When She Was Gone DEALS
When I pick up a thriller to read, I generally have a pretty good idea of what I’m in for: messy characters, fast pacing, plenty of twists, and a possibly bloody outcome. What I don’t always expect is to be on the edge of my seat while devouring chapters, completely uncertain of the outcome or motives behind the mystery at the center of the story.
Luckily, thrills and hair-raising twists are exactly what author Sara Foster delivers in her latest novel, When She Was Gone. Following an investigation into the disappearance of a nanny and two young children from an Australian beach, the novel uses multiple points of view to deliver a shocking outcome to what appears to be a simple mystery.
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Featuring a multi-faceted cast of characters and explorations of grief, excess, and the many forms of violence, When She Was Gone brings secrets to light and posits the idea of new beginnings no matter how much time may have passed.
A big thank you to Blackstone Publishing for providing us with an advanced copy of When She Was Gone for review. Minor spoilers ahead!
When She Was Gone: The Setup
When former London police officer Rose Campbell receives a phone call from her ex-husband, she’s surprised, to say the least. Their divorce was acrimonious, to say the least – but things take a sharp turn when Rose discovers his sudden reason for reaching out.
Their daughter Louisa, who’s been estranged from Rose for a number of years, has gone missing while working as a nanny for a rich family in Western Australia. What’s even more strange is that she’s disappeared with the two young children of the Fisher family, who she’s been working for for a number of months. The police suspect foul play, but with one look at the evidence, Rose is determined to prove her daughter’s innocence.
But when she gets to the top and looks down, it is much, much worse than that.
DSS Malcom Blackwood is an expert in kidnappings, and with the lives of three people hanging in the balance, he’ll need to be on the top of his game in order to solve the case. Navigating the press, Louisa’s astute and seemingly cold mother, Rose, and the severe Fisher patriarch, who is breathing down Blackwood’s neck at every turn.
As Blackwood and Rose pull back the curtain on the absurdly rich Fisher empire, they’ll discover shocking secrets thought long buried and cover-ups in a world that rewards those with power who profit off the backs of others.
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The strengths of When She Was Gone lie in its explorations of characters, and the tension created by the overarching narrative and mystery. The mystery of Louisa and the children going missing becomes more compelling the more of the novel you read, with additional characters dropping puzzle pieces into place expertly.
Characters
The novel uses multiple perspectives in order to tell its story. This device allows us the opportunity to explore numerous personalities, and dropping breadcrumbs for the reader to follow to the novel’s shocking twist.
While I greatly enjoyed numerous characters throughout When She Was Gone, I felt a particular affinity towards Rose, whose personal experiences and past traumas are utilized brilliantly in order to present us with a woman who remains rational in a crisis situation, and ignores others who would discourage her from following her instincts. I feel she’ll resonate with women, particularly mothers, who often feel that they have to walk the tightrope between being a loving and doting parent and being tough and focused on their career without showing too much emotion.
But, whatever has happened, Rose is sure of one thing: this time she’s going to show up for her daughter, and she won’t let anyone turn her away.
DSS Blackwood is also a perfectly fleshed-out take on the detective character. These are often written as an archetype of sorts with a single-minded focus on their job, but I loved how Mal felt genuinely torn between his true desire to find the missing trio and the insecurity around his recently reconciled marriage. In addition, the camaraderie between himself and his frank partner Angie added a layer of realism to the police procedural aspect of the novel.
With the solid pillars of Rose and Blackwood at either end, the remaining characters each added a unique aspect to the storyline. The caring stoicism of Lou’s Uncle Charlie, the messy members of the Fisher family, Lou’s protective nature with the children, all of them help to tie the narrative together.
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The Storyline & The Narrative
This novel is an excellent thriller, and the multiple pov’s used throughout add to the level of unease and suspense that the reader experiences while reading. Multiple narrators may not be everyone’s preference, but as a reader, I’m always a fan of hearing different voices throughout a story. This is a particularly clever device to use in a thriller, as it adds a certain stress to the novel’s tone and paints a clearer picture for the reader, almost as though the novel is playing out like a film in your mind.
There’s no darkness, just an incredible light, and he can hear people shouting but he’s not sure who any if them are anymore. All he wants is to go home.
When She Was Gone does a great job of tying previous scenes together in order to make its point, though I think my main point of contention when reading is that there were certain bits of dialogue or characters’ thoughts that felt a little bit choppy. Also, there may have been one or two small questions remaining for me at the end of the story. However, I can also accept that that’s life, and not everything comes tied up in a neat bow in most missing persons cases.
Overall, the pacing of the story was engaging, the storyline is balanced, and there are multiple unexpected twists that make When She Was Gone a riveting mystery to get lost in this spring.
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Final Thoughts
Crafting a solid thriller is no easy feat – both the character development and plot points hidden in the shadows are equally as important as one another. Sara Foster delivers on all fronts with this release. When She Was Gone is an edge-of-your-seat thriller delivered in beach read form. Its unsettling narrative paints the fragility of family ties in blinding technicolor, leaving the reader no choice but to confront the aspects of relationships that make them squirm.
If you’re looking for a novel that sucks you in as of the first chapter and locks you into a rollercoaster ride of emotions, When She Was Gone is for you. You’ll be thinking about it after it’s done. When She Was Gone is available April 1st wherever books are sold.
The Review
When She Was Gone
If you’re looking for a novel that sucks you in as of the first chapter and locks you into a rollercoaster ride of emotions, When She Was Gone is for you.
PROS
- Storyline
- Chatacters
- Twists
- Pacing
CONS
- Remaining Questions
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