Gone was an incredibly enjoyable, even addictive read, if a bit far-fetched, and a very assured debut novel from Leona Deakin.

Four people - Lana Reid, Faye Graham, Stuart Rose-Butler and Grayson Taylor - are missing; four people with, on the face of it, nothing in common, other than the fact that they all disappeared on their birthdays and all received a rather unusual birthday card beforehand. But as it turns out, that’s not all they have in common. As psychologist Augusta Bloom and her colleague Marcus Jameson investigate and the mystery deepens, things quickly get more and more alarming. Where have the disappeared people gone, and what if they are not, in fact, the ones in danger?

Gone has a very original and intriguing plot which really kept me turning (or rather swiping) the pages - I read it in just over a day. I’m not sure I entirely engaged with or felt like I got to know the main characters, Bloom and Jameson (hmm, maybe I’m a psychopath?), but they were likeable and interesting enough, with plenty of scope for further development. (The ending clearly leaves the door wide open for a sequel/series featuring the same characters. I’d definitely read that.)

I did have suspicions about certain things, but I didn’t guess the truth until right before it was revealed. In retrospect I probably should have done, but that probably reflects how cleverly the author misdirects the reader.

An excellent read, even if credulity was a little bit strained at times.

After a somewhat confusing start, where I was introduced to quite a lot of characters and scenarios over a very short space of time, I soon settled into this story. It's a thrilling, fast-paced read involving high functioning psychopaths, a mysterious game and the enigmatic psychologist Augusta Bloom. There were a few twists and not everything is neatly wrapped up at the end of the book which has me hoping that there will be a follow-up. I want to learn more about Bloom and her colleague Marcus Jameson and delve deeper into the background of these two characters.

My thanks go to the publishers and Net Galley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

What a superb book - I loved it! Intriguing, interesting, thrilling and so well written. A totally unusual psychological thriller which I hope is the beginning of a series. I read it in one sitting on a sunny bank holiday. Highly recommended.

An amazing debut book. I found this very difficult to put down as it was written so well. The story has obviously taken a lot of research into the behaviour of psychopaths. He characters are so well described and as the reader it was easy to imagine that I was there living in the story. The ending was unexpected and leaves the way open for a follow up. I can imagine 5his as a series on TV or even a movie as I think it would be top rate and get many awards for 5he dramatisation.
Highly recommend this to anyone who loves creepy thrillers.

Thank you for the opportunity to read 'Gone' by Leona Deakin,.

I enjoyed this book. It is a fast-paced thriller and would make a good film. I enjoyed the combination of Dr Augusta Bloom and her PI partner Marcus Jameson who investigated a series of disappearances after the victims had all received a special birthday card.

I will look forward to the next in the series!

This was a good, well written thriller. I really liked the psychological details - the analysis of psychopaths was fascinating and gave the book real depth. I read a lot of thrillers so I like it when there's an unusual angle or interesting extra points. Interesting characters and good dialogue. Thumbs up from me!

Gone by Leona Deakin is a fantastic novel that had me hooked from page one. This is a fast paced mystery/thriller with a very likable main character of Dr Augusta Bloom.

I would highly recommend this book. There are numerous twists throughout. It was an excellent read. Im now looking forward to the second book in the series coming out in 2020.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK for the Arc. My review is my own opinion.

What a brilliant book! I couldn’t put it down. Exactly my favourite sort of book. Filled with psychopaths and a twisty story. The book was fast paced and intriguing. Great characters that I hope will become part of a series. The pairing of a psychologist and a former spy is superb. I understand this is a first novel but it certainly won’t be the last. Great writing.

Some good twists that I didn't predict, and a good premise but I felt it was too long. When I was 25% in, I thought I was over half! Very well researched and interesting to learn about the psychopathic mind.

Thank you to Netgalley, Leona Deakin and Random House for my ARC of Gone in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: When people begin to go missing after receiving a birthday card inviting to play an exclusive game, psychologist Augusta Bloom and her partner Marcus are called in to investigate. But not everything is as it seems, could the people who are missing be the ones who pose the danger? Could the secret to the game lie in Augusta's past?

I really wanted to like this book. Gone has a fantastic concept that brought to mind The Passengers by John Marrs. But unfortunately I really couldn't get on with this one. The storyline felt weak at best with little planning, the concept was great but the fulfilment of it was not. The ending was disappointing and over the top and I couldn't connect with any of the characters. It was hard to picture how any of them looked as I was reading. Sadly disappointed with this one.

People are disappearing, invited to join a game on their birthday. Psychologist Augusta is alerted as a family friend of her work partner is one of the missing. she notices that the missing have something in common, and this will link back to an old case of hers. It's an interesting and unusual plot idea, it's well written, pacey and interesting with a clever denouement.

Gone (or Mind Games) is the first book in a series featuring Dr Augusta Bloom and it was only whilst writing this review that I found out there is another book due out in April 2020 so I’m absolutely thrilled and have already pre-ordered it.

Dr Augusta Bloom works in London as a psychologist with her ex-M16 agent/Private Investigator partner Marcus Jameson. When Lana, a family friend of Marcus, disappears on her birthday leaving a young teenage daughter behind they start to investigate and find Lana is one of several, seemingly unconnected people who has disappeared on their birthday leaving their lives and families behind after receiving a “birthday card” inviting them to play a game.

I absolutely love psychological thrillers especially when they feature strong female characters and Gone has two brilliantly feisty, slightly unhinged and utterly wonderful characters: Dr Augusta Bloom and teenage psychopath Seraphine who are thrown together at the beginning of the book and have a history and connection which affects both women with devastating consequences.

Highly addictive and a fabulous debut novel full to the brim with twists and turns and I absolutely, completely and thoroughly recommend it (can’t wait for book 2 now)

This was a great book and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. The characters were likeable and interesting. I was constantly wanting to find out what happened to Dr Blooms son. The development of the story was consistent and timed perfectly. I will now look for more books from Leona Deakin.

I really didn't know what to expect when a copy of Gone popped through my letterbox but the blurb alone had me intrigued and I wasn't disappointed. The central character is criminal pscyhologist Dr Augusta Bloom who is asked to get involved in a missing persons case by her business partner Marcus Jameson, an ex MI6 officer. The missing woman Lana is a friend of his sister who has seemingly walked out and left her teenage daughter Jane.

As soon as they start looking into Lana's case they soon realise that this isn't quite a random case as first thought, there seems to be a connection to other strangers who have also gone missing. The one thing that they all had in common was that they had each gone missing on their birthdays after receiving a card inviting them to play a game. How and why they were selected, and where were they now, were the all important questions that needed answering. However it would appear that social media had a large part to play, it would appear that these people were selected and chosen to undergo some pretty criminal activities based on their borderline personalities after filling in the innocent looking quizzes and tests you often see online.

At first I was a little confused as it appeared as though there were two very different stories being told, both with Augusta Bloom at the heart of it, but the more the book progressed the more it became clear that these two were in fact connected. Just how so we had to be patient and wait for everything to come to light, one part I had figured out but not fully so like Augusta and Marcus I had to wait for everything to play out for the full reveal.

I've always been fascinated by the human psyche and what makes people tick so the fact that Augusta was a criminal psychologist appealed to me although personally I did find her quite a hard character to warm to. She seemed extremely reserved and closed off, not letting people in not even Marcus who despite working alongside her for a few years doesn't know much about her past. Mind you he's not without his own fair share of skeletons. I really liked this partnership, they really seemed to balance each other out so I was extremely happy to discover that there is going to be another book in the series next year.

I hate to be cliche but Gone really was a page turner of a read, from about the mid way point I was hooked by the suspense and mind games at play and could not put the book down until it had reached its conclusion. I can't wait for more of hopefully the same in Lost when it is published in April 2020.

Gone is a brilliant debut, a psychological thriller introducing the investigative duo of Marcus Jameson and Dr Augusta Bloom.
Marcus, a former secret agent and Dr Bloom, a psychologist seem an unlikely duo but clearly work well together. A strange case is brought to their attention involving the disappearance of several individuals, one of whom in known to Marcus. These people have disappeared after receiving a birthday card inviting them to play a game, simply leaving their loved ones and their ordinary lives behind. The police seem uninterested in these cases so it is up to Marcus and Dr Bloom to trace their whereabouts. It quickly becomes apparent something very sinister is taking place, with disappearances widespread. Could this be the work of a group or a single individual and why are certain people targeted??
The narrative switches between the investigation and the everyday work Dr Bloom carries out, focusing on the sessions she has with a school girl Seraphine who is accused of a serious crime. What connection, if any, is there between these sessions and the ongoing case. Read on and all will be revealed.
This is a dark novel with a cleverly constructed plot keeping the reader on the edge of their seat. It is obvious the author has a background in psychology to write so eloquently about the workings of an evil mind. Aside from the fact this is a work of fiction, I found the subject of what makes a person a psychopath absolutely fascinating. Can DrBloom’s experience in the field help solve this mystery?
Fast paced with moments where your heart is racing, poised on the edge of your seat, Gone is a real page turner. With an amazing, explosive twist that I didn’t see coming, this book is a difficult one to put down. This author is one to watch! Many thanks to the author and publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read ahead of publication.

‘The missing people aren’t in danger. They’re the dangerous ones.’ This tagline was more than enough to catch my eye and I was totally engaged by the narrative and the action. This is a very impressive debut novel which explores the world and perceptions of the psychopath. The author is a psychologist who writes with confidence and skill about this intriguing subject matter. She is talented enough to avoid the trap of turning a story into a discourse about a psychological condition.

Four strangers have vanished after receiving a birthday card which invites them to play a game. They are all adults so the police are unconcerned. Psychologist, Augusta Bloom and her business partner, ex-MI6 operative, Marcus Jameson, are asked to look into the disappearance of one of the four. They soon discover that something extremely unpleasant is taking place and they are gradually becoming part of the game.

This was a fascinating read with an authentic exploration of the nature of psychopathy. The rapport between the cool and analytical Bloom and the more explosive Jameson is very well created and the menace of the other characters is palpable. The drama moves at pace and the tension is built effectively. As Bloom and Jameson are drawn deeper into the game it becomes a race to rescue themselves as well as others.

I really enjoyed this intelligent thriller and will certainly avoid doing any online personality quizzes in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and Transworld Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Gone is one of those rare books where I felt like I’d known the main characters for ages, and one where I’m already looking forward to the next instalment,

It was a clever premise that provided a thrilling and action-packed read, the only slight negative, no actually not negative just a thing to point out, is that I’d sort of worked it out by the middle of the book. I do want to assure you though, that it didn’t in any way, affect my total enjoyment of the book at all.

Augusta Bloom, along with Marcus Jameson, are fabulous protagonists; a rather detached psychologist and ex-MI6 officer respectively. They blended together really well, with Jameson being an immediately open character, and Bloom more of a bud slowly, well, blooming, but both were very likeable.

Gone is a very promising debut from Leona Deakin and I’m eager to watch Jameson and Bloom facing their next mystery.

Gripping from start to finish, and a somewhat unique twist to the story line.
Can't wait for the next instalment. Well worth reading.

I never repeat the blurb...absolutely superb...a well researched and gripping tale...only down to 4**as I had guessed the twist, but there's another instalment coming soon and I can't wait...

Wow this is just an absolute blinder of a book. Gripping, tense and action packed. I was on the edge of my sofa holding my breath all the way through.

A must read.