The Vanished by Cara Putman- Review

 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?

Review-

I had the pleasure of reading The Vanished a few weeks ago and was immediately pulled into the story by the freshness of the subject matter. I've never been an art connoisseur by any means, but this book might have changed that for me. The author did a great job showing the history behind paintings that vanished during World War II and the process behind returning them to their rightful owners without weighing the action down. I also never knew how complex the process of museums' acquisition of art pieces is. 

While I enjoyed all the characters and thought Putman did a brilliant job writing so many distinct characters, Ariel was by far my favorite. Her quirky personality and sense of humor added so much to the book. 

Not only did I learn a lot while reading this story, my attention was held as the suspense increased and secrets came to light. 

I had so much fun reading The Vanished, and would highly recommend it. Do you have a favorite painting? Comment below for a chance to win an ebook copy of The Vanished. You can also purchase it here.