Book ~ "The Disappearance of Grace" (2012) Vincent Zandri

 From Goodreads ~ Now you see her. Now you don’t.

Captain Nick Angel has finally made a separate peace with the war in Afghanistan. Since having been ordered to bomb a Tajik village which resulted in the death of a little boy of no more than two, he’s been suffering from temporary bouts of blindness. Knowing the he needs time to rest and recover from his post traumatic stress, the US Army decides to send him to Venice along with his fiancee, the artist, Grace Blunt. Together they try and recapture their former life together. But when Grace suddenly goes missing, Nick not only finds himself suddenly alone and sightless in the ancient city of water, but also the number one suspect in her disappearance.

A novel that projects Hitchcockian suspense onto a backdrop of love and war, The Disappearance of Grace is a rich, literary thriller of fear, loss, love, and revenge. From the war in the Afghan mountains to the canals of romantic Venice, this is a story that proves 20/20 eyesight might not always be so perfect and seeing is not always believing.

While fighting in Afghanistan, Nick orders the attack on a small village.  The killing a young boy in the village leaves him with temporary blindness that comes and goes.  To recover, the Army sends him to Venice for a month to be reunited with his fiancee, Grace, who he hasn't seen in a year.

While Nick and Grace are at an outdoor cafe, Grace disappears. Did she abandon Nick?  Was she kidnapped and, if so, by who?  The police suspect that Grace has had enough and left Nick.  So with intermittent blindness, Nick does what he can to find her on his own.  In the meantime, he is getting phone calls where the caller just says, "I see."


I found the writing style a bit more stilted than I'm used to so it took me a while to get used to it.  After that, I was fine with it.  The chapters were short and snappy (sometimes just a page) which I like.

The author did a good job with Nick's character.  I could feel Nick's pain and regret in killing the young boy and his desperation in finding Grace.  Despite his intermittent blindness, he never gives up.