A spellbinding mystery of obsession and guilt, A Kind of Vanishing is the poignant story of what happens to those left behind when a child vanishes without trace.

Summer, 1968. Two nine-year-old girls are playing hide and seek in the ruins of a deserted village. Eleanor Ramsay and Alice have been forced into friendship, with the hopes that Alice’s well-behaved demeanour will rub off on the rambunctious, tomboy Eleanor. But Alice has discovered a family secret about her new friend, and is taunting the other girl.

When it is Eleanor’s turn to hide, Alice disappears.

Years later, what happened to Alice that day remains a mystery - but the two families have been linked together by tragedy ever since. So when Eleanor’s teenage daughter, Chris, becomes suspicious of her mother’s past and turns detective, an extraordinary turn of events will open up shocking truths for the Ramsay family and all who knew the missing girl.

Praise for Lesley Thomson:

‘Lesley Thomson gets better and better.’ Ian Rankin

‘Thomson’s plots are original and she draws her characters with genuine affection.’ Sunday Times

‘Thomson creates a rich and sinister world that is utterly unique.’ William Shaw