My Mom recommended this author so I downloaded book 1 (2010) in the Nick Heller series. The author is Joseph Finder.

… Trained in the Special Forces, Nick is a high-powered intelligence investigator–exposing secrets that powerful people would rather keep hidden. He’s a guy you don’t want to mess with. He’s also the man you call when you need a problem fixed.

Desperate, with nowhere else to run, Nick’s nephew, Gabe makes that call one night. After being attacked in Georgetown, his mother, Lauren, lies in a coma, and his step-dad, Roger, Nick’s brother, has vanished without a trace. …

Amazon

Though Nick Heller is compared with another fictional action hero Jack Reacher, my money is on Reacher. And Lee Childs is a much better author than Finder.

In fact, there’s a short story where Jack Reacher meets Nick Heller.

For me Vanished is too simplistic. Too two dimensional. I didn’t really get invested in any of the characters.

I do like Finder’s detailed understanding of TECH.

Still … I’ll try book 2 in the series to see if it improves.