soon, an investigation is in full swing and things are looking grim. Seems like there is more than one missing woman case to investigate, especially when another woman suddenly disappears. Whoa! Ava finds herself starting her own investigation, much to the chagrin of the locals. It's dangerous and important work and Ava is determined to find out what happened and whodunnit. Teaming up with Grant may just be the ticket to finding the answers they both want and need to solve these cases. Of course, teaming up may also be the start of a fresh new romance for the two...hmm...perhaps working together is exactly what they both need. 

Griffin has written a terrific book that will hook you right from the start with its unforgettable characters and unputdownable storytelling. I just loved settling down with my copy and devouring it in one go - it was just so damn good! I couldn't stop reading until I found out who was behind these missing women and whether or not Ava and Grant would make a go of things. What a great story! I loved it to bits! I would happily recommend it to fans of Griffin and to anyone looking for their next great read. Make sure to grab a copy of Vanishing Hour ASAP - you are going to LOVE it!!

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!