The Vanished Ones

She awakens with a start. Chained to the unforgiving floor in a cement prison and reeking of sweat and terror, she has no memory of what happened to her and her young daughter. With the pitch black closing in around her, she suddenly realizes she is not alone. From her office in the SOMA district of San Francisco, missing children investigator, Li Chen, receives an early morning phone call. A successful architect and her young child have vanished. The only trace: the mother’s fingerprints found at a crime scene over ninety miles away. The only witness: a woman who appears out of nowhere and claims a sadistic cult leader is the kidnapper. Should Li believe the erratic words of a disturbed stranger with a history of drug abuse and mental illness? Can the trapped woman do the unthinkable to save herself and her little girl? With memories of her own childhood tragedy stirring, Li buries herself in the case, one that puts her unique and highly specialized skills to the test and could ultimately end her life.

She awakens with a start. Chained to the unforgiving floor in a cement prison and reeking of sweat and terror, she has no memory of what happened to her and her young daughter. With the pitch black closing in around her, she suddenly realizes she is not alone. From her office in the SOMA district of San Francisco, missing children investigator, Li Chen, receives an early morning phone call. A successful architect and her young child have vanished. The only trace: the mother’s fingerprints found at a crime scene over ninety miles away. The only witness: a woman who appears out of nowhere and claims a sadistic cult leader is the kidnapper. Should Li believe the erratic words of a disturbed stranger with a history of drug abuse and mental illness? Can the trapped woman do the unthinkable to save herself and her little girl? With memories of her own childhood tragedy stirring, Li buries herself in the case, one that puts her unique and highly specialized skills to the test and could ultimately end her life.

Writing has always been a passion. But it took forty years to figure out how to put that passion on paper in a way that would both entertain and address real issues. I spent the first eighteen years of my life in a quiet community in the Bay Area of California. After high school, I attended UC Davis, where I lost myself in creative writing classes while working toward a degree in psychology.  I spent the next few years writing short stories and poetry and working in restaurants. Eventually, I went to law school and landed at an international law firm, McKenna, Long & Aldridge, where I currently work as a litigator in downtown San Francisco.  The Vanished Ones will become a series focused on missing-children investigator, Li Chen. The story arose out of a fascination with finding answers and a desire to delve into the underworld. I currently live in Marin County, California where I enjoy gorgeous hikes on Mt. Tamalpais and spending time with friends and family.