Vanishing Games

A novel

By: Roger Hobbs

Narrated by: Jake Weber

The gritty, riveting, highly anticipated sequel to the national (and international) best seller Ghostman, by the critically acclaimed and award-winning Roger Hobbs

It’s just before dawn on the South China Sea when three experienced pirates open fire on a small smuggling yacht. Their target: a bag of uncut sapphires worth millions. But when one of them stumbles across an enormous treasure that wasn’t on the manifest, everything goes sideways. Within minutes two of them are dead, leaving the third, a coldblooded psychopath, to claim both the sapphires and the mysterious windfall for himself. If he disappears, he won’t just be wealthy. He’ll have the power to change the course of history.

His boss, Angela, isn’t about to let that happen. She calls in a favor from her onetime protégé: a fixer sometimes known as Jack, or more often as simply the Ghostman. Within hours he’s flying halfway around the world to find her in the glimmering neon slums of Macau. Jack has no real name, no address and no fingerprints—but given the right motivation, he can make serious problems vanish. Though the two haven’t talked since they botched a job six years ago, as soon as Jack’s off the plane they’re back together again, facing down a crime boss, a hit man and a conspiracy bigger than anything they’ve ever encountered and more dangerous than they could’ve imagined.

Their partnership—between people with no lasting relationships whatsoever—is at the very heart of a novel that will cement Roger Hobbs’s status as one of our most talented crime writers.

Critic reviews

“The fast-paced plot, peppered with details that bring each scene to bloody life, is a thrill. Vanishing Games is a keeper, and a sign that Hobbs is more than a one-hit wonder.” —Claire Rudy Foster, The Oregonian

“Tighter even than Ghostman, Vanishing Games has the confidence and brio of Terry Hayes’s I Am Pilgrim. . . . The opening chapter is one of the most deftly choreographed bits of suspense writing I’ve read.” —John O’Connell, The Guardian (U.K.)

“An exhilaratingly swift-moving crime novel [and] a guilt-free guilty pleasure. . . . [Hobbs] is one of the most informative crime novelists working today.” —Doug Childers, Richmond-Times Dispatch

“Meaty, violent and riveting [with] a page-burner of a plot. . . . Vanishing Games is meant to be read hard and fast, without slowing down. . . . Hobbs has skillfully loaded this book with detail, device and distractions [and] his command of the language allows the story to come off with brutal authenticity. . . . Richard Stark (Donald E. Westlake), the king of heist books and creator of the enduring antihero Parker, finally has a worthy successor. And that's saying something.” —Robert Anglen, The Arizona Republic

“Swift, strong, and smart as hell.” —Adam Woog, Seattle Times

“Amazing. . . an irresistible ride.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Roger Hobbs isn’t a writer to watch — he’d already blasted past most other novelists, leaving them sucking foam and flailing around in his wake. He’s the guy out on the dark horizon, showing us how fierce and smart and shock thrillers can be. I’m in awe.” —Duane Swierczynski

Thriller, toted online as a spy drama or con book

Solid enough if you like thrillers. But it's toted online as a spy drama or conman book, which it isn't. If you like guns and chase scenes abroad, it's solid.

narrator has a great voice but wasn't a great fit for the characters described in the book.

Good but less than expected. ..

The narrator did a fantastic job reading this tale of a heist gone sideways, but you can only do so much with leftovers as a main course. Hobbs fell victim to the sophomore curse, in my opinion, by trying to do a little to much with characters that are best suited for
misdirection, cunning, and resolve. Instead it is more physical, and even repetitive in both plot and analogy. I mean we get it... sapphires are blue!
He excels in his background of the characters and literary references.
His firefights are intense but when it comes to hand to hand interaction, he would do well to study Rex Stout and Robert Parker in the future. Or just avoid fisticuffs altogether for more cerebral struggles.

Fantastic Narration and Very Entertaining

Jake Weber is perfect for this genre, and Roger Hobbs definitely knows how to write a page turner!

Another sucress

The details he uses are what make his books such a pleasure to listen to and of course there's the mystery aspect to his stories.

Enjoyed both books in the series

I've enjoyed both books in the series so far, learned a lot of interesting things.