Really fascinating book cataloging some of America’s missing in forests and parks throughout the US. Most of the story follow’s the family of Jacob — a young man who disappears following a impromptu solo bike trip. Lots of neat interwoven stories, theories and insights.

Parts of this book were really interesting, but the majority just wasn't for me and I struggled to stay engaged. Add to that the claims made by Jacob Gray's family - and I don't really know what to do with this book.

I was excited about getting this book as this mysterious disappearance of people is one thing that has always fascinated me. Yet I was a bit let down and was unable to finish it due to its lack of story line or anything to really keep me interested. It jumped from story to story without really an indication and I was unable to truly follow what the heck was going on. Just when i got into a story it would switch to someone different.

Not for me

The synopsis of this book really sounded interesting, people who vanish for seemingly no reason, never to be found again. The author took one case of a marginally mentally ill young man and based the entire book around it. I found the story of Jacob and what happened to him rather obvious. Contrary to the premise of the book, people rarely just 'vanish', rather they are unlucky, ill-prepared, or stupid. Also, not being a 'believer' in Bigfoot the many references to such wore on me. Overall I found the book kind of kooky and lacking.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing me with a copy of the book to read and review.

This is a true story of a missing person. A father looking for his son is truly heart wrenching. I’m not what to as the family didn’t support the book and I feel the authors ethics are a bit skewed. It seems to be a self serving effort.

The Cold Vanish is a truly fascinating book following multiple cases of people that vanish without a trace in the wilderness. The book most follows the case of Jacob Gray who vanishes in the Pacific Northwest. We follow Jacob’s father, Randy, as he tirelessly works to solve the mystery of his son's disappearance. I truly enjoy nonfiction books of this genre, as heart wrenching and at times hard to read as they are. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves nonfiction, the outdoors, or a true story of determination.

I'm choosing to not read and review this book out of respect to the family of Jacob Gray. They are not supportive of this publication due to a false portrayal of their loved one.

3.5 Stars for this book by Jon Billman

A story of how people go missing. The author wove the story of a man looking for his lost son with several other stories. This has some true crime stuff in it, as well as bigfoot. It reminds me a bit of Into The Wild
Glad I was chosen to receive an advance readers copy from NetGalley.

Thanks to Netgalley for letting me read this book!

The Cold Vanish is both a book about the many missing people that vanish in the woods and a story about a father looking for his lost son. Billman was able to weave the story of Randy Gray's search for his son with the stories of other missing people in an artful manner. He even managed to connect these stories in a meaningful way.

It is scary to think that we really don't know how many people have gone missing in our national parks and woods. There is no database with this information. There also isn't any protocol for how search and rescues are conducted. If you are interested in disappearances, this book is well worth the read.

True crime mysteries always fascinated me and this book was no exception. Glad I was chosen to receive an advance readers copy from NetGalley.

'The Cold Vanish opens with a staggering number: 600,000 people vanish every year. Some of the missing are eventually found, usually the product of suicide, unexpected weather, rugged terrain, and lack of planning. But there are many other missing people whose disappearance is not so easy to explain away. '

Unfortunately, Billman received some negative attention for this book because alleged (only using this word because I have no way to verify) family members of the main focus, Jacob Gray, are quoted but allegedly were never asked for permission. However, several people claiming to be Jacob’s family members were really upset by numerous things about this book. It is a troubling accusation.
I was so intrigued about whether the ones who are missing will ever be coming back. Some of them did, some doesn't and it's disturbing to think that so many things could have happened to them, or why not feel guilty that maybe some actions taken before the dissapereance could have change the lives of those who have never been found.

Overall, while I have some reservations about this book, it is well-written. Honestly, I had trouble putting it down. I think the publisher’s claim that it will appeal to fans of John Krakauer and similar nonfiction writers is accurate.

The Cold Vanish opens with a staggering number: 600,000 people vanish every year.

Some of the missing are eventually found, usually the product of suicide, unexpected weather, rugged terrain, and lack of planning. But there are many other missing people whose disappearance is not so easy to explain away.

The central story (although told haphazardly through the book) is of Jacob Gray, who went missing in Olympic National Park. He is one of the cases which still boggle the mind today with no evidence of struggle or misdeed; he just stepped off the road and vanished. And although the story of Jacob Gray is a mysterious case in and of itself, the author chooses to focus on Jacob’s father and his multi-year search for his son. The search, though heartbreaking, can be a bit mind numbing as we read of his numerous attempts to find his son: leaving notes, diving in ice cold rivers, hiking countless miles of rugged terrain, even teaming up with some local Bigfoot researchers (more on this later).

Throughout the book there are other stories of the missing. A few stories were given a full chapter while others were given just an off-hand paragraph. This collection style of small, medium, and long asides as well as the retelling and elaboration of Jacob’s story made the book read like a pinboard of notes: mysterious but difficult to follow.

The author effectively highlights the disconnected efforts of search-and-rescue teams tasked with finding the missing. The limited budgets, jurisdictional red-tape, limited window for search, lack of effective databases for tracking, inexperienced crime scene techniques, and the countless other insurmountable hurdles for investigators of missing people. There is also a varied cast of characters who dedicate their lives to searching the wilderness for missing people including search-and-rescue self-described “bushmen” and bloodhounds with their trainers.

Which leads me to Bigfoot. The author makes a decided choice to highlight a renowned Bigfoot searcher David Paulides as an experienced wilderness researcher with his high-tech equipment and years of experience traipsing the wilderness. But throughout the book there are also mentions of portals to other dimensions, UFOs, aliens, ghosts, and more. I would have preferred these paranormal theories to be relegated to one chapter and a clearer analysis of why we seek out other explanations when we just can’t explain something. Because as it sits now the off-hand mentions of paranormal phenomena serves to diminish the honest efforts of search-and-rescue teams and the true heartache experienced by the victims’ families.

Unlike other true crime books, there is no hard-hitting crime in this story to shock the reader into turning the page. There is no collective investigation to follow for the reader to analyze themselves. And there is no resolution for many of these stories which ultimately make this a difficult book to finish.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I definitely go back and forth on this--the comparison to Krakauer is apt, but there's a lot of buzz about the ethics of the book and the author that I'm not sure what I think.

Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC!

True crime, and missing persons cases have always fascinated me. I also loved Into the Wild, so when I read the synopsis of this book, I knew it was a must read, and I wasn't disappointed.

It took a lot for me not to head straight to the internet and find out about every single one of the missing people mentioned, but I held out, and I'm glad I did. It was incredibly interesting to read about the struggles of people missing for days, people who went missing on purpose, and those who had never been found.

I also really enjoyed the snippets about Bigfoot, because who doesn't love a good supernatural element?

The journey the author took with Randy while he looked for his son was also something that I enjoyed, and I was glad it was spread throughout the whole book, and not just a short chapter.

As a loyal fan of missing 411, and mysterious cold cases - I was not disappointed. I must also say I am relived how respectfully the author approached the author of missing 411. I also loved into thin air, a novel by John Kraukaner.

If you are looking for something looking to pinpoint a perpetrator or a sensational story, this book won’t be for you. This focuses on the victims, their patterns, and their family that still searched for them even decades later. It is a greatly written. People complain about the bigfoot theory, I don’t believe in bigfoot but people may write whatever they want in their own books. Since missing 411 treats this as a actual idea, then the author must address it here.

This book is good, but I cannot ignore the alleged ethical breach of writing the families words without notification. The person is anonymous, but I do not believe they would go through the work of replying to everyone on goodreads if they were not related to the case of jacob.

Author and journalist John Billman opens with a startling statistic: 600,000 people go missing every year. Billman goes on to explain that some of these can be explained in straightforward manner: off the grid, suicide and lack of planning while out in the wilderness.

He also is willing to explore researcher David Paulides’ theories, which primarily revolved around Bigfoot. I think Billman is fair to Paulides, as he doesn’t treat Paulides as some crazy cook like some will claim. He is also careful to recognize that while Paulides doesn’t shy away from the possibility of alien abductions, Paulides also isn’t sold on UFOs, despite this misconception. Paulides is very clear, however, that he believes Bigfoot or Sasquatch has something to do with at least a small number of the annual missing persons cases. This, then, leads to a jumping-off point for Billman to make his intentions clear: he isn’t here to explore the popular true crime ‘whodunnit’ premise, or even the less mainstream explorations like Paulides’ theories. Billman is simply interested in: what happens to the families who have to deal with a missing person?

In theory, this should have made for a compelling read. This isn’t going to have the mass appeal of most true crime stories because it isn’t structured to exploit a scintillating murder-mystery. Billman briefly spends time looking into Amy Bechtel, who vanished under mysterious circumstances. Had he chosen to focus on her, I imagine he might have attracted a larger audience. However, that said, I like Billman’s goal to try to focus on the families involved in missing persons cases. That is one of the main issues I have with a lot of true crime stories: focus on the mystery in an effort to gather a huge audience with little concern for how these stories affect the families for years.

Unfortunately, Billman received some negative attention for this book because alleged (only using this word because I have no way to verify) family members of the main focus, Jacob Gray, are quoted but allegedly were never asked for permission. That isn’t necessarily a no-no, but it does broach an ethical gray area. Additionally, there were claims of factual inaccuracies. Now, I want to be clear that I can’t substantiate these claims beyond a reasonable doubt. There have been many instances of individuals upset with how they are portrayed by a journalist. However, several people claiming to be Jacob’s family members were really upset by numerous things about this book. It is a troubling accusation.

Overall, while I have some reservations about this book, it is well-written. Honestly, I had trouble putting it down. I think the publisher’s claim that it will appeal to fans of John Krakauer and similar nonfiction writers is accurate.

I requested for The Cold Vanish as soon as I read that synopsis. I am a very big true crime ethicist and I love to hike. Very often I have wondered what would happen if I disappear into the woods/the mountain. Would anyone miss me? Would there be a search party? In The Cold Vanish Author Billman has given convincing answers and more to my questions.

Several individuals go missing every year on a hike/adventure into the woods and the mountains. Author Billman has taken the disappearance of Jacob Gray in Olympic National Park and explained the process of finding him, the pain of the people who knew Jacob, and the lengths Randy Gray, Jacob’s father went to search for his son. My thoughts are with the families/individuals who have lost one of them to the wilderness. This was an emotional yet fascinating book to read.

Thank you Grand Central, Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest opinion.

Jon Billman tells the story of those who seek adventure & recreation in the woods & mountains, but never return. His main story is that of 22 year old Jacob Gray who disappeared in Olympic National Park, leaving behind his bicycle & gear & a father who puts everything on hold to find him. Billman's book also goes into depth about the people who search for these missing individuals, park personnel & people who have also had a loved one vanish.
A fascinating read.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author Jon Billman & the publisher Grand Publishing for the complimentary ARC in return for my honest opinion.

If you enjoy true crime books such as I'll Be Gone in the Dark, you should check out The Cold Vanish. Jon Billman writes about the mystery surrounding all the people that go missing in the wilderness, and what people do to try to find them. This is not something I honestly thought much about but was enraptured by accounts of regular people on runs or bike trips just disappearing. I thought that it was very well written, giving plenty of detail and explanation for all the specific cases that he went over.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The beginning of this book is the strongest. It is compelling and atmospheric. I was shocked by how many people go missing in National Parks each year. The stress and anguish of the families was captured well.

After the first third of the book, I struggled to keep going. I think the structure of the book started to veer off and I was no longer as drawn to it as I was.

Recently, I learned about some controversy surrounding the book with the family members the main person discussed. They were unhappy with how he was portrayed. I imagine that family members often have issues when they see their loved ones in a book. However, the ethical questions surrounding the family member quotes in the book (allegedly without signing releases) make me uneasy.

I feel that when you are writing about victims or missing people you have a duty of care to be respectful.

After reading this I was appalled to learn that the author of this being book did not notify the family that this book was being written nor did he get permission to quote many of the family and friends whom he quoted in the book. For this reason I cannot in good faith give a good review of this book. It's too bad because it was interesting and fairly well written (though the extensive amount of time given to conspiracy theories such as big foot, psychics predictions, etc also made it difficult for me to take the subject seriously as well). But I find the methods of the author to be appalling as well as completely unprofessional and exploitive.