I have come across many deleted messages on my smartphone, some I have deleted myself, some from other people. And every time, without fail, a message goes through asking why I/the other friend has deleted the message. More often than not, it's a case of sending it to the wrong person or you realise that the message is unnecessary. But that doesn't stop us from worrying why it has been deleted.

​So to see that a story is based around a deleted message, already I am invested. I know what that feels like: the worry, the querying, the tense wait wondering what's going on. When that message sounds like a cry for help just before it disappears you have yourself a thriller mystery. And that's exactly what you get in this book.

Set in one of my favourite cities, Nottingham, the hunt is on for a missing friend and her family following the deleted message. A history of betrayals, physical and psychological trauma and the obvious paranoia underpin the hunt. There are so many connections and red herrings that could leave the reader in a spin if not careful. Told mainly in the present by two sisters and in the past from the missing friend, this is mostly well paced with the exception of a bit of exposition around the middle. Predictably, things are not as they seem and the speculation around whodunnit, did what exactly and why, are what drive this book.

This is a true mystery full of secrets to uncover, with some moments of tension and quite a few self-centred characters who are not really lovable. Kept me guessing until the end, so that's a positive. Recommended for those psychological mystery thrillers.

I enjoyed this book. The character development and the plot was great.
I don't have anything negative to say at all.
Kept me guessing and I felt like I couldn't put it down.

I have plenty of tbr books and to be perfectly honest, this book is not my usual genre but I was somewhat compelled to read it first.
I was not dissapointed. The plot was intruiging, with lots of little connected sub plots. This was not complicated though, as in some other publications. They intertwined together smoothy like melted butter.
Each character had their own chapters making the story very clear and also enthralling. Brilliant denouement!

A gritty dark psychological thriller set in Nottingham which slowly but surely builds up to a shocking climax. The book features Saffy who is divorced and has limited access to her son Fox. She feels responsible for her young sister Poppy, particularly after she suffered a dreadful assault three years earlier. Her ex Neil and new wife Mira are concerned about her mental state and then there is best friend Leona who is married to the dreadful Ash and has a young daughter Rosie who is Saffys godchild. It’s all seems pretty normal until it isn’t!

Briefly, at an interview Saffy receives panicked texts from Leona which quickly disappear. Saffy leaves her interview and rushes round only to find Leona never sent the messages. Then Leona, Ash and Rosie go missing and the police treat Saffy as a prime suspect. But as the histories of the various people are revealed and secrets uncovered the story gets really murky until it becomes impossible to tell who, if anyone, can really be trusted.

A great opening to this book which quickly leads to unsettling events. Told in dual timelines this is well written and well constructed. An interesting and twisty read with some very tense moments. Good characters, nice and not so nice, although Saffy did make some questionable decisions! An entertaining read.

4.5⭐️

This is an action packed storyline which is full of suspense, tension and mystery.
Saffy’s life has been full of trauma and set backs, but she is determined to get her life back on track. She is at an interview when she receives three text messages from her best friend, Leona, can’t speak, don’t text or call, please just come! Then the messages mysteriously disappear. Saffy feels she must go to her friend, to ensure her and her god daughter’s safety.
Leona is surprised to see her, denies having sent messages and assures Saffy all is well.

When Saffy leaves she remains uneasy, baffled by Leona’s husband Ash, who today was super friendly but is usually the opposite. Shortly after this the family of three are reported missing when a neighbour calls the police as their front door has been open for some time. There is no sign of Leona, Ash or the child. . The police launch an investigation, Saffy is a person of interest.

Saffy feels overwhelmed, she is questioned by the police several times, her ex husband has cancelled her weekend with her young son, her sister is also behaving erratically. Saffy has always tried to protect her younger sister as their mother died some years ago. Her sister was a victim of a violent attack 3 years ago, saved by Saffy who arrived home early.

Saffy starts her own investigation, her sister becomes involved and confesses to Saffy how she has been having an affair with Leona’s husband. There are many twists and turns, Saffy or her sister don’t always make the best decisions. All the characters seem to have secrets which are revealed as the story unfolds.

A good read and well deserving of 4 stars.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.

There were many things alluded to within the text of the book to keep me reading to get to the bottom of it all. When the story seemed to be wrapped up just after 90% of the way through, I thought for sure that there was going to be a massive cool twist at the end, but it never came. Sometimes the pace was slow, but that's because the character behaviour was so predictable, which I guess means that the characters were well depicted. Three stars rather than two because it was an easy read.

I have read many of author K. L Slaters novels and always enjoyed them. With Message Deleted I did enjoy the premise of the book but for me personally, it did not read like the others from this author.

We meet main character Saffy, a single mother to Fox who lives with his father. Saffy is at an interview when her best friend texts her with "can’t speak" "don’t text or call" and "please just come". She is worried so leaves half way through the interview and heads to Leona's house. We learn that Leona has mentioned to Saffy that her husband can be quite violent and this is why Saffy is worried. When she arrives, Leona acts like nothing has happened and Saffy leaves.

The next thing, the police are knocking at Saffy's door telling her that Leona, her husband and daughter are all missing and she is a suspect.

Saffy needs to find out what has happened and she is thrust upon a journey and the reader is taken along with her.

A good read, with good characters and very fast moving.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publishers for allowing me an ARC.

I had stopped reading K.L. Slater’s books as I wasn’t enjoying them as much as her earlier work. After taking about a year’s break, I saw Message Deleted advertised and was intrigued by the premise. Hoping that the time away might rekindle my appreciation for her writing, I decided to give her another chance. Unfortunately, I was still disappointed, and I really won’t be reading another by the author again.
The plot itself was superb and had the potential to be a real page-turner. The concept of a missing family and the mystery surrounding their disappearance was engaging and promised a thrilling ride. The conclusion, when it finally arrived, was commendable and had a twist that could have been quite satisfying. However, the execution was sorely lacking.
The writing style felt clunky and uninspired. Slater’s earlier works had a certain flair that seemed absent here. The narrative dragged in places where it should have been taut and suspenseful. Instead of feeling engrossed in the mystery, I found myself skimming through pages, hoping for something to capture my interest.
The characters were uniformly unlikeable, making it hard to root for anyone. Saffy, the protagonist, was particularly irritating. Her constant whining and lack of agency were grating. I have read far too many books where the female protagonist is dismissed, not listened to, and has no one who believes her. It’s a trope that can be powerful when done well, but it feels overused and tired here. Saffy’s frustration with not being believed was less sympathetic and more annoying because of how it was portrayed.
However, it was the police investigation that truly strained credulity. The police’s handling of the case was simply implausible. It just made no sense. Okay, so Saffy was the last to see the family, but she was seen leaving. She had an alibi of picking her son up from school straight afterwards, and when the police first met her, she still had her son as it was the same day. So, it made no sense whatsoever that she was the prime suspect for making three people disappear.
Another example of the absurdity is when Saffy asks the police if they have found the journal. They say they can’t disclose that information, and then she goes off on her own, annoyed that they haven’t found it. It wasn’t that they hadn’t found it; they just couldn’t tell her if they had or not. So, nothing made sense; everyone was unlikeable, and it was just a terrible book with the only slight saving grace being the reveal at the end.
The pacing was another issue. The story meandered in places where it should have built tension. There were moments that felt repetitive and unnecessary, adding to the overall frustration. The dialogue often felt forced and unnatural, further distancing me from the characters and their plights.
The only reason I persevered was to find out what had happened to the family. I kept hoping that the story would pick up, that the characters would develop in a way that made them more relatable, and that the police investigation would start to make sense. Sadly, that never happened.
In conclusion, while the premise of Message Deleted had great potential, the execution left much to be desired. The characters were unlikeable, the plot was riddled with inconsistencies, and the writing was subpar. Despite the promising concept and a decent conclusion, the journey to get there was far from enjoyable. This experience has confirmed that I won’t be picking up another K.L. Slater book in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC.

A gripping thriller which I thoroughly enjoyed

Would definitely recommend both the author, and the book! A well written story that keeps you guessing until the end

Wow! A fabulously gripping read that kept me totally hooked!

Saffy receives a panicked text from her best friend, Leona, just as she is about to go into a job interview. And then the text disappears. She rushes to Leona’s house to find that she is absolutely fine and has no idea what message Saffy is referring to. Chilling!

Later that day, Leona disappears with her husband and young daughter. The last person to see them was Saffy….

As the plot unfolds and the layers are peeled back, the twists come thick and fast! The story weaves between past and present and the characterisation is excellent, particularly Saffy, who has had a tough time and tries to do right by everyone, even though she is often overlooked and underappreciated.

A great read!

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, K. L. Slater and Michael Joseph, Penguin, for an ARC in return for an honest review.

It's quite useful to delete messages you change your mind about sending but infuriating as the recipient. But what if your best friend sends you a message asking you to just come - and then deletes the message? And then a few hours later she disappears along with her husband and daughter? That's what happens to Saffy and her best friend Leona. We then follow Saffy in her quest to find out what happened to Leona with Saffy sure Leona's husband has something to do with her disappearance.

This story draws you in from the outset. I liked Saffy who was clearly trying to get her life back on track when this begins to derail her. I wanted her to find her friend, get her own son back and move forward. I felt sorry for Leona, and desperately wanted Saffy to find her safe.

For me, the ending was a little bit of a let down. It didn't feel entirely believable, hence the 4 stars. Overall a good read and I will still read other books by the author.

What a fabulous story! I was hooked, the twists and turns were amazing. I couldn't sleep because I needed to know what was happening! Great characters. Saffy, what a sweetheart. I loved her.

Thank you so much to the author, publisher and netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

The plot of the story was really interesting which made me want to read the book but I don't know maybe because of the plot I had high expectations but it felt a bit flat, unfortunately.

I throughly enjoyed this book. I was hooked all the way through, so many great twists. A good pace to the story.
One for your summer reading list.

I've always enjoyed books by K. L. Slater so i knew i was going to like Message Deleted.

Saffy has had a tough few years but she's back on her feet. On this particular day she is waiting to go into her job interview when she gets a text message from her best friend Leona: Can’t speak don’t text or call please just come then before she has a chance to reply the messages are deleted. Leaving the interview behind she rushes straight to her best friend house. Leona though doesn't know anything about the messages and seems fine until the following day police knock on Saffy's door, Leona and her family are missing. As the last one to of seen them she is now to the police their main suspect.

There was many twists and turns, from the get go i was instantly hooked and was wondering what had happened to the family and if Saffy could prove her innocence. Halfway i had an idea who was to blame. The characters were natural and well developed and i for sure didn't expect the ending. Overall Message deleted was a very fun book and i would recommend to other readers who enjoy mystery and Psychological Thriller books.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers Penguin Random House for the copy of this arc in exchange of my full honest review.

Having read this writer before I had high expectations of having a high quality and easy flowing read and I was not disappointed. Sometimes, you fall into a writer's work almost within seconds and you know it's going to be a good story and you're going to enjoy it. This was exactly true for Message Deleted. Very early on in the story, you will receive full proof that one of the characters is in trouble and has asked for specific help. When Saffy arrives, to offer her help, having already walked out of an interview for a job she desperately needed, to help her friend, her help is refused. Leona completely refutes that she asked for help and when the two girls compare their phones, one has the proof and the other proves that she didn't ask for help. When Leona goes missing, you quickly know where this mystery and story is going. I was intrigued from this moment on and was desperate to turn the pages until I found out how all of this would be solved. I knew who should be guilty, but perhaps I would only find out on the very last page. The twist is one I never saw coming and even with this clue it won't help you. Read the book, KL Slater is an excellent writer.

I used to enjoy KL Slater no end. Their very mundanity made the ensuing chaos more surprising but this was weird from the start and unnecessarily gory. Also, there was an awful lot of referring to when IT happened and jumping forward and back that was very off putting.
By the time we reached an explanation of IT it proved to be a bit flat. By all means give this a try if you are discovering the author but if you were already a fan - be warned

Another fab whodunnit from KL Slater. I’ve read a few of their previous offerings so I already had a feeling it would enjoy this when I accepted the eARC of this book.

The author skilfully weaves a twisty turns tale that keeps you guessing until the last. It’s a slower pace than I’m used to with thrillers but once it all starts dropping into place it was thoroughly satisfying.

Thank you to NetGalley, K.L. Slater and Penguin Random House for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Saffy has had a difficult few years. She’s finally back on her feet after a traumatic event and divorce. Standing waiting to go in for a job interview she received a message from her best friend Can’t Speak Don’t test it call… just come. Saffy drops the interview rushes round to find her friend carrying on as if nothing has happened. Cooking food for her husband and daughter claiming she hasn’t sent any text. The following day Saffy learns that the whole family have gone missing, food still cooking on the stove and the front door wide open. As the last to see them Saffy becomes the police’s prime suspect. Can she fight to prove her innocence and find the her best friend and his daughter before it’s too late?


A great page turner of a beach read. I thoroughly enjoyed this. It’s not a heavy book and I did work out the culprit (s). 3.5 rounded up to 4 starts. Thanks to the publishers and netgalley for the arc.

I’ve always found KL Slaters books to be highly readable but this one isn’t one of her best in my opinion. The plot was an interesting and intriguing one that started off well but then went off into a bit of a patchwork of differing timelines and character perspectives that didn’t really work for me. And the ending was unnecessarily long and rambling. Lots of red herrings but ultimately the storyline didn’t deliver the perfect package for me.