This book really wasn't for me I found the plot hard going with unlikable characters. There was no big twist as I pretty much guessed where this book was heading. The writing felt clumsy and I struggled to finish this one

A suspenseful read. Lori's sister Jessie is murdered. As the family try to come to terms with this tragedy, the hunt for her killer continues. There is also an arsonist at large in. Bristol. . There is no shortage of suspects for both crimes in this gripping read.. There are some great twists and turns in After She's Gone

It took me a little while to get in to After She's Gone, but I think that's more to do with my mood and personal circumstances over this last few weeks. My Grandad passed away on 20th February and we only had his funeral yesterday (16th March), so I have only managed to read this in dribs and drabs and have just managed to finish it this afternoon (17th March). My apologies to Maggie James as I'm not sure my review will do it justice, but I have enjoyed it. I just think I would have enjoyed it more if I had been able to properly absorb myself in it, if you know what I mean.
It's a heart-breaking and terrifying story of the Golden family's loss of sixteen year old Jessie, brutally raped and strangled. Her mother, Dana, is naturally devastated, as is her older sister, Lori and their father, Fraser. Dana and Fraser are no longer together. Dana's health isn't great anyway, as she is in need of a kidney transplant and the devastation of losing her youngest daughter is too much for her to bare. Lori tries to stay strong for her mother, but she has her own grief to deal with and needs desperately to find out who did this to her baby sister. She goes through phases of suspecting almost everyone, which I imagine would be quite natural. I think the families reaction to Jessie's murder is quite realistic, although non of us can know how we would react in such horrific circumstances. Lori's relationship with her new boyfriend, Ryan, is very believable as I can imagine needing the comfort of someone you feel safe with. Is Lori putting her trust in the wrong people though?
I can't say much more without giving anything away, but this is a good crime thriller with likeable characters and a storyline that will keep you guessing. I did think I had it sussed at one point and was determined to discover the truth. There are plenty of shocks and surprises along the way! I will certainly be adding Maggie James' other books to my reading list.
Many thanks for my ARC and for letting me join in with the blog tour.

Right from the beginning of this book there is a murder, Lori’s younger sister, Jessie is raped and killed and she’s understandably devastated. I really felt for Lori, she’s had a rough few years, her parents divorced, her mom Dana has failing kidneys and she’s young, only in her early twenties. Pretty heavy stuff for such a young woman. She’s mature and responsible and really looks after and cares for her mom. Dana has a new man in her life, Jake and him and his son, Spencer have moved in with them. But when Spencer is missing in action the night Jessie is killed, with no solid alibi, this fragile, makeshift family starts to crack.

There was a heavy sense of malice running throughout this book, even though the worst has already happened, you just know things are about to get even more sinister. It seems everyone around Lori is hiding things and she gets blindsided again, and again as long buried family secrets are revealed. There were plenty of shady characters present making it impossible to decide who the menacing person wreaking havoc on the Golden’s lives was. James toyed with me several times as she planted red herrings and misdirections galore leaving me eager to see how things would all fit together. While I did eventually work out the who, I was fascinated by the why, the motivation behind the murder was complex and highly disturbing. This was a fairly short read and one I finished in one sitting as I was desperate to see if the Golden family, especially Lori, would get a happy ending.

I received this book from NetGalley for my honest review. The story is about the Golden family and the murder of Jessie the younger daughter. Jessie did not return one night and no one knows what has happened to her. Most of the story involves Lori, Jessie's older sister. Jessie is trying to find out what happened to her sister. First she thinks it one person, then another, then another, seems like everyone she knows she thinks did it. Her mothers rental houses are being torched by an arsonist. So much going on. The book really didn't hold my attention. I was expecting a thriller. I did finished it but barely.

Fast-paced and clever, this is definitely an author and a book to look out for! I enjoyed the twists and turns, and the atmosphere building up to the reveal. Looking forward to Maggie James' next book!

This was a fantastic page turning rollercoaster of a book. I thought I had it all worked out but the author threw so many clever twists I had no idea until last few pages
I would recommend this book to anyone fantastic well written book

A young woman goes missing and is found dead. Her step-brother finds himself in a place he doesn’t remember getting to or who he was with. Lori, Jessie’s sister has her suspicions about several of her friends. Building are being targeted by a “firebug” and getting too close to home. Dana her mother has kidney issues and could do with a transplant sooner rather than later. It appears that she is the perpetrators target but why?
I love how this book is written. You feel for Lori and for her suspicions. First you think it must be X, then maybe not ,so it must be Y. I learnt the difference between a pyromaniac and an arsonist and what these can lead to which was interesting. This is a story that keeps your brain cells active whilst enjoying the brilliantly told tale with descriptions so that you can see and feel every move. Characters come alive before your eyes and you love or hate them according to their moves. A gripping story that you can’t quite work out (although you might think you have as I did) and then like the perfect jigsaw , all the pieces fall into place. Another brilliant story from Maggie James to keep you turning the pages until the very end.
I voluntarily chose to read this ARC and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased

https://lovintoread.blogspot.com/2017/03/after-shes-gone-by-maggie-james-out-in.html

After She's Gone by Maggie James Out in stores now.
Lori Golden's family has had more than its fair share of troubles. But through it, all Lori and her sister, Jessie, have always supported each other. Then Jessie is killed. And Lori's world is turned upside down.

Devastated, Lori struggles to cope with her loss, and learn to live in a world without her bright, bubbly sister by her side. Around her, her already fractured family starts to fall apart. And as Lori and her mother try and pick up the pieces of their shattered lives, secrets long lost buried are coming painfully to light.

Faced with the unthinkable, Lori is forced to ask herself how well she really knows those that are left behind...

Have you ever been so excited or intrigued by a book cover that you just thought the book would far exceed your dreams? Well, I was very drawn to the cover of this one, however, it didn't exceed my dreams.

I will say the book wasn't a total loss. It just feels a little flat or too predictable...

Someone is setting fires, so far no one knows who it is. But Lori's sister is found murdered in a fire, which was in a rental house owned by their mother.

Lori's world is changed all over again. Her little sister is gone, and Lori begins trying to figure out who done it.

This is where it gets too predictable. First, she suspects it is one person, then she thinks of all the reasons it couldn't be that one. Then she focuses onto another person.

Did Jessie have a secret boyfriend? Seems she might have, but how did Lori not know about him if she did? Where was Jessie supposed to be the night she went missing?

As the story plugs along, you wanna have that surprise, shocking ending but I had already figured out who it was long before Lori did.
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If you want a quick read, one can easily cuddle up with a blanket, a cup of cocoa, and read it. Probably in a day or a weekend. I can say I will read this author again.

Great book! Looking forward to reading more by this author! Highly recommend!

The description of this book had me anticipating a tale of grief and personnel growth. While it did have this in there it was only part of the kitchen sink approach having way too much going on. There is also arson, family secrets and other clutter. I have never read Maggie James before and from the looks of other reviews this is not her finest example of writing. The suspense was there and she did hide the motives well.

This book was fantastic. The story kept me ingaged and entertained while keeping the suspense. One of the best books I've read in a long time.

Thanks Netgalley for letting me review this book and will be certainly be looking out for more books by this author. The characters and the story line were great. The main character is Lori who I sometimes found quite annoying but appealing.

I enjoyed this book, but I did work out what was going on and who was responsible fairly quickly and I do prefer to be proven wrong by a plot twist. That said, it didn't detract from the reading of it and for the fear I had for Lori. I particularly liked the characterisation of Aiden and Spencer.

I love Maggie James's books and this one does not disappoint! When Lori's younger sister is mysteriously murdered, and their mother's rental properties are targeted by an arsonist, the hunt begins to find the culprit. There are lots of suspects and few leads. As Lori's mother becomes more depressed, their lies begin to spiral out of control as Lori uncovers secrets from their past and doesn't know who to trust. Lots of twists and turns that will keep you guessing on every page. Another great thriller!

I have mixed feelings regarding this book. The writing is well done and the plot moved at a quick pace. However, I figured out who the killer was almost immediately. The relational twist came as a surprise, but overall I felt the book missed the "wow" factor that makes a good thriller. Many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing me with an advanced copy on exchange for my honest review. 3 out of 5 stars for me.

I have read some but not all of Maggie James books before with varying degrees of enjoyment on my part so I’m always keen to see where she goes next. And I actually liked this one better than the last one I read even though I did find it very difficult reading at times due to the subject matter.

One of my first thoughts whilst reading this was how could this one family cope with so much trauma? And the answer is simple….they don’t. Lori has gone through the divorce of her parents, her mother’s illness and now she has to face her sisters murder and the fallout that affects both her mother and much further afield as well. Lori has a good support network with her boyfriend and her friends but she realises she can’t trust anyone as it appears that this vendetta against her family is personal. Like Lori, I suspected everyone so I wasn’t particularly shocked by the tangled web of deceit behind the murder and the fires. There were however a few little unexpected moments in the last few pages, one of which I wasn’t keen on as I felt it tied up the ends a little bit too neatly for me.

This a gripping psychological thriller that I read in one sitting and was glad I had read it that way as there were lots of different characters and threads that I think I may have struggled with otherwise. But I d found myself totally engrossed in the Golden family and their grief following the murder of Jessie. This may prove to be something of a Marmite books with fans of Maggie James but it would be very boring if we all had the same favourite book wouldn’t it? For me personally this is one of her better books so read it and make your own mind up!

Thanks to make Union Publishing for my review copy of After She’s Gone which I have chosen to read and review.

After she's gone was a great book. Locally there's been a few recent fires in abandoned buildings then Lori's family find out some devastating news her sister Jessie is found murdered. Soon it looks like a pyromaniac has started to target them as these fires start happening in the families other properties .What has the family done? Does someone in the family have secrets?
This book kept me entertained and I enjoyed the twists at the end. My first book by Maggie but won't be my last.

After She's Gone has a promising premise: a young woman found dead in a burned building sends her family into a vortex of grief and rage and the police on a long and winding road to find the killer.

Unfortunately, it's only the premise that has promise. The story is replete with obvious, trite cliches and red herrings, and unnecessary plot complications that add to the bloody trail of herrings. Even that would have been tolerable had the author followed the critical dictum of good writing: "Show, don't tell." The story constantly tells us how the characters are feeling, rather than letting language, allusion, and direct speech by the characters show us. This, unfortunately, makes the characters flat and boring.

I couldn't finish this book. I'm sure other readers will enjoy it. I didn't.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

AFTER SHE’S GONE is the latest psychological suspense thriller by Maggie James, a British author living in Bristol. I am afraid I have to admit that this is the first novel I have read by this author, even though I have all her books to read on my Kindle. I look forward to reading her other novels, which have been highly praised.

This is the story of The Golden family and the rape/murder of their youngest daughter, 16 year-old Jessie.

“A crazy arsonist is on the loose.”

Jake Hamilton, a solicitor, moved into the home of Dana Golden with his 23 year- old grown son, Spencer, soon after Dana’s divorce. Dana has two daughters, 22 year-old Lori and 16 year-old Jessie. One big blended family!

Dana and Jake call Lori to tell her that her sister, Jessie has not come home yet and her mum is frantic with worry. It is almost midnight and nobody has heard from her. And Spencer isn’t home either?

It turns out she is not with friends her whereabouts are unknown and the police are called.

“Lori Golden’s family have had more than their fair share of troubles. But through it all, Lori and her sister, Jessie, have always supported each other. Then Jessie is killed. And Lori’s world turns upside down.”

“Body discovered by firefighters. Naked from waist down. Knickers not located. A handbag was found beside the body, containing documentation identifying the dead girl as Jessie Golden.”

The novel focuses on Lori and how she comes to terms with the death of her younger sister, and the devastation it causes to her family and friends. Her mum is shattered. As her and her mum try to move on…secrets come to the surface.

Who could have done this to her sister? Lori suspects everyone as the killer. How well does she really knows those who are left behind…

This was a short well written novel, at only 250 pages, but I felt it dragged on a bit. I found I wasn’t involved in the characters, or didn’t care what happened to them. I was waiting for more WOW in the story…but it never came. I figured out the killer right from the beginning.

Many thanks to Net Galley, Lake Union Publishing, and Ms. Maggie James for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this novel. I look forward to reading her other novels.