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  • The Cold Vanish

  • Seeking the Missing in North America's Wildlands
  • Written by: Jon Billman
  • Narrated by: Stephen Graybill
  • Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (48 ratings)

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The Cold Vanish cover art

The Cold Vanish

Written by: Jon Billman
Narrated by: Stephen Graybill
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Publisher's Summary

Perfect for listeners of Jon Krakauer and Douglas Preston, this "authentic and encyclopedic" book examines real-life cases of those who vanish in the wilderness without a trace (Roman Dial) — and those eccentric, determined characters who try to find them.

These are the stories that defy conventional logic. The proverbial vanished without a trace incidences, which happen a lot more (and a lot closer to your backyard) than almost anyone thinks. These are the missing whose situations are the hardest on loved ones left behind. The cases that are an embarrassment for park superintendents, rangers, and law enforcement charged with Search & Rescue. The ones that baffle the volunteers who comb the mountains, woods, and badlands. The stories that should give you pause every time you venture outdoors.

Through Jacob Gray's disappearance in Olympic National Park, and his father Randy Gray who left his life to search for him, we will learn about what happens when someone goes missing. Braided around the core will be the stories of the characters who fill the vacuum created by a vanished human being. We'll meet eccentric bloodhound-handler Duff and R.C., his flagship purebred, who began trailing with the family dog after his brother vanished in the San Gabriel Mountains. And there's Michael Neiger, North America's foremost backcountry Search & Rescue expert and self-described "bushman" obsessed with missing persons. And top researcher of persons missing on public wildlands Ex-San Jose, California detective David Paulides who is also one of the world's foremost Bigfoot researchers.

It's a tricky thing to write about missing persons because the story is the absence of someone. A void. The person at the heart of the story is thinner than a smoke ring, invisible as someone else's memory. The bones you dig up are most often metaphorical. While much of the book will embrace memory and faulty memory — history — The Cold Vanish is at its core a story of now and tomorrow. Someone will vanish in the wild tomorrow. These are the people who will go looking.

©2020 Jon Billman (P)2020 Hachette Audio

What the critics say

"Colorful side characters, like psychics and Bigfoot hunters, provide some light moments, but what makes a lasting impression is the story of Randy and his ultimately dashed hopes of finding his son alive. The author's personal involvement makes this tale all the more affecting." (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

"Required reading for anyone concerned about the missing, Billman's authentic and encyclopedic book leads us across the landscapes of the vanished with a journalist's acumen and a searcher's sympathy. It's both true and useful, a storytelling textbook I wish I'd read before my own son went missing." (Roman Dial, author of The Adventurer's Son)

"The Cold Vanish is part mystery, part glance into a world of heroes and charlatans, death, and loss that most of us, fortunately, do not know, and don't want to know, but perhaps should. The Cold Vanish is informative, and in a sad way, captivating and well worth a read." (National Parks Traveler)

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

The Cold Vanish

Thanks to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing an ebook copy for an honest review.

This was a quick read for me, I read it over the span of about 2 days and I enjoyed the many aspects of the story, as not only does it take you on the journey of the cold case of the missing individual Jacob Gray, but it also intertwines many other missing individuals. I love a good cold case and this book goes through many of them, all very interesting cases, as many of these stories are suspicious and very difficult to explain or understand what exactly happened to each one of these lost souls. I would compare this book to a podcost or dateline, so if that is something you enjoy, this book is for you!

At times this book had a repetitive nature, but I think this was the author trying to circle back to Jacobs story, compare Jacobs story to other cold cases, and to underline the importance of certain aspects of the story.

This is a story about individuals who go missing in the wildlands of North America, focusing mainly on the case of Jacob Gray. Jacob Gray was a biker who seemed to vanish into thin air, leaving very little clues or evidence behind to help aid in a missing persons search. The author, Jon Billman, describes this story as he travels with Jacobs father, Randy Gray. Along with Jacobs story, this book touches on other individuals who have vanished, while circling back to the search for Jacob.
I am someone who tends to think outside the box when it comes to the unknown and therefore enjoyed the differing theories, however, this story may not be for those who do not believe in the paranormal, the extraterrestrial, conspiracy theories, etc., as this book touches on many theories regarding the missing.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent book

This book is a great mix of mystery true crime and insight into the personal adversity that the loved ones of the missing experience. It was written with facts and the lived experience of the author a great comparison would be Into the wild.

I would recommend this read!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • MJ
  • 2020-10-13

Interesting, not great

An interesting read, though not quite as good as I'd hoped. The story of Jacob Gray and his father Randy -- the backbone of this book -- was fascinating, beautifully written, and compassionate, and some of the other cases of missing people were similarly well-presented; however, others (many) were either glossed over or dragged on too long. (Also, several of the cases described at length we not actually in North America, which I found very odd considering the book's title and the vast number of missing person cases on this continent that could have been explored.) All of this made for a rather uneven story/listen.

As other reviewers have noted, some of the jabs at missing persons researcher/Missing 411 author David Paulides come across as snarky -- even though Billman is clearly inspired by him -- though I do understand some of the author's ambivalence toward Paulides. Overall, the book is worth a credit for the story of Jacob/Randy Gray...just don't expect it to shed any new light on the missing in North America.

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The Cold Vanish

Book needed some serious editing. Far too long with far too much unnecessary information. Got bogged down in side stories.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

An excellent read.

A poignant reminder that civilization is a construct, and that beauty can sometimes mask very real danger.

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