Another great novel by K L Slater, suspense, drama, murder, disappearances - all in all a gripping read and its great for holiday season. Plenty of substories and background relationships which come together to culminate in a great ending. Recommended!

This was a brilliant read. An absolute page turner with a plot that kept me guessing until the end. This is going to be high on my recommended reads.
Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an early read.

I really enjoyed reading this book

There were times I was shouting at the main character for doing the things she did, but I totally understood and felt empathy for her.

The throw back chapters gave away to me who was involved in the twist, so that wasn’t a huge surprise

I felt anger at Neil, her ex husband and his new partner Mira for the way they treated her and huge respect for Saffy at the end when she forgave them both, showing she was much stronger than he believed

I enjoyed the build up to this story and the suspense around the disappearance of the family. A slow burn with twists and turns it kept me reading and wanting to no what happened. Saffy was a great character who POV left you wandering who to trust. But the end just fell a bit flat for me and didn't live up the the build up of the characters and plot.
Thanks Netgalley for the arc.

What a shame! I was so looking forward to this, as, the premise is an excellent one. A woman receives a few texts from her friend…..along the lines of “ please come immediately, don’t call”….then, they disappear.

The main character of Saffy is going through a bad time following an attack, she then lost custody of her son and is trying to get her life back on track. So far, so good. Unfortunately, I found the characters frustrating and one dimensional and the storyline seemed to plod, rather than romp.

Overall, it’s an ok read, just, for me, a disappointing one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph Penguin Random House for the opportunity to preview.

So many twists and turns in this book I thought I had it figured out at least twice to get it wrong again. Very easy to read and couldn't put it down

I enjoyed this book, but felt the storyline was a bit forced. It never really seemed to ring true, so it was difficult to immerse myself in it fully. It would be a good holiday book.

Every so often you get a book that once you start it you really look forward to being able to read it. This was one of those books for me - absolutely gripping and lots of evenings where I was later going to sleep than planned because I just needed “one more chapter!” An awesome psychological thriller with more twists and turns than a high speed rollercoaster! I loved this book and am looking forward to reading more by KL Slater (once I’ve caught up on my sleep! Ha ha!).

I have to admit I don’t have very much to say about this book. It’s a very quick easy read but without much substance or any particularly likeable characters. The lead character Saffy is too dozy to be worthy of having a book written about her and the worse than thoughtless decisions she repeatedly makes.

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.
After she reads the message is says message deleted. When Saffy gets to Leona's house she tells her that everything is fine and that she didn't sent her the message. A few hours later the police turn up and tell Saffy that Leona is missing, she was the last person to see her alive, where is she?
A slow start but picks up one you start.

When Leona messages Saffy asking for help, her friend is initially intrigued but then alarmed when the message is immediately deleted. She goes to check that her friend is ok, but a short time later Leona goes missing and Saffy finds that she is blamed for her disappearance.

This was a real edge of your seat read, pacey, compelling and absolutely brilliant. Couldn't put it down!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

As usual k l slater keeps you gripped from page 1. This time round the true story takes quite a while to get going. The characters pov gives this the hook along with red herrings along the way. This is multiple subplots over multiple timelines that come together to set up the mystery of where has the family gone.
I loved the mystery and the multipke storyline to show how and possibly why this happened. I did gueese the true plot but this was a pleasure to read. The characters were complicated abd flawed and there was emotion in their point of view. It dealt with tough issues in a skillful way.
Thank you netgallery and publisher and author 4 5 stars rounded up to 5 perfect for fans of a good character driven mystery

My first K L Slater book but definitely not my last! I thoroughly enjoyed this clever story which was well written with lots of twists and turns. I suspected just about everyone at some point! The story is told from several POV with a fascinating backstory but was easy to follow. Most of the characters were flawed and not all very likeable but they did feel realistic and relatable. The pacing of the book kept me turning the pages and not wanting to put it down.

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..............

This was enough to pique my interest in this latest psychological thriller from K L Slater, and although it started off well, it was a slow burner that never really set alight.
I didn't really care for any of the characters, the plot was unrealistic and the police investigation left a lot to be desired.
That said, a lot of people have enjoyed the book so I may just be in the minority.
I didn't hate it, it was just ok.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review. I was absolutely hooked by this book from the very beginning. A very intriguing and well thought out story that all came together really well. It definitely kept me on the edge of my seat throughout and had quite a few surprises along the way. I will definitely be watching out for more from this author in future. Highly recommended. 5 stars.

Snappy..
When Saffy recieves a text message from a friend which is almost instantly deleted, she later discovers that her friend claims to know nothing about it. When this same friend disappears in sinister circumstances, the police come knocking. Suspenseful, twisty and fuelled by tension, this is an unexpected tale which snakes well between past and present. Fast paced and snappy.

From the moment I read the blurb to the very last chapter I was hooked. I kept trying to guess what happened but when you finally find out I was shocked.

K.L Slater is a mainstay of the genre who never disappoints for me and I'm thrilled to say Message Deleted was no different.

I'm used to the general twists and turns of a mystery thriller but things were a little more complicated and hidden this time. There's no big 'third act reveal', instead it's a slow and creeping thread that's twisted throughout the chapters, in such an expert way that you barely notice it until it reaches crescendo and suddenly all the pieces of the puzzle fit.

It took a little while to get going for me, but I will 100% say it's worth the background scene setting and the initial misdirection.

Thanks to NetGalley for this one.. a very fast paced read!

Now this book isn't perfect, and I had mostly predicted the outcome in the first third of the book. But, it was a very fast paced, thrilling read! For much of the book,.you don't know where to out your loyalties which I think actually was the best bit.. this was also mostly plausible I feel, which adds to the enticement!

Another intriguing blurb, another disappointing delivery.

Saffy is at a job interview when she receives some worrying messages from her best friend Leona, asking her not to ring, but to come immediately. When Saffy gets there, Leona is fine and claims to have no knowledge of any messages. However, hours later, Leona, her husband and her child are all missing, and the police have found blood in the house and Saffy was the last person to see them all.

My main issue with Message Deleted, is that I found Saffy beyond irritating. I really struggled to feel anything other than exasperated by another protagonist making stupid decisions. I think novels without a likeable protagonist need to have something else to keep a reader interested, and Message Deleted just didn’t have it.

The potential was there, and it’s a shame that such a good idea had such a poor payoff. I know it was supposed to be a slow burn, but there’s slow burn and then there’s just a story that drags and becomes dull. I was expecting moments of high tension but all I got was insane plot holes that just didn’t make sense and an unrealistic police investigation. I also found the climax of the story even more poorly written and was very clunky and awkward to read.

This is my third two-star review for this author, so I think it’s safe to say that this author isn’t for me.