The Vanishing Point

First Line: Stephanie Harker was just about old enough to remember when air travel had been exciting.

Stephanie Harker has carefully planned this much-needed vacation in the United States with her son, Jimmy. Knowing that the metal plates and screws in her leg will set off the detectors at Chicago's O'Hare Airport, she's made sure that Jimmy knows what he's supposed to do while Stephanie steps inside the glass inspection box for a pat-down. Everything goes as anticipated until-- to her horror-- a man in a TSA uniform walks up to Jimmy, speaks to him, takes him by the hand, and walks away with him. Dashing out of the inspection area, Stephanie is jumped on by TSA agents who are more concerned with her as a suspected terrorist than they show more are by what she's trying to tell them: "My son has been kidnapped!"

When she finally pierces the fog of their determined deafness, FBI Agent Vivian McKuras is put in charge of the case. Once Vivian begins to question Stephanie, the agent learns that this isn't a simple case at all. The kidnapped boy is the son of Scarlett Higgins, a popular reality TV star in the UK who recently died of cancer. Per Scarlett's will, Stephanie is Jimmy's guardian. Since the boy's father has also recently died, the boy's life has been a roller coaster, and Stephanie is frantic with worry. When will she receive instructions for the ransom? All she can think of is getting Jimmy back safe.

With an Amber Alert immediately put into effect, the only thing McKuras can do is question Stephanie. The more they learn, the more chance they have of narrowing down the list of suspects and finding the boy. Stephanie was originally Scarlett's ghost writer. The more she grew to know Scarlett, the more she liked the celebrity until they became fast friends. As Stephanie's story unfolds, Vivian McKuras gleans the facts that she believes will bring a little boy home to the woman who loves him.

Val McDermid has been one of my favorite writers for several years, and with the kidnap taking place right at the beginning of the book, she had me hooked quickly. The Vanishing Point has many things to share with its readers: the ins and outs of being a ghost writer, the life of a reality TV celebrity, even some UK slang (and there's a handy little glossary at the back of the book for any who aren't familiar with it). But-- as usual with any book written by McDermid-- what is vitally important is the relationships between the characters.

As a ghost writer, Stephanie has to get to know her subjects very well without falling under their spells, so she has to tread a very fine line. She has a boyfriend, but she prefers to live alone. She doesn't have pets. She doesn't really have any close friends. This is a woman who's taken her career to an unhealthy extreme.

Enter Scarlett Higgins, the reality TV star dubbed by the UK press as "Scarlett Harlot." This young woman had an incredibly harsh upbringing. She believes that becoming a celebrity is her one claim to fame, and she works hard at staying in the public's eye and in the headlines of the tabloids. As these two very different women come to know each other, Stephanie's Rules of Ghost Writing fall by the wayside, and they become best friends.

McDermid is a master at the unfolding of this type of story. She has the skill and the confidence to tell the story and let the reader come to his or her own conclusions-- and I did. The ending is supposed to be an "I didn't see that coming" shocker. It wasn't for me, and this is where this review gets tricky because I can't say too much about my reaction to the ending without giving it away. I'll give it a shot anyway.

Normally when I read a book, I find that I'm most comfortable when there is at least one character whose viewpoint I trust. In The Vanishing Point, I trusted no one's. Stephanie has led a rather sheltered life in which she's spent most of her time keeping everyone at a distance. This has helped her to choose a very possessive boyfriend to whom she's reluctant to give marching orders. Can I trust this woman's judgment? Not really.

And Scarlett? More than once Scarlett admits that she knew reality TV was her one and only shot out of an unbearable life. Now that she's got what she wants, she's determined to keep it. Am I going to trust the word of a woman whose sole aim is looking out for herself? No.

Since I trusted none of the characters as I read the book, I found that I could enjoy the story a great deal-- but not be surprised by the ending. For me, The Vanishing Point is a thriller that doesn't thrill, but it certainly does satisfy my every craving for an engrossing character study of two very different women. Is this one of McDermid's best books? No, but it's miles better than many other books you can put your hands on today. show less

Very engaging book with an ending that was truly surprising to me, as used to twists as I am. The protaganoist is a ghost - a ghost writer who is very good at drawing out celebrities so that she can create a book that represents the persona they want to provide to the world. At the beginning of the book, she's getting patted down at O'Hare on route from the UK to California with a young child. She watches in horror as a man in a TSA uniform talks to the boy and leads him away. She can't convince the TSA officers that she's not a terrorist, she's in a panic that her boy has been kidnapped. Not the best advertisement for the TSA, but a great opening.

We learn how she came to be the boy's guardian, after writing a ghosted autobiography of show more a shrewd woman from Leeds who made her name portraying an idiot on a reality TV show. As Stephanie gets to know her subject, they become friends, and she realizes both how tough the woman is and how much her celebrity, which has brought her wealth, has also imprisoned her. Stephanie has a prison warder of her own, a possessive and abusive boyfriend who resents their friendship. Working out how these relationships led to a kidnapping in Chicago and whether the boy will be found is quite an engrossing story that has some interesting things to say about what happens to people who strive for celebrity and become public property. show less

It's probably no coincidence that in a genre that, in my mind anyway, is purpose built for looking at the things that don't work in society, I seem to fallen over a few books recently that are exploring the outcomes of Reality stardom. Which is useful as this is about as close as I want to come to any form of reality anything on TV. Val McDermid's latest novel, THE VANISHING POINT, looks at the impacts of reality stardom on a few levels, the perceptions that people have of a certain type of reality star (we're talking the dumb blonde stereotype), but also the sort of impact that the stardom has on a lot of other aspects of life. And, to be fair, McDermid does find the good and the bad in the whole thing.

THE VANISHING POINT uses a sort show more of detailed flashback scenario - it opens with the snatching of Jimmy Higgins in the present day. His mother, reality star Scarlett has died, and Jimmy's guardian is the ghost writer who worked with her on her biography - Stephanie Harker. The investigation into the disappearance of Jimmy continues in the current day, although most of the heft of the story is back in the past - starting before Jimmy was born. What makes this particular scenario work very well is actually a sort of reverse flashback idea - where the current day is the bit that's dipped in and out of, and the story itself progresses through the past. Which is a cack-handed way of saying that the back story of Scarlett and Stephanie is where the reason for the kidnapping of Jimmy has to have come from.

There's enough fodder in that background to provide lots of possible reasons for Jimmy's kidnapping. Stephanie's relationship with an obsessive, nasty bloke who seriously objects to her friendship with Scarlett for a start. Scarlett's own background from a poor, dysfunctional family, using her Reality TV stint as a springboard out of that, she's actually a lot less of a bimbo than it would initially seem but people have been burned on her fight out. Along the way she's made a lot of money, money that might not be available to Stephanie and Jimmy, but that's not necessarily something your average kidnapper might have thought through. Then there's Jimmy's father's background - a privileged boy who turned his back on his family expectations and sank into a life of drugs and his own form of stardom. Needless to say, there's enough to make you wonder.

Whilst the concentration is very much on the lead up events, there's sufficient action in the current day investigation to keep the reader engaged. The way that the search moves between the FBI and English Detective Nick Nicolaides works well, always providing that look backwards as Nick's past involvement with both Scarlett and Stephanie emerges. As the back story works its way into the present, and Nick and Stephanie pair up to follow the leads, the pace quickens, and a series of revelations strip away the red herrings and draw to a conclusion that frankly, I didn't see coming anywhere.

The aspect that most struck me about THE VANISHING POINT is the two central female characters. Whilst the likelihood of friendship between these two very different women seems highly improbable, when it does emerge it makes enormous sense. Whilst both women face their own particular challenges there's nothing contrived, it's actually a nice reminder that you shouldn't ever judge a book by its cover and that old chestnut about assumptions. I particularly liked the way that was done - not in a preachy or told you so way, but in such a matter of fact, part of the whole story way.

The final interesting coincidence is that there are a few books floating around at the moment that have a kidnapping theme. Not having read them all, it's next to impossible to draw any conclusions or make observations, but for what it's worth McDermid has contributed a fascinating look at the possibilities of fame and fortune, with an edge of ruthlessness. She's also shaken the preconceptions just a little and written an excellent combination of psychological thriller / procedural tie up that actually made my reading time a very rewarding place to be.

http://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/vanishing-point-val-mcdermid show less

Oh my giddy aunt, WTAF?

What did I just read?
Ok, so Mcdermid's an amazing storyteller and I very much wanted to know how this would resolve. That said, most of the book is totally unbelievable -- Stephanie's never-ending desperately detailed monologues just don't make sense in the context; the plot twists are weird and just slightly off; the characters are memorable but not terribly likeable. Overall, it's compelling except in the places where it really isn't -- there was a point about 4 hours in where I almost gave up from boredom, but still wanted to know what happened next and then everything went off the rails. I guess in the end it's good that Nick-the-cop has such a questionable moral compass, because wow are they going to have to show more do some relationship work.

I think I'll stick to the procedurals from now on. This was just not my cup of tea. show less

Val McDermid is one of the great writers of thrillers - particularly those with both a psychological bent as well as a stunning amount of brutality that manages to be essential to the plot rather than a voyeuristic add-on. She is unusual in that she manages to write both series books and standalones that all each work on their own merits. Usually series writers don't write very good standalones and vice versa, but McDermid is utterly dependable. Her books are always well-plotted and fun to read, but also full of humanity in all its dreadful beauty. Can you tell I like her writing?

The Vanishing Point takes on the world of reality television stars in the UK (although it's not much different than in the US) - these "ordinary" people who show more become famous mostly for making asses out of themselves on television for the world to see. McDermid argues that this behavior is part of a carefully plotted strategy to grab fame and fortune, but becomes self-limiting because while bad behavior is amusing for awhile at some point people just get bored with the trainwreck and the money stops coming in. "Oh, look, another head on the tracks - how expected." If you've followed the history of many of these people their lives become this tawdry public tragedy with little of happiness in them, perhaps because most have nothing to offer but their spectacle. It's bread and circuses, right? Not just circuses.

In Scarlett, the mother of the child taken in this book, McDermid creates a character struggling to free herself from the bad reputation that built her career - trying to change it up, to be someone different. Much of this seems inspired by the impending birth of her child, Jimmy, and her desire to provide a good home for him (where good means continuing to have loads of money), but there are glimpses of someone trying to rise above circumstance and bad choices to become a real person rather than a caricature. Scarlett's change is chronicled by her ghost writer, Stephanie, a woman who specializes in ghost writing for celebrities, but who becomes drawn into Scarlett's world through the friendship that grows between them. Someone's using someone, but it's hard to decide who or when or even why. When Scarlett dies tragically from cancer - brave and fighting until the end, her reputation utterly redeemed - she leaves her son to Stephanie, but not her money.

At the point where we come in, Jimmy has been taken from Stephanie at an airport in the US from right beneath her nose. TSA doesn't notice and labels Stephanie a danger from the moment she breaks free of security to go after her child. The Vanishing Point tells the story of before and after and draws the reader into all of its different worlds. It's a great read, loads of fun, and plenty to keep the reader turning pages. Highly recommended. show less

There is a reason why Val McDermid is so widely respected for her books. The twists and turns of this one prove it.

Stephanie is a ghost writer who ends up with the job of writing the life story of reality star Scarlett Higgins. Unexpectedly, she forms a true friendship with Scarlett, and in the wake of Scarlett’s tragic death, finds herself the guardian of Scarlett’s only child, Jimmy. Until the day he is kidnapped. She hopes the answer to his disappearance can be found in their past.

When the story began, I was a bit skeptical. First, the beginning of the book is full of the worst stereotypes of both Americans and the TSA (not that I plan to defend the TSA much). Second, the thought of Stephanie telling her entire recent life story show more in the wake of Jimmy’s kidnapping is a bit far-fetched. But, as the book continued, I could suspend my disbelief in favor of it being an interesting bit of story construction. Because Stephanie’s, and Scarlett’s, story captured me completely.

Not that the book didn’t have some problems. For one, the thought of Stephanie going back to England three days after the kidnapping baffled me. I’m fairly certain that if my child (biological or not) were kidnapped while I was traveling in another country, you would have to forceably remove me to get me to leave. Also, Stephanie’s anonymity was suspect, especially for someone who was such a large part of Scarlett’s life. I did manage to guess part of the ending after the first red herring is dealt with, but the full extent of it was a complete surprise. I admired how far McDermid was willing to go.

So overall, I thought this was a very good read, if you can forgive the few parts that don’t quite hold together as well as they should. show less

The Vanishing Point is a thrilling stand alone mystery from Val McDermid. While Stephanie Harker waits in a perspex box to be patted down at a Chicago airport, her young charge, Jimmy Higgins, is led away by a stranger while airport security ignores her anguished cries. In the search for a motive for the abduction, Stephanie relates her unusual friendship with Jimmy's British celebrity mother, Scarlett, who recently died from cancer, to FBI Special Agent Vivian McKuras. As the tale unfolds, and it becomes clear that Jimmy probably knew his kidnapper, Detective Sergeant Nick Nicolaides begins tracing the list of possible suspects in the UK, a trail that eventually uncovers a stunning web of lies, deception, and betrayal.

Drawing show more inspiration from the current social appetite for reality television and their stars, The Vanishing Point explores the life of Scarlett Higgins. A young woman who parlays her controversial role in a Survivor/Big Brother type reality series into modest fame and fortune, Scarlett's agent engages Stephanie to ghost write a memoir in an attempt to bolster Scarlett's profile. The project leads to an unlikely friendship between the pair, Stephanie surprised that beneath Scarlett's ditsy, party girl facade is a smart, savvy and ambitious young woman who has overcome her grim background to fight for success. Scarlett and Stephanie's relationship is revealed in a series of detailed flashbacks as she talks with Special Agent McKuras, and we learn about their lives and the people in them. As Stephanie talks, Scarlett emerges as a sympathetic figure, even more so when Stephanie reveals Scarlett developed cancer and died leaving her orphaned son, Jimmy, in Stephanie's care.
In the breaks between Stephanie's recounts, McDermid briefly shares the progress on the case by law enforcement, interjecting tension into the storyline as the investigation moves between the US and the UK. While the FBI puts out an Amber alert and reviews airport security footage, Detective Sergeant Nick Nicolaides does some legwork in England. Shifting between the two adds interest, especially when Nick gets a break that seems likely to solve the mystery.
McDermid is too skilled an author though for such a neat ending and in a series of shocking twists, Stephanie, returned from the US, and Nick uncover a the shocking truth surrounding Jimmy's abduction. The conclusion is breathtaking and few readers will see it coming.

While not as brilliantly executed, comparisons of The Vanishing Point can be made to Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl. While McDermid is best known for her procedural series, The Vanishing Point is an unusual thriller with an intriguing mystery and a conclusion that will surprise you. show less