Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.
Warning family violence

Norma is a loner who works in a bar and rides for search and rescue in the canyon lands.
Norma is called out on a search for a missing girl that will change her life forever, This is a story about unintended consequences of actions to save a life at the expense of another life. Its the story of right and wrong . This is a complex book written from Norma’s perspective.
Norma likes nothing better than too live her solitary life in her cabin with her dogs and horse Saint Fred. However things are about to change that will threaten Norma’s moral code and her lonely uncomplicated life as she knows it. Norma becomes entangled in a world of deception to save an innocent life. This is a complicated story of truth and values. Well written and easy to read. Will the truth come out in the end ? 5 stars

CRH usually deals with heavy issues, but this one is heavier than most. A young woman is missing in the mountains and a search party is sent to rescue her. It turns out that she was not lost, but was running away from her violent boyfriend who she thought would kill her. The book discloses the multi-generational nature of domestic violence and the duty of an abused woman to report the abuse to prevent it from happening to another.
Like every CRH book I have read, an older and wiser woman is the unlikely mentor to two young women suffering from domestic violence.
I have never read a book by Catherine Ryan Hyde that I did not like. This one has some unusual plot twists, but makes you think about big issues of revenge and justice. As always, highly recommended.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Catherine Ryan Hyde is so good at writing a character. Norma is one of my favorites of hers. A loner who is hiding the hurts of her past with a tough exterior. And yet she becomes an unlikely hero for Jill, who is in desperate need of a hero since everyone in her life has failed her. While this isn’t my favorite book of CRH’s (looking at you, Have You Seen Luis Velez?), I can always count on a great read and this was no exception. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Great story line! Hyde knows how to catch a readers attention, and does so wonderfully! This particular novel touches on domestic violence and what has to be done in order to escape at times. The characters are well written, but there are definitely some holes that I saw as I was reading.

Name of Book: A Different Kind of Gone
Author: Catherine Ryan Hyde
Publisher: Lake Union Publishers
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Pub Date: December 5, 2023
My Rating: 4.67 rounded up!
Pages: 293


All the chapters in this story have tittles. I am not going to list them but I like the name of the first chapter as it sets up the story.
Chapter One: ‘Just another night in Sloot’
Our protagonist Norma Gallagher is fifty-eight and keeps to herself and prefers the company of her two dogs and horse. We find out that he was married and has two adult don. She does have a friend Betty who is her coworker at a local bar which is located on the border of Arizona and Utah.
One evening a customer who is more than slightly drunk asks if the name of the town is “Sloot, AZ or Sloot, UT - Betty states “We don’t know”!
They however, cut him off from any more drinks as Betty tells him it is a law in either state! (Betty tells Norma she doesn’t know that for sure but it sounds good!)

Norma also volunteers on the search and rescue team. Norma received notice that the team is needed to search for nineteen year old Jill Moss who was camping with her boyfriend Jake Willis and went missing. As they start the search one of the campers states they saw a girl running away from her boyfriend and he grabbed her and twisted her arm behind her back and forced her back to their campsite. Jill’s parents say they got a message from Jill that she was leaving Jake and if they don’t hear from her in 24 hours to call the police.
Norma along with her horse ‘Saint Fred’ and her dogs search for Jill and they do find her hiding in a cave. Jill begs Norma not to tell. Norma is torn as it is obvious that Jake is dangerous and has and will continue to be abusive to Jill; however she doesn’t want the search and rescue team to keep on searching if it isn’t necessary.

Story picks up five years later when Jake is angry and strangling Wanda his wife; a Good Samaritan saw what was happening and stopped him. Jake is arrested for attempted murder and will go on trial also since five years has passed and Jill has not been found he also will go to trial for her murder as well.
We have heard that “Hurt people hurt people.” Lies are told and consequences must be faced.

Norma approaches Jill’s parents as well as Jill that they have a decision to make- stay silent or reveal what they know. Norma tells them she will honor their decision.

Story will definitely have book clubs everywhere discussing ~what is the right thing to do? What would you do?

I absolutely loved Norma: she is a character that I will remember for a long time.
The young girls Jill and Wanda are totally impressed with Norma’s wisdom and always say ~ “Norma knows everything”.
Norma believes that is too difficult to live up to and prefers “Norma knows a lot” ~ But we know better!!

There are thoughtful Book Club discussion Questions which make all reading think if you are in a book club or not!

This is my eighth Catherine Ryan Hyde and she has published 44. I got on the Catherine train when I read
" Brave Girl, Quiet Girl” in May 2020 and I have been a big fan ever since!
Since then I have been willing to read anything she writes! When I saw this I knew I wanted to read it without knowing anything about it!!

Catherine Ryan Hyde's writing style is different than any other author I read and I love it!
Her stories are character driven but there is always a message and thoughts that linger long after I am done reading.
I follow her on FB and her posts are pure and simple. She seems to be a wonderful person.

Want to thank NetGalley and Lake Union Publishers for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for December 5, 2023.

Once again a great book from this author. She brings social issues to the fore and deals with them sensibly and eloquently. Always riveting reading, with well developed characters. This story deals with justice, right and wrong, how easily we judge others, and fairness. This book deals with domestic violence and all the intricacies that involves. Highly recommended.

I always have and always will love everything by Catherine Ryan Hyde! I am always super excited when I see she has written a new book, and it's even better when I get to read it first on Netgalley!

Catherine Ryan Hyde is one of my favorite authors, but this book just didn't strike me the same as her others. It seemed abrupt, and I couldn't make myself like any of the characters. It was a different feel than all the others I've read of hers (17+). Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This is a very thought provoking story. There are stories everyday about lost people and searching to bring them home. In addition, it is hard to leave someone you love even when they hurt you. This story takes events out of the headlines and causes you to think through the facts and see situations from all sides.
Thank you to netgalley for complimentary copy. I enjoyed the story and enjoyed thinking through situations.

Imagine you have two choices before you and both of them could have dire consequences. What do you do? This book is about just that. Norma is on the search and rescue team and is looking for a 19 year old girl, Jill, who was last seen in a physical altercation with her boyfriend. When Norma finds Jill alive she plans to take her back she and sound but it's just not that simple! I love Catherine Ryan Hyde's books because of her characters and their sense of right and wrong. This book I couldn't put down! Must read!

A Different Kind of Gone is highly entertaining and will keep you turning page after page! Catherine Ryan Hyde is SO good at keeping the reader engaged from the very first page with her fast paced style of writing. Love all of her books, but this one might be my favorite!

Thank you to net galley for the arc in exchange of an honest review.

Catherine Ryan Hyde is one of my favorite authors. Thank you Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for prerelease copy of this book. This book was very good , but not one of her best. Even though you kind of know how it will turn out (although there were some twists) she still keeps your interest. She has such an easy reading but interesting writing style that I always finish her books quickly because they are so enjoyable. Her character development is awesome. I really enjoyed this book. Her characters really make you think about morals etc. Definitely recommend

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Norma is surprised when Jake is arrested for murder. She knows information that is integral to the investigation. I liked the characters in this book

Catherine Ryan Hyde is at the top of my favourite Authors list. When she has a new book it is an automatic read for me. This book revolves around a search and rescue volunteer (Norma) and the disappearance of a teenage girl (Jill). I was invested in this story from the beginning, like I am for all of CRH’s books. I highly recommend this book and everything she has written. Thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and the Author for allowing me to read and review this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be published December 5, 2023.

This is my fourth book by this author and I’m a big fan.

I read this book in a day. I was immediately drawn into the search and rescue efforts to find Jill Moss. What started as a mystery of sorts became much more serious as domestic violence unfolds. “Hurt people hurt people.” Lies are told and consequences must be faced. Major moral and ethical issues are raised.

No spoilers here but trigger warnings for domestic abuse. Also some of the plot is a bit unrealistic but I took a leap of faith to see Norma grow and change.

Norma rides as part of a missing person's rescue mission. One night, she finds a missing girl who doesn't want to be found and the decision they make that night changes the future for everyone involved.

Catherine Ryan Hyde's A Different Kind of Gone has all of the ingredients that we've come to love about her beautiful storytelling. Her characters - human, hounds and horses - are real and flawed and utterly lovable.

Norma volunteers at her local search and rescue when she finds Jill Moss hiding and in fear for her life. Her escape from Jake, her abusive boyfriend, has to remain a secret but Norma is conflicted; she never lies but she deeply understands that she needs to protect this innocent teenager. Years later, Jake is arrested for trying to strangle his pregnant wife and Norma becomes involved in the biggest moral dilemma of her life.

This is an incredible story about survival, truth and finding family in the most unexpected ways.

Love this author’s writing style and character development. The dilemma in this story had me putting myself in each characters shoes trying to figure out what I would do! I absolutely loved Norma and her ability to look at difficult situations from a very logical perspective. This book starts out as one you can’t put down but slows down a bit at the end. The story wraps up very neatly, with no loose ends. If you prefer messy endings, this book isn’t for you!

I am a huge fan of Catherine Ryan Hyde. I often search for her books to read. This book is a little different from other books of hers that I have read but just as good. Her characters are so well written that you want to be friends with them. The storyline is very well written. It kept me reading far into the night. Norma is the strong charactered female main character. I would have liked to be Norma’s friend or coworker. I will recommend this book to anyone who will listen to me. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this eARC.

Having loved my first read by this author recently I thought I'd like this read. I did enjoy this book, it just didn't wow me or have me desperately turning the pages like Just a Regular Boy. I struggled to like the main character Norma at the start, if anything she seemed too 'perfect'. She agrees to help a young woman flee her abusive partner and has to carry on as if nothing has happened. I think the story is well written and engaging although at times it felt a little too long and I found myself skimming pages. The author deals with the subject of domestic abuse sensitively and with care and I think portrays her characters well, especially their thoughts feelings and emotions which I found to be realistic, believable and thought provoking. Norma did grow on me slowly after learning her background history, she became more personable and I felt I understood her more. I think the story had a good plot line which held my attention mostly all the way through and I liked that the ending was very fitting and gave good closure.

Even though this read didn't quite hit the mark with me I'd recommend it to others, and will try to read some more of this authors books when I can.

3 stars ⭐⭐⭐