On September 8, police shot Phillips dead during a shootout following a four-year manhunt.<\/p>\n
Rankin said the timing left her feeling \u201cvery nervous\u201d, describing it as unsettling to be releasing a book with such similar themes.<\/p>\n
\u201cNobody could have predicted that.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the day the news broke, Rankin was preparing for a national radio interview, but producers told her they couldn\u2019t discuss the content of her book because of the \u201ctraumatic\u201d developments dominating headlines.<\/p>\n
Launch week only grew more \u201csurreal\u201d for Rankin, with \u201cimposter syndrome\u201d really kicking in. <\/p>\n
The Vanishing Place hit No 1 on the New Zealand fiction charts and held the top spot for six weeks, she said. It was \u201cthe dream\u201d and a milestone Rankin had imagined for years.<\/p>\n
The launch also involved three sold-out events, frantic media interviews, US press, and her sick 2-year-old child, who had to be taken to Auckland, sleeping on the couch of an Airbnb between events.<\/p>\n
Zo\u00eb Rankin reading an extract from her debut novel during her launch event at McLeods Booksellers in Rotorua. Photo \/ Megan Wilson<\/p>\n
It was \u201ca crazy whirl of everything going at once\u201d.<\/p>\n
Readers devoured the book at speed, many telling Rankin they finished it in one sitting. The most common feedback: they simply couldn\u2019t put it down.<\/p>\n
But some responses surprised her.<\/p>\n
Two readers contacted her and said the story had unearthed long-buried memories and triggered intense emotional reactions.<\/p>\n
Realising her fiction could unlock something so raw and personal for strangers made Rankin appreciate just how powerful writing could be.<\/p>\n
International release<\/p>\n
Internationally, her debut exploded.<\/p>\n
In the US, the novel received \u201cpositive reviews\u201d from major outlets, including the New York Times and the Washington Post, both naming the novel in their top thrillers of 2025.<\/p>\n
Rankin remembered opening her emails and thinking, \u201cOh my gosh\u201d \u2013 someone in New York was reading about her book in the paper with their morning coffee.<\/p>\n
The UK release was scheduled for much later, but because of \u201call the buzz in America\u201d, it was brought forward.<\/p>\n
Before flying to the UK, Rankin stood stunned at Auckland Airport as her husband sold three copies to travellers.<\/p>\n
The Vanishing Place by Zo\u00eb Rankin. Image \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
He\u2019d wander into shops asking, \u201cDo you want to read a good book?<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause the author is over there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stacks of her novel lined airport shelves \u2013 a moment Rankin\u2019s brother had always said would be the \u201csign\u201d she was famous.<\/p>\n
The uncanny moments kept coming.<\/p>\n
Rankin was staying on a remote golf course in rural Ireland when a severe storm tore tiles from rooftops and forced them to brace the windows with brooms.<\/p>\n
In the middle of the chaos, a postman fought his way up the drive carrying a box \u201cthe size of my 5-year-old\u201d, Rankin said. <\/p>\n
Inside was a bouquet celebrating her UK book release. <\/p>\n
What\u2019s next?<\/p>\n
Rankin is deep into her second novel \u2013 another nature-centred thriller, this time set around Lake Tarawera. <\/p>\n
She had been working with a local historian to weave regional stories and mythology into the plot.<\/p>\n
The pressure of following a chart-topping debut was real, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople are waiting for this book. You really want them to like it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The local support had been \u201cphenomenal\u201d, with Rankin still stunned at seeing 90 holds on The Vanishing Place at Christchurch Library.<\/p>\n
She said her summer would be spent finishing the manuscript, enjoying time at home in Rotorua after her overseas travels and preparing for next year\u2019s writers\u2019 festivals. <\/p>\n