Vanished is a sci-fi mystery thriller by Cynthia Fridsma. Rose Gibbon's husband, Professor Alex Gibbon of Boston University, disappeared two years ago while working on a highly classified project. When she sees Alex's car on the news, she hopes to get the closure she had been searching for. Meanwhile, Medical Examiner Natalie Principal arrives on the scene where Alex's car was found, which has a burned body inside. Suspecting it to be a case of terrorism, Natalie notifies the ATU. However, Natalie doesn't realize that she has unwittingly embroiled herself in a far larger conspiracy involving an advanced AI interface that consumes people's consciousness and renders them lifeless. To solve the case, she must now rely on her friends from ATU and Nightbird - a covert organization that deals with X-File cases. Mortal danger follows Natalie and her friends.

Cynthia Fridsma weaves a fast-paced yarn with sci-fi elements that will keep readers on the edge of their seats from start to finish. The plot is completely unpredictable, with twists and turns every few pages that keep you guessing as to what's coming next. Fridsma uses a multiple point of view narrative, which gives readers access to all the different factions involved in the story. Due to the plethora of characters and the plot-driven nature of the account, not every character gets enough page time. All the major players are well-developed, with defined traits that explain their motives and actions. I enjoyed reading Vanished. If you're looking for a neo-noir thriller with an unpredictable plot, it is the book for you.

Vanished is a work of fiction in the urban fantasy and action subgenres and is part of the Nightbird series. It is aimed at mature readers and was penned by Cynthia Fridsma. The book follows Rose Gibbon who is in the process of selling her home two years after her husband's disappearance, only to have a break in the case suddenly appear when his car is found abandoned in Boston. As the medical examiner, Natalie Principal inspects the scene, where all the evidence points to radiation and the potential threat of terrorists releasing a dirty bomb. As she races to find the truth, Natalie falls deeper into a web of conspiracy that puts her and everyone she cares about in danger.

This book was an exciting page-turner from the word go, with the author expertly moving between several different characters and their storylines to keep readers off-balance. Cynthia Fridsma layers a complex mystery for her readers then deftly has her engaging protagonists guide us through it. The resulting narrative is dynamic and not to be missed as readers are taken on a rollercoaster of twists and turns until they arrive at the satisfying and impossible to predict conclusion. This is a story full of fresh and original ideas that set it aside from others in the genre, not just using every trick to build tension but writing a whole new book of tricks. Vanished is an outstanding work of suspense and excitement that I highly recommend to all readers.