Vanished by Irene Hannon

Private Justice (Book 1)

Reporter Moira Harrison is lost. In the dark. In a thunderstorm. When a confusing detour places her on a rural, wooded road, she's startled by the sudden appearance of a lone figure caught in the beam of her headlights. Though Moira jams on her brakes, the car careens across the wet pavement--and the solid thump against the side of the vehicle tells her she hit the person before she crashes into a tree on the far side of the road.

A dazed Moira is relieved when a man opens her door, tells her he saw everything, and promises to call 911. Then everything fades to black. When she comes to an hour later, she is alone. No man. No 911. No injured person lying on the side of the road. But she can't forget the look of terror she saw on the person's face in the instant before her headlights swung away. The person she hit had been in trouble. She's sure of it. But she can't get anyone to believe her story--except a handsome former police detective, now a private eye, who agrees to take on the case.

From the very first page, readers will be hooked into this fast-paced story full of shocking secrets from fan-favorite Irene Hannon. Vanished is the exciting first book in the Private Justice series: Three justice seekers who got burned playing by the rules now have a second chance to make things right.

My Review:
Moira Harrison has an accident one rainy night when she spots a lone figure with "terrified eyes" standing in the middle of the road. Trying to avoid hitting the woman, Moira swerves and hits a tree. A man appears and promises to help her, right before she passes out. When she comes to, there is no trace of the the terrified woman or of the man. Police seem to believe she imagined the entire experience and offer no help.

Haunted by those "terrified eyes," Moira contacts private investigator Cal Burke, who works with his two partners at Phoenix, Inc. where the motto is "Justice First."

I like the character of Moira. She often quotes ancient philosophers--a trick she's learned from her father. Cal, a widower, feels a guilt over the death of his young wife. He's not ready to date, but Moira catches his eye from the first look. Even though the romance between Cal and Moira develops slowly, the mystery is the main focus of the plot.

The villain is revealed at a pace that holds the reader's attention. In the end, it all makes sense. I give this one a thumbs up and look forward to the next in the series.

Thank you to Donna Hausler at The Baker Publishing Group for my copy.

Available January, 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.