2009 Christy Award winner!
Three strangers each encounter the same mysterious storm and awake the next day to find that everyone else has vanished. There’s Conner Hayden, a successful but unscrupulous trial lawyer who has forsaken his family for his career; Helen Krause, a middle-aged model struggling to come to grips with her fading beauty; and Mitch Kent, an enterprising young mechanic unable to escape a past that still haunts him. Afraid and desperate for answers, their paths eventually cross and they discover they are being watched. Elusive and obscured in shadows, the “observers” are apparently forcing them to relive vivid hallucinations of events from their past. They discover a mute homeless boy in tattered clothing and believe he may hold the key to the mystery, but the “observers” soon become aggressive and the four are forced to flee. When the boy disappears, the four decide to head from Chicago to Washington, D.C., in search of answers…and more survivors. Winner of the 2006 operation first novel contest, Vanish is a nonstop suspense thriller in the vein of Ted Dekker.
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Sexual Content - 1/5
1/5
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Violence - 3/5
3/5
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Language - 0/5
0/5
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Drugs and Alcohol - 1/5
1/5
Summary
From: Isaac Scego
Book Title: Vanish
Book Author: Tom Pawlik
What do you like about this book:
Summery::
Despite its intense plot and occasionally unsettling character hallucinations, Vanish isn't too dark for its own good, neither is it too preachy. Unlike most Christian novels, when Pawlik writes about God and faith, it does not feel like an obligational add-in that most Christian writers do just to make it a "Christian Novel." Not with Vanish. It is completely necessary, and sometimes stirringly so.
But even in this ghost town, being hunted by hundreds of frightening creatures, Pawlik manages to keep a firm hold on reality. He somehow manages to hold a sense of practicality even while exploring the most impractical situations. His rich characters are well-developed and his story is both compelling and ingenious, changing the way we look at redemption and death. This is a story about baggage, and some of that baggage can get hard to carry, even for us readers. But it is all necessary for us to fully appreciate Mr. Pawlik's goals. This, filled out with award-winning suspense, non-stop action, thrills, and, of course, the unforeseen twists, make Tom Pawlik's Vanish true treat to be savored. And although, according to biblical guidelines, it isn't completely accurate, Christian suspense doesn't come much better than this.
Sexual Content::
Someone asks his girlfriend if she wants to move in with him. She refuses. While creeping through a hall, Connor hears faint sounds of lovemaking. As a model, Helen is said to use her body to get what she wants "like a credit card."
Violent Content::
Frequent intense situations and descriptions of pain, as well as some bloody depictions. Blisters spread over a man's entire body, bleeding badly. The beasts are shot multiple times as they chase after people, busting through walls and dragging them away screaming. Whenever someone is touched by the creatures, a large rusty bruise appears. A young boy drowns and some of the hallucinations can get a little unsettling. Another young boy smothers someone with a pillow and there's a comment about abortion.
Language::
Characters are said to curse and swear. A lot. A woman is called a whore.
Drug/Alcohol Content::
People drink and go to bars. A woman is said to be a drunk.
Recommendation:: 3.5/5
| PG-13 | Terror, disturbing descriptions of violence and thematic material
Your ratings of the level of sex, violence, language and drug/alcohol use on a scale of 1-5.
Sex:1
Violence:3
Language:0
Drug/Alcohol use:1