Vanished tells the story of a man and woman faced with an almost unthinkable tragedy—the mysterious abduction of their son. In the late 1930s, in the shadow of the Lindbergh kidnapping, and as war looms in Europe, Marielle Patterson shares and elegant Manhattan brownstone with her husband, Malcolm, and their little boy, Teddy. Though the couple's lives are filled with secrets, Marielle is a devoted wife and mother, and Malcolm is a man everyone admires. On the eve of Teddy's disappearance, Marielle runs into her first love, American expatriate Charles Delauney. And when Teddy is kidnapped, Charles is first blamed, then arrested. But as the search for Teddy widens, even Marielle is scrutinized by the FBI and special agent John Taylor. Suspicions and accusations mingle with terror and heartbreak as every threat, every failure, every fear, is remembered, examined, explored. During Charles Delauney's trial, a series of revalations begins to unravel the about Marielle, Charles, and Malcolm, uncovering the motives and passions controlling their lives. Vanished is a tale of guilt, desire, suspense, and of people drawn inexorably together, seeking the child who... vanished.
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"the tragic story of a womans life, Marielle. At the age of 18, her wealthy family and herself were on the Grand Tour in Europe, where she meets a 21 year old man, Charles Delauney, whos parents are also very wealthy. Charles is known to be the son of a rich and powerful man, he ran away when he was 15 to join the civil services fighting for causes against hitler and the wars in spain and europe. The two fall in love and then elope. They return from their honeymoon where her parents waited for her, expecting a divorce. She doesnt divorce him because she is pregnant with a little boy, the pride and joy of their family who later on drowns. She was by then pregnant with a little girl, who Marielle ends up killing by jumping into the icy water that took the life of her son Andre. Charles blames her for the loss and almost kills her. She ends up going to a mental clinic and she refuses to return to charles because of the danger he was. She attempts suicide 7-8 times in the clinic because she felt she couldnt live without the love of her life and her babies. The strain of her life events caused the death of her father and then later on the death of her mother because of suicide. She then moves back to the United States, where she meets a rich man, Malcome Patterson, that takes care of her. He believed that everyone has a past and that she should try to forget it. She never loved Malcome, just the part of him that took care of her, similarly, he never loved her, he just wanted to bear a son that would later become the heir to his fortunes. The child was born and named Teddy. Seven years after last seeing charles, she runs into him at Saint Patricks Cathedral on the anniversary of their childrens death, shocked at their coincidental run-in, charles tries getting her back but she refused to and later on tells him about Malcome and her marriage. The next day, Teddy(her son) and her run into him in central park while he was drunk. He was angered that she had a new life and a son that looked just like Andre, their child that died, and he had nothing. He threatened to take Teddy if thats what it would take to force her back into his life. Marielle was never accepted within Malcomes home, all the servents hated her, and possible were jelous that they were there longer than she was and she became his wife. 11 days before christmas, the day right after seeing charles at central park, teddy was kidnapped from the patterson's mansion. A court case comes into place, and the worst had taken place. Marielle was always worried about teddy because a past kidnapping took place within another wealthy family, but the result was too late and the child was dead. The worst seemed to take place and heated discussions pointed to Charles being guilty. Investigations find the Teddy's pajamas and his favorite teddy bear in charles' mansion but it turns out he was framed because he was at a bar all night, soaking up his encounters with marielle. Someone had paid another person to place the pajamas and the teddy bear into his house and charles was being used as a scapegoat. Malcome, teddy's father and Marielles husband ends up being the mastermind between this whole ordeal, the only goal in his mind being him getting rid of marielle and running away with his secretary that he had secretly had an affair with and teddy.
Danielle Steel is an amazing author. This book in particular was very fasinating and thrilling. I couldnt seem to put the book down because i always wondered what events would take place next. Its very catchy and makes you want more. Loved the book; i highly recommend it, even though i basically told you everything that happened."
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Karen (5 out of 5 stars)