"Vanished"

Elizabeth Heiter likes her suspense to feature strong heroines, chilling villains, psychological twists, and a little bit (or a lot!) of romance. Her research has taken her into the minds of serial killers, through murder investigations, and onto the FBI Academy’s shooting range.

Heiter applied the Page 69 Test to her new novel, Vanished, and reported the following:

Vanished is the second novel in my Profiler series following FBI profiler Evelyn Baine. Eighteen years ago, Evelyn’s best friend disappeared. Now, the Nursery Rhyme Killer is back – and if Evelyn doesn’t catch him, she may be the next to disappear.

Here’s what happens on page 69:

Suddenly everyone seemed to be moving at once, in different directions. The men on her left spun to face Jack, knocking her backward.

She stumbled, and righted herself just as a cloud of pepper spray dispersed into the air. It filled her lungs, making her cough with every breath. Her eyes burned, watering until it was hard to see.

The crowd moved fast to get away from it, shoving and pushing away from the station, and Evelyn went down hard on one knee. She tried to get to her feet, but the crowd suddenly shifted again as a gunshot rang out. Someone slammed into her, and she fell to the ground. Then all she could do was curl up and try to protect her head, hoping she wasn’t about to get trampled.

At this point in the book, Evelyn is back in Rose Bay, a small town where too many of the residents are hiding dark secrets. When the Nursery Rhyme Killer – who abducted three girls eighteen years ago and then disappeared – grabs a new victim, old prejudices simmer back to the surface, and violence erupts. Just like she did eighteen years ago, as the best friend of the final victim, Evelyn finds herself in the middle of it.

Visit Elizabeth Heiter's website and watch the book trailer for Vanished.

My Book, The Movie: Vanished.

--Marshal Zeringue