Vanish

PI Lane Holland #3

by Shelley Burr

'Shelley Burr does not take prisoners. Bloody loved this book . . . It's crime fiction at its effortless best - beautifully drawn characters, rich relationships, fast and fascinating plot, and twists that make you go "ah"' LAINIE ANDERSON, author of The Death of Dora Black

'A constant unnerving undercurrent bubbling away on every page' DARCY TINDALE, author of Burning Mountain

People go to the isolated Karpathy farm looking for a new life - and are never seen again. A chilling thriller from the award-winning and bestselling author of Australian noir, Shelley Burr.

Lane Holland's crime-solving career ended the day he went to prison. With his parole hearing approaching, he faces the grim reality that an ex-con can never work as a private eye. Yet one unsolved case continues to haunt the disappearance of Matilda Carver two decades ago.

Never one to follow the rules, Lane finds a lead - a mysterious farm community led by the enigmatic Samuel Karpathy. His farm attracts lost souls. People who want a more meaningful life. People who are hiding from their pasts. People with nowhere else to go.

But those who go to the farm seem to vanish without a trace.

Is it a commune? Is it a cult? Is it something even more dangerous? Lane goes undercover at the farm to find its dark secret - but could he too find himself intoxicated by the prospect of a new life on the land?

Genres: Crime, Fiction, Mystery, Adult, Book Club, Audiobook

303 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 30, 2025

About the author

Shelley Burr works at the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment in Canberra, Australia. She grew up splitting her time between Newcastle and Glenrowan, where her father's family are all sheep farmers.

Reviews

[Sandysbookaday (taking a midwinter break) · Rating 4 out of 5]

EXCERPT: Govenor Patton Carver, who ran the prison in which Lane was currently a guest, had offered him a lifeline - a chance to work a case from prison. He'd asked Lane to try and befriend and surreptitiously interrogate Jan, also known as the Rainier Ripper, and prove that the Ripper's unidentified female victim had been Matilda, Carver's daughter, who had disappeared while backpacking nearly twenty-five years ago, during the period when Jan was active.
What Lane had actually learned from Jan had been beyond anything he or Carver could have imagined. It had brought a lot of answers to light, but not the one Carver had hoped for. Matilda was not one of Jan's victims.
Once the dust settled, one painful fact remained: Matilda was still missing, and Carver was no closer to finding her.

ABOUT 'VANISH': People go to the isolated Karpathy farm looking for a new life - and are never seen again. A chilling thriller from the award-winning and bestselling author of Australian noir, Shelley Burr.

Lane Holland's crime-solving career ended the day he went to prison. With his parole hearing approaching, he faces the grim reality that an ex-con can never work as a private eye. Yet one unsolved case continues to haunt - the disappearance of Matilda Carver two decades ago.

Never one to follow the rules, Lane finds a lead - a mysterious farm community led by the enigmatic Samuel Karpathy. His farm attracts lost souls. People who want a more meaningful life. People who are hiding from their pasts. People with nowhere else to go.

But those who go to the farm seem to vanish without a trace.

Is it a commune? Is it a cult? Is it something even more dangerous? Lane goes undercover at the farm to find its dark secret - but could he too find himself intoxicated by the prospect of a new life on the land?

MY THOUGHTS: I'm going to tell you what I didn't love about this book first, then what I did love.

Vanish doesn't seem as well put together as Wake was. It doesn't have the same atmosphere, nor was it quite as compelling a read.

Set in another small rural town and centred on a farm from which people seem to just Vanish, hence the novel title, Vanish required me to suspend my belief a little: one prison guard to supervise a prisoner on live in work release? It seems both not enough (one man twenty-four hours a day/seven days a week?) and too much (thinking about budgets here . . .); and Lane's questioning of the other residents on the Karpathy farm was less than subtle. Surely he would have raised a few red flags?

I did like the character development. Lane is far more relatable than he was at the beginning of this series. I could easily imagine Sam Karpathy in the role of leader of this not quite cult/commune. FYI, it swung more towards commune than cult IMHO. There was only the occasional character who was about to drink the Cool-Aid. The characters in general are well drawn and relatable. We all know people who are anti orthodox medicine. And self-produced food with no toxins is a sensible achievement for the group, but no coffee might be a step too far for me! Even after a diet of prison coffee, Lane finds the chicory coffee unpalatable.

The plot is complex, and you do need to have read the previous two books, WAKE and RIPPER (or Murder Town in some parts of the world), for Vanish to make complete sense. Vanish is not fast-paced, although Lane uses every opportunity he can get to poke around where he is not supposed to be and to not-so-subtly ask questions. Interest is maintained by a couple of natural disasters and some clever twists and turns. As it turned out, I was looking in completely the wrong place for the 'bad guy'!

A satisfying read.

⭐⭐⭐.8

#VANISH #NetGalley

MEET THE AUTHOR: Shelley Burr grew up on Newcastle's beaches and her grandparents' property in Glenrowan, and on the road between the two. When not writing, Shelley is working to establish a small permaculture farm and is studying sustainable agriculture at the University of New England.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Hachette Australia and New Zealand for providing an e-ARC of Vanish by Shelley Burr for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...

[Mandy White (mandylovestoread) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved Wake and Ripper so when I received the ARC for Vanish I was thrilled! i am happy to say that it had me hooked from the very start and lived up to my now high expectations from Shelley Burr. I seriously couldn’t put this book down. There was so much tension and mystery that I just had to know how it was going to end. Just brilliant stuff.

This is book 3 featuring PI Lane Holland. Now if you have read the first 2 books you will know that he is currently in prison. This doesn’t stop him from working cases though, far from it. When he finds a link between the disappearance of the wardens daughter years ago, and other missing persons, he finds himself going undercover on a farm under the guise of a prisoner training program.

Lane is not afraid to ask questions, even though the other residents of Karpathy are not the talkative type. There is something strange going on at this place, which feels a bit cultish to Lane. It is what people are not saying that worries him., but he won’t give up, even when his life is once again in danger.

Shelley Burr has done it again with Vanish. It is dark, suspenseful and so so addictive. She is an absolute must read author for me and should be for everyone.

Thanks so much to Hachette Australia for my early copy of this book to read. Out on April 30th.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed the first two books in this series and this one as well, I think Lane Holland is a fabulous character and I do hope that there will be more books in the series.

Lane Holland is a private investigator who is now residing in a correctional facility after his last case although parole is due soon he is keen to get out but his thoughts are on what he will do when that happens, investigating is what he does and does well, he has one case that he is keen to solve and that is a missing persons case of Matilda Carver who vanished two decades ago and her father happens to be the warden at his facility and soon he finds himself residing on a farm near Albury and doing a re-training course to learn to become a farmer and this happens to be the last place Matilda was known to be.

Lane starts doing what he does best as soon as he arrives and what he uncovers leads him to more and more, and someone else is here that he should not be with, his parole is on the line here if he steps over the line, will he uncover what happened to Matilda and the other people who have vanished from the farm as well, is the owner of the farm hiding things, or is it a commune or a cult?

Lots of twists and turns in this one as Lane uncovers clues along the way, this one is intriguing as Lane gets to know some of the people living on the farm and stress levels jump as he puts his parole on the line. I really enjoyed this one and it is one that I highly recommend to anyone reader who loves a good mystery.

[Craig and Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Big thanks to Hachette for sending us a copy to read and review.
The country landscape and its isolation can be a haven for mishaps, unsavoury activities and danger.
It is prone to natural disasters that can wreak havoc and endanger lives.
A sustainable farm that operates with many workers who want to hide from their past is under scrutiny.
Lane is a prisoner and has been putting his investigative skills to use while serving his sentence.
The governor’s daughter has been missing for a long time and Lane is close to discovering where she may have gone.
A program run by the prison allows him the opportunity to investigate on the ground.
People disappear, strict protocols and an air of mystery around the owner add a scary aura to the place.
Lane finds himself in the thick of drama, intrigue and danger.
The tension builds quickly in story that has me glued to the pages.
The premise of an inmate being involved in the investigation was brilliant and his own back story fascinating.

[EmG ReadsDaily · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engrossing and captivating crime fiction story that is frighteningly plausible, as it is inspired by a true criminal case.

I have enjoyed the previous stories featuring Private Investigator Lane Holland – Wake (#1) and Ripper (#2). Vanish (#3) is another engaging story by Shelley Burr, with beautifully interwoven subplots, a creeping sense of unease, with complex characters and connections.

This story opens with a gripping prologue, that hooked me completely. Then we get re-acquainted with Lane Holland who is still in prison and haunted by the cold case disappearance of Matilda Carver, over twenty years ago.

Ex-PI Lane is not a rule follower, so despite no longer having a PI licence, he finds a link between the disappearance of Matilda and the mysterious Karpathy farm. It appears to be a place that collects lost souls of the desperate and vulnerable. Is it a commune, or cult, or simply an alternative community? Could it be something much darker?

Lane ends up going undercover at Karpathy farm through a prisoner training programme, to attempt to find how it is linked to multiple missing person cases. What follows is a building tension, untangling character connections and backstories, plenty of plausible suspects and an abundance of unexpected twists.

I appreciate the short chapters, as it made it so enjoyable to keep reading long into the night.

With special thanks to Hachette Australia, Shelley Burr and NetGalley for this e-ARC to read and review.

Shelley Burr continues as an auto-read for me, as her stories are an enjoyable Australian crime fiction read. I am excited to read what she creates next!

Publishing date: 30th April 2025

[Sophie Breese · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent book in the series. It took me a while to remember what had happened previously but once I had the story was fantastic.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5*
Vanish is the third instalment in Shelley Burr's rural noir series featuring Private Investigator Lane Holland. This book is mostly set further south in NSW than the first two books, Wake and Ripper, but carries on character arcs and themes from its predecessors.

Former Private Investigator Lane Holland is nearing the end of his prison sentence for a crime he didn't commit, yet feels moral responsibility for. He's keen to get out of prison and support his younger sister Evelyn (Lynnie), both emotionally and financially. As series readers will recall, Lane had developed a relationship of mutual respect with Prison Governor Patton Carver, founded on Carver's desperation over his daughter Matilda Carver, who has been missing for nearly 20 years. Governor Carver is hopeful that a man of Holland's skill may be able to locate Matilda, or at least explain her sudden disappearance, where police and other mainstream methods have failed. When Holland discloses a potential lead that he's uncovered, tracing Matilda to a farm business north of the Hume Reservoir, Carver arranges supervised release for Holland to undertake further covert investigations.

Lane is transferred from the Special Purpose Centre (Prison) at Bowral to join the workforce at Karpathy Farm, which this reader imagines to be located somewhere in the highlands to the east of Albury, on the NSW side of the Murray River and Lake Hume. The fictional town of Georges Bridge nearby brings to mind small towns on the southern (Victorian) side of the river, such as Corryong and Tintaldra. He's accompanied by taciturn Prison Guard Rick Sweeney, who's nearing retirement and allows Lane a reasonable amount of latitude to explore the farm and surrounding area. Matilda was last known to have been an employee of the charismatic Reggie Karpathy, father of the present owner, Sam.

Lane and Sweeney's arrival at Karpathy Farm coincides with the sudden death in a motor vehicle crash of one of the young farm hands, Hannah. Lane immediately begins questioning the lead-up to and circumstances of her death, especially in light of the disappearances of several other young workers from the farm in the years since Matilda Carver vanished. He's left reeling when he recognises one of his fellow workers as Mina McCreery, an important character from Wake, living at the farm under the pseudonym Deana. Lane's prohibited from making contact with Mina, following the events of Wake, and is nervous about initiating discussion as to what she's doing there. However, his concerns are quickly dispelled and they join forces to uncover clues as to the whereabouts of the missing persons they're both investigating.

While most of the farm's residents seem perfectly content with their simple lives on the land, Lane is concerned by cult-like features in the farm's running. While he's assured that residents are free to leave if they want to, the farm's isolation mean that few have contact with the outside world. Residents are encouraged to give away sentimental items tied to their previous lives, aren't paid directly for their labour and live in spartan conditions. Some of the longer-standing residents are starting to become restless however, feeling that the community has lost its cohesiveness since the death of Reggie Karpathy the previous year. When an unseen adversary attempts to asphyxiate Lane in a greenhouse and poison Mina with hallucinogenic mushrooms, they realise that they must be getting perilously close to the truth about Karpathy farm.

Events hurtle towards a dramatic denouement, with a bushfire threatening the farm and its surrounds, allowing Lane to identify the villain, rescue another victim from the brink of death and solve the mystery of the whereabouts of Matilda and the other missing farm workers. As the novel reaches its conclusion, Lane is contemplating his future on the outside.

[The Honest Book Reviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Vanish is a good novel. It's well-written, quietly atmospheric, and populated with consistent, believable characters. But it inevitably invites comparison to Wake (the first book in this series), and this is where it falls short.

Where Wake was layered and complex, with emotional depth and multiple narrative twists, Vanish feels more straightforward. It's sparser in its plotting and slightly thinner in character work. The rural setting is strong and immersive, but the sense of isolation could have been taken further. If you're going to give me an isolated setting, a setting I adore in books, it needs to be well written. In this book, communication with the outside world feels too easy for a setting that should feel cut off and tense.

Mina, returning from Wake, remains a highlight. She's still prickly and guarded, still interesting to watch but her impact is lessened in this installment. She’s present, but not central in the same emotionally gripping way. The characters overall are handled well enough. They are consistent, believable, and fit for the story, but lacking the depth that made Wake so remarkable. There’s nothing terribly wrong with Vanish, it’s just not the kind of story that lingers. As a comparison, I still think about Wake, and I think I read that over two years ago.

This is a solid read with good bones, but for readers expecting the emotional complexity and layered twists of Wake, Vanish may feel like a step back in scope and ambition.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Anne Fenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelling reading of the couldn’t put it down type.
Interesting setting, remote country NSW, where a small self selected community lives. Lane Holland makes a very different good guy, searching for missing persons under very risky circumstances.

[Tracie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vanish by Shelley Burr is book three in the Lane Holland series. And once again I have found myself dropping everything to read it.

Lane is still in jail but he is almost up for a parole hearing when he has a great idea. He wants to go to Kaparthy farm for some learning experience to be a farmer. But this is all just a cover story. He is still helping with an unsolved case of Matilda Carver. Two decades ago she went missing and the last place she was seen was Kaparthy farm. Lane has found out that some more people have vanished from the farm. This mystery is one Lane would love to solve. He gets some help with a surprise visitor - Mina. Is this a cult or just a commune?

I flew through the chapters of this one and finished it in a few days. I loved coming back to older characters I've been accustomed too with the series. I also enjoyed the new characters and trying to work out who we can trust. This book ticked all the boxes with the great setting, twists and turns and short chapters (always a winner for me).

Thank you Hachette Australia and Netgalley for sending me a gifted copy of the book for my honest book review.

[Joanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not too bad, but generally a bit too slow - the ending was surprising, but a bit rushed. The whole commune thing is such an interesting plot line, but it just felt like it wasn't utilised to the fullest extent. Understandable if you haven't read the first two but also does contain spoilers for those first two.

[Ash · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve read the other 2 in the series but I just couldn’t get into this one. It fell flat for me.

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC Review – Vanished by Shelley Burr – 4.5 Stars

Vanished is the third instalment in Shelley Burr’s PI Lane Holland series, and I’m thrilled to say it’s a strong return to the brilliance of Wake. After feeling a little let down by Ripper, I went into this one cautiously — but Burr has absolutely delivered.

Lane Holland’s crime-solving career ended the day he was sent to prison. With his parole hearing approaching, one case still haunts him: the long-unsolved disappearance of Matilda Carver. When a new lead surfaces — an isolated farm run by the enigmatic Samuel Karpathy — Lane goes undercover, posing as a work-release study participant to investigate. Karpathy’s farm promises a new life to lost souls… but those who go there seem to vanish without a trace.

Is it a commune? A cult? Or something even more sinister? Lane is determined to find out — but living amongst the farm’s residents, he risks being seduced by the same dream he’s meant to expose.

It was a real highlight to see Mina and Echo from Wake return — their absence in Ripper was definitely felt, and their reappearance brings warmth and tension back into the story. While some say Vanished can be read as a standalone, I would strongly recommend reading Wake first to fully appreciate Lane’s emotional drive and his complicated bond with Mina. (Ripper can probably be skipped, though it sets up small pieces of this case.)

The story starts a little slowly, revisiting key backstory, but it builds beautifully into a tense, twisty mystery full of layered characters, dangerous secrets, and moral ambiguity. The short chapters and eerie NSW farm setting kept the tension simmering, and the constant question of who to trust had me hooked.

The one small weakness for me was the inclusion of the prologue-style chapters woven throughout — they were intriguing but felt disjointed until their significance was finally revealed, and I found myself skimming them at times.

Still, Vanished absolutely delivered on suspense, atmosphere, and emotional depth. I loved seeing old characters evolve, meeting new ones, and the way Burr challenges the idea of clear-cut good vs evil. I’m still holding out hope for more Lane Holland — and more of Lane and Mina’s complicated relationship too.

If you love thrillers with cultish undertones, plenty of twists, and deeply flawed but compelling characters, Vanished is a must-read.

Huge thanks to Shelley Burr, Hachette Australia & New Zealand, and NetGalley for the ARC. Vanished will be published on April 30th, 2025 — make sure to grab a copy!

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

#Vanish #Netgalley.
Firstly, I would like to thank both Hachette Australia and New Zealand along with Netgalley for an early ARC of this amazing book!
It has been a long time since a thriller has kept me glued to the page and absolutely immersed in the story to the point where the twist literally blew my mind right up to the crux of the story in the lead up to the nail biting conclusion.
In Vanish, the character of Lane is given a "second lease" on life so to speak when he is enlisted by Carver ( a prison governor in charge of the correctional facility where he is serving out a sentence for a crime he was meant to have committed) to be given the task of locating Carvers missing daughter Matilda Carver on a farm.
He is accompanied by his jail guard Sweeney who is tasked with keeping an eye on lane at all times whilst he has an ankle bracelet attached to his foot so that he can't leave the farm.
The farm itself (whilst seeming self sufficient and and idyllic at first glance displays signs of a commune and a semi cult with the man in charge and the people on the farm being of a unique and somewhat odd manner). However, unbeknownst to all the people living on the farm, there is something much more sinister going on (particularly after the groups events) and it is up to Lane to do some digging and get to the bottom of the situation- what he finds to be both shocking and yet revealing at the same time.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would be excited to read more books by Shelley Burr in the future- this would have to be my favourite mystery/thriller book of 2025 so far.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third PI Lane Holland book. Since the second book, Lane has been trying to work out what happened to Warden Carver's daughter, Matilda, and he thinks he might be on to something. A string of missing people that seem to all be connected to a communal farm just north of the Victorian border with New South Wales. He convinces Warden Carver to get him assigned to a prisoner training program at the farm so he can continue his investigation.

While this wasn't the fastest paced mystery, I didn't have too much trouble settling in for some good reading sessions. The premise was intriguing, and Lane is a likeable protagonist. I don't know that I found the ending entirely convincing, but I still enjoyed it.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following the events of Ripper, Lane Holland remains behind bars, but one case continues to haunt him, one that involves the prison warden’s missing daughter, Matilda. Under the guise of joining a prisoner rehabilitation program, Lane is granted permission by the Warden to pursue new leads in Matilda’s disappearance. He’s released under supervision to a secluded farm near the NSW/Victoria border, a place he suspects Matlida may have once been.

When I first heard that Burr was releasing another installment in the PI Lane Holland series, I jumpped at the chance to request an ARC. The premise of Vanish immediately grabbed my attention with its setting of an off-the-grid farm with cultlike undertones promised a setting ripe with tension and unease. But while the setup held plenty of potential, the atmosphere never quite delivered the sense of claustrophobic isolation I was hoping for.

The plot is more straightforward than Burr's other books, especially Wake, which i loved for its emotional depth and layered storytelling. I enjoyed the return of Mina, however, Vanish is less twisty and more focused. While this makes it easy to follow, it also means I didn't have the same lingering and thought-provoking reading experience. In saying that, though, Vanish is still a great addition to the series, with a closing paragraph that will leave Wake fans hungry for the next instalment.

Thank you to Hachette and NetGalley for an ARC copy of Vanish for review. I also purchased a physical copy for my collection!


3.5 Stars

[Nadine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vanish
Shelley Burr

'Everyone comes to this farm for a reason. Sometimes those reasons are dark.’

Lane Holland is back and I’m so grateful for that, he’s a favourite character of mine. I read Wake years ago and it’s still an absolute favourite of mine with its gripping mystery, outback setting and unforgettable characters.

“Careful. Thinking they can’t manipulate you is a dangerous assumption. Whatever’s going on here, they’ve been sharpening their axe for twenty years.”

Vanish is book three and unfortunately Lane Holland’s crime solving career officially ended the day he went to prison. With his parole hearing approaching, he faces the grim reality that an ex-con can never work as a private eye. Yet the unsolved disappearance of Matilda Carver two decades ago draws him in. Lane is not one to follow the rules and chases up a lead at a mysterious farm community lead by the enigmatic Samuel Karpathy. With the farm attracting lost souls or possibly people hiding from their pasts, this is too good a lead to pass by.

Lane goes undercover at the farm to unveil its dark secret. More digging shows there are some people who have gone to the farm and seemed the vanish without a trace. Is this a commune? A cult? Or the grounds of a serial killer?

‘Simply show up, and there would be a job, a bed and three meals a day waiting for you. He’d met men who had committed crimes to get that kind of security, without the promise of their own tiny house dangling in the future.’

I was hooked from the start and simply adore the writing style. It’s straight to the point and captivating without any extraneous details that bog you down.

Lane is smart and leaves no stone unturned, making this so easy to keep reading. I love the authentic Australian setting and also the short chapters always ending on the right note, leaving you wanting more.
The mystery was captivating and dare I say it believable.

'Obviously, you'd refuse to take no for an answer and trample every boundary between yourself and the truth.’

[Liat M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lane Holland is a former PI, currently doing time in prison for murdering a notorious child killer, his father. With his parole rapidly approaching, Holland is struggling with the reality that he won’t be able to work as a PI once released and there’s still one case that he needs to solve.

Matilda Carver disappeared two decades ago on the remote Karpathy farm and hers isn’t the only disappearance. With the farm seen as a safe haven for lost souls and those hiding from their past, Holland is left wondering what really goes on at the farm.

I’m a big fan of Lane Holland and I love the idea of a former PI solving crimes from within the prison, just unable to resist that one piece of himself that likes to solve a puzzle. The cult like feel of the farm along with the eco vibes and the remote area makes it the perfect scene for a possible serial killer with many possible motives.

I also really enjoyed the connection with Hollands past and I think the background given in this book allows for the reader to take it as a standalone without reading the rest of the series, although I would definitely recommend starting with the first book.

Thank you to Hachette Australia, Netgalley and the author for my copy of this book in exchange for a review

[Nyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t vibe with that ending 😒

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book that got me out of my reading slump. I was very impressed with the first in the series Wake and this, the third Lane Holland outing is just as good.
Lane a former Private eye is in jail for murdering his father. (Read Wake and Ripper to appreciate the backstory here). One unsolved case haunts him, the disappearance of Matilda Carver 20 years ago, who also happens to be the daughter of the Governor of the prison Lane is incarcerated in. He has carried on covertly looking into Matilda’s disappearance while inside and comes to the conclusion that Karpathy Farm, a remote, commune like farm is at the centre of not just Matilda’s disappearance but others as well. He does a deal to go to the farm, with an escort, under the pretence of an outreach program for offenders who want to learn about farming.
It’s a really good read with a few twists and intriguing characters.

#Vanish #NetGalley

[Michele (michelethebookdragon) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a great premise and I like Lane Holland as a character so I was keen to read it, but this fell a little flat for me.

As we know from the end of Ripper, Lane is still in jail but is being recruited by the warden to see if Lane can find out anything about his daughter Matilda's disappearance.

This allows Lane to participate in a prisoner training programme at a farm near the NSW/Victorian border that he thinks Matilda stayed at.

This is where this story drifted for me. There was so much happenstance that after a while it didn't surprise me anymore. The supporting characters were weak and didn't even seem to know they were being interrogated by Lane.

There was certainly a building sense of menace and unease when Lane could not figure out what was happening and who might be behind the disappearances.

The conclusion was okay but there were still a few questions unanswered.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely fabulous book. I was so enthralled the whole time. I love mysteries surrounding cults and this one did not disappoint. I love how the mystery was a total shock to me but as soon as I knew the ins and outs, I smacked my forehead for missing it. Those are my absolute favorite kinds of mysteries. I really dislike it when the mystery is so impossible to figure out that I'm left feeling let down or is so obvious that the oblivious characters look like imbeciles. But this was perfect. Enough hints that I *could* have seen if I was paying closer attention, but not so many that I was bombarded with them. And it was so cool, the reasoning and everything. No spoilers but I really liked the why behind the "crimes." I can't wait to read absolutely everything this author ever writes. Please never stop writing!!!

[Greg Trenowden · Rating 2 out of 5]

No. Just no.

The story begins with a slow meandering plot about living in an Australian communal farm. The reader is unsure who died, if anyone died, or if they disappeared only.

The pulse quickens somewhat as the book approaches the 90% mark as the plot finally gains some direction.

The character list is way too short. The book’s strongest one is Lane, the ex-PI in prison but about to apply for parole and is offered pseudo freedom by entering the gardening compound where the story is set.

Most Australian authors talk about the sacred beauty of our ancient land. This book didn’t. The best thing about this book is the cover. It’s gorgeous. But don’t be fooled. The story inside is boring.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

Vanish has an eerie undercurrent where you know something isn’t quite right at the farm, but as a reader the answer feels just out of your reach.



It was great to be back with Lane Holland again. There was a secretive atmosphere to the storyline and while I found it a little slow to start, the tension and pacing of the story was great once it hit its stride. I tried to figure out where the people had vanished to as Holland’s unofficial investigation and suspicions unfolded, but I did not pick the outcome at all!

I would have liked a bit more depth to the ending as I found it wrapped up surprisingly quickly, but overall it’s a great addition to the Aussie noir genre.

Thank you to @hachetteaus and @netgalley for a digital copy to honestly review.

[Georgie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started this whilst waiting for my son in surgery - nothing serious but just the experience of sitting down in the morning to read in the sun was soooo peaceful! I love Burr’s Bush noir - her plots are pacey and action packed without two many characters or side plots. I loved the non-linear unfolding of snippets of another story seemingly running parallel. The climax of the bushfire and the surprise twists that solve the case are brilliant written. And I bloody love that there was an element of cult in there too.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a great fan of Shelley Burr and this third book and her latest is another fabulous read.

[Hannah Thom · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️’s

[Casey Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

I definitely didn’t enjoy this one as much as the first ones, however another interesting story line with the thoughts into the workings of cult life.

[Laurena · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I did enjoy the plot and characters. Well paced although the ending was wrapped up rather quick.