Vanishing Point – Gregg Olsen

It’s 3AM when the phone rings, rousing Detective Megan Carpenter out of a sound sleep. As she answers, it’s Sheriff Gray, asking for her assistance with a missing person’s case. Her partner Ronnie arrives to pick her up, sharing the scant details. Reportedly, a mother and son are missing, as called in by her estranged husband, Ben, a bit earlier. The tidbit she saves for last is that the missing twosome, Marlena and her son Bennie, are the niece and grandnephew of the Sheriff.

As Megan and Ronnie arrive on scene, they learn that the family has been separated for a week or so. When her husband count get hold of her, he reportedly came by the house to check on them and found them missing. The officers on scene describe his behavior as detached and emotionless, feeling that things aren’t quite adding up. It is also of great interest to Detectives that Ben didn’t mention the fact that his wife was pregnant.

As the investigation gets underway, a grim picture begins to emerge of an emotionally distant husband, and a family that was kept isolated and rarely seen in public. Suspicions of abuse develop based on analysis of the family home, drawings in the home, recollections of nearby neighbors, as well as conversations with Marlena’s physician. They also locate a girlfriend, who has her own tale to tell.

As Megan and Ronnie race against time to find Marlena and Bennie, the evidence seems irrefutable. Meanwhile Ben sits for a polygraph, which gives them some evidence of deceit, but brings them no closer to solving the case. Meanwhile, Ben’s girlfriend has gone missing and is found dead in a car crash, with a bullet wound to her head. But where are Marlena and Bennie?

Of course the husband did it…didn’t he??

As a long-time fan of Gregg Olsen, I am not quite sure how the prior Megan Carpenter books managed to escape my notice! As with all his novels, this one captured my attention almost immediately as I rooted for Megan and Ronnie to catch their guy and hopefully find the family, before it was too late. While I sensed early on that nothing was quite as it seemed, the urgency continued to build, keeping me flipping pages well into the night – and the ending was not what I was expecting, and even a smidge anti-climatic for me. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed these female protagonists, and look forward to reading the past and future Megan Taylor stories.

I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from #Netgalley & Bookouture in exchange for an objective review.

*Thank you to Bookouture, Gregg Olsen, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Previously published at https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/vanishing-point/

“She has a boyfriend, so don’t get your hopes up. “Anything else before we begin?” I ask. Like maybe a foot rub? Or I could shoot you in both kneecaps.
– Megan Carpenter, Vanishing Point

Marlena Parker, and her four-year-old son, Benny, are missing. It is 2am and Detective Megan Carpenter receives a call from Marlena’s estranged husband, Ben, that he has gone to their house, and they are not there. There are no signs of a struggle and nothing missing. Ben is the son of Cyrus Parker, one of the richest men in America. Marlena Parker also is the niece of a sheriff in the Jefferson County Police department, Tony, who is also Megan’s boss.

This is the fourth book in the compulsive and intriguing, often funny, Megan Carpenter series by the amazing Gregg Olsen. Megan is determined to find Marlena and Bennie with very few clues, a lying husband and a very powerful family. And a boss, who is on top of her at every step to get this solved because of his personal connection. The pace of Vanishing Point moves very quickly and is her voice throughout. Out of all four books, I find this one to show the best side of Megan. She is introspective, funny, and relatable. We also hear more of Megan’s tough childhood and how it relates to who she is today.

Ronnie Marsh, Megan’s partner, really shines in this book, compared to the last three. She is witty, smart, and makes brilliant decisions. Megan and Ronnie are convinced that Ben Parker is guilty of abduction and potential murder. When interviewing Marlena’s friends and family, she finds that Marlena’s relationship with Ben is physically and emotionally abusive. Relating this to her own past, she is determined to find them alive, with or without Ben’s help.

Olsen has done it again with this fourth installment, Vanishing Point. It is funny, suspenseful, and addictive. I wish we had seen more of her relationship with the lumberjack. He is only alluded to through phone calls and text messages, but I really enjoyed them together in Silent Ridge. I also enjoyed some characters in this book, including Marlena’s crazy neighbor, Mrs. Green. As police procedurals, nothing is what it seems, and it is an adventure to find out who has abducted a mother and her young son. And is Ben the abductor, or has someone done a great job of setting him up? There are so many enjoyable twists and turns and interesting characters. Gregg Olsen does not disappoint.

I like Megan Carpenter. She is a kick ass detective. This was a good story with lots of suspense. I stasyed up far to late while trying to finish it. Page turner for sure

Thanks to Netgalley. author and publisher for the ARC of Vanishing Point, the fourth installment of the Megan Carpenter Series. I have not read the previous three books and have missed some background/history of Megan and other characters. Vanishing Point was still an enjoyable read as a standalone. I have been a fan of Gregg Olsen and loved many of his books, including the Nicole Foster series.. The suspense in Vanishing Point begins on page one and doesn't let go until the last page. Megan is a tough, resilient detective with a laser focus on locating a missing woman and her young son. The story is a who done it whose suspect has an "I did it" stamp on his head. Megan and her partner need to prove it. Character driven. Megan deals with her past trauma and faces down her triggers as she and her partner; Ronnie try to beat the clock and rescue the victims.. Her relationship with Ronnie is refreshing and humorous as it evolves during the investigation. I will read the first three books to get a better sense of Megan. I highly recommend Vanishing Point to readers of mystery. police procedural and suspense., as well as Gregg Olsen's previous books.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review -
A marriage filled with domestic violence - and then a call the wife and son are missing. When the cops arrive, Ben is aloof and tells them they have been separated. He lives in the holiday cabin which when they check appears to be where he has affairs. Then his girlfriend is found dead and it sure is beginning to look like Ben is guilty..... but is he? Where is the wife and child? Why were they taken? Is this case more than an abusive husband? You will want to read this exciting book!

Pretty odd one without a clue to the culprit. Surprising and good ending
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this arc

The Dynamic Duo is Back! In Vanishing Point, Gregg Olsen continues developing the professional relationship of experienced (and well seasoned) detective Megan Carpenter with rookie detective, Ronnie Marsh - whose perkiness and ability to dance around a point are starting to grow on Megan. They are asked to work together to solve the missing person's case: Sheriff Gray's niece and young son are missing... and the husband is suspected. Fast paced, Mr. Olsen is a fabulous storyteller - and the asides from Megan (usually about Ronnie) are perfect! This is one of my favorite series - and I can't wait to see where he takes them next!

I absolutely love the Megan Carpenter series and this latest Book about the kidnapping of a mother and child had me gripped from the first page. This is full of lots of twists and turns and family dark secrets and it was nice to see Megan softening maybe a small bit around the edges. I can’t wait for the next book but I will say don’t make any assumptions with this one on who is the bad guy.

An entertaining book with excellent characters, but I don't like the changing POV between first and third person. This time I skipped the third person chapters, and I don't believe I missed anything.

Fast pace from the very start , had me wanting to keep on reading page after page, The characters and the plot of the story was well developed and lets not forget the twists and turns that came out of nowhere.

Vanishing Point has solid characters that I liked, even the antagonists. The investigation is action-packed, and the story is a good police procedural. I enjoy the writing style of Gregg Olsen and the ways he develops his characters and the story. Overall, a good read.

#VanishingPoint #NetGalley

I've read several books by Gregg Olsen and have enjoyed them all. This one, like all of them was easy to read and fast paced. Good characters and pacing. I highly recommend this book.

I absolutely everything that Gregg Olsen writes! He is an automatic purchase for me. This book was fantastic as are every other book I’ve ever read by him!! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for granting me access to another wonder Gregg Olsen book! Can’t wait for more!

#VanishingPoint #NetGalley
A good crime thriller.
The story revolves around a married couple, Ben and Marlena and their child. A murder is happened and Ben is the prime suspect. He's abusive to his wife and son. Everyone can vouch for that. Detective Megan Carpenter is investigating the case and upon investigation she found that he's having an affair with a woman.
And then a second body is found. Who killed them and why? Is Ben guilty of murder? Or has someone framed him?
To know more, please read this book.
What I Like?:-
1 The narration, which is simple and to the point.
2 A group of good characters including protagonist and the antagonist.
3 Twists and turns within the plot.
What I Don't Like?:-
1 It's length. It could be short a little.
Overall it's a good crime thriller and fans of this series must read it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me an advanced copy of this crime thriller.

I have not read the earlier instalments of this series but did not really have a problem starting with this one. However, I do think it would be best to read the books in order as that might be needed to better understand the main protagonist Megan Carpenter.

Gregg Olsen is a most capable writer and I like his writing style. The story was engrossing for the most part and I was surprised by the twist towards the end.

Vanishing Point (Detective Megan Carpenter Book 4) by Gregg Olsen Fourth in the series featuring Megan Carpenter and her partner Ronnie Marsh who are bonding as partners. The investigation is action packed, suspenseful, and well paced. Megan still is dealing with her violent and troubled childhood issues which at times overshadows the investigation.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

This is the fourth in a series featuring Detective Megan Carpenter, but it's a first for me. I had no trouble following the story, though I suppose I'd like to have learned more about Megan's deeply troubled past (which no doubt was detailed in previous books). This one begins as Megan and partner Ronnie Marsh are informed that a husband has called in to report his wife and son missing. But almost from the git-go, the husband, Ben Parker, becomes the prime suspect; he and his missing wife have a history of domestic violence (he recently moved out), and he has a beautiful girlfriend. Worse, he tells lie after lie to the police.

Therein, I think, lies my only "issue" with the story; led by Megan and Ronnie, both of whom are convinced that Ben is guilty, set out to prove themselves right rather than seriously investigating others as, to me at least, is required of professional law enforcement officers. On the other hand, almost no one else likes Ben, either - including his filthy rich father, who literally owns an entire island. When Ben's girlfriend turns up dead, well, the case against Ben grows even stronger.

As in any good police procedural, few things are as they seem - and the race to find the missing mother and son (as well as who, if anyone, kidnapped them) and whether or not, or to what extent, Ben was involved provides for an engaging adventure right to the end. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for giving me the opportunity to read a pre-release copy.

Marlena Parker has a lot of good things in her life, not least a beautiful son, lovely home, and a father-in-law rich enough to own a private island. She also has an uncle who is a Sheriff in the Jefferson County Police Department who calls in his best officers when told Marlena is missing.

Detective Megan Carpenter spent a great deal of her childhood running from an abusive parent and seeing links between herself and the missing woman is sure Marlena's volatile husband Ben is responsible. With partner Ronnie Marsh she begins a frantic search for the young woman knowing time isn't on their side but failure isn't an option they can even begin to consider.

In this fourth Megan Carpenter book by the excellent Gregg Olsen she is up against very few clues, a wealthy, powerful family, and boss Tony's devastated sister-in-law.  The action moves quickly and is seen from her point of view throughout. There is a lot of introspection but Megan is far less defensive than in the first few books and therefore more relatable.

I enjoyed this book as I have the previous three but I didn't feel there was quite as much jeopardy as usual. Not every case can relate to Megan's past however and the link to her boss Tony instead worked well for the most part as did her relationship with partner Ronnie who is definitely bringing the best out in both of them.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. I really like Megan Carpenter as a main protagonist and this a good addition to the series.

The Dynamic Duo does it again! Detective Megan Carpenter along with her partner, Detective Ronnie Marsh are assigned the case of missing young mother Marlena Parker and her son, Bennie. Marlena is separated from her very rich and very controlling husband, Ben. Ben is the one who reports them missing but he does not seem to be very truthful. Megan and Ronnie leave no stone unturned while looking for the missing mom and son and while interrogating Ben who they suspect had a hand in their disappearance. This is my favorite detective series and Author Gregg Olsen does not disappoint. I am looking forward to the next Det. Megan Carpenter book.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this very exciting book that was a real page turner in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, this book had me gripped from the beginning until the end. What a well thought out and clever story, I thoroughly enjoyed this. I had not ready the first three books in this series before I started and wondered if this would affect they way I perceived this book but I should not have worried. Megan Carpenter is a great character, a strong woman dealing with her own demons, but I loved her and delighted in getting to know her as the book moved forward. The story and plot are strong and this was another book I found myself reading to the early hours when I should have been sleeping. I would highly recommend this book to others. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read the book in exchange for an honest review.