An amazing psychological thriller that had me on the edge of my seat!

A worrying text that was sent … but was it?

I really liked Saffy and her determination to get to the bottom of the mystery of the text and what happened to Leona and her family. However, I wanted to get into the book and shake some sense into her at times. You see a split POV presenting past and present day which was great to add suspense and information to the story.

Being my first book from this author, I was pleasantly surprised at how brilliantly she is able to write and capture the readers attention.

Thank you to Netgalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House | Michael Joseph for the arc of Message Deleted by K.L. Slater

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟- another perfect book written by K L Slater if you loved her previous books you'll love this so suspenseful and twisty and had me gripped

Saffy is about to go into a job interview when she gets a trail of text messages from her friend Leona. The messages ask for Saffy to come quick, tell no one and don’t call back.

Then as soon as Saffy reads them, the messages are deleted.

Unable to focus on her interview and immediately concerned for the safety of her friend, who she suspects is being bullied and controlled by her husband, Saffy heads over to Leona’s house, only to be met by Leona - who claims to know absolutely nothing at all about the messages.

As the story progresses, we learn more about Saffy’s past, the incident that shaped the last few years of both her and her sister’s lives, Saffy’s friendship with Leona and the breakdown of her marriage to Neil.

I was desperate to understand more about why Saffy behaved the way she did, what had led to her husband having sole custody of her small son, why her friendship with so-called best friend Leona was so fractured and I was sometimes frustrated with the fact that it was taking time for these things to be revealed - always the sign of a good mystery - but the pacing was excellent and not at all contrived in the way some mysteries can be.

I think the reveal was quite good, certainly unexpected, but on balance, perhaps there could have been just a bit more in the story to lead us towards what had actually happened. Although I don’t think anyone would have seen where it was going.

What I particularly liked was that once we found out what had happened we got some insight into how and why and then also what happened next, which sometimes doesn’t happen.

All in all, a very enjoyable read, just the right amount of suspense and some good characters. Definitely read it if you enjoy suspense and a bit of mystery.

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.