The vanishing

Inspired by a real-life criminal case, a new thriller follows a disgraced detective who finds himself back on the job when he arrives at an isolated Aussie farm community.

- WORDS by SHELLEY BURR

Lane Holland’s crime-solving career ended the day he went to prison. Yet one unsolved case continues to haunt him: The disappearance of Matilda Carver two decades ago.

Against the odds, Lane finds a lead – a mysterious farm community where Matilda lived briefly, led by the enigmatic Samuel Karpathy. The farm attracts lost souls. People looking for answers. People hiding from their pasts. People who have nowhere else to go.

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

Is it a commune? Is it a cult? Or something far more dangerous?

Start reading this extract from chapter five of Vanish to find out for yourself...

“You know, Lane, you’re a rather unique arrival,” Karpathy said, leaning back against the gate and putting one arm up on the cross bar. A deliberately relaxed posture, in Lane’s opinion. Lane remained standing straight, his arms loose by his sides. Not mirroring Karpathy’s casual attitude, but not hostile. As neutral as possible.

“I imagine none of your other residents have a murder on their record,” Lane said.

If Lane putting it so baldly surprised Karpathy, he didn’t show it. “Oh, don’t be so sure of that.”

That caught Lane off guard. “There are people here who have killed someone?”

Karpathy answered like it was a perfectly ordinary question. “Everyone comes to this farm for a reason. Sometimes those reasons are dark.”

“Sarah and Trish mentioned that you told people not to ask why I’m in prison. I really appreciate that.”

“I don’t tell people what to do,” Karpathy said. “I just reminded them that everyone here gets to share their story only when they choose to.”

Which meant that Lane needed to tread very carefully when it came to drawing information out of people. Even standard small talk might be deemed too invasive.

“I’m not going to pretend the fact that you were in prison –”