I had just finished a series of books where every relationship was toxic and most of the men nasty controlling types , so i was a bit disappointed to find another in this novel as i could have done with a change. However there was a lot more to this book with many life long secrets kept from friends and siblings and lots of overlapping plots.
And what a start! The intriguing "message deleted" getting Saffy rushing to go and help her long time best friend leona thinking she is in danger only to find things surprisingly normal at face value.
Then when Leona, Ash and daughter Rosie go missing Saffy falls under suspicion.
Saffy and her sister Poppy are tied together by traumatic events in the past and i thought their relationship was very realistic with both of them having been left very insecure. I also liked the description of Saffy and Leona's friendship over the years.
The police feature relatively little in the book and the rest of the characters take it upon themselves to try and find leona and her missing family.
It is a very good psychological thriller , fast paced and i had not trouble reading it in three nights.
thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This had me hooked from the start. Lots of layers, twists and had me turning those pages to watch it unfold. With characters you love to hate, secrets and lies I just couldn't put this down

This story was not quite as gripping as her past books, but definitely worth a read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers.

"Message Deleted" by KL Slater is just what I want in a thriller: pacy, page-turner with lots of twists and turns. The book had me gripped from the beginning and every character was a suspect in my mind. Ok, some of the relationships were questionable but hey this is a great book so I don't care.

Good read. A woman gets messages from her friend saying she’s in danger at home. However, when she rushes round there to help her friend denies all knowledge and the messages have been deleted. What is going on?! Interesting plot and characters you care about. Recommended.

With many thanks to Netgalley for this free arc and I am leaving this unbiased review voluntarily
Overloaded with tension and suspense this is a riveting read. I was hooked from the opening chapter as the author took me on an addictive and twisty ride. The chapters were well worked as it went through different timelines which added to the suspense and intrigue. Maybe slightly unbelievable at the end but this was still a cracking read so just go with the flow! 4.5⭐️

This is a gripping thriller - loads of twists, just what you expect from KL Slater (allbeit some annoying and inaccurate views on how the courts would handle child arrangements)
Saffy is mid interview when she gets a text from her best friend Leona - can’t speak, don’t text, just come - she drops everything and races over to Leona’s house. Halfway there the message disappears. Leona swears she knows nothing about the message, leaving Saffy perplexed. Saffy leaves after being reassured that all is well but she isn’t convinced. A short while later she is proved right when the police turn up on her doorstep to tell her that Leona, Ash, her husband and her daughter Rosie are missing in suspicious circumstances and that she is very much a person of interest in their investigation.
This is the beginning of Saffy’s nightmare

This was... fine.
A relatively entertaining whodunit, however I won't be rushing to read any other books by this author. I didn't enjoy the writing style, which was present tense and largely involved telling rather than showing. None of the characters were in the least bit likeable and they all made the stupidest of decisions, including the totally incompetent police.

As a K L Slater fan I was looking forward to this book and I wasn't disappointed
Lots of twists and turns I finished this in a few days

The butterfly effect, plot twists, plot turns nd a great thriller of a read. Is it perfect - no. Did it keep my interest - yes.

Message Deleted opens very promisingly. It's an interesting premise = what would YOU do if a friend and her small child went missing? There's sympathy for Saffy and her predicament, and the story is a good one, but things quickly begin to slide...
I couldn't accept that anyone would act like Saffy does, even under pressure? The information she keeps from the police, talking to the media, her investigations trying to find out more about the disappearance; none of it rings true and that undermines confidence in Message Deleted as a novel. Perhaps I could overlook the faults if they made a great book, however at the end of the day Message Deleted is spoiled for me by the writing and major doubts about the accuracy of police and legal procedures.
The language grates (we're in Nottingham UK but we have "flashlights" instead of torches and "purse" for a handbag), the child's chatter feels all wrong, and too much of the dialogue is stilted and clumsy ("successfully knocking the knife out of ....'s hand" and "...as she tries, unsuccessfully, to scratch and pummel his face". The writing simply isn't tight or sharp enough.
And I'm no legal expert, but would someone arrested and charged with murder being allowed out on bail the same day? Would someone in custody awaiting trial be allowed visitors who would likely be appearing in court as witnesses? Could the police "dismiss" charges or would that be the CPS or a court? I also had my doubts about the main bad guy facing additional charges of "assault" and "actual bodily harm" when the severe nature of the injuries and the intent behind them would surely warrant more serious charges such as attempted murder, wounding with intent or grievous bodily harm?
So, all in all, a good story, but for me rather poorly told.

When Saffie receives an urgent message from her friend Leona, which is then deleted, suspecting she needs help Saffie rushes to her friend’s home to see what she can do. However, on arrival, Leona seems fine and says she hasn’t sent the message.

When the family mysteriously disappear, as Saffie is the last person to see them, the police arrive at her door to investigate what happened. This is the beginning of a gripping, fast paced thriller which keeps you glued to the page. There are events from Saffie’s past which gradually unfold, and Leona’s husband seems devious and controlling.

The story is set mainly from two perspectives and viewpoints, which gives a more rounded account of the main characters and secrets from the past. Well written, this is a roller coaster ride, full of twists and turns, exploring the background of various characters, making you consider who the perpetrator could be. The author really gets inside the characters, and you feel empathy for Saffy and her sister Poppy. The tension increases as the story unfolds.

This is the first book by K L Slater which I’ve read, and thoroughly enjoyed.

A thrilling fast paced mystery with a unique protagonist in Saffy who is fierce yet highly vulnerable. Loads of twists and turns that I didn't forsee and an insightful exploration into toxic female friendship. I thoroughly enjoyed Message Deleted and raced through it to find out what had happened to the missing family.

Firstly thank you to netgalley for the opportunity to read this.
So I was intrigued and gripped from the description of this book and I was not left disappointed.
Definitely a page turner.
What would you do if your waiting to go into a job interview and your best friend since you were in high school sends you three messages “can’t talk” “don’t text or call” “please just come” then within seconds your left with this message has been deleted!! Saffy don’t like leonas husband so she instantly thinks something bad has happened. Upon arrival Leona don’t know anything about any messages that was sent to saffy! Something does not add up! Then saffy gets news that Leona, ash and Rosie are missing.
Every character has a motive to want to get rid of Leona or ash (the husband) therefore everyone is a suspect!!
Told from different times and pov of the main characters which adds to the suspense of the storyline.
Saffy is very overprotective of her sister poppy and her best friend Leona and at first your thinking “this woman is overbearing and annoying” but we find out the reasons behind it all.

If you like a heavily interwoven thriller with a great deal of female perspective then this is one for you. The initial 'hook', a troubling text message received at the most inopportune moment, at the start of a job interview, kicked the whole saga off. Saffy became immediately concerned for her best friend's wellbeing, rushing from the interview to find out what was going on.
There are very few clues for the reader throughout the novel to grasp what's going on so there's quite a debrief at the conclusion. This I found rather annoying and not at all immersive. The novel has at it's nub the idea that from a couple of lies early on in one's life, a veritable butterfly effect can ensue. The sad thing was, that this was only revealed towards the end.

Message Deleted is a gripping psychological thriller that metaphorically, kept me on the edge of my seat! The story centers around Saffy, who receives a frantic message from her best friend Leona, only for it to be deleted moments later. When Leona and her family subsequently disappear, Saffy finds herself having to uncover the truth and clear her name.

While some twists might be a tad predictable, the writing is engaging and the story is exciting; the characters, especially Saffy, are well developed and relatable,

This book is perfect for fans of psychological thrillers and mystery novels who appreciate a story that keeps them guessing!

Fantastic book. Never saw the twists and turns coming. Friends from a young age Leona and saffy have drifted apart, due to Leona husband and different lifestyles.
Poppy, saffys younger sister is living a hedonistic student life style after surviving a vicious attack 3 years ago..
Leoana, husband Ash and young daughter Poppy disappear, just after saffy had turned up in response to urgent texts that where then deleted.
Suspected by the police and endangering contact with the own young son, saffy takes risks to prove her innocence.

The book crossed my path and I could not walk by! It sounded so intriguing, it hooked me even before I’d picked the book up! And wow could I not read this fast enough!

Driven by the intense need to get to the bottom of this story, I ate up the pages like it was my job. It was easy to loose yourself into the one more chapter trap, and they were short enough to keep thinking ‘just one more’ until I was done! It also made my train journey go extra fast so I can attest for its entertainment factor.

I was certainly kept guessing with this and with Saffy trying to get to the bottom of the mystery before she went down for something that she didn’t do, it was a race against time to clear her name. I didn’t guess how it was going to end and it was a satisfying conclusion to an enticing story.

I always get excited when the author releases a new book. I love the way she writes and her characters are always believable, I usually finish them in a couple of days. This one was readable and I enjoyed it but it didn't feel as gripping as her usual stories do. So while this one wasn't my favourite I will still get excited when a new one comes out!

Thank you for the advance copy in exchange of a review

A beautifully crafted thriller about Saffy who receives a message from her best friend Leona asking for help. When the message is deleted and Leona and her family go missing, Saffy and her sister Poppy are drawn into a twisted search for the truth. With plenty of traumas in their pasts, the characters are complex and flawed. Although this wasn’t the fastest of reads for me, I was engaged with the plot and eager to discover the truth. A great book by an author who never disappoints.

Thank you to the K.L. Slater, the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy.