A missing young man, his bike found but no trace of the rider. The author centers this as the main search while he follows the family and their search. Extra terrestrial, big foot and psychics are explored as the author shares many other missing person searches all in the wilderness including state parks. Full of suspense and well researched. A great read!

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley

I'm obsessed with missing person stories.Television shows, podcasts, youtube videos....I'm not exactly sure what attracts me to tales of the disappeared, but I listen to many of them. I think it might be that I can't imagine never knowing....having someone close to me disappear and the idea of how shattering it would be to never know where they are and what happened. Even when remains are found, the whole story is rarely revealed. I can't imagine what it would be like to lose someone like that....a friend, a parent....a child. 

When I saw this book available for review, of course I jumped right on it. Yep -- definitely reading this one. And I'm glad I did. Billman not only shares details of multiple cases of missing persons in national parks, but he doesn't just focus on the missing and their families, but delves into those who search and law enforcement/park authorities. Can you imagine searching the wilderness for a lost child....only to find nothing? I can't imagine how difficult that must be for EMS, park rangers and police. Tracking dogs who can't find a scent trail....no evidence....and a lingering, heart-breaking mystery. 

Here one second....gone the next. And it could happen to anyone, even skilled outdoorsmen. Our national parks are beautiful, but these stories do shoot home the idea that hacking trails through it does not tame the wilderness. There are wild animals, and other dangers in any national park. So many people though....and so few answers. Even in vast miles of wilderness, it seems odd that people vanish so often.

Loved this book! Billman presents facts in an interesting way, and brings the stories of the vanished to life. I read my review copy, and then immediately bought the audio book. Hope to read more by this author!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Grand Central Publishing. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

**I received and voluntarily read an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

The number of disappearances from national parks has always intrigued me, so I was excited to get a chance to read and review this book. I had hoped this book would give us details from several of the missing persons' cases, but most of the book focuses on one specific case (Jacob Gray).

If you've never traveled to one of these parks, the first time you go, the sheer size will overwhelm you. When someone goes missing, it's not just a door to door search, it involves so much time, effort, and a staggering number of personnel (both professional and volunteer). The book does a decent job of giving an overview of some of what goes into one of these missing persons' cases.

Unfortunately, the author spent more time on conspiracy theories than I think was good for the book. It actually takes away from a lot of the gravity of the situations that these people and their families face. One or two references, sure, but there were more than there needed to be.

Overall, it seems the author wasn't quite sure where the book was supposed to be- was it supposed to be a book of conspiracy theories surrounding the missing people in the parks? Was it supposed to be about multiple missing persons? Or was it supposed to be about the Jacob Gray case? Between the wandering direction and the fact that it was overwritten (multiple sections and pages could have been cut and kept the flow going), this book just doesn't sit well with me. Maybe it should have been separated into 2-3 books instead.

***Edited to include further info from the family***

DNF at 50%
I requested this book expecting to read about people who have gone missing while hiking, camping, and fishing in the woods, and so on. And while yes, we do get that along with the sometimes shoddy investigations conducted by the National Parks service, and how both the US and Canada don't have a database that tracks people that go missing in the wild. 
We learn about this while we follow the author as he focuses on this one specific case of a young man that has seemingly abandoned his bike and the small trailer he was hauling and just vanished and has yet to be found. The author tags along with this missing young man’s father as he tirelessly searches for his son- all the while the park service won’t commit resources to help look for him. 

What began to really annoy me was the mention of conspiracy theorists and Bigfoot researches- yes, you read that right. Granted the Bigfoot researchers know the woods very well, better than most, and help out in the search. However, I could not suspend my disbelief when these Bigfoot researchers suggest that Bigfoot is responsible for some of the people who seemingly ‘vanish’ in the wild. One such believer even suggested that Bigfoot might even shield and help young kids who have gone missing. Ridiculous. 
It gets worse, as other conspiracy theorists have theorized that these people who seemingly vanished have entered a portal to another dimension or have been abducted by aliens.
Now, I could handle the author mentioning these Bigfoot researchers and conspiracy theorists once or twice— but when the author begins to entertain these ideas a something that he believes in and could be an explanation for the ‘vanishings’ of these missing persons, that was when I had enough and felt like I was wasting my time. 

I feel this book does quite a disservice to all the missing persons mentioned in this book, the conspiracy theories really detract from these persons mysterious fates and how the system as a whole fails them.

2.5 stars. I would’ve continued if the conspiracy theories were kept to a minimum and not suggested as an explanation for the disappearance of missing persons.

I was really disappointed in this book and the author's choice to entertain these outlandish theories.

** ARC provided by Grand Central Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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It has been brought to my attention on behalf of members from Jacob Gray's family- the young man heavily featured in this book, that the events and the way Jacob as a person was portrayed is in-factual. In fact, no one in the family gave permission to Jon Billman to form a book about missing persons around Jacob's story. Many family members were misquoted, had full names and locations published- all without their permission. The family didn't even know a book was being written about Jacob until a month after it had been released! Can you imagine!!! Not the author nor the publisher had the decent courtesy to contact the family and say they were writing, editing, and publishing this book about a very traumatic and personal tragedy to a wide audience for a profit.
I am horrified and quite glad that I did not finish this book for it's really closer to something like speculative non-fiction than it is a non-fiction.

I personally didn't enjoy the book when I was reading due to the frequent mentions of Big Foot, aliens, and alternate dimensions as explanations for these 'cold vanishes'. I thought it to be really quite ridiculous and disrespectful to include these as legitimate explanations. If this was my loved one featured in a book, I too would be very upset.
As a result of this new information, my rating is now a 1 star.

My condolences to the family of Jacob Gray.

I was intrigued by the excerpt I read online and requested the whole book. While it was very well written, it seemed to drag on too long. It was like an Outside magazine piece that had been padded with other stories, losing focus on the main story.

It's like the author didn't know what he meant to do: give an overall picture of disappearances (which was what intrigued me) or get into the nitty-gritty of one disappearance. Neither goals were fully achieved, though the writing kept me going.

As a fan of true crime, I was intrigued by the premise of this book. The fact that we have no accurate way to know how many people have gone missing and never been found in today’s technology filled world seems bizarre, and slightly terrifying. Billman did an excellent job of telling the main story, about Jacob Gray, while interspersing it with other stories of missing people as to share how wildly searches can differ based on a multitude of factors. I did have a hard time suspending my disbelief in terms of some of the possible reasons as to why so many vanish with no trace, but others may be more open to those ideas. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC.

This is a true story about a biker that went missing in Olympic National Park, Jacob Gray. There are other missing person stories sprinkled in too. The author accompanied John Gray's father on a lot of the searching over a 16-month period.

It was an interesting read.

How does someone go out for a run, or go to the store and simply disappear?  This book tackles that problem and the effects it has on those doing the searches and those awaiting the results of those searches.  The psychological affect on the families and friends can be excruciating and how you handle those that are never found?

Interesting read!

I’m a life-long resident of the west where vast areas of public land are common. I’ve read many articles about people who go missing in forests, canyons, and on mountains and assisted in a search for one of those missing. Because of that I have some awareness of wilderness disappearances, but after reading “The Cold Vanish” I realize how little I actually know. The book focuses on the disappearance of Jacob Gray in Olympic National Park and covers all the aspects of the search for him through both rational and questionable means. Interwoven are accounts of others who have gone missing in wild places. Bellman writes with eloquence, empathy, and insight about the heartbreak endured by family and friends of the missing. They live a life composed of searching, waiting, questioning, and enduring until answers come, if they ever do. Informative, heartbreaking, engaging, alarming, propulsive, and extremely well written, this is a book not to be missed, particularly for those interested in true crime or wilderness explorations.

My review was posted on Goodreads on 8/8/20

In 2017, 22-year-old Jacob Gray went for a bike ride in Washington State's Olympic National Park and vanished. His family was devastated — but tenacious in their search to find Jacob, especially his father Randy. Author Job Billman joined Randy during many of his searches, learning first-hand how far a father will go to discover what happened to his son. The author weaves in the accounts of other missing persons in the wild, and describes the frightening challenges that come with locating them. (For instance, did you know that there isn’t a national database for people who go missing in the wilderness — on public land and national parks?!)

The Cold Vanish is a compassionate, sympathetic, and haunting book that even made me think twice before stepping out into the wilderness alone. 😳 It is so well-written and completely enthralling — I had the hardest time putting this book down. And when I did, the content stuck with me for days. The Cold Vanish is perfect for adventure-lovers and cold-case mystery fans alike. Easily one of my top books of 2020. Read it now!

A special thank you to netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I hate a story without an ending, but I love one with a good twist. <i>The Cold Vanish</i> explores in depth one of my least favorite genres of true crime: the cold case. While twists and turns abound in this book, most of these cases remain unsolved, and that's a real bummer. There's nothing Jon Billman can do about that - at least, nothing he already hasn't done.

Billman gets down in the dirt - and the snow, and the freezing cold water, and the forests, and the ravines - searching alongside trackers and police and family members of some of the hundreds (and possibly more) of people who go missing in national forests and parks every year. His recounting of these events is casual, conversational, relatable, and always tinged with sadness, since as long as the searchers are out there, there's no happy ending. And there very often isn't. These kinds of cases rarely get solved. 

My only major complaint about <i>The Cold Vanish</i> is that in places, it's wildly repetitive, and in others, it assumes you already know a lot more than you do. The book is broken up into chapters that bounce around geographically, and it seems that sometimes Billman lost his spot in the writing and forgot that he already mentioned the thing he's so excited to tell you about now, or conversely, that you might read a sentence three times and not be able to glean any information from it because oh yeah, he hasn't mentioned that critical piece of information yet. There were more than a few places where I'd skip back a page or two or three only to realize it wasn't myself missing the context, it's that the context was waiting a few pages - or chapters - ahead for me. 

All in all, I enjoyed this book, despite the open-endedness of most of the stories. I just wish the writing had been a little clearer, a little cleaner; but then again, maybe that's the nature of any writing about folks who get lost in the woods. If things had only been a little clearer, a little cleaner, maybe they'd have been found again.

I really wanted to like this book but it was different from what I thought it would be. There is a lot of talk of Sasquatch in relation to missing people as well :-/

This was one of the most unique and compelling true crime publications I've seen in a while. Billman weaves this story of the wild, the will of people, the families left behind, and the mysteries of the world into this beautiful story. I loved it and I think Billman really makes the victims and their families tangible and relatable people.

This book was wonderful and heartbreaking and frightening. There are so many missing people. This story is about one, Jacob. It focuses around him going missing and the search. As the author journey's with Jacob's searchers and family, he also weaves in other missing cases as they happen or from cold cases. And there are so many, it's almost overwhelming. He also gives details and statistics about who searches and when - what happens when you go missing on Federal land. It's a heartfelt story, full of love and respect for the families and all they have been through and all those that are missing. It was a hard but very good read and I'm so glad I did!

Fascinating. I was captivated by this book. Very detailed information about missing people and theories about why they go missing. I stayed up late to read this each night because I it so intriguing. Pulling in information in running away, Bigfoot, and cults - this book has everything. I enjoyed the wealth of information this book provided.

An interesting look at a few of the people who have disappeared in public parks or refuges and the persons who conduct the searches for them.  If you have ever been in some of the backwoods national parks, you know how easily it can be to lose your way.  Take the wrong turn and you'll be lost.  The stories here were not headline news, they just failed to show up when they were expected, leaving few clues as to what may have happened to them.

I found the sections on the people who have spent their lives and careers as part of a search team.  The protocols of search and rescue or search and recover can not cover every instance.  These people have learned to follow their instincts and even then have many stories where there has been no ending, happy or otherwise. 

After living in interior Alaska for 30 years, this book with it's many missing and never found are a little too close to home.  Even with trail training, many people I know have been lost, their recovery quick and heartfelt but still the urgency of the search is a feeling I hope to never have again.  This is an outstanding book that will definitely make you think about it before you venture onto the trail again.

This was an eye opening book about the many people that go missing in the US.  The common thread was focused on people that have vanished from national and state parks.  This is every parents worst nightmare!  I couldn’t stop reading and I keep thinking about those that vanished in his book and those that go missing everyday that have not been found.  The stories will stay with you well after you finish this book.  I was given this arc in exchange for an honest review from netgalley.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Cold Vanish by Jon Billman. This book is made up of stories of people who vanish in the outdoors, like the mountains or national parks—often without a trace. This book is also about the people they leave behind, those who continue to search with hopes of finding the ones who are lost. If you are a fan of true crime, this book will be up your alley. Often these people who go missing are not found, so I found it interesting that this book had such a focus on the loved ones who continue on without them, as well as the struggles they face as they continue to search.  I recommend this book.

I’m always a sucker for books about mysterious disappearances and other unsolved mysteries, so The Cold Vanish seemed right up my alley. But while the book definitely provided me with some insight into a variety of missing persons cases that have taken place in America’s national forests and parks over the past several years, I felt that it left a little to be desired when it came to constructing a compelling narrative.

The book largely focuses on the relatively recent disappearance of Jacob Gray, who went missing in Olympic National Park, leaving behind his bicycle and a bunch of supplies. Interspersed with bits and pieces of the search for Jacob, which went on for more than a year before he was found deceased, the author slips in stories of other disappearances (and deaths) in various parks or forests for which there are no straightforward or simple explanations.

On the one hand, I enjoyed learning about all these cases, none of which I’d heard of before. I also enjoyed reading about the difficulty surrounding the logistics of searching for missing people in the country’s sprawling national parks and forests, and the jurisdictional issues that further complicate those logistics. I’ve read plenty of stories about people who’ve gone missing in the suburbs and cities, but I’ve read very little about the people who’ve gone missing in the wilderness, so I appreciated the insight provided by The Cold Vanish.

That said, I found the overall structure of the book a bit too convoluted for my taste. The narrative somewhat awkwardly splices together pieces about the search for Jacob with passages about other missing people, searches that the author participated in personally, and conversations with various people about search techniques and the unique difficulties of searching in the forest and park terrain.

In some chapters, this made the narrative so disjointed that I had trouble following along; I would get engrossed in a passage about one topic, and then suddenly the book would switch back to a different topic that involved totally different people. And there were so many people (i.e. so many names) to keep track of, that I would sometimes have to flip back several pages, or even chapters, to remind myself who exactly somebody was and why they were important.

In conclusion, while The Cold Vanish gave me an in-depth look into the odd disappearance of Jacob Gray, and touched on many other similarly strange cases I’d never heard of before—which I enjoyed—I think the way that the information is presented throughout could be reorganized and simplified to create a better overall reading experience.

Rating: 3/5

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Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing me with an eARC of The Cold Vanish.

An interesting look at missing persons in large national park areas and the heartache of not knowing.