Review: The Vanished - Secrets to Keep #1

Did I read the entire Secrets to Keep series this past weekend in time for the release of book three? Yes, and it was such a wonderful way to dive into the world of legal drama and a group of friends who are there for each other through difficult and even life-threatening circumstances.

The Vanished by Cara Putman is the first book in this series, spanning history and continents due to the lucrative dealings around prominent artwork. I knew I loved legal suspense before, but this series really catapulted my enjoyment of this genre even further!

Book Synopsis

Janae Simmons left the small town of Kedgewick, Virginia, ten years ago to pursue her legal career and never looked back—until a professional mistake leads her to her grandmother's historic carriage house and to the town where her past threatens to find her. The quiet streets echo with her grandfather's sterling reputation, one that conflicts with fresh questions that claw at Janae, launching her on a reluctant journey to unearth his secrets. When her new job at a local law firm doesn't live up to expectations, she wonders if coming home was the right decision.

Carter Montgomery starts his art preservation career with the only job he can get―director at the Elliott Museum of Art. At least Kedgewick is a nice enough town to provide him and his nephew with a safe place to grieve the loss of Carter's sister. But Carter's calm days disappear when an elderly woman claims two paintings in the museum's collection were stolen from her family during World War II.

Carter enlists Janae's help to unravel the legal labyrinth of art ownership, and the peaceful facade of Kedgewick morphs into a hot bed of secrets. When an attorney turns up dead and Janae uncovers another painting, what began as a simple legal issue spirals into a race against time. As the web of intrigue tightens, the duo must confront a looming question: What dark truths lie beneath the surface, waiting to be exposed?

Source: Amazon

Book Thoughts

This is a legal suspense that will keep you fixated until the end of the book to discover how everything wraps up. There is a lot that is happening and keeps happening, so your heart really goes out to Janae Simmons and Carter Montgomery, who continually face mounting problems in their professional and personal lives without much resolution. Involving stolen art from the Second World War and lawsuits, this book will satisfy readers who enjoy all of the intricacies of the legal system when it comes to international dealings.

It's a rush to discover who knows what as the pieces of the puzzle shift and morph into other pieces, especially as Janae and Carter seek to do what is legally and ethically right. This premise is well worth reading the book, making both characters even more admirable in their desire to live out justice in a godly way. Discovering that there is a prequel to this book will likely provide even more context, making it a story to become invested in. Readers who are intrigued by how stolen art can be reunited with its rightful owners will appreciate the legal nuances in this fascinating look into the art world.

Book Summary

• Format of book: 📖
• Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Recommendation: 👍

Book Quotes

Father, what do you want for my life? She didn't hear an immediate answer, but she kept her mind quiet as she walked closer to the fence. She'd learned that God might not be an audible voice telling her to go this way or that, but when she invited him to have input in her life, he had a way of directing her steps. She believed he'd nudged her home, but now she'd have to be patient to see what that meant. It didn't mean life wouldn't be complicated or filled with twists, but if he walked with her, she would be all right.

It felt like a secret garden whenever she slipped inside it. There was a sacredness to it. Something special that made it a place to exhale and feel her blood pressure lower. She sank onto the closest chair and closed her eyes for a minute. She needed the kind of wisdom that came straight from heaven, because this was not a situation she could purely logic her way out of. It would be so much easier if she could. Instead, she asked God into the process. He could untangle a mess that she didn't know how to start addressing.