On the fifth floor of the White Caps hotel, four young boys are left alone while their parents dine downstairs. But when one the parents checks on the children at midnight, they discover one of them is missing.

Ted is a disgraced cop and Amanda is an ex con who runs a Private Investigation company. Four families were staying at the hotel for two nights. Four 8 year old boys had belief ton their own in one of the rooms. An adult had been checking them every hour. On the second night, when one of the parents checked them, there was only three boys. The boys insist that they haven't left the room and CCTV confirms this. How could a child escape from a locked room?

What a gripping read this book is. It's set in Austrila's Queensland. Although this is the third book in this series, it can be read as a standalone. Both the main characters have their own set of problems. My heart was in my mouth as the search went on to find the missing child. The first 24 hours are crucial. The characters are believable and true to life. We find out quite early who the main suspect is but we don't know what the connection is. What a good read this is.

I don't know why, but reading this reminded me of so many other books! It is a good thump of a read, very quick page turner and some of the characters and their interactions were beautifully done! A great one for curling up with on a cold, rainy day.

The premise was a good one.

However there was a problem with my download, parts of each chapter kept repeating making it difficult to fully get to grips with the story.

I think it had the potential to be really gripping because the characters were well developed, each with their own problems that added to the depth of the tale.

I'm disappointed that the pacing was ruined by the download itself but I'll definitely give it a re-read when its actually released.

This book is full of suspense and it’s totally gripping. I love the fact we got to know every character in the book and how their relationships came about.
The book flowed beautifully and i was gripped all the way to the end. The books had a fantastic plot and it was very enjoyable. I hope there is more to come from this author as she has a new fan.
If you want to read a gripping thriller book, this is for you.

This tale had something different from many of the other books in this genre that I have read. An investigative team consisting of a convicted killer and a man who, although ruled out of the investigation into abduction and rape, had been convicted by the people of the nation, through the auspices of the press.

It seemed to me that the convicted killer, Amanda Pharrell, should never have been charged let alone convicted, but then, she doesn't do herself any favours! She is hot-headed, contrary, intuitive and observant. I might think she could be a little crazy, but I've read what she does to people who voice that opinion! Ted on the other hand is more thoughtful, he too is instinctive but he is also a bit constrained by his history. He also has his first extended visit from his three year old daughter who arrives on the exact day that he is called in to help search for a missing child. Ted, Amanda and a toddler are not a combination made in heaven, things can only get messy - in every way.

From early on the reader is aware of the main suspect but we don't know who he is or what his connection is. It's not until Ted and Amanda meet him that his life begins to fall apart once again.

There are several strands to this story, all of which combine into one strong rope of a story with an ending which you are unlikely to imagine. This really sucked me in and held me in my seat, I looked at my progress at one point, thinking I was coming to the end but discovered I was only at 57%, then before I knew it I was at 96% and regretting that I was close to finishing it.

Difficult to read for me as the proof kept repeating parts of chapters (at first I thought it was in a disjointed style) so quite difficult to get a grip on the storyline.

Fast paced, but I couldn’t get into it properly because of constantly having to read and reread. I will probably try to pick up the proper copy when it’s released though as I love the premise.

The book is about the disappearance of a child from a hotel bedroom where he is with three other boys. The parents are having a meal in the hotel restaurant downstairs and are checking on the boys every hour, so how does one of the boys go missing?

Two private detectives, with huge back stories of their own are enlisted by the police to help find the missing boy. These characters are described very well and I found them very likeable. The story keeps you guessing all the way through and is full of action and kept me turning the pages faster and faster as the action hotted up.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and will look out for more books by Candice Fox

This is a fast moving detective story with some interesting and different characters. They have unusual backgrounds and personal histories which directly affect the ongoing investigation.
Underlying the main story is a personal parental drama and difficult friendships, also affected by the previous history. It all hangs together well and is a "want to get to find out what happened", action packed story.
It is set in rural Australia which meant that, for me, the backdrop was unfamiliar and a touch exotic with crocodiles etc wandering around!
A great holiday read which I recommend

This gave me shivers when I read the premise. There's cases similar in the news where parents return to find children gone. One famous one in particular. So I was intrigued to find out what happened to the child in this case.

A good premise for Candice Fox's Queensland based series featuring Ted Conkaffey. He is of course, the, ex-police detective, who was falsely accused of something which ruined his reputation and pretty much his life. In this book, he works with Amanda Pharrell and she's an ex-convict so it's a really interesting relationship to say the least! This side of the story, and the backstory of his new life, complete with geese was very nicely done.

The main story too of course. Taking place in one hotel, this was both claustrophobic and a little bit scary. I had no idea where the boy was until the end. Nicely done. Twists and turns aplenty. Parents leaving children alone to dine elsewhere? Made me shiver.

The whys and wherefors of how Ted and Amanda come to be on the case are interesting. Amanda however is the ballsy one who is not afraid to shoot you down either verbally or otherwise. Ted is no pushover and together they make a great team. Loved the banter!

In a book with such a series case under investigation, it's the skill of the writer who produces such wit and humour inthe characters. Lilian and the geese! Amanda's allergy to children and Lillian's response! Candice Fox hahaha.

I enjoyed the straight forward theme of Candice Fox’s mystery thriller, Gone by Midnight, with the inevitably sharply twisted and contrived pathways to discovery and final revelations. Together with the addition of improbable situations and timely dark humour, Gone by Midnight, is unforgiving in exploring hellish parental concerns. Well worth the time spent reading.

A classic mystery set in Cairns. The private detectives here are wacky, weird and wonderful. Amanda Pharell had no tact and no concept of empathy, while Ted Vonkaffey is a well hated accused, dropped, but not cleared paedophile. The story is fast paced - but slow enough to bring in some of the local colour and the swamp and crocodiles have their own parts to play.

I'd read the first book in the series and enjoyed it. This is a good, enjoyable follow up.

Full of mystery and suspense. Another superb page turner from Candice Fox where a child goes missing in the vicinity of Crimson Lake.

I have just read Gone by Midnight & enjoyed every moment. Great story with plenty of side plots to keep the story interesting. The main protagonists were unique & not as expected as in so many crime stories. Even though the story was set in Australia it was relatable & the unusual setting added rather than detracted. I would highly recommend this book & will read more by the author. Thank you!

I found this book very slow, although it wasn’t tiresome. The characters and settings are well described, with it being set it Australia this was really useful (I don’t think I’ve ever read a book set in Australia, so this was a nice change). The story was well constructed and kept me guessing to the end. I will definitely look out for more books by Candice Fox.

# Gone by midnight # Netgally
Fascinating read, at first because it’s a book set in Australia I was a little unfamiliar with a few things. However I soon picked up on them, in places you laugh in others the twist just change here and there, in a couple of places I felt a little sad. Overall a really good book it’s got a bit of everything in it to please most people. This is my first book by candice fox but definitely will not be my last. It’s a little different to my normal genre and I found I really liked the different aspects, actin thriller humore. A very good read

Didn’t like this book it was too complicated and also the proof kept repeating chapters so will not be recommending it

Another fantastic read from Candice Fox, great characters, great story. Can’t wait for the next one.

Having never read a book set in Australia before it was perhaps a little difficult to understand some of the settings but it didn’t really matter. I loved the characters and the storyline - something that could never happen in the U.K.!

Imagine being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Mud sticks and even if you have nothing to hide it can ruin your life. Once a cop Ted loses everything but somehow comes back to those who scorned him to help as a private detective with Amanda, who is a little highly-strung. A formidable team.

A little boy goes missing and there’s nothing to go on. The parents were having dinner and left the children alone - checking in on them every hour. What did they get up to and how did one go missing without a trace?

Looking at all avenues, sometimes the best way to solve a crime is not to look at the obvious but read around the outside. Use alternative methods and involve some unscrupulous people.

Amanda is not well liked and Ted has more to lose than his job. Will they manage to solve the case and save their reputation, what’s left of it?

A gripping thriller which leaves you desperate for a happy ending even though it looks impossible.

A gripping and shocking read which draws you in from the first chapter. Really enjoyed this book with twists and turns a plenty

Just Amazing!! This is the 3rd in Candice Fox's Queensland based series featuring Ted Conkaffey, ex-police detective, with a traumatic past after a false accusation ruined his reputation and destroyed his life and marriage. He now lives by Crimson Lake with his 7 geese and dog, Celine, who have provided much needed therapy and sanity in his life. He works with the offbeat tattooed Amanda Pharrell, with her past as an ex-convict, in her detective agency, where they have experienced some success. Ted may no longer be a person of interest to the police, but this does not stop others making assumptions of his guilt and his reputation continues to plague his life. His wife is allowing him to have his young daughter, Lillian, who he rarely sees, to stay with him for a few days. Only trouble is that one of the geese, Peeper, is very sick, plus he and Amanda have just landed a new case of a missing boy, Richie Farrow, who disappeared from the 5th floor of the White Caps Hotel. He was with 3 other boys whilst his mother, Sara, and the other parents were dining downstairs.

Ted loves and is entranced by Lillian, but needs Val, the medical examiner and close friend to help look after her as he tries to find Richie with Amanda. The police team is led by Damien Clark, who is not happy with Ted and Amanda being employed by Sara to find Richie, but like the rest of the police, shows deeper animosity to Amanda after the death of police officer Pip in their last case. Not that this bothers Amanda, who is an old hand at breezing past any opposition with a screwball determination and bounce that demolishes any resistance that dares to stand in her path, as we see when a motor bike group fail to prevent her becoming a close member of their group. However, Amanda has a dangerous and deranged stalker, with a none too good a handle on reality. The police are stumped when it comes to any leads on Richie, and as the minutes tick by, the less likely it is that he will be found alive. Can Ted and Amanda succeed where the police are struggling?

If you haven't read Candice Fox, I strongly urge you to do so, although I do recommend starting this series from the beginning to get the most from it. I look forward with great anticipation to every new addition, and this one is an absolute corker. It has humour, comic touches and laugh out loud wit, the geese are a inspirational inclusion in the series and Ted's daughter, Lillian, is a great source of amusement and joy here. Amanda may be allergic to children, but this does not bother young Lillian in the slightest, convinced that Amanda is a glorious fairy. Haha, would you ever? There are, of course. some dark, tense and nightmarish moments provided with Richie's inexplicable vanishing. Then there is the off the wall Amanda with her dogged stalker but Fox's mix of darkness, danger, Ted's burgeoning new romance laced with obstacles, the beginnings of a poignant father-daughter relationship and the fantastic supporting characters make for a brilliant read. A wonderful Aussie series! Many thanks to Random House Cornerstone for an ARC.