The office was silent. Empty.
No clicking keyboards, no constantly beeping fax machine, no rise and fall of heated voices as other agents in the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit argued over a suspect profile. Not even the persistent smell of burnt coffee that usually pervaded the office, even first thing in the morning, before anyone else arrived.
This was exactly how Evelyn Baine liked it. Quiet. Just her and her cases.
She glanced once around the empty gray bullpen, then down at the stack of files on her desk, illuminated only by her desk lamp. One by one, she picked them up, then restacked them, bottom to top, from least to most pressing. Cyber criminal. Arsonist. Serial killer. Bomber. Child abductor.
Her fingers stilled on the last file, and memories flooded, like they always did, of another case, from a long time ago. Of a little girl with blonde ringlets and the kind of instant smile that drew people like the pull of the sun. Cassie Byers.
Evelyn glanced at the date on her computer screen, realizing the eighteen-year anniversary of Cassie’s abduction was less than a month away. A familiar pain circled her heart. She’d helped put so many criminals behind bars in her year and a half at the BAU, but the one case that had brought her to the FBI remained unsolved.
“It was supposed to be you.”
The voice in her ear made Evelyn jerk in her seat and whip around, her heart rate jackknifing.
“Here.” Fellow profiler Kendall White stood behind her cubicle, holding out a case file and frowning. “What’s wrong with you?” He shook the file. “I said, this was supposed to go to you.”
Evelyn nodded, grabbing the file out of his hand. She spun around before he could continue questioning her, trying to get her heart rate to settle down. For a second, she could have sworn the voice had come right out of her past.
For a second, all the whispers had filled her head, the sounds of the other searchers as they walked the fields in Rose Bay, South Carolina, all those years ago.
“Did you hear about the note? Cassie is another victim of the Nursery Rhyme Killer.”
And then, seventeen years later, when her grandma had slipped and revealed, “The note mentioned Evelyn, too.”
Evelyn straightened her spine, pulled her chair up close to the desk, and shook the memories free. Cassie was gone. She was still here. She couldn’t change that now. But she could stop things like this from happening to someone else.
She opened the file Kendall had handed over and got to work.
You can read more about Evelyn in Vanished, the second book in the “Profiler” thriller series, published by Harlequin MIRA. The first book in the series is Hunted.
About Vanished:
Sometimes, the past can haunt you…
Eighteen years ago, FBI profiler Evelyn Baine’s best friend, Cassie Byers, disappeared, the third in a series of unsolved abductions. Only a macabre nursery rhyme was left at the scene, a nursery rhyme that claimed Evelyn was also an intended victim. Now, after all these years of silence, another girl has gone missing in South Carolina, and the Nursery Rhyme Killer is taking credit. But is Cassie’s abductor really back, or is there a copycat at work?
Sometimes, the past is best forgotten…
Evelyn has waited eighteen years for a chance to investigate, but when she returns to Rose Bay, she finds a dark side to the seemingly idyllic town. As the place erupts in violence and the kidnapper strikes again, Evelyn knows this is her last chance. If she doesn’t figure out what happened to Cassie eighteen years ago, it may be Evelyn’s turn to vanish without a trace.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rBV6xuqSh4&w=560&h=315]
GIVEAWAY: Leave a comment by 6 p.m. eastern on January 9 for the chance to win a signed print copy of HUNTED or VANISHED, (winner’s choice). The giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.
Meet the author
ELIZABETH HEITER likes her suspense to feature strong heroines, chilling villains, psychological twists, and a little bit of romance. Her research has taken her into the minds of serial killers, through murder investigations, and onto the FBI Academy’s shooting range.
Elizabeth graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in English Literature and is a member of International Thriller Writers and Romance Writers of America. New York Times bestselling author Tess Gerritsen said Elizabeth’s debut novel “HUNTED is a nonstop, thrilling read that will leave you breathless, and Evelyn Baine is a sharp and gutsy heroine you’ll want to follow for many books to come” and bestselling author R.L. Stine said of the sequel, “…VANISHED had me turning page after page. Wow. When you talk about our most-promising new thriller writers, put Elizabeth Heiter on the list!”
Visit Elizabeth on Website | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Goodreads
sounds like it might keep you on the edge of your seat.
Thanks, Marylouh! 🙂
Sounds intriguing.
Thanks, Barbara!
“The office was silent. Empty.”
That first line grabbed me with a chill I can still feel. By the time I got to where Evelyn’s fellow profiler startled her and her memory started poking holes into her reality of the moment, my mind was all over the place. As she questioned her experience, I was questioning what was playing with her perception as if it were my own. I need this book.
Thank you, Reine! I had a lot of fun writing Evelyn’s “Day in the Life” – Vanished finally gives her a chance to investigate the case that’s haunted her since she was twelve years old. I hope you enjoy it!
Wow – her heart wasn’t the only one racing, This author now goes on my list.
Thanks very much, Gram!
This post certainly captured my attention. Definitely added to my book list. Thanks for the intro to this new book!
Thank you, Jane! And thank you, Dru, for giving me a chance to write Evelyn’s “Day in the Life” – one of the most fun blog posts I’ve gotten to do!
What Gram said! I was sucked in from the way she sat down and started prioritizing the files. I’m always interested in what makes people tick and the back story sounds gripping. I would like a copy of the first in the series, “Hunted,” because I am a little OCD and really like to read things in order.
Hi Denise! I like to read series in order too! 🙂 Vanished can definitely be read as a standalone, but Evelyn does make a discovery in Hunted that relates to the Nursery Rhyme Killer case in Vanished.
I love the sound of this! Can’t wait to read it! Thank you!
Thanks, Carol! So nice to “meet” you! 🙂
I love books with FBI profilers, wow! Can’t wait to read this one. Thank you for the chance and also making us aware of this new series!!!
Hi Carolee! I really loved doing the FBI profiling research in order to write the books – it’s such fascinating stuff! Thanks for stopping by & I hope you enjoy my Profiler series!
What a great start to a new year. I’d love to have a copy to read.
Thanks, Robin! Good luck! 🙂
Anything by Elizabeth Heiter is fantastic. Great reading for the new year.
Aw, thank you so much, Sally! I’m so happy you’re enjoying the books!!
sounds suspenseful
Thank you! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
I’ve been a fan of serial killer books and profiler stories for a long time. These look like a great pair of stories, I’d love to win one. Thanks for the chance.
Me too, Carl! I love reading, researching and writing them! I hope you enjoy Hunted/Vanished! Thank you very much for stopping by! 🙂
It sounds so intense and interesting. I love reading a good murder mystery. This is one book I have to read. Thanks for the chance to win it.
Thank you, Anita! I really loved writing Evelyn’s stories & I hope you enjoy reading them! 🙂
This series sounds spooky and interesting. I would love to win one.
Thanks, Nancy! I hope you enjoy!! 🙂
Wow i normally only read romance and happy ending but this has me hooked on just the excerpt.
Thanks very much, Shannon! There is a little bit of a developing romance in the story between Evelyn and her colleague, Mac (although it isn’t the focus), but I’ll also have three romantic suspense novels out in Feb, March and April for Harlequin Intrigue. 🙂
Stop the press!..I read about Ms Heiter in today’s Free Press and am shocked that I missed out on a local author amazing books (per reviews). Immediately googled it and her, needless to I will be spending this weekend scouring for any n all of them! Kudos to you Elizabeth, as a book lover, avid reader and hopeful writer, its great to see a hometown girl do good!
Awww! Thank you so much, Stephanie! I really appreciate it! (And please don’t hesitate to send me an email – you can do it through my website or just at liz[at]elizabethheiter.com if you ever want any writing advice! I’m always happy to share whatever I can!)
It sounds like a good read
Thank you, Anita! I appreciate you reading about Evelyn’s day!! 🙂
Wow. What great reviews. I’m going to go buy one now. Would love to win one. Thanks.
Thanks so much, Connie!! I hope you love whichever book you get!! 🙂
Yikes! I had the chills reading the excerpt and the detective in me has to read this story and find out what really happened. Thank you, Dru and Elizabeth Heiter for giving me the chance to win this. Whether I win or not, I am definitely going to look for your books, Elizabeth. God bless both of you.
I really appreciate that, Ruth! And thank you for finding me on my Facebook author page! I love chatting with readers!!! 🙂
Wow, I have to admit this is totally out of my comfort zone, but it sounds so amazing that I really want to read it. I hope to win a copy, but will try this either way. I usually read more of the Cozy mystery genre, but this grabbed me and seems like a series that would definitely be worth trying. Thanks Dru for introducing me to a new (to me!) author!
Hi Maureen! Thanks for giving my books a try – I really hope you enjoy them!! 🙂
Would love to win … first time hearing of this author too.
Good luck, Kicha!! 🙂 Thank you for reading about Evelyn’s Day today! 🙂
Sounds like an amazing book~thank you for the contest!
Thank you, Betty! 🙂
What a different approach to a book. I am always to read more than just one genre if the story seems interesting and this one surely does just that.
Thank you for including me in the giveaway.
Cynthia
Thanks, Cynthia! I’m glad you found the Day in Evelyn’s Life interesting! So nice to “meet” you! 🙂
This does sound like an exciting read!
Thanks, Nancy – and good luck!
Just finished Disarming Detective! Excited to find your books. Looking forward to the next books in the series and this one too!
Thank you, Donna! And thank you so much for the great review of Disarming Detective – I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! 🙂
I was sucked into Evelyn’s world so quickly. I want to read both Profiler books immediately. Definitely, definitely gotta read.
Thank you very much!! I really hope you love reading them as much as I loved creating Evelyn and writing the books! 🙂
I would love to read this book—thanks for the opportunity to win a copy!
Thanks, Sheila! And thank you for reading about Evelyn’s Day! 🙂
This is going to be one suspenseful read! (2 actually). I can’t wait.
Yay! Thanks, Victoria!
Wow, this sounds good! Glad I found you, Elizabeth Heiter – looking forward to reading your books. And thank you for the opportunity to possibly win a copy of one of them!
Thank you, Vivian! So nice to “meet” you here! And good luck!!
Love the opening
Thanks very much, Dru! And thank you for having me at your blog – this was one of the most fun blog prompts! I loved writing it! 🙂
Definitely going on my TBR list. Don’t know how I missed the 1st one, HUNTED. I will get that one ASAP so I can read in order (just one of those quirks of mine). Thanks for the giveaway.
Thank you, Lindar! I hope you enjoy HUNTED!!
Definitely need to read the first one!
Thanks, Catherine! 🙂
Thanks for the chance to win
Thanks for stopping by, Connie! Good luck!
Thank you for the opportunity to win. I really WANT this one. 🙂
Thanks, Carolyn! Good luck! 🙂
Thanks, Carolyn! Good luck! 🙂
I would like to start with Hunted, but I suspect Vanished won’t be far behind.
The books do stand alone, but I enjoy reading series in order, too!! 🙂
Thanks Elizabeth for interacting with my readers.
Thanks for having me on your blog, Dru! I had a lot of fun! 🙂
contest is closed.