4.5 stars

This one was really intriguing! Hooked me in straight away. My one and only issue was the stupidity of the police! And how rude they were. I hope they aren't like that in real life ...

This had me on the edge of my seat. I really came to connect with Saffie and Poppy. The ending was surprising and a brilliant twist I didn't see coming. Very well written and an enjoyable read. Would recommend to all thriller lovers.

I loved this book!
It all began when Megan received 3 short texts from her childhood friend Leona. - Can’t speak . . . don’t text or call . . . please just come
Then suddenly, the messages had gone. Messages deleted!
Megan leaves her pending job interview to rush to her Leona's house, worried that something is terribly wrong, only to find her friend, her husband Ash and their daughter Rosie at home, with nothing amiss. Leona swears that she didn't send the messages.
Baffled, Megan leaves their house and goes about her business.
Hours later, the police are at her door, telling her that the whole family has just disappeared, with the oven still on and the front door left open wide.
Megan was the last person to see them alive and is now a suspect in their disappearance.
How can she clear her name? What happened to her friend and her family? She hopes and prays that they are OK (well, maybe not Ash so much).
The mystery is only just begining, and links to events in their childhood, when an accident tore a family apart.
This was a fast paced book with many twists, and the ending was a real surprise.
I will be on the lookout for more books by this author. I really enjoyed it. A1

Okay so where to start with this book. Firstly for me I liked the pace of this book. It kept me enthralled with the story and the character development. This author is a first for me but the ending I didn’t see coming at all, so I was very impressed. Will defo be reading more of their books in the future.

Wow! You really have no idea what you’re getting into when starting this book! It’s so twisty from the start but comes together in the best way. I was absolutely hooked from the beginning and definitely didn’t guess that ending!

Message Deleted is a compelling read. I had no idea how this book was going to end but I certainly enjoyed the journey. How can a family of 3 completely disappear? It looks like Saffy , best friend of the wife and mother, Leona who has disappeared , is prime suspect. As the plot unfolds I was convinced I knew who was to blame. Of course I was wrong. Clever plot for this gripping read

I absolutely love a KL Slater book. ‘Message deleted’ is a gripping psychological thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. The perfect speed and building of suspense, the characters are so well developed, and the plot is full of unexpected twisty turns.

This is the first book I have read by this author and with the setting in Nottingham being local to where I Iive down the road in Melton Mowbray the geographical references were familiar. Some good twists and turns and a clear indication that lies never pay. Some well crafted characters and a quick read. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to ARC this book.

I really enjoy this authors books. The storylines are always creative and suspenseful. This was no different, it kept me hooked from start to finish.

It would have been 5* but I found the central characters very annoying.

The Message Has Disappeared. So has your best friend...

Saffy is waiting to go into a job interview when she receives a text message from her best friend, Leona:
Can't speak... don't text or call... please just come
As Saffy struggles to understand what is happening the phone screen changes:This message was deleted.

Saffy races to Leona's house, but when her friend answers the door, she insists everything's fine. She doesn't know anything about the message. Saffy can tell something's not right, but after looking around the house, she can't think of anything else she can do.

Six hours later, Saffy gets a knock on the door. It's the police. Leona is missing, with her young child. There's blood everywhere.

And Saffy was the last one to see them alive...

This book was a bit of a slow burn after such a strong start , but there is still lots of twists and turns , to keep you on your toes. I liked having everyone’s POV throughout the book.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read an advance copy.

My to thanks to Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Message Deleted’ written by K L Slater in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

While attending an interview, Saffy receives a message from her best friend Leona but when she reads it a second time the message has been deleted. She leaves the interview to get to her best friend but when the door is opened Leona says she didn’t send the message and knows nothing about it. Later on two police officers visit Saffy saying that Leona, her husband Ash and daughter Rosie have disappeared and there’s blood in the house and as Saffy was the last person to see them they suspect her of being involved in their disappearance. As the police want to blame an innocent person, Saffy will do whatever it takes to find her best friend and God-daughter.

‘Message Deleted’ is a tense thriller that commences with a deleted message and three missing people and has a thought-provoking plot that’s easy to read and impossible to put down. The story is gripping and grows more tense as it progresses, and together with an abundance of drama, intrigue and suspense I’ve been totally involved and read it in twenty-four hours. I’m slightly disappointed by the number of twists and turns in the final pages that I found slightly confusing and difficult to follow, but nevertheless this is another excellent thriller by one of my favourite authors and I have no hesitation in commending it.

This is a gripping thriller that is full of twists. It kept me hooked from the start. I highly recommend it.

Such a good read. Lots of twists and turns. Thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Not an author I have heard of before but would definitely read another.
A few typo's here and there and at one point a name change but other than that a good book.

Sadly really didn’t enjoy this book.
The writing didn’t grab me, it was just uncomfortable.
Found the characters frustrating and a little unrealistic, I just don’t think this one is for me.
The story around the friendship of Saffy and Leona I thought would be interesting, but I couldn’t relate.
I’m sure that there are many out there who love this book!!
Thank you NetGalley for the early read.

Overall 4.5 stars.
While Saffy attends a very important job interview she receives 3 disturbing text messages from her best friend Leona.
Can't speak...Don't text or call....Please just come.
But after recieving these messages it is followed by..
This message was deleted...This message was deleted...This message was deleted.
Saffy leaves her job interview to go to Leona's home, who doesn't know anything about these messages. Only to find hours later the police turn up at Saffys door to inform her that Leona and her family are now missing.
And Saffy was the last one to see her..

I enjoy this authors work. When I got this Advanced readers copy I was so excited to start it.
Written in multiple POV and timeline.
Twist after twist that had my heart racing. A good thriller with some creepy moments and lots of shocking twists that had me on the edge of my seat and jaw to the floor.

I highly recommend this book to others who enjoy psychological thrillers with shocking twists along the way. A good suspense read.

I received an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good but frustrating book to read. The characters were well written and the plot was clever. However, the central character Saffy, did some very stupid things that made me either want to shout or stop reading. I did finish the book, but it was touch and go!

Message Deleted by K. L. Slater is a thriller with a compelling premise. While the plot is well-constructed and free of major holes, the predictability of the red herrings diminishes the suspense. The obviousness of who isn’t guilty makes it relatively easy to deduce the actual culprit early on, which detracts from the tension that a thriller should maintain.

The characters in Message Deleted are a mixed bag. Some are insufferably shallow, with limited personality traits and motivations, making it hard to connect with them or find their actions believable.

Despite these flaws, K. L. Slater’s talent as an author shines through in her ability to craft a coherent storyline. While Message Deleted may not be her best work, it still is a decent read for fans of psychological thrillers. If a reader wants something that isn't too mentally taxing this is for you. Fans of Slater might still find it worth a read, even if it doesn't quite match the levels of her other novels.

A slow burner but still a good thriller with plenty of twists and turns to keep you gripped.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Saffy is a data manager, late thirties, divorced. Polly (21) is her sister, currently a university student. Their parents are dead and Saffy promised her mother that she would always keep Polly safe. Three years ago Saffy saved Polly when she was being attacked; Polly seems to have got over this but Saffy was traumatised and had a breakdown. A consequence of this is that her ex-husband, Neil, has sole custody of their young son, Fox, and lets her have very limited access. Saffy should have been able to rely on her lifelong friend, Leona, for support but they are not so close anymore (although Saffy is godmother to Leona’s young daughter, Rosie) and we are given to suspect that this is down to Leona’s husband, Ash, who may be coercively controlling his wife. Nevertheless, when Saffy receives three short texts from Leona, which are instantly deleted, she rushes round only to find that Leona knows nothing of the messages. Saffy leaves and goes off to collect her son from school (she has a two-hour window with him on Thursdays) and takes him home for dinner with her and Polly. Two hours later, two police detectives turn up and tell her that Ash, Leona and Rosie have all disappeared, leaving the house unlocked and dinner over-cooking in the oven. As the last person to see them, Saffy is a person of interest, and is whisked off to the police station leaving Polly and Fox abandoned on the pavement as the house is searched. Saffy is soon the chief suspect.
To enjoy any work of fiction requires what Coleridge called “the willing suspension of disbelief”. This applies particularly to murder-mysteries and thrillers. The plot is likely to be intrinsically implausible and some of the characters will behave irrationally, riskily, stupidly, or duplicitously, but the reader must be able to believe that these events are real, that these characters are behaving in ways consistent with what they will eventually be revealed to be. I struggled to believe the story which unfolds here, there are too many anomalous actions which I can’t describe because they would all be spoilers. However, as an example, I have noted above some actions by the police which would not happen. The initial premise of the plot is that messages were sent then deleted so that Saffy could not prove they were the reason she went to the house. This is quite difficult to do and the police would have been able to recover them from Saffy’s phone. Leaving aside these various anomalies, the plot is quite interesting, there are a number of twists which are surprising, the final solution is sensible and there is a good level of tension. The final exposition is, I felt, unnecessarily long. So it’s a not bad plot, undemanding as a casual read, with a lot of anomalous behaviours. I’m giving it 3 stars as a round up from something like 2.75.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

Saffy and her younger sister Poppy were victims of something almost 3 years ago that we (the reader) read on to find out, whatever happened then plays a part in what is happening now. After the loss of both their parents Saffy raised Poppy and went on to marry Neil and have a son Fox. Now estranged from her husband and worried about her best friend Leona and her abusive marriage, Saffy feels her mental health spiralling. She receives 3 messages from Leona;
Can’t speak
Don’t text or call
Please come
The messages are quickly deleted and After Saffy races to the house leona denies all knowledge of sending them but a few hours later Leona,, her husband and daughter are all missing without a trace.

This kicked off well but then was a bit of a slow burn I found but then once the twists start dropping it becomes much more intense and I really couldn’t work out where it was going. This is a whodunnit, psychological thriller that will keep you guessing. The story weaves together in past and present from the pov of Saffy, Poppy and Leona and it’s easy to follow with good character build up.

Many thanks to NetGalley, publisher and author for my eARC in exchange for my honest review

This was a great read. I never knew who to trust - it felt like the unreliable narrative was going well, this is the first I’ve read by this author. Thank you for the opportunity