Vanished by James Delargy (free novel 24 TXT) 📕

mentioned it in the dedication but I just want to reiterate my thanks to all the hospital, post office and supermarket staff, and every one of the essential workers who put themselves at risk so the rest of us can shield indoors.

As for the book itself, again I have to thank West Australia for providing the inspiration for this story – with a nod to the Northern Territory and Queensland as well – for the sheer majesty and possibilities that lurk behind every town and rock and gully and for being such an inspiring place to write about.

The people I want to thank remain much the same as for the first book but I want to mention them again because they deserve praise for keeping me focused and sane at this time. Of these people one stands out most and that is my wife, Harpinder, for being honest about a story or a plot and as an inspiration for sheer hard work, drive and talent. And for not killing me during lockdown given she had to bear the brunt of my rubbish jokes.

I want to thank my family and friends, for being far away but always at the other end of a phone/video call. My wonderful agent, Marilia Savvides of 42 M&P, for expert guidance on what works, what doesn’t, and for supporting me from the very beginning. Without her, this book wouldn’t have seen the light of day. My editor, Anne Perry, was and is as amazing as ever, full of advice and ideas, helping me reshape this book to make it the best it can be. Kay Gale found many blatant errors my eyes overlooked. To Kim, Jack, Petros, Rhiannon, Alexandra and Gillian: thank you very much for your help behind the scenes. To Bethan, Harriett and Jess for their help, especially when I turn up at things unannounced. Also Jamie, Breanna, Sharon, Siobhan and everyone in S&S Australia who were so kind and helpful to me when I was out there last year – back when travel was a thing.

A special thanks must also go out to all the readers, tweeters and bloggers who take the time to read and review all the books out there and a thanks to all the bookshops that are going through a hard time at the moment and who I hope to be able to visit in the near future.

Finally – when I started out last year I didn’t know another soul in the crime-writing community but I was lucky to fall into cahoots with a wonderful group of writers called Criminal Minds. They have been essential in keeping my spirits up through the long, slow process of writing a book and I hope to be able to meet up with them again soon.

And that’s about it. Sorry if I left anyone out that deserves to be in this dedication. That is not because of a fault in your efforts but a fault in my memory. Any mistakes in this book are also mine rather than the fault of any contributor. For that I blame my memory also.

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First published in Great Britain by Simon & Schuster UK Ltd, 2021

Copyright © James Delargy 2021

The right of James Delargy to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.

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A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-4711-7756-9

Trade Paperback ISBN: 978-1-4711-7757-6

eBook ISBN: 978-1-3985-0136-2

Audio ISBN: 978-1-3985-0129-4

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.