I really enjoyed this one!!

I really got in to the characters, which made me get stuck in to the book. I loved the mystery around what was going on. And oh the twists! They got me! I managed to work out how it was going to end (ish) within the last 100 pages or so, but I had no idea how it would be exposed. Such a good read! .

This was an easy to read thriller thaylt kept my attention all the way through! Lots of twists and surprises I didn't see coming. Very good, would recommend! Absolutely brilliant!

Wow, what an intriguing story. I was quickly flicking through to find out what was going to happen next and before I knew it I had read the whole book. Very fast-paced and an unpredictable storyline. Cannot wait for the next one from this author.

What a book!! I read it cover to cover in 2 days. I really really enjoyed it. The premise of the book, a group of high functioning psychopaths playing a game, was great in itself, add that to characters who were so well-defined and believable it had me hooked immediately. The couple of twists and turns in the book kept me on the edge of my seat (no spoilers of course!). And I loved Augusta. Hoping there’s a second book to come!

An excellent debut novel from Leona Deakin, I look forward to reading more by this author. A fast paced plot with intriguing characters.

This is one of around 50 books I read during an imposed 3 month quarantine. Clever and different take on finding missing persons - required a certain amount of 'suspension of disbelief' as I'm not sure the motivations were fully thought through. Will make you think twice about taking those innocuous quizzes to find out what type of person you are. Entertaining and thought provoking.

A fresh and fascinating psychological thriller, that had me gripped from its opening chapter!

Bloom & Jameson are both compelling, engaging characters who I thought were a great pairing and their exchanges brought some light humour to a serious plot.

It just missed out on 5⭐ because I guessed the twists before the big reveal but I still enjoyed this well-paced thriller.

Overall a fabulous debut, a completely original and creepy plot, with great characters. I can't wait to see where Deakin takes Bloom & Jameson next! If you are a fan of M J Arlidge this book is well worth a read.

Thanks to Black Swan & Netgalley for sending me this in exchange for an open and honest review.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I loved the premise and mystery within this story. The two parallel lines come together and it all snaps and makes sense.

I would say that in parts it was quite jumpy and confusing. Definitely kept me on my toes.

I did guess the ‘twist’ though, but it didn’t negate from how well it had been written.

I’m going for a 3/5 rating for this one. Not mind blowing but not a bad book!

Thanks to Random House UK and NetGalley for allowing me to receive an advance copy of this novel for review.

This is Leona Deakin's debut novel and the idea for the plot is an interesting one.

A woman receives a card on her birthday saying 'Happy 1st Birthday' and then she disappears.

Dr Bloom and her business partner Jameson are tasked with investigating the disappearance of this woman and find that she's not the only person who has disappeared after receiving one of these cards.

The main characters, Dr Bloom and Jameson are well developed and I liked them both and cared about what happened to them.

It's a fast paced thriller which I really enjoyed. Some parts were a wee bit predictable and I'd worked out parts of it about halfway through.

Nevertheless, I think it's an excellent debut which has obviously been well researched.

I hope there's more from Bloom and Jameson. :)

Stop everything you're doing and read this book. You won't regret it - I certainly don't. A riveting voice in contemporary thriller writing. Love it.

A gripping suspense novel investigateing a missing person case whilst studying psychopaths.

A gripping read which will have you reading at all hours of the night to know what will happen next!

Dr Augusta Bloom is a practising Psychologist and Private Detective.
Marcus Jameson is an ex MI6 agent and Private Detective.
Together they form an interesting duo who tackle a missing person investigation with a thrilling twist.

In this debut, Deakin brings to light an interesting and thrilling concept, one of which is packed with short, sharp and snappy chapters. The storyline for this debut is based around an anonymous birthday card, a secret invitation to an addictive game and four missing people with nothing in common. Just one question comes to mind… Would you “DARE TO PLAY”?

I found myself so engrossed in the plot developments that I didn’t work out who the mastermind was until towards the end. Deakin doesn’t give the reader chance to overthink and ploughs straight ahead, weaving past and present storylines into one another seamlessly.

The end left me with a few questions but I’m hoping book two in this new up and coming series will pick up where this left off. I’m looking forward to reading the next instalment from Leona Deakin and seeing where the character development goes.

A gripping suspense filled debut. Psychologist and Private Detective Augusta Bloom delves into the fascinating world of the psychopath whilst investigating a missing person case. A fast-paced story that will keep you turning the pages.

This is a chilling look into the world of psychopaths - super interesting.... and very chilling.

I found this a really interesting concept. So many crime books now blend into one but this stood out for me with a plot which I havent come across before.

Characters were great and the story fast moving. Couldnt put it down!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

An online game forcing a select group of people to walk away from their current lives.... what a hook!
this was a great, fast-paced (almost) thriller. It was easy to read and engaging. I became very attache to the characters and would have loved to see more of them. The book did feel somewhat rushed and could easily of have been fleshed out (150+ pages) or split into two books.
A brilliant read for fans of The One by John Marrs.

I loved this book, the characters were good and i really enjoyed the story, slightly disappointed i managed to guess the ending though - strong 4/5

This was an interesting take on the standard thrillers, although the twist ending was obvious from the mid-way point.

Dr Augusta Bloom, a psychologist and her partner Marcus Jameson an ex MI6 serviceman are helping police to investigate a series of disappearances where the only evidence left behind was a birthday card daring them to play a game.

What follows is a psychological thriller where the psychopaths of the world are uniting in order to gain control.

On the whole it was a page turner, and there was lots of action.

The only thing that really grated with me, in the second half of the book was the constant use of the term "psychopath" as if it was a distinguished club - used by everyone.

I'd read something by this author again - perhaps not the sequel - but a different set of characters as the character development is well done, and the story line fast moving.

This book was fantastic, hooked from start to finish.
A really clever and exciting read, with interesting characters.
Originally called mind games.

5 stars

A fabulous book and the start of an new series I hope.
Dr Augusta Bloom is a private detective and psychologist, her partner Marcus Jameson asks her to help him locate a friend of his sisters who has vanished after receiving a mysterious birthday card inviting her to join a game.
They discover other people have received cards and also simply walked away from their lives and families.
This was such a different theme for a book and one I enjoyed hugely, can’t wait for the next one!

If I had received a birthday card in the post with the greeting YOUR GIFT IS THE GAME. DARE TO PLAY? I would have tossed it out without a second thought. And if I did think about it, I might be a little paranoid at exactly who was playing with me. I am not a risk-taker; I don't go in for dares; and I certainly don't like to live life on the edge. And the fact that I have a conscience and consider the feelings of those around me proves that I would never fit into this category of very special people.
Psychopaths.

But not your serial killer type of psychopath. These people are what are known as functioning psychopaths. They have psychopathic personalities but are not necessarily bad people. They just don't think or feel the way a normal person does. Because they see themselves as far superior to others. To them, everything in this world revolves around them. They are selfish people who manipulate everything to their advantage with no conscience or the ability to understand what it is to have a conscience. Functioning psychopaths are all around us. They can be surgeons, politicians, lawyers - generally those in high paid positions where they reap the accolades they crave and don't care who they step on to get there.

So what does that have to do with this book? Everything. Because GONE is one big game in the battle for superiority. And everyone in the book is a pawn in the master puppeteer's game.

The story begins with Dr Augusta Bloom, a forensic psychologist who has an interest in psychopathic personalities, counselling 14 year old Seraphine Walker. Accused of stabbing the caretaker of the school she attends, Seraphine is claiming self defence. She alleges that Mr Shaw, the caretaker, tried to touch her inappropriately after consistently raping another girl in her class over the period of several weeks. Problem was, Claudia (the other girl) didn't back up her story and said Seraphine attacked him unprovoked. Up until then, Seraphine thought she had been clever. Obviously not clever enough. A mistake she would not make again.

A fascinating character, Seraphine added an unpredictable edge to the story. Even as you read her narrative, you are never really sure if she is telling the truth or not. But even so, her sessions are rather telling, despite trying to hide her true self. Even from early on, I could tell that Seraphine was a psychopath. But just how did she fit into the rest of the story?

The sessions with Seraphine alternated with the main storyline of people going missing on their birthdays after receiving a strange card with the message:

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY.
YOUR GIFT IS THE GAME.
DARE TO PLAY?

Four people - Lana Reid, Faye Graham, Stuart Rose-Butler and Grayson Taylor - are missing. None of them have anything in common...other than the fact that they all disappeared on their birthdays and all received a somewhat unusual birthday card prior to their disappearance. But as it turns out...that's not all they have in common.

Dr Augusta Bloom is on her way to the office when she receives a call from her business partner, Marcus Jameson (ex-MI6), about a woman known to his sister Claire going missing. Her daughter Jane returned home to find her mother gone with no message, no warning, and emptying their bank accounts...leaving Jane with no money for food or rent. Lana, a returned veteran of Afghanistan suffering PTSD, would never leave her daughter, aside from her tours, and Jane and Claire are both fraught with worry.

As Bloom and Jameson investigate, many untruths about Lana come to light. She is not nor ever has been in the armed forces and she certainly has never been to Afghanistan. So where was she going all those times she left Jane with Claire, if not on tour? And where did their money come from, if not from her work in the forces? And where was she now? Does her disappearance have something to do with her lies?

As they dig deeper, Bloom and Jameson uncover even more people who disappeared in similar circumstances after receiving a similar message. What did it all mean? And where were all these people now?

One thing became clear; each of these people displayed psychopathic personalities and each of them had played some kind of trivia quiz on social media that is subtly designed to identify specific personality traits. In this case, psychopathy. And someone is masterminding the entire thing in a game of challenges where participants, should they choose to accept the dare, are given a choice. And each choice leads them to the next challenge and so forth.

The investigation takes them from London to Bristol to Manchester and to Yorkshire. But things take a sinister turn when it appears that this game that is being played before their very eyes has become personal. And soon Bloom and Jameson are forced to make a choice of their own...

GONE is a unique concept with a very original and intriguing plot which had me turning pages at the speed of light. The story was addictive, dark and compelling throughout. I devoured it. The pace was steady and the short snappy chapters kept it moving quickly.

The twist, when it came, I was not surprised by. I admit to working out the mastermind and their role in the story early on as Augusta sat ruminating in her mother's attic. That was when the pieces fell into place for me.

The one thing that really let this book down, apart from the title, was the ending. It fell a bit flat for me. All that hype and lead up...to what, exactly? It left me a little disturbed even. All throughout GONE, it was full throttle ahead with non-stop action...and then suddenly STOP!! And I'm thrown head first through a windscreen of nothingness wondering what the hell happened to end like that!

And then there was the title. I'm not really sure why it was called GONE when it had originally been titled as MIND GAMES, which in my opinion is a far more apt title for this book. Why the change? MIND GAMES was far more appropriate considering the entire book was a mind f***!

However, despite the flat ending, I did thoroughly enjoy GONE. And I look forward to more featuring Dr Bloom and hopefully Marcus Jameson in the future.

I would like to thank #LeonaDeakin, #NetGalley and #RandomHouseUK for an ARC of #Gone aka #MindGames in exchange for an honest review.