Other editions of book The Disappeared

Two young British students, Nazim Jamal and Rafi Hassan, vanish without a trace. The police write them off as runaways, but seven years later, Nazim's grief-stricken mother is still unconvinced. Jenny Cooper is finally settling into her role as coroner for the Severn Valley; the ghosts of her past banished to the sidelines once more. But as an inquest into Nazim's disappearance gets underway, the stink of corruption and conspiracy becomes clear. As the pressure from above increases, a code of silence is imposed and events begin to spiral out of control, pushing Jenny to the breaking point. For how could she have known that by unravelling the mysteries of the disappeared, she would begin to unearth her own buried secrets?

In the bestselling tradition of Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta, M. R. Hall's heroine Jenny Cooper makes her debut as a coroner with a detective's eye and a woman with a home life as complicated as her cases. In this brilliant debut, Jenny investigates the disappearance of two young Muslim students, who vanished without a trace seven years ago. The police had concluded that the boys, under surveillance for some time for suspicion of terrorism, had fled to Pakistan to traffic in the atrocities of Islamic fanaticism. Now, sufficient time has passed for the law to declare the boys legally dead. A final declaration is left up to a coroner, Jenny Cooper. As Jenny's official inquest progresses, the stench of corruption is unmistakable. Not only does it appear that British Security Services played a role, but the involvement of an American intelligence agent soon makes it clear that a vast conspiracy is in play. As Jenny builds an ever-strengthening case implicating a shocking collection of power and influence, she meets with a determined and increasingly menacing resistance. When she links the students' "vanishing" to the unidentified corpse of a beautiful young woman and the fate of a missing nuclear scientist, Jenny is forced into an arena in which she is pushed to the breaking point and beyond. She must struggle with her own inner demons while fighting a lone and desperate battle to bring an unspeakable crime to justice.

Two young British students, Nazim Jamal and Rafi Hassan, vanish without a trace. The police write them off as runaways, but seven years later, Nazim's grief stricken mother is still unconvinced. Jenny Cooper is finally settling into her role as Coroner for the Severn Valley; the ghosts of her past banished to the sidelines once more. But as an inquest into Nazim's disappearance gets underway, the stink of corruption and conspiracy becomes clear. As the pressure from above increases, a code of silence is imposed and events begin to spiral out of control, pushing Jenny to the breaking point. For how could she have known that by unravelling the mysteries of the disappeared, she would begin to unearth her own buried secrets?

A MOTHER’S ONLY CHILD. A GOVERNMENT CONSPIRACY. A SEARCH FOR THE TRUTH THAT COULD COST JENNY COOPER HER JOB—AND MAYBE HER LIFE.SEVERN VALE DISTRICT CORONER JENNY COOPER signed up for the job imagining a quiet life in the English countryside—a chance to repair her relationship with her college-age son and to conquer a frightening addiction to pills that emerged in the wake of her painful divorce. But then Amira Jamal shows up at her office demanding an inquest. Seven years ago, Jamal’s son vanished along with his friend, and the boys, both Muslim university students, have now been officially declared dead. As Jenny begins to investigate their disappearance, she discovers a deepening mystery that appears to involve not only British Security Services but also a shady American agent, an unidentified body, and a missing nuclear scientist. In the face of determined resistance from an Establishment that would prefer the grim truth remain buried, Jenny must fight to control her own inner demons and to bring unspeakable crimes to justice.

In the bestselling tradition of Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta, M. R. Hall's Jenny Cooper makes her debut as a coroner with a detective's eye and a woman with a home life as complicated as her cases.Jenny investigates the case of two young Muslim students who vanished seven years ago -- sufficient time for her to declare them legally dead. The police had concluded that they had fled to Pakistan to traffic in the atrocities of Islamic fanaticism. But as her official inquest progresses, Jenny detects the unmistakable stench of corruption.

Two young British students, Nazim Jamal and Rafi Hassan, vanish without a trace. The police write them off as runaways, but seven years later, Nazim's grief stricken mother is still unconvinced. Jenny Cooper is finally settling into her role as Coroner for the Severn Valley; the ghosts of her past banished to the sidelines once more. But as an inquest into Nazim's disappearance gets underway, the stink of corruption and conspiracy becomes clear. As the pressure from above increases, a code of silence is imposed and events begin to spiral out of control, pushing Jenny to the breaking point. For how could she have known that by unravelling the mysteries of the disappeared, she would begin to unearth her own buried secrets?