It took me some time to get into this book but once it got going I did enjoy it for the most part. I did find the police procedure very frustrating and thought they were pretty useless overall. I did like the twists and surprises that came in the latter part of the book and was on the edge of my seat at one point during those final chapters. Unfortunately I didn't particularly like any of the characters but was intrigued to see the outcome of this thriller which wound things up fairly well. I have read and loved all of this author's books but I have to say this one was not my favourite. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

This was a slow burner for me, so took a while to get into it. Interesting concept but I found some of the police questioning and procedures a bit far fetched. Don't get me wrong, it's a good story, just not one of the author's best.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced digital copy in return for an honest review.

Saffy and Leona have been friends since childhood and they are the keeper of each others secrets. When Saffy receives concerning text messages from Leona which are later deleted by the sender, she becomes concerned for her welfare. But on visiting her, Leona convinces her everything is fine. But then Leona goes missing along with her husband Ash and her daughter Rosie. What follows is a taut thriller with plenty of twists and turns. Lots of secrets are uncovered. Saffy becomes prime suspect in the investigation, but what does she really know?
This was the first book I’ve read by this author and I am really impressed. It was fast paced and the character development was solid.

I really enjoyed reading this book, so much so that I read it in one sitting. I couldn't put it down. I enjoyed all the twists and turns and the suspense the author created. I thought I had worked out who the killer was but I was proved wrong. Thanks for a great read.

Saffy is getting her life back on track after her divorce and losing custody of her young son. As she's about to attend an interview for a job, she gets three text messages from her best friend Leona telling her not to text or call but go round to her house. Strangely the messages are all then deleted. Saffy feigns illness to leave the interview and goes to Leona's house. When she arrives Leona denies she's sent the messages and that she, her husband Ashley and daughter Rosie are fine. Saffy leaves to pick up her son from nursery but later is contacted by the police who inform her that Leona and her family have disappeared and there are signs of a struggle and bloodstains in the house. Saffy was reportedly the last person to see the family alive and she's arrested on suspicion of murder.
Told from two points of view and timelines, this was an enjoyable read with several red herrings and twists.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity of reading this book..

The author has created a modern psychological thriller that grips you from the first page.
The chapters alternate between the characters with the book running between two timelines.
The reader gets to know the characters quickly.
Although some sections are slow, there are plenty of twists and turns & just when you think you have solved it, the author gives you evidence to contradict your conclusion.


Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book I have read by this author and it’s safe to say I’m eager to read more!

The pacing of the book did a fantastic job of keeping me on the edge of my seat just long enough to build anticipation without growing tiresome. Though the number of characters and side plots could have become overwhelming and confusing, the author did a great job of making sure the reader could keep up with it all.

I would definitely recommend this book, and in fact already have, as an unputdownable thriller which felt satisfying and intriguing. I finished the book in just a handful of sittings as the pacing meant I was constantly excited to find out more.

I found the storyline quite contrived and predictable which was a shame. It was definitely a holiday read that keeps you going and can be read very quickly. Despite the comments it did keep me engaged to the end.

Oh my god I have not slept and it’s all this books fault! Couldn’t put it down, it’s got that delicious tension building that good thrillers have.

You don’t know who to believe!

Good quick read.

I haven’t read much by K L Slater, but the books that I have, I have thoroughly enjoyed. So I was really excited to receive this proof
this book was a bit of a slow burn for me and took a while for the story to get going.
Once it did, I really enjoyed it. The author threw a few red herring at the reader to reveal the presence of the missing family!

Unfortunately, I did guess one of the twists really early on Whilst it did not ruin my overall experience of the book, the predictability dod slightly annoy me. Maybe I have been reading too many thrillers
other than that, I did really enjoy this book and there were twists that I didn’t guess that had the shock factor. The book was gripping and atmospheric and had all the key components of a good thriller
I am looking forward to reading more of this authors back catalogue

Six hours. That's all it took for a seemingly normal visit to turn Saffy's life into a nightmare. A frantic text, a chilling disappearance, and blood-soaked evidence point straight at her. But Saffy knows something is wrong. Leona, her childhood confidante, wouldn't frame her. Hidden secrets and a dark past rise to the surface as Saffy races to find her friend and clear her own name. A quick 4 star read thank you to Netgalley for an ARC :)

This book was full of suspense.
Although the story starts quite slowly it soon picks up pace as more details are revealed.
A few twists and turns.
The characters were well written, told in a dual timeline and from multiple points of view.

This is definitely an edge-of-your-seat thriller, with some quite scary parts that really built up a lot of tension! But otherwise… for me it was just a bit too silly, the characters too unlikeable, and too many “that makes no sense” moments.

Saffy and Leona have been friends since they were teenagers and Leona moved into Saffy’s home. Lately Leona has become more and more closed off from Saffy and she is worried about her and her controlling new husband, Ash. One day, Saffy is just going into a job interview and she gets some worrying messages from Leona asking her to come straight over and not call, and then the messages are instantly deleted. She heads straight over there but Leona denies all knowledge of the messages. Next thing, Leona, her husband and daughter have all disappeared. And Saffy, the last person to see them, is top of the list of suspects.

Then we have a classic combination of flashbacks to Saffy and Leona’s childhood friendships, hints at numerous secrets and regrets from the past, unreliable narrators left, right and centre, and as much “but that would never be anyone’s actual reaction to that” as you can throw a proverbial stick at.

The end starts wrapping up about half an hour’s reading before the actual end, giving us far too much daftness to erode any chance of remembering the ending as being a good one. It was a surprise for a moment and then just silly upon silly.

Definitely a bit of escapism and not a terrible read, but, for me just a bit overly Scooby Doo.

Message Deleted by KL Slater sees our main character, Saffy, waiting to start a job interview when she receives a text from her best friend…

Can’t speak… don’t text or call… please just come.

The messages are deleted straight away. But when Saffy bails on the interview and arrives at her friend’s house, everything seems fine. Her friend insists she never sent the messages. They’re happy and laughing, cooking dinner, celebrating successes. Confused, Saffy leaves them to it. But later on, the police are calling as the family are missing, leaving the front door open and the dinner in the oven, setting off the fire alarm. Saffy finds herself thrown into the mystery, being the last person to see them.

It took me a while to get into this story but I’m glad I stuck with it as the second half of the book took a big swing in the right direction. I was really hooked with how all of the different flashbacks and characters started to show how they’ve woven together. I would say the ending was a little too perfectly sewn up, and it would have been nice to leave some questions unanswered, but overall a good read.

This book comes out 18.07.24! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Another excellent thriller from K L Slater (Kim)

I loved this great thriller from the kitten of an established writer who doesn't disappoint. From the moment Saffy gets the texts to the final conclusion this is suspense and fun all the way. We'll fun if this is your sort of book, it is mine. Leona her best friend from school days well no story line you can read that in the blurb, but her actions may surprise you when Saffy arrives. Mind for that true of all of the charters, they will probably surprise you at one point or another but then that's what helps as the twist and turns that will keep you guessing.

There are the loveable well not many the wierd and the hmmm I'm not sure of them, this has them all as I hinted it's a great read. The hold on what the dickens (there are more modern words) and the no don't be stupid to the go girl go and ask much to else I loved this read and really hope You do as well. If you like whodunit or Physiological Thrillers this is a must read in my opinion. .

It's another amazing psychological thriller by K.L. Slater. It had me gripped from the start and not wanting to put it down. Love how when you think you have an idea about what has happened a twist comes along.

Thank you K.L. Slater, Michael Joseph Penguin Random House and Netgalley for this ARC. I absolutely loved it.

We meet Saffy at the beginning , a woman trying to put her life back together after a traumatic event led to the breakdown of her marriage with main custody of her son going to his father.

At a job interview, Saffy receives three worrying texts from her oldest friend Leona who she has known from school. The texts urge her to go to her house ASAP however are all quickly deleted by the sender, worried, Saffy exits the interview and heads to Leonas.

Leona answers the door with no knowledge of the messages, Saffy goes in and is warmly greeted by Leonas husband Ash and her daughter Rosie. She is confused by Ash's friendliness as they have never got on and Saffy has good reason to believe he has been abusing her.

Saffy leaves them cooking dinner and returns home only to have the police at her door 6 hours later. Leona, Ash and Rosie have disappeared, the oven still on, the front door wide open and there's blood everywhere. As the last person seen leaving the house, Saffy is a definite person of interest to the police.

With flashbacks to childhood, memories of a previous trauma and complicated relationships, the chapters weave together nicely to wrap up at the end. The ending is slightly far fetched with certain information only coming to light at the very end but I enjoyed getting to know Saffy and her sister Poppy. The characters are all pretty flawed but who isn't?

A nice, light thriller in-keeping with K L Slaters previous novels, I'd recommend.

*3.5 stars*

Saffy and Leona have been friends since childhood, so when Saffy receives a text from her friend saying Can’t speak… don’t text or call… please just come, she doesn’t hesitate to do as she’s asked, even though she was just about to be interviewed for a new job.

Immediately after receiving the text it’s deleted and when Saffy arrives at Leona’s home, she denies sending it!
Six hours later, the police arrive at Saffy’s home saying that Leona and her child Rosie are missing, and apparently there was blood everywhere in the house.

A neighbour reported that she’d seen Saffy leave the house just before the family went missing, which makes her a person of interest.

A bit of a slow burner at times, but there were also some tense moments and twists and turns, so I never quite knew where it was going.

When Leona, her husband Ash and daughter Rosie go missing, Saffy is under suspicion because she was the last person to see them. Saffy's sister Poppy was attacked nearly 3 years ago & Saffy disturbed the attacker. Are the two incidents connected?
Who can Saffy ask for help, she and her husband split up after the attack on Poppy and he has custody of their son. An intense thriller, who is behind everything?

This is my 1st read by this author and it didn't disappoint. I was invested in the characters from the beginning and could see how the dynamics would change. I was hoping that Saffy stayed for her interview and didn't get sucked into the problems of her friend. There were lots of twists and turns and i was kept guessing until almost the end.