Perhaps you would like to live off grid, never using your social security number again, and leave your family behind—or perhaps take them with you. There are an infinite number of reasons why you might choose to give up the life you have without telling a soul.

For some, it is the fear of being caught for a crime. For others, it is simply being tired of the mundane and hoping a new start will prove better. Those who are left behind due to an active choice of someone else to “disappear” are usually hurt and looking for an explanation. The person left behind does not want to face the truth because it is too painful to think that someone could simply leave without caring for those waiting for their return.

This book is going to look at a variety of cases of missing people. They will have unresolved endings in many of the cases. In some there are conspiracy theories and improbable suggestions for what might have happened. In others, there is every reason to believe in foul play and deeply sinister motives. What makes these cases fascinating to those who are not involved is the fact that unanswered questions bring about a real life mystery. For those who know someone who has disappeared, these tales may bring solace that there are others who have faced the same situations.