OMG what a totally mind blowing physcological thriller! I started the book and was unsure whether or not I would like it! And then I quickly worked out the twist but the author made me keep second guessing myself and at times I felt like I was going crazy along with the protagonist. One minute I was certain of what was happening and then I kept thinking that maybe I am wrong. A great book that shows how life experiences can so quickly affect our mental health and it made my heart ache. I had to put this one down a few times to try to clear my thoughts and then I eagerly jumped back in. A deep and disturbing read that I loved!

I was completely hooked by this book. I read it in just 2 days which is unheard of for me. One thing that I struggled with is why it was called Vanished. It becomes a little more apparent towards the end but the cover and the title don't really correlate with the story.

The story follows a woman called Maggie and her life in the victoriana house that she lives in. I can't really say anymore without giving away too much of the story. I did guess what was happening quite early on and there were no twists for me as I guessed them too. The story did make me quite anxious throughout and part of me wanted to get the story over and done with to ease the tension I was feeling so I feel the author did their job really.

Overall I thought it was a good story and kept me interested throughout the majority of the book.

Thank you to netgalley for allowing me to read the story for an unbiased review.

Vanished is my first book and introduction to this author and it did not disappoint! That creepy cover and eerie blurb both caught my eye and drew me in. This is a gripping, intriguing story with lots of twists and turns and will have you on the edge of your seat as Maggie's world slowly starts unraveling around her.

Vanished follows single mother, Maggie, as she raises her eight year old daughter, Isabel, in the same home as her abusive father and absentee mother. Whenever she tries to get outside help, the townsfolk are reluctant to help her. Is everyone in her controlling, abusive father's pockets?!

I would give this gripping psychological thriller a solid 3.5 stars! The only reason it isn't getting higher is while I enjoyed the story and plotline, I suspected some of the twists pretty early on and it made the book kind of drag on in the end. Even with my suspicions, I was still amazed at the ending and how Mr. Baxter drew everything together and where Maggie ended up. I cannot wait to read more from this author!

Just when you thought you'd read the best from Baxter he comes back with this blinder!

The cover creeped me out big time, I half expected Pennywise to pop up at some point. And Isabel, I would have been terrified if my child suddenly started talking in the way she was. I'm assuming the author is a lover of a good horror, as his portrayal of Isabel was brilliant.

Vanished is dark, dramatic and is definitely one that makes you think as to what's going on - it took me a while, but I got there in the end.

An unputdownable psychological thriller with a huge splash of horror - perfect!

WARNING: This book may be a trigger for some people as it deals with themes of physical and mental abuse and mental health.

Vanished is a rather brilliant book. Maggie Connor lives in a small town in New York State. She lives with her elderly parents, Joseph and Helena, and with her 8-year-old daughter, Isabel. Joseph is abusive to his wife and daughter and Maggie struggles to hide this from her daughter. Someone is threatening Isabel and Maggie must stop this from happening.

This book is unusual in the way the lead character, Maggie, narrates the story. Some of the time things are not quite what they first appear to be and her confusion and sense of fear is tangible through the well-written text. The characters are very lifelike and realistic and we fully understand why they react the way they do throughout this story.

It really is the cliché of an edge-of-your-seat page-turner in the way that I hated when I had to stop reading and take a break. I wanted to know what was going to happen next. There is a great deal of action and reaction in Vanished and it holds the reader's attention throughout, from the very first page.

I will be reading more from Theo Baxter as soon as I am able as his style is gripping, with a good pace and flowing narrative. It is set in America, but is not full of American slang, making it very accessible to British or other non-US English speaking readers. I highly recomment this book.

I chose this book because of the cover and description, believing that it would be a story about a child who went missing. I was surprised when the story began to unfold because it was far from what I expected. The first third of the story was slow and I almost gave up because I wasn't keen on the style of writing. However, by the final third, I was glad that I had persevered as I wanted to know the full story.

Much of it was predictable and I guessed what was really happening to the main character early on. However, there were still a couple of surprises at the end. I found some of the story was not very believable, but somehow, it still grabbed my attention and I was compelled to read to the end. It was an average read, with nothing truly outstanding and it took a while for me to get used to the main voice. What I find surprising is how I wanted to know the end whilst also not feeling any admiration for the written style and having guessed the main story. That must show some talent, but I feel it was lacking in other respects.

This was my first psychological thriller and it blew my mind! Wow, this author really knows how to write to keep you turning the pages till you reach the end of the book. It was a rollercoaster ride of emotions. I really.enjoyed the story, the characters and all the twists and turns. Can't wait yo read more by this author.

First of all the book was named incorrectly. It should have been named something else as I was lead to believe Maggie’s daughter was kidnapped which is the furthest thing from the truth. This book was one wild ride and it sucked me in and although I was able to figure out one small part of the book the ending flirted me in a way I couldn’t fathom. Such a great book and I highly recommend it.

I have to say, this book did a number on me. It had me running the whole list of emotions, in part because of the abuse that existed within my own family.
So many times, I was SURE I knew what was going on, just to find out that it was more complicated and more difficult than my thoughts would allow.
I cried and held my breath, and I worried for both Maggie and Isabel.
If you’re reading this, PLEASE read the book! Yes, you’ll probably run the gamut of emotions, as well, but it’s truly GOOD book!

Either the poor writing or the characters bring so unrealistic and unrelatable that it grated on my nerves. Maybe it gets better later but DNF for me.

I was hooked from the start. The family situation and dynamics were so intriguing and the drama ramped up with every crazy twist. Absolutely captivating.

3.25 Stars. Interesting concept but I caught on to what was happening really early on so a lot of the plot seemed drawn out to me because I just wanted to get to the truth. The ending redeemed itself for me.

This was my first NetGalley read and I was not disappointed! Vanished started a little slow with getting to know the main character and the buildup to what had occurred in Maggie’s home. I do recommend hanging in there because it all comes together by the second half. I did enjoy the book overall.

This is a fun read as you are not sure who to believe and whether it is a ghost story or something else. The -acing is good and everything is wrapped up well at the end.

[Review posted on Goodreads and another version of the review will be posted on Instagram and Amazon.]


Firstly, I found the title and synopsys quite misleading. The story is not about a vanishing child or even about the child disappearing for long etc. It's more about the mom being worried about her daughter's mental state and trying to get them both out of the abusive household they live in.

For the next part of the review, there might be a big spoiler, but I'm not sure if it actually is one or if we're supposed to know very early on (like at 13% it was quite obvious and became increasingly obvious, but if you want to go in with absolutely no knowledge of anything, skip the rest of the review).


So I don't understand if we're supposed to know from the beginning that the family is dead or if it's supposed to be a plot twist. If so, it was made evidently clear super early on. It took me 13% to realize it so I'm either very slow or too quick, I'm not sure since the synopsis and title give off down-to-earth, no supernatural involved vibes. The question isn't really what's wrong with the kid but more what happened to the parents and has the kid ever existed at all.

I'm obsessed with gothic novels and stories with someone living in a mysterious dark atmosphere house, so I really enjoyed this, even if I wasn't sure what the author's intentions were. Though I have to say the scenes in the house felt a bit repetitive, even if it was the goal (since she's stuck and everything). There wasn't an escalation or evolution, it just felt like the same task over and over but without showing a significant importance around said task ; I'm explaining it poorly but I mean that even if the task is the same, she herself feels the same too, the stuff happening are the same, etc. I would have liked a more progressive deterioration of things, the house, the characters, the doubts, the renovation, so we could see it evolve and not just have our MMC go from totally oblivious to solving the entire puzzle in a minute (I'm exagerating a little).

I absolutely loved the neighbours and outside interactions, people trying to get her help. It was interesting to see how she flips whatever is thrown at her to match her delusions. That was my favorite part really, seeing how the stuff people say have a double meaning and how she persists to find it so it doesn't disrupt her psychosis.

While I read the whole thing, I kept thinking about how this book would make an insane movie. If the "plot twist that may not be a plot twist" was made less obvious, it'd be a fantastic thriller/horror movie.

I thought it really lacked in physical description. By the end of the book I reflected on it and realized I never really had a clear image of the characters in my head, their hair color might have been mentioned for some of them but not their facial features, eye color, etc, even for the MMC's parents and kid, who are always around.

Anyway I'd still recommend this book, despite all the negative stuff I said I really liked reading it, it has those gothic, psychological confusion vibes I'm crazy for.

I received a free copy of, Vanished by, Theo Baxter, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Maggie Conner has one child Isabel, she grew up in a toxic environment and wants better for her daughter, but when she goes missing, will Maggie be able to find her daughter. This is a great read for Halloween, its so chilling, and a little bit crazy. I was never sure what was going to happen from one page to the next.

Maggie Conner is a single mother trying to raise her daughter in her family home under her abusive father. When trying to get help it seems like no one in the town is willing to help her and she constantly gets brushed to the side.
There’s a lot to unpack with this book. At first glance, the title and the cover gives you the vibes child goes missing, maybe gets kidnapped, some thriller mystery action. You know they just “ vanished “. Even the blurb is misleading in my opinion. There is none of that in this which is disappointing.
Putting that aside I’m still not sure how I feel about this book. It was a wild ride, semi predictable, and inconsistent at points. The concept of the book is really good it just wasn’t executed very well.

Wow! This is the first book I've read by this author and it was fantastic. It was a very clever unique story which had me hooked I could not put it down. I couldn’t work out what was going to happen next. It was a very dark thriller with unpredictable plot I would say it does have lots of trigger points abuse etc.

I will be recommending this to everyone excellent book. I can’t wait to read more books by Theo Baxter.

Maggie is a single mother, living in her own natal home with her young daughter, who periodically disappears in an inexplicable fashion. Despite her fears that someone is hurting her daughter, nobody seems willing to help Maggie out with respect to protecting Isabel. Is there some kind of conspiracy afoot?

I finished this book very quickly, partly because you want to know what happens to the character, but also because I really don't like paranormal stories, and this is billed as a thriller instead of mentioning that there is a paranormal aspect. Also, this book should probably come with trigger warnings.

Now, all that said, I think Theo Baxter did a great job of bringing his MC Maggie alive on the page, and as a reader you find yourself rooting for her - even though she seems oblivious to certain things. Her concern for her daughter is very real, and the distance and abusive behaviour of a parents is disturbing.

Some may figures the twist early on, but others will not. Overall, a dark story, but an enjoyable enough read provided you aren't triggered by the issues the book raises.

A Disappointment in Disguise

"Vanished" by Theo Baxter, published by Inkubator Books, left me feeling unfulfilled and dissatisfied. From the deceptive cover to the misleading blurb, this book failed to live up to the expectations it initially set.

At first glance, the front cover and blurb suggested a tale of dark mystery, a missing child, and a family torn apart by secrets. However, as I delved into the story, it became clear that these elements were nothing more than a facade, designed to draw readers in. The reality of "Vanished" turned out to be quite different from what I had been led to believe.

The narrative follows Maggie, a young mother to eight-year-old Isabel. Maggie's past is marred by an abusive father and a tumultuous teenage relationship that led to her daughter's birth. As the plot unfolds, Maggie's increasing paranoia takes center stage, overshadowing any potential for a gripping mystery. Her descent into irrational fear and obsession dominates the storyline, making it difficult to invest in the characters or their struggles.

Predictability plagued the book's progression, with the central plot becoming apparent to me by the time I had barely begun reading. Despite my hopes for a surprising twist or a revelation that would redeem the story, I found myself disappointed by the book's lack of originality.

The characters' development, particularly Maggie's, felt incomplete and disjointed. Her actions and reactions were often difficult to comprehend, given the circumstances. Equally perplexing was the town's response to Maggie's concerns, including the strange behavior of her neighbors and the local priest. These interactions failed to ring true, further distancing me from the narrative.

While the book held potential, the execution fell flat. The author's heavy-handed foreshadowing detracted from any sense of mystery, and the lack of subtlety in revealing crucial plot points left much to be desired. Instead of allowing readers to engage in deciphering the puzzle, the story felt like a mere recitation of events that were evident from the beginning.

In conclusion, "Vanished" by Theo Baxter, published by Inkubator Books, was a disappointment from start to finish. Its misrepresentation through the cover and blurb, along with its failure to deliver a compelling mystery, left me unsatisfied. While the concept had promise, the execution and character development needed significant improvement. I want to express gratitude to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read this book, even though my experience with it was ultimately disappointing.