Author: Rebecca Muddiman
Publisher: Mulholland Books
Publication Date: 15th January 2015
Pages: 368
Source: Review Copy
Rating: 4.5/5
Purchase: Amazon
Emma Thorley is gone...but not forgotten. GONE is a twisty story of murder, guilt and unintended consequences from an exciting new crime novelist.
250,000 people go missing in the UK every year.
91% of those reported to police are found within 48 hours.
99% of cases are solved within a year.
And 1% stay gone.
Troubled teenager Emma Thorley vanished without a trace eleven years ago.
But now a body has been found...
As news of the discovery travels, the past comes back to haunt all those involved, from the police to Emma's friends and enemies.
Because some secrets cannot be buried for ever... and some dangers never go away.
Wow. That's the only word I can think of to start this review, and to say that I wish I was better at writing them as this one will be short! I'm writing this review a few days before the end of 2014, and already I feel that I've read some of 2015's best books, one of which will surely be Gone. Rebecca has written a brilliant story here, one that definitely kept me on my toes throughout. It's a story that had me thinking one thing when I should have been thinking something totally different. I also feel I should have paid more attention, as I might not have been caught so off guard when certain things were revealed. It's such a complex tale, written in such a clever way.
The book opens with the discovery of a body, believed to be that of Emma Thorley who went missing eleven years ago when she was a teenager. We meet three very different people, who have differing reactions to the news. DI Michael Gardner feels that if he had done more at the time of the investigation, Emma might still be alive. Louise, looking forward to Christmas is caught off guard with images of home, and the discovery of Emma as it means that 'they will find out what she's done'. Meanwhile there's a particularly sexist and vile individual reacting to the news, Lucas Yates. Lucas hated Emma, thinking back to the last time he saw her, when he was filled with rage, he believes that it won't be long before the police come knocking. After all, he and Emma have history...
I started this book late at night, planning to read a couple of chapters before bed. I never learn from my mistakes... Fast forward a couple of hours and I was still wide awake totally consumed by this book, with one eye on the clock as I should have been asleep. Sometimes though a book is just too good for sleep and Gone is one of those books. Rebecca writes with such skill, it comes across as effortless, making the book so eminently readable and seriously enjoyable. It's very much a mystery story, featuring a lot of unsavoury characters, all of whom I was afraid to trust. I honestly didn't know what was around the corner, and couldn't turn the pages quick enough. It's twists and turns galore all the way through and I loved it. I could easily see this book being made into a TV drama, and think it would be brilliant if it was. As I started to reach the conclusion I found myself wishing more pages would miraculously appear as I didn't want the book to end as the action is cranked up to the max. I highly recommend Gone to those that like an addictive mystery, which is exactly what this book is.
4.5/5
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