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Book Summary and Reviews of The Vanishing Place by Zoë Rankin

The Vanishing Place by Zoë Rankin

The Vanishing Place

by Zoë Rankin

  • Publishes:
  • Sep 16, 2025, 384 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

A shocking murder in the New Zealand bush—and the witness who looks all too familiar—draws a woman back to the very place she swore she'd never return to in this breakneck debut thriller.

A child who ran from the forest.
A woman who must return to it.

Growing up with her younger siblings in the unforgiving New Zealand bush, Effie believed their parents had cut them off from civilization because they loved Nature. She never suspected that their reasons might be more menacing. After witnessing a terrifying episode of violence, she escaped the wilderness to forge a life for herself halfway across the globe.

Now, when she learns the only witness to a murder is a little girl who looks just like her, Effie is compelled to return to the scene of her troubled childhood, where the secrets of her upbringing and the terrors of her past come rushing back to the surface. In order to find out once and for all what became of her family—and possibly help this mysterious girl who could be her younger self—Effie must face her greatest fears once more.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"From the deep dark wilds of the New Zealand bush to searing memories of sins past, The Vanishing Place breaks new ground in a genuinely thrilling ride." —Lisa Gardner, #1 New York Times bestselling author

This information about The Vanishing Place was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

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More Information

Zoë Rankin grew up in a village in Scotland. She studied International Relations and Arabic before going on to qualify as a primary school teacher. She spent many years travelling in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, and eventually settled in New Zealand. She has always been passionate about writing as well as spending time outdoors and exploring by bike, often with her two small children who are equally adventurous.

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