The Disappearance by Remigiusz Mroz (translated by Joanna Saunders)

I would like to thank Zaffre Publishing and Random Things Tours for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review

Publisher – Zaffre Publishing

Published - Out Now

Price – £9,99 paperback 99p Kindle ebook

A three-year-old girl disappears without a trace from her wealthy parents' summer house. The alarm was on all night long and the windows and doors were locked. Investigators do not find any evidence of an abduction and fear the worst.

Experienced lawyer, Joanna Chylka, and her novice protégé, Kordian Orynski, are tasked with defending a married couple charged with murder by the prosecutor's office. The trial is circumstantial in nature, but everything seems to point to the parents' guilt - after all, when you eliminate what is impossible, whatever remains must be the truth.

The legal thriller is a really interesting spin-off of crime fiction. While most mysteries start with the crime and a detective seeking whodunnit in the legal thriller this is often after someone has been named the suspect. Here then is a question of did they do it? If a detective novel is able to explore society and uncover kits secrets with the lawyer, we also get to peek inside the system of justice we have and while the detective is a often the knight-like figure the layer is more hired gun and this gets us into the quandary of helping people we think (or even know are guilty) – is this too justice? We get a great exhilarating and unusual take on this in Remigiusz Mroz’s thriller The Disappearance (expertly translated by Joanna Saunder) where in present day Poland we meet a duo of ambitious defence lawyers given a case that stretches even their capabilities.

The famous (or infamous) defence lawyer Joanna Chylka is rudely awakened from her night out by Angelika a sort of friend from her high schools. Angelica and her wealthy husband Awit Szlezyngier have been staying in their remote holiday home and found their three-year-old daughter missing, even though the alarms are on all night. The police have strong suspicions that foul play has occurred and the parents are very likely to be arrested. Chylka brings in her trainee lawyer Orynski Kordian to assist and the two find themselves in rural Poland and dealing with an unfriendly police force, suspicious village, media storm and a wily prosecutor. The case is not simple, many people are lying and connections to other criminal activity is being found. This may be a case that Chylka and Kordian cannot actually win.

First off this is a really engrossing thriller. The core storyline is a fine mystery and as readers knowing a chid is in danger or worse instantly gets us invested in uncovering the truth. There is a touch of the impossible crime in how Nicola was taken. We then have a growing list of suspects with secrets coming to like which actually includes Chylka and Kordian’s clients. This brings in the dilemma - can you really defend someone who is likely guilty and there is a marked contrast in how the veteran Chylka ignores the moral dilemma and the more idealist Kordian wants to find evidence to clear a client. The story cleverly weaves in enough clues we can’t make our mind up until the very end. Then we even get into organised crime and both Kordian and Chylka find themselves out in the field getting into danger and the set pieces later in the book really pile the pressure on both. It is incredibly fast paced but knows when to slow down to piece clues together, devise a strategy or even take an unexpected turn to keep you plunging into the story.

At the heart is the pairing of Chylka and Kordian who are absolutely fascinating as leading characters. Chylka is very much the lead – a middle aged, metal loving and ambitious lawyer who loves winning and knows many tricks inside and outside the courtroom to get a result. Kordian while equally ambitious to work his way u the law firm is intelligent but still lacking in court skills. The dynamic between the two is really interesting. They are in many ways very similar in their desires to win but Kordian just wants to also be shown to be on the right side while Chylka declares she never cares. They can be very similar - the story has a funny running plotline on their bet between each other to quit smoking. They trade insults with each other (Chylka’s are much funnier – she calls Kordian Zordon from the Power rangers!) and yet they have this interesting mix of mentor/pupil as Chylka shares her insights in the court to a strange sense of will they/won’t they as there is often some form of resisted attraction between then which simmers in the background (as they work together this would be career ending). They’re extremely likeable, imperfect and as each gets into danger we care for the outcome.

All of which supports the courtroom side of the thriller and for a UK reader its fascinating to actually get to see a different legal system at work rather than the British or american ones I’m most used to. While there are aspects we are used to – forensics, digital data, and the examinations and cross-examinations of witnesses but then we get the more unique aspects. How people become persons of interest, the appeals system and the way it is more judge than jury focused. The mix of the new and familiar means some aspects are not as predictable. Mroz uses these scenes to propel the story forwards and provide dramatic twists and turns before leading us to a conclusion that gives us a clear ending to the case but really unsettles our lawyers’ lives and definitely make you want to know what happens next.

Finishing (possibly devouring) The Disappearance I quickly got myself the first book in the series (this is only the second translated in the UK) and am very eager to see the tv show based on it. This is a really interesting and enjoyable thriller delivering a great mix of plot and unique characters to root for. I highly recommend booking your appointment with Chylka and Zordon (sorry Kordian) now you will probably be visiting them quite often!