I love this authors work and writing style and Message Deleted was another addictive and tension filled read. A great plotline with brilliant characters, plenty of twists to keep you on the edge of your seat.

A great read.

"Can't speak...don't call or text...pls just come..."

In recent years, Saffy's life has gone into freefall. Once married to dependable Neil and mother to the delightful Fox, it all came unravelling apart three years ago when she walked in on something unexpected. And has since been unable to move on. Everyone else has, but Saffy. Her marriage fell apart and Neil filed for full custody. She didn't contest because she knew she wasn't a fit parent and that Fox deserved better than what she could (or couldn't) provide.

Three years later and Saffy's life is on the up. She underwent treatment for her mental health, bought a half share of a house and is at this moment sitting in the waiting room for an interview as a data analyst. Neil has even agreed to a whole weekend visit with Fox - unsupervised. Nothing could spoil her mood today.

Until it does...

Leona has been Saffy's friend for as long as she can remember. Even when Leona didn't make the wisest of choices, Saffy was always there for her best friend. And then she met Ash. And only as Leona can, falls head over heels for him and elopes with him in Majorca. But there's something about Ash that Saffy doesn't like, doesn't trust. And it seems the feeling is mutual because Saffy has been excommunicated from her friend's house.

Then just moments before she's to walk into her interview, Saffy receives a text message from Leona.

"Can't speak...don't call or text...pls just come...",/b>

And then just like that, the message is deleted. What? Why? Saffy can't concentrate on her interview and leaves abruptly, hailing a taxi and hurrying to her friend's place. Something is wrong. Saffy can feel it. But when she arrives, Leona opens the door surprised by her friend's sudden appearance...and more to the point, denying all knowledge of the texts!

Something is wrong. Saffy can feel it. Maybe hubby Ash's presence prevented her friend from confiding in her? Who knows? But six hours later, there is a knock on Saffy's door with two detectives informing her that Ash, Leona and 5 year old Rosie have all disappeared. And Saffy was the last person to see them!

What ensues is a police investigation focused on Saffy being the last one to see the family and honing in her as their prime suspect. But Saffy didn't do this. And yet she is the only suspect.

Only a handful of characters in this psychological whodunnit, but boy, you will have your work cut out sifting through each of them trying to work out which one of them is the villain. The story unfolds in the past and present over the course of various timelines leading up to the big reveal. We hear from Saffy, her sister Poppy and from Leona as well. Three women with three different perspectives and agendas. And boy, did I want to shout at Saffy for the stupid decisions she made and slap Poppy who was so obviously indulged by their mother from an early age. And Leona? My goodness, the woman walked from one disastrous relationship into another.

And yet the story kept me glued to the pages and had me devouring this read in less than a day, despite its 400 pages. This is my 18th read of Kim's thrillers so I know how she likes to throw us off the path but I was still entangled in the brambles that still lay there! I did guess the ending as it approached as suddenly things began to fall into place.

Overall, an entertaining and intriguing read that kept me engaged throughout with plenty of twists, tense moments and never a dull moment!

I would like to thank #KLSlater, #Netgalley and #PMJBooks for an ARC of #MessageDeleted in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

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 . . .

I really wanted to love this book but I found all of the characters (aside from the kids) bloody annoying. I found Leona to be unlikeable and Saffy to be unbearable. I thought the premise was really good and I did enjoy the suspense and the switch in time and narratives.

Saffy is sitting waiting to get called into an interview when she receives a text from her best friend Leona. It is a cry for help. But then, very oddly, the text vanishes, showing as message deleted. Concerned for her friend, Saffy rushes around to her house, only to find her absolutely fine, and insisting she knows nothing about the text. Confused Saffy heads home. Then Leona and her children vanish. There is blood found at the scene and Saffy is the last person to have seen them. She becomes the prime suspect, and she doesn’t understand what is going on.

Saffy is legal guardian to her younger sister Poppy, who is 11 years younger. She was always treated more favourably since she was born, shortly after their father died. She continues to live a sheltered life while Saffy lives a life of anxiety, driven by her upbringing, and her notion of the burden of responsibility she has for Poppy. Saffy experienced a mental health crisis, followed by a divorce which saw her husband get full custody of her son. She is struggling to cling on to work, visitation rights with her son, and maintaining her sanity.

She is being pushed to the edge already with her ex-husband getting engaged to the nanny, (who is living in her former house with her son), struggling to find a good job, and stressing about her younger sister. Now her friend is missing and she is the prime suspect. The story unfolds through Saffy’s eyes, and a series of flashbacks. We start to see what the motive for the abduction could be, learn more about Saffy and Leona and their friendship, and why Leona would have reached out with such a dramatic message. Can Saffy keep it together long enough to find out what happened to Leona?

This started out as an interesting read as it was an interesting premise. It was a little far fetched, but we go with it. As the story starts to develop you begin to feel for Saffy, life is just hammering her down. We want to know what happened to Leona. As it progresses, things just fall apart in the story for me a little bit too much, and things become a little too disjointed from the first part of the story. It felt a bit rushed and a bit thrown at you at times. Overall a good read, interesting idea, but stretched at times.

*I received this book for review from NetGalley, but all opinions are my own.

I truly enjoyed this! It kept me interested throughout and I really liked the writers style! I liked that it got into the plot immediately too! I will definitely be looking out for more by this author!

📖 ARC Review

Message Deleted by K.L. Slater
Michael Joseph, 18th July 2024

In this psychological thriller, Saffy receives an unsettling text message from her best friend, Leona. Leona needs her help. Then, strangely, the text message disappears. Saffy rushes round to see Leona, who insists she is fine and knows nothing about the mysterious text. But Saffy's curiosity is piqued, and her unease is well depicted as shivers begin to run down my spine.

Then, Leona and her children vanish. There is blood at the scene, but a panicked Saffy has no clue what could have happened. The slow build-up to this devastating event is delightful, the twists and shocks gleeful and the characters believable. Great stuff.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to K.L. Slater and Michael Joseph for providing an eARC via NetGalley; this is my unbiased review.

#MessageDeleted #KLSlater #MichaelJoseph #PsychologicalThriller #NetGalley #ARC #ARCRead

"Message Deleted" is an unsettling psychological thriller that begins with a panicked, partially deleted text from Saffy's lifelong friend, Leona. When Saffy rushes to help her, she finds herself at the center of a mystery—Leona and her family have vanished without a trace, and Saffy is the prime suspect.

Saffy is a relatable protagonist, balancing family strain, trauma, and her own insecurities. Through flashbacks, the reader gains insight into her past, which adds complexity to her character. The sibling dynamic between Saffy and Poppy is particularly poignant, providing an emotional depth that enriches the narrative.

While the story is engaging, I found the pacing uneven at times. The slow build-up contrasts with the thrilling twists, which, though effective, left the ending feeling slightly disjointed. Despite this, Slater’s skillful storytelling and intricate plotting kept me hooked and guessing until the final pages.

Overall, Message Deleted is a suspenseful read, filled with psychological tension and unexpected turns. Fans of twisty thrillers will find much to enjoy here.

This as with all of k .l slater books was amazing so many twists and turns you will be up all night k. L slater is the queen of thrillers and plot twists

Thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for my advanced copy in exchange for a review. Some good plot twists but found the ending to be a bit of a cop out. Especially enjoyed the Nottingham depictions as I'm a Notts lass.

2 stars

This had a really interesting premise and the description of the story and first few chapters did really draw me in. However, it was very slow paced and drawn out. I am also not a fan of books that reveal random important information really late in the story as a 'twist'. My preference for thrillers and mysteries is that you can work it out along the way or join the dots after the reveal. However I feel I was just told the ending at the end, if that makes sense. I think it also got a bit silly at times storyline-wise. The plot and characters felt over the top and the main character's POV was just judgy and long winded.

Overall I did find it entertaining and I did finish it, however I do not think I would remember the plot. I think this was just a bit of a miss for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Gripping and great read about Saffy, who gets a message that her friend needs her which is swiftly deleted…..she goes round urgently all seems to be fine, and then her friend and family go missing. Twists and turns and great characters with an easy to follow plot. Highly recommend!

Excellent book. I couldn't put it down. Filled with surprises and twists and turns as always with this author. I think the title was so clever and the story unfolded so well. I love how it moves through different times and how it changed characters perspectives so regularly. Highly recommended.

I did enjoy this book. It started off very well with a lot of interest. Towards the end it got a bit messy.
Overall a good story even though it felt rather unrealistic.
Thanks to NetGalley.

I enjoyed this book and thanks to NetGalley for my early copy. There was good writing and characters, with plenty of twists in the storyline.

This had me gripped and up until the early hours. Just couldn’t put it down. I never give spoilers in my reviews but I will recommend if I think it’s a cracker!! Go buy & go read!!

Fantastic book , kept me hooked from beginning to end , such a great page turner . I have read many books by this author and they are all so good. I love a book that keeps you guessing right to the end and this certainly did not disappoint. Great story and characters. Highly recommend reading this book.

K.L. Slater’s Message Deleted is an unsettling psychological thriller that hooked me from the synopsis. When Saffy receives a mysterious, deleted text from her life-long friend Leona, she rushes to help, only for Leona and her family to disappear shortly after. As the police start to suspect Saffy, her world begins to unravel.

The novel alternates between the present day and flashbacks to Saffy and Leona’s past, slowly revealing their complicated friendship. Saffy’s character is relatable, navigating trauma, family strain, and her desperate attempts to maintain control of her life. The sibling dynamic with her younger sister, Poppy, adds emotional depth and felt believable.

Whilst I found the pacing quite slow, the story’s twists and suspense kept me engaged, although I felt the ending was a little disjointed. Overall, Message Deleted offers a solid, twisty read that will appeal to fans of psychological thrillers.

Rating: 4/5
N.B. A trigger warning might’ve been nice for people who have been in abusive relationships or have dealt with psychological abuse.

Unsettling and twisty read.

Saffy is just about to enter a job interview when she receives panicked messages from her best friend, Leona, which are instantly deleted. Sick with worry, she rushes to help, only to find she denies sending the messages.

The next thing she knows, Leona has disappeared along with her family, and the police have their sights set on Saffy as their number one suspect.

Saffy's sister, Poppy, is 11 years younger and was treated much more favourably ever since she was born shortly after their father died. She continues to be carefree and entitled while Saffy is filled with anxiety prompted by years of conditioning. When their mother died, Saffy became Poppy's legal guardian, a responsibility which she takes very seriously, and which Poppy is impatient to escape.

Having experienced a mental health crisis which was followed by a divorce, Saffy is desperately trying to cling onto her job and to continue being allowed to see her son. Her ex-husband is now engaged to the nanny, living in their former home, and Saffy seems to have little control over her own life, while the former nanny can do no wrong. The continued police interest puts everything that matters to her in jeopardy, while she is consumed with desperately worrying about her friend and young daughter.

Through a series of flashbacks, as well as uncovering the motive for the abduction, we learn about Saffy and Leona's school days and how they came to drift apart.

I loved this book. It grabbed me from the first paragraph and it didn't let go. Loved the plot, the characters and it has plenty of twists and turns. I have loved all of this authors books, I can't wait for the next.

This book was a very enjoyable read. Gripped me from the beginning and I couldn’t put it down. Many thanks for the arc!