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Harmony Kent
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The Vanished Boy Kindle Edition

by Harmony Kent (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 25 ratings
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It’s so remote out here. Anything could happen ...

A missed phone call in the night is all it takes.

When Carole’s 18-year-old son goes missing, she breaks into Jayden’s laptop to try to understand his life.

All too soon, Carole discovers just how little she knew her boy.

And when one lead after another dead-ends, the distraught mother has to face the unthinkable.

Sucked into a sticky web of deceit and lies, nothing is as it seems.

When your life turns inside out and upside down, who would you trust?

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  1. Print length
    248 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    April 8, 2021
  5. File size
    1170 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  9. See all details
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0924XCTLV
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 8, 2021
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1170 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 248 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 25 ratings

About the author

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Harmony Kent

Harmony Kent

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Harmony Kent is an award winning multi-genre author. Her publications include: 

The Battle for Brisingamen (Fantasy Fiction) AIA approved

The Glade (Mystery/Thriller) AIA Approved/BRAG Medallion Honouree/New Apple Literary Awards Official Selection Honours 2015

Polish Your Prose: Essential Editing Tips for Authors (Writing/Editing) New Apple Literary Awards Top Medallist Honours 2015

Finding Katie (Women’s Fiction)

Slices of Soul: Book 1 in the Soul Poetry Series (Contemporary Poetry)

Life & Soul: Book 2 in the Soul Poetry Series (Contemporary Poetry)

Interludes 1 & Interludes 2 (Erotic Short Stories)

Moments (Short Stories and Poetry)

Jewel in the Mud (Zen Musings)

Backstage (Erotic Romance)

FALLOUT (Apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic Dystopia) BRAG Medallion Honouree

The Vanished Boy (Psychological Thriller)

As well as being an avid reader and writer, Harmony also offers reviews and supports her fellow authors. Harmony works hard to promote and protect high standards within the publishing arena. She is always on the look out for talent and excellence, and will freely promote any authors or books who she feels have these attributes. Harmony lives in Cornwall, England.

https://harmonykent.co.uk

twitter: @harmony_kent

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/HarmonyK

harmonykent@gmx.com

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
25 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Lauren Eason
5.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing and Well Planned
Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2021
Verified Purchase
This book is exactly how I picture a true suspense, thriller novel to be. At first, I was a little weary of the pace - it was slow for the first three or four chapters and then picked up in the middle. But once the pace increased and more of the plot was revealed, I couldn't put it down!

Jayden's a normal teenager. Or so his mother thought. When his father died when he was 11, both he and his mother drifted apart. Carol soon realizes that she doesn't know her son as well as thought after he disappears one Friday night after a study session with some friends. She soon finds herself spiraling down through his life, checking social media and bank accounts she never knew he had. Eventually, she learns the truth behind Jay's disappearance.

The author did a brilliant job of describing a grief stricken mother. Whether that be about the loss of her husband or her child, she perfectly captured the emotional turmoil behind losing everything and everyone near and dear. The book itself is written in more of a literary style with little dialogue between the characters. Because of this, I believe it gave the book a consistent somber tone throughout the story and increased the suspense of every clue Carol uncovered about her son.

Carol meets a lot of people along the way which play more of a secondary role. We don't learn too much about them other than the information one would need to find Jayden with or move the plot along. I think this fits well with this story type of story since the chapters are spaced out over the course of 5 days.

With that being said, the chapters are rather long, spanning over the course of 30+ pages. This, of course, is a personal preference for me, but I tend to enjoy shorter chapters and I think that would have helped the overall pace of the book.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and I believe the author has a talent for this sort of genre!
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Mae Clair
5.0 out of 5 stars A Riveting Read
Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2021
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Harmony Kent delivers a powerhouse novel about a teen’s disappearance. Carole is a widow with an eighteen-year-old son. When Jayden fails to return home one evening, she discovers she missed a cryptic text he sent. Two words only: “I’m stuck.” Those words propel her into a frantic search that begins with her delving into his life online. The police insist Jayden is an adult, and there’s not much they can do—at least not until time has passed. But Carole reacts with the anguish of a mother for her only child.

As she begins to piece together Jayden’s life through online activity, she learns there is a side to her son she didn’t know about. A side that has led him into a dangerous situation. The more she delves the more the tension mounts, clues unravelling a bit at a time, for a staggering revelation at the end.

I had read this book in two days, flipping pages well into the night. The story is well-plotted with a thoroughly satisfying wrap. If you enjoy psychological fiction and domestic suspense, this is engrossing story with a plot highly relevant to current times.
2 people found this helpful
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JanS
4.0 out of 5 stars A nail-biter and parent's worst nightmare
Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2021
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Talk about a nail-biter! This story begins with some backstory that is essential to what happens as the main story begins. Carole lost her husband, Harvey, to cancer. That left only her and their son, Jayden. As the story begins, Carole is texting with eighteen-year-old Jayden about when he'll be home. Even though he's of age, she still worries. After all, he is her entire world. She makes the mistake of taking sleeping pills with wine before going to bed that night. She missed the calls and frantic text from her son. And, he never made it home. Guilt-ridden and terrified, she searches everywhere she knows for him and comes up empty-handed. Finally, she involves law enforcement. The author not only shows this mother's terror, but she also places you right inside it with her. I sat with Carole as she scrolls through page after page of social media looking for any clues as to where Jayden might be. As she continues her frantic search, she is mortified to realize she knows little of her son's life. She's been so locked into her years of grief that she's shut him out. I won't go into details, but over a period of five days, Carole moves from one horrific moment and event to the next. The only thing keeping her going is her favorite Macchiato coffee and knowing in her heart that her son is still alive somewhere. I was on the edge of my seat through this entire story and devoured it as fast as possible just to find out what happened. Talk about a shock! If you love a psychological roller-coaster and don't have a weak heart, I highly recommend this story! While the numerous scenes of Carole sitting at her table and making yet another coffee became repetitious, it was not enough to deter me from finding out the ending to this tale. It depicts a parent's worst nightmare in a visual and emotive way.
One person found this helpful
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Joan H
5.0 out of 5 stars An Amazing Story of Suspense
Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2021
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This one will keep you on the edge of your seat. Harmony Kent delivers a powerful story that touches on the potential dangers of engaging in social media.

Carole is a single mother, having lost her husband to cancer seven years earlier. Her son Jayden, now eighteen, is a bit of a loner and they don’t talk about the loss of his father. When she receives a cryptic message and realizes Jayden didn’t return home from a party, she seeks help from the local police.

But Carole doesn’t stop there. She breaks into her son’s laptop in hopes of discovering clues that will lead her to him. She finds things that lead her to believe she didn’t know her son at all. Despite evidence to the contrary, Carole refuses to believe Jayden is dead.

Part mystery, part suspense, and a bit of psychological fiction, this book has a well written plot with the right amount of clues. I would love to see more stories like this one from the author.

A solid five stars.
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Top reviews from other countries

Kat's Reads
5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable Suspenseful Read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 9, 2021
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The Vanished Boy by Harmony Kent.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it difficult to put it down at times. I had to prise myself away when life called me away. It has a fast pace that draws you in from the start. Widow: Carole is thrust into a parent’s worst nightmare when her only child, Jayden, goes missing. Not being a parent, I wondered if I could relate to her plight as the plot progressed, but I needn’t have worried as the author puts the reader right alongside Carole as she goes through every possible emotion so you can experience it for yourself how she is feeling, how she copes and how she acts.
The few characters in The Vanished Boy are really believable and what is clear is that a mother’s love knows no bounds and Carole will stop at nothing to get to the bottom of her son’s disappearance.
I liked that it wasn’t obvious straight away what had really happened to Jayden and who or what was responsible for the events leading up to it. It wasn’t clear until almost the end. A couple of hints were implied here and there which I just dismissed as red herrings and then the author just whacks you with the big reveal which I just loved and really kept me hanging on the edge of my seat to find out the truth.
I liked how the author made Carole an almost sole character for the majority of the book, almost like a stream of consciousness as she got to grips with social media and starting her own investigation into her son’s disappearance.
The book did me think a lot about social media use and how much time we spend on it speaking to people behind their keyboards and not really seeing their true colours.
Overall, a well-executed suspense that I highly recommend.
 
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Horsepower
5.0 out of 5 stars A parent's worst nightmare!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 23, 2021
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The Vanished Boy by Harmony Kent is a gripping novel that had me on the edge of my seat and I could not read it quickly enough.
Carole is a widow and raising her son, Jayden, alone. When she wakes up after a night of alcohol and sleeping pills to discover his bed not slept in and a text message from him the night before telling her he is stuck, she fears the worst and panics.
The police are called and the detective assigned to the case doesn’t seem overly concerned and considers Jayden to be a typical teenager who has run away from home.
As Carole searches through her son’s social media to try and locate him, she discovers that his disappearance may be more sinister than the police think.
The events in this novel take place over a week and the author, very cleverly, keeps the narrative running at a fast pace so the momentum is never lost and the reader is so engaged with Carole’s plight that they have to keep turning page after page.
The twist, when it came, was brilliant and it wasn’t totally unexpected as Kent left a very subtle trail of clues that a discerning reader will pick up, although she did leave me wondering exactly what the motive was.
This is a fantastic novel but I suspect any parent reading it will add it to their list of worst nightmares!
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Phenomenal.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 18, 2021
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This is the first book I have read by Harmony Kent. I stumbled across this book on BookRoar and I am so glad I did!
I honestly want to kick myself for not discovering this author sooner because honestly, she is fantastic.
The suspense of this book alone kept me gripped to edge of my seat throughout the whole thing.
My heart went out to Carole! She is experiencing every parents worst nightmare. This book really reminds you of the real life dangers of today’s society with technology and social media and it was enough to send my anxiety through the roof.
The story itself was so well written and so perfectly executed throughout I found it hard to put down at times. This is a book that will really stay with me for a long time. Phenomenal! I have no other word to describe it.
This comes as a highly recommended read from me because if you want a psychologically suspenseful story that sends tingles down your spine - this is the one!
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Sarah Stuart - Readers' Favorite Reviewer
5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant, heart-stopping, mystery!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 13, 2021
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How well did Carole know her son? Did she shut him out while she grieved for his father, her love of fourteen years tragically dead? She’s still grieving and, one night she resorts to sleeping tablets and misses his text: “I’m stuck”.

Where? He hasn’t come home, so did he need fetching? At eighteen, the police tell her, Jaydon is an adult, so he’s not a missing person.

Harmony Kent has brought alive the mother’s panicked trawl through a boy’s online life in her desperate search for the truth. Nothing is hidden, and yet I defy any reader to guess the ending.
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