Here and Gone is not just tense, it’s intense. From the first page, Haylen Beck had my heart racing. I felt both too scared to continue reading and too scared to stop. In the event, I read on until 300 pages later I reached the end in a single sitting.

Wow what a tense, twisting cleverly written book. I felt every emotion the main character Audra felt and needed a lie down by the end!! Totally unexpected turns in the book which keeps the reader gripped throughout. Great storyline and one that remains with after you have finished the book.

Can you imagine driving with your children and being pulled over by the local sheriff on a lonely Arizona road, taken into custody for a trumped up charge, your children not permitted to stay with you and then at the police station when you ask "Are my children safe?" being told "What children?"

This is the chilling nightmare that Audra Kinney finds herself living in Here and Gone. Locked in a cell she is unable to look for her children, make any phone calls or contact anyone. When the police discover she is running away from New York where her abusive husband is claiming custody of the kids because of her past addictions and history of mental illness, they leak the details to the media and Audra is instantly labelled as a mother who has killed her children. Eventually the FBI get involved in the case but no one will believe that her children were in her car when she was arrested.

Although we, the reader, know where the children are and what is going to happen to them the suspense is highly charged as Audra tries to get someone to believe her. Told from several points of view, including Audra's 11 year old son Sean, the story is a tense race against time and the fate awaiting the children. A great thriller with great characters and an excellent ending!

It stars with a woman called Audra fleeing through Arizona with her children, trying to escape an abusive marriage, after finally getting away from her Husband Audra thinks things are starting to change for the better until she is followed and stopped by the local sheriff and that is where her new nightmare begins!!

once she is stopped by the sheriff at first she thinks its because she has gone on the run with her children and her husband called the police but that soon it soon becomes clear that's not the case , when the sheriff tells Audra that her boot of her car is over loaded and she cant drive on with it like that then as his moving things bout he finds something that he said he found in her boot Audra denies having ever seen it before but the Sheriff arrests Audra and sends for another officer to take the kids somewhere safe! but that is the last time Audra sees of her kids!

after coming under suspicion of killing her children everyone turns on her, after repeatedly telling the police that the last time she saw her kids was when the Sheriff called for another officer to take them somewhere safe but the Sheriff say's there was never any children in the car!! with know one to help her Audra is on her own in small town with know one she can trust! until another man sees her story on the news and sees her story is the same as what happened to his wife when she was driving on her own and was stopped by the police and after was told there was no kid in the car, so he sets out to help Audra and find answers about what happened to his daughter,

i did not want to give to much away in my review but Here And Gone had me hooked from the very first page i could not put the book down it had me on edge it was so tense and gripping, the characters believable the story was so haunting it is every parents worst nightmare! as the story was getting on i just had to keep reading it i stayed up till very late to finish it because i didn't want to go to sleep without knowing what happens next! if i could give this book more then 5 stars id give it 10.. i really loved it.. thank you to publisher and netgalley for my copy!

Omg this had me on the edge of my seat.....constantly!
A fabulous book full of suspense and beautifully written, especially when describing the scenery of Arizona etc.

So can't say much but a woman runs from an abudive husband, and from then on it begins, her kids are taken, she's on the run from more than her husband it seems. A scary book that make sure you really think can this happen, yes it could and that makes it even scarier!!!

I absolutely loved this book it's a must read and I will be recommending it to all of my friends though prepare to do nothing but read for the rest of the day!!!

From the beginning of Haylen Beck's 'Here and Gone', you know something isn't quite right. A very bold start with a devastating turn of events early on is illustrated perfectly with just one quote. You'll know it when you read it.

Audra, wife, mother, sometimes punchbag, is on the run from her abusive husband and his overbearing, interfering, extremely well-off Mother, when she stops for some water & snacks at a petrol station and sees the Sheriff's car. Nervous of the police in case family lawyers have been sent on her trail to take back the children, she is nervous, but relieved when she leaves the station and all seems well. Shortly afterwards, however, the horror begins. The Sheriff follows Audra and pulls her over – from then things very quickly go from bad to worse to downright unbearable, especially when those who are supposed to help Audra become the ones she needs rescuing from. Enter help in the unlikely form of Danny, who endured something similar 5 years ago, and who is determined to get to the bottom of this mystery and those behind it.

The story is narrated by different people, including Audra, and her narrative gives us an invaluable window into the life lived behind closed doors. Audra has a questionable past with drink & prescription drugs and has spent a lot of her young children's lives out of it – are her recollections all they seem to be? Is Patrick, her husband involved somehow, punishing her for taking his children away from him?

What made this book so good for me is twofold – the plot and the characters. Both are brilliant. The plot is chillingly plausible and every parent's nightmare. Audra is a tough cookie, much tougher than she thinks, and Danny is a legend in the making. Sean and Louise are well written and brave in that way that only children can be when they have no clue what is happening. It's a dark book set around a dark subject, and done very well.

I loved this book, I was hooked from the opening chapter and I was done a few hours later – it is genuinely 'un-put-downable!' I can't fault it, it really is the perfect thriller.

This story basically tells my worst nightmare. I couldn't help but race through the pages in hopes of witnessing justice. Readers will not be disappointed.

Stuart Neville translated to the US with a new name and hopefully the start of a new series. I'm not entirely sure why authors use all of these different names (just to confuse us?) but I enjoyed this book and I'll be looking forward to further titles.

Ingeniously plotted, consistently suspenseful thriller. The story concerns Audra who, with her two children is driving across the USA fleeing her husband for a new life in California. Whilst traversing Arizona she is waylaid and arrested by the local sheriff in a small desert town. The plot twist is that when she becomes agitated about the welfare and whereabouts of her children the sheriff, and everybody else, maintain that she was traveling alone. How and why the the situation is resolved slowly becomes clear and leads to a frantic finale.
Thoroughly entertaining with moments of real tension - recommended.

Here and Gone is currently out in Kindle format, but will be published in the hardback edition in August.  Audra Kinney has decided to leave her controlling, abusive husband and his interfering mother at long last, and is driving with her two children from New York across the state to California where she hopes a friend will put them up until she gets herself sorted out.  Audra is understandably nervous, she is worried about her husband and the repercussions of her actions to remove both herself and her children from his life.  When she pulls into a gas station in Arizona for drinks for her two children and sees a police car waiting there, she begins to worry that he has been sent to find her.  However all is fine and Audra continues on her journey.  However it isn't long before she sees the police car behind her and this time his lights are flashing at her for her to pull off the road.  Officer Whiteside tells Audra that the rear end of her car is weighed down too much and that he believes it is not safe for her to continue driving in this manner.  He helpfully agrees to take some of the luggage out of her car, transfer it into his vehicle and follow her to a place to stop for the evening.  Audra agrees, for what else can she do, and when Officer Whiteside opens her boot, he pulls out a bag of drugs, too large for personal use.  He has no choice but to take Audra down to the station for questioning.    The sheriff radios for his partner Deputy Collins to come and fetch the children so he can take Audra into custody.  When Audra arrives at the station for her interview, she asks Whiteside where her children are - he replies "what children?"

As a parent that bit put chills down my spine.  Whiteside is adamant that when he arrested Audra her car was empty.  The question he has for her, is what has she done with her children?  Now it is Audra's word against the law and once her husband gets involved, everyone starts to doubt her story. As a former junkie and alcoholic, her previous history isn't doing her any favours amongst the media.  For Audra there is only one person who she can turn to now and that is a stranger known to many as Danny the Knife Boy.  His daughter also disappeared in similar circumstances and his wife ended up taking her own life as a result.  For Danny, the tale Audra tells sends alarm bells ringing in his head, and he realises he needs to reach out to a woman he has never met before to try to gain her trust.  For Audra, Danny could be her only hope.

This is a real page-turner of a book and I was gripped by the twists and turns it took, wondering and waiting to see if Audra would ever find her children again.  Haylen Beck is an author I will read more books by in the future.

I really wanted to rate this book higher, but just couldn't. For me, there was no connection to the characters; that turned an otherwise good story into something relatively mediocre. There were definitely many slow parts that simply dragged on. This is an OK read, but don't expect to be sitting at the edge of your virtual seat.

This book started off very well but changed mid way through and I didn't finish it. Not for me. Sorry !

Thriller that will keep you enthralled


A fast moving thriller, that kept pulling me back to read more.

Audra is fleeing from her abusive husband to start a new life in California. She is arrested by the police for a minor driving infringement, and her children taken into care. Later the police denied she had her children with her, and accuse her of murdering them.

The story is told, mainly, from the perspective of Audra and her son Sean. It is a very exciting and fast moving story, with plenty of surprises. There is action, psychological interest and obviously concern for the children.

A 5* rating from me, because the psychological manipulation of Audra by her husband was interesting, and the story was so gripping that my life got put on hold whilst I found out what happened next.

Actually 4.5 stars.
Audra has packed up her life and her two kids and is on the run from her controlling, abusive husband. She is pulled over in Arizona by the local sheriff who claims her car is overloaded. He offers to help her lighten the load by transferring some over to his own car and the follow her until they reach her planned overnight stop and, in doing so, "finds" a small baggie of drugs. He arrests her and calls his colleague to take the kids whilst he transports and books Audra into jail. On arrival at jail, Audra asks where her children have been taken and is chilled to the bone when the answer comes back as "what children?" Obviously the children existed but the sheriff convinces everyone that there were no children in the car when he picked Audra up and soon she is facing charges for their murder and questioned repeatedly on what she has done with their bodies.
Meanwhile a man in another town sees her story on the news and it brings back painful memories for him. Convinced she is telling the truth as he has experienced the same thing, so he travels to meet her. Initially for his own selfish reasons, the two team up as they fight to get to the bottom of things.
The story goes along at a fair lick, told by multiple characters and includes some of Audra's past told in flashback. The parts told by Audra's son were especially moving and I do admit to getting a little bit emotionally invested in the children's fate. Also hard hitting were the scenes of abuse that Audra suffered at the hands of her husband. Some were quite hard to read at times.
As well as all this narrative, we also have conversations via email from people setting something up. Written in code with the truth only hinted at, it does become very obvious early on what it is all about and this is also rather shocked me as it is all just so matter of fact to the people in the discussion.
I have read quite a few books lately where the main character isn't being believed and these books can tend to get a bit samey but this one is a bit of fresh air as Audra has no one initially to believe her, no friend whose shoulder she can cry on, it is literally just her against the world. This I found to be quite novel to me.
The only small criticism I do have is with the ending. I can't quite put my finger on exactly why, but I didn't finish the book feeling as satisfied as I would usually like to. Maybe it was a bit rushed, maybe just not as plausible as I'd like, I am not sure, I only know that it didn't quite hit the spot for me.
I believe Haylen Beck is a pen name adopted by established author Stuart Neville. I have never read anything by him and have no idea why the pseudonym for this book, but after finishing this one, I would be very interested in seeing what else he has written.

My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Okay so after I finished reading this book I had to go and have a lie down for myself. My heart was palpatating and I hadn't eaten or drank anything since I turned the first page in this book.
What a roller coaster of a read. It was fantastic, my hands shook and my mouth was dry. As a mother to two kids this book kicked me right in the guts.
Audra is a mother fleeing an abusive marriage. Driving through Arizona she is pulled over for a "routine" traffic stop. After finding a small amount of drugs the Sheriff arrests Audra and calls for back up to take her children somewhere safe.
In her jail cell Audra repeatedly asks where her children are. The Sheriff asks her "What children?" At this point I knew it was going to be an all nighter of a read.
This story is fast paced and very well written. I loved the charachter of Audra. She was very believable and I really warmed to her.
I would highly reccomend this book. It's a cracker of a read.

A mother and her children on a journey away from her abusive husband. The atmosphere created at the beginning of the book takes you into the Arizona desert - you can almost feel the heat - the description is so good. The idyll turns to a nightmare when she is stopped by the police. From then on it is a thrilling, but emotional, thought provoking ride to the end. Brilliantly written book which was difficult to put down.

This novel is gripping from the first page and I really enjoyed all the twists and turns of the plot. Audra and her two children are secretly disappearing to San Diego to escape the violent, controlling Patrick. A roadside arrest changes the dynamics. I must confess when I read what some women have to tolerate in their marriages it makes me feel lucky. I did wonder with the controlling mother-in-law from Hell, Margaret whether Patrick was likely a victim-bully. It's about a controlling husband, bad cops and greed. My only qualm was the ends weren't tied up properly for me and it ended abruptly. Inconclusive. Thank you for letting me read it. This will be posted on Facebook, Amazon and my blog.

I never cease to be amazed at the power of the written word. Who would have thought that the question 'What children?' could be so sinister. There are some great characters in here and some proper 'boo, hiss' baddies. Poor Audra has had a horrible life and my heart did go out to her but the star character for me was Danny Lee. Something about him just grabbed my full attention and I really hope they cast him well if it is made into a movie.

Here and Gone, a story of any parent's nightmare; the abduction of their children. This is compounded by the very people you may turn to in a time of trouble being the ones who perpetrated the crime. Mitchell the investigator missed some real tricks though. She never established the last known sighting of the children and therefore defining the search zone. We know that Audra bought water and Coke (the former for the children) but Mitchell never carried out a search for those bottles which may have yielded DNA from the children's mouths thereby establishing they were probably with Audra when the drinks were purchased. The time of purchase would have been known, the distance from the store to Silver River and the speed she drove at. All that would have defined if Audra deviated from her journey.
Despite that flaw in an otherwise very plausible story, it was a riveting read, a real page turner and a great pleasure to review.

Here and Gone is one book that everyone needs to read. It was gripping from the beginning - I didn't move until I finished it. I devoured it completely. The writing was superb and the plot was unbelievable, my own pulse quickened when reading this. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of this book and urge everyone to pick up a copy.