Book nine of the David Raker series, which I read as a stand-alone and genuinely surprised at how much I enjoyed this book.

A story of an investigator investigated, as his wife dead of 9 years reappears and, despite some serious holes in her story, seems to know stuff about Raker that only his wife would know. A story of intrigue, jealousy, betrayal, blackmail, brainwashing, false identities and a rotten-to-the-core police office; something that the DS suspects and decides to use Raker to aid their own investigation.

At first I had issue with the story being written in the first person but this settled down once I settled into the story, and the flashback – memory segments moved nicely through the story, initially appearing as if from Raker’s angle thus adding to the guilt, but their writer’s identity seems to change twice, aiding the twists and turns of the story.

This is the 9th book in the David Raker series by author Tim Weaver.
I was only recently introduced to the Tim Weaver books and have found them great reading, in fact before finishing this one I had already placed an order for 2 more books to fill in a few of my gaps in the series.
This is another excellent addition to the series and had me wondering do I really know the lead character David Raker. A woman walks into a police station with no identification and only a piece of paper with the name of investigator David Raker on it. She tells officers that David Raker is her husband. The woman looks exactly like his wife and knows things only the two of them shared but David Rakers wife has been dead for eight years. The woman explains that Raker had a breakdown which is confirmed by a respected doctor and events take a further turn when he is the prime suspect when she disappears.
Is Raker guilty of anything, is he delusional and this woman really is his wife. David Rakers life is thrown into turmoil and he needs to find out the truth before he loses his memories, his sanity, his life .
An excellent plot that makes even the avid David Raker readers question if they really can trust what they thought they knew about him.

I would like to thank both Net Galley and Penguin UK for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

David Raker was an investigator who solved crimes the police failed to, but has not been so active since losing his wife Derryn to cancer eight years ago. He has learned to cope with being on his own and just found he has a daughter from a earlier relationship. His life is suddenly turned upside down when a woman walks into the local police station claiming to be his wife, that she has not been dead/missing for eight years and David is in fact ill following a breakdown. He starts his own investigation to found who she is, who Dr Erik McMillan is that backs up her story about his illness, and why they are telling these lies. As the investigation continues, both
"Derryn" and Erik disappear with David being the last person to see them both and even David starts to doubt his sanity.
I really enjoyed reading this book, although the explanations of his feelings and emotions were very repetitive.Will be looking for more books by Tim Weaver.

I am a huge fan of the David Raker series and found that this book was the best yet! It helps having read the other books in the series as this one centres on his deceased wife from previous books. The book grips you from the beginning when Raker receives a phone call from the police informing him that a distressed young woman has turned up at the police station claiming to be his wife. But we know his wife has been dead for 8 years or has she? So the mystery starts. Who is the woman and why is she claiming to be his dead wife? We the go through Raker’s pain as he relives all her illness before she died of cancer. He is convinced she isn’t Derry’s but she knows such a lot about their lives that even Raker begins to doubt his own sanity! The police are convinced this woman is his wife so it is up to Raker to unravel all the secrets and prove that she is a fake and he is not going crazy.
Another brilliant holiday read with so many twists and turns and a totally unexpected ending, loved it! Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers Penguin for giving* me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I’m a huge fan of the David Raker series so was so excited to be given the chance to read this first. What a book! Easily the best one yet, this was just brilliant. David is faced with a woman that claims she is his wife, yet she died nine years earlier, didn’t she? I had moments where I doubted what I’d read in the previous eight books, but the way this all became unravelled was incredibly clever. I was pleased to see Kennedy back again and am very much looking forward to the next book!

This is the first Tim Weaver I have read so I had no prior knowledge of this character and what had happened to him. The plot was complex and I found occasionally that the narrative was very repetitive. There were a number of references to the previous books that went over my head. On the whole an enjoyable read.

This book truly had me hooked from start to finish. The twists turns and revelations were remarkably done. The storyline kept you guessing the whole way and just when you think you've guessed it, the book takes you in another direction. A well-written, well-plotted psychological thriller.
My thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and author, for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Oh I so wanted to love this book but unfortunately I seem to be in the minority in this that I struggled to get into it.
The first chapter was great it had everything, drama, suspense and intrigue but sadly for me the rest didn't live up to the greatness of the first chapter. When I read the blurb I thought "yes, this ones for me!" but by 50% I was floundering between stop or carry on but I carried on and really struggled to finish the last 20%. The story was complex and at times moved very slowly and really shouldn't have done as the storyline was there.
David Raker a lost person investigator goes to the police station as he has been told the wife he buried 8 years ago has turned up, she knows things about them, she looks like his wife so who the heck is she as Raker is convinced she isn't, but then she goes missing and the finger points at David. This should have been great but for me it wasn't and almost feel sad that it went and so many people loved it, maybe because this isn't the first Raker book and I would have benefited from reading the others I'll never know!
I would like to thank Netgalley and Penguin UK-Michael Joseph for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! An amazing book which gets under your skin from the very first page. The characters pull you in and you can feel what they feel. There are plenty of twists and turns and the ending is not what you would expect. Is David suffering from mental health problems? Did his wife really die 8 years ago or is the woman claiming to be his wife telling the truth? His search for answers makes for a compelling read with an ending that will shock.

Wow....great writing, incredible story, believable characters, what more could you want from an unforgettable read. The story raced along from the first page and I felt immense sympathy for the main character, his loss, his sadness and his total disbelief and thorough confusion. It is rare for me to read any story where I felt so much empathy for a fictional character and soon found the whole storyline to be completely immersive. Tim Weaver deserves all the awards/accolades that he has and is still winning, this is only the second book of his that I have read and now will not be the last, he may even make it to my very rare, I must read every book, list. I have awarded five stars, even rarer for me, as I still remembered the storyline and characters over four books later!

Three days after Christmas, a woman walks into a police station. She has no phone and no ID, just a piece of paper with the name of missing persons investigator David Raker on it. She tells officers that Raker is her husband.

When he turns up at the station, Raker is stunned. The woman looks exactly like his wife. She knows all about their marriage, their history, even private conversations the two of them had. There's just one problem: Raker's wife has been dead for eight years.

The woman tells the police that Raker had a breakdown. A respected doctor backs up her account. Items are missing that prove Raker's side of the story and, worst of all, he soon becomes the prime suspect in her disappearance.

Could Raker have imagined their whole marriage? Is he delusional? Is this really the woman he loved and grieved for? Hunted by the police, Raker will have to find out the truth before it costs him everything, his memories, his sanity, his life . . .

I've been a fan of David Raker since the first book I read over 5 years ago. He is one of my favourite characters without question. I love the Raker series and I tell anyone that listens that it is the best crime series out there at the moment. The story is amazingly well written, with surprising twists and turns throughout and each piece of new information raises more questions which are answered in one shocking, breath-taking, conclusion.

If I could give six stars I would, but will have to settle with five stars. Counselling recommended afterwards

Many thanks to Net Galley and Penguin Michael Joseph for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review

This book grabbed me from the first page and didn't let go until the very last. This series just keeps getting better and this time it is personal for David Raker. This book had so many twists and turns I nearly put my back out reading it!
Can't wait for book number 10!

Thank you to Netgalley, Penguin books and the author for giving me the opportunity to review this great book.

Following the death of his wife eight years previously, the police contact missing persons investigator David Raker to say that a woman claiming to be his wife has turned herself into the local station. She looks the same, she knows intimate details of their life together and has the police convinced. David starts to question his life, his own memory and everything he ever believed in but equally needs to find the truth.

I really enjoyed this book once I’d got to grips with Raker’s character. As a story, it can stand alone from others in the series however, I think I might have got to grips with it quicker if I’d read some of the previous Raker books.

I enjoyed the plot twists and felt that there was always something to learn, right up until the last couple of chapters. I’d definitely recommend and would also now be interested to read others in the series.

This is the second book featuring David Raker I've read, and they honestly just gets better. In this book David's wife comes back from the dead..... Only she died from cancer. Everybody believes she is whom she says she is. Except David. Is he losing his mind?
This was really a thrilling read, and I couldn't wait to finish it. It was well written, and I did not expect the ending.
Well done!
Recommended.

Well... I’m currently wondering where I’ve been!! How is this Raker #9 and I’ve only just discovered it!!! Absolutely brilliant... I need to go and read them all from the beginning now!

Having no clue what the series was previously about I can safely say that you don’t need to read the others for it to make sense! The storyline had me gripped from early on and I loved how many layers there was to the story and finding the real culprit!

It was well written and fast paced but didn’t feel rushed at any point and everything that was written was useful and contributed to the story.

I’m literally speechless, blown away. This book was just brilliant. I’ve never read a book by Tim Weaver before and had no idea what to expect. And I got a fast paced page turner I won’t forget easily. Imagine, your loved one past away, the love of your life. And after eight years you’ve just began putting together some of the pieces of your life. Then, one morning, the police calls and asks you to come to the station.You have no clue what that could be about. And then, there in the interrogation room you see the one person, you thought you’d never see again. Your dead loved one. Wait, what??? Yeah, that’s what I thought.
How, why, who? I had no idea and all my conclusions went the wrong way. Every time. When I thought I had some idea and had figured out something.... Boom. No, that’s not it. When I thought, the case was solved and there are only a few loose ends that needs tighten up... Wrong.
I enjoyed this story so much and now I HAVE to read the other books in this series. Because I don’t want to miss out on a great series. Highly recommended!
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin UK!

David Raker been in a very dark place since his beloved wife succumbed to cancer. A widower for 8 years, he is now beginning to look forward in his life. A woman then arrives at a police station claiming to be his late wife. She certainly looks like her. Even speaks and behaves like her. She can’t be though. Or can she? The police disbelieve his version of events that he wholeheartedly knows to be the truth but their doubts have him bewildered and confused. This brilliantly told story drags the reader to the depths of David’s despair and questions his sanity with utmost realism. Fast paced with many twists, turns and shocking revelations until the final reveal that I didn’t see coming. This is the first book I’ve read by Tim Weaver and it won’t be the last. I appreciate a well thought out storyline that ties up all the loose ends and this certainly does that.

Wonderful story, beautifully told - quite the masterpiece. The way Tim Weaver works David Raker throughout the pages is incredible.

The ending was not what I expected at all and the first part of the story had me thinking so much. Over far too soon.

'You Were Gone' is chilling, sinister and all the more terrifying because it's believable. Raker doubts his sanity, and he's not alone. Is the woman claiming to be his beloved wife her and how can she be when she died?
Raker still grieves his wife, and it's this vulnerability that makes this thriller work. Circumstances conspire to make him doubt everything he has built his life on since Derryn's death.

The story is told from Raker's point of view with additional scenes from the antagonist's point of view but is this Raker or someone else? Each chapter builds the suspense and tension, and as the plot starts to reveal the truth, more twists throw up additional questions and possible suspects.

The ending is surprising but ties up most of the loose ends, however, a problem looms on the horizon for Raker as his and other's past actions return to haunt him, perhaps in the next instalment of this thrilling series.

Even though this is the first Raker thriller I've read, I warmed to his deep and troubled character and found the story a compelling but easy read.

I received a copy of this book from Penguin UK Michael Joseph via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This is a best seller and in my top ten of the year so far. So many things happening here, with some being a shock and with a twist at the end this story has a bit of everything. You are not sure who is telling the truth or even what the truth is, I do not think I have ever read a book like this, it was absolutely brilliant. Great work Tim Weaver.