# Gone # Netgally
This is a extremely cleverly written book, by far one of the cleverest piece of writing I have read in sick a long long time. At first I must say I found it a bit of a slow start. Yet.when Marion wondered back and forth from the present to the last it became a completely different book. Overall it was a bit of a slow paced book, and I do have to say it worked out well. Despite it appearing a little on the slow side I couldn't put their book down. The intrigue gets its nooks really feel into YOU. I can not say in the same way some books do with excitement. Because that's not the case. It's about a family who in their own way are affected deeply by a accident. I became more and more intrigued with Marion. Her behaviour her selfishness. She actually thought some of her actions went unnoticed. Now wrong was she. I was probably just over 2 thirds of the book, when I became aware of such a a enormous twists that was coming.... I wasn't 100% sure it would be defiantly how I thought it would be. Yet you just know this massive twist will completely chang the entire book. The more I read I was almost certain it was going in the direction I tnought. However when it did come it was far far better than I had ever imagined. It cmplety was a knockout that no one could have seen coming at the begging. It's was beyond brillian, it's say beyond awesome, I can not put into words how cleverly it was designed to be written the was. I can not expect anyone to fully understand until you have read it. I really really encourage everyone to stick with the book. As I said at first it seems a little on the slow side you will soon be compelled with Marion. It's beyond intriguing it's deep with the final twist that you could not have anticipated at all......... I have to really admire Leona Deaking. and giving her a massive thank you. For such a ingenious storyline. Now I will say phenomenal. Although that doesent cover how good this book is .

A very unique story which is hard to do now. I found the first third a bit slow going and confusing but it stepped up a gear and became tense and hard to put down. I loved the northern location as I live there-made a change from London! A well researched and written book and I would definitely read more from the author.

I really liked this book, I kept reading all day long well into the night. It's set in the UK, which is a nice change from the usual thrillers set in America and I found the psychology element really well done and well explained. Te only think that was pretty obviously suspicious was Marcus's infatuation with a woman he just met, even though he was such an expert. The book kept my interest till the very end. Thank you Netgalley!

What an usual storyline and plot and a complete twist on the usual “missing persons” theme! This immediately drew me in and it did not disappoint! I will admit I guessed the twist and how the two stories linked but it felt like the second storyline from Blooms past was sort of forgotten about half way through and all of a sudden we stopped going back there and then how it entered back into the story seemed kind of thrown in. A few incidents seemed really rushed and ultimately pointless I.e. the part at the bridge and the ending seemed a bit far fetched and some questions were still unanswered but based on the ending, I’m not sure if this was deliberate. I really took to the two main characters though but would say I started to lose interest the further the book went on, whereas the beginning had me hooked!! It was still an ok read but for some reason the initial way it had me gripped, just didn’t last the distance

Absolutely brilliant book, well written and kept you guessing all the way through. Highly recommend to anyone who enjoys a psychological thriller.

Have pondered for the best part of a day trying to decide what to write in this review and I was almost stumped. Decided in the end to just say that this is a fascinating book which is well worth the time for anyone fascinated by the way people's heads are wired. It is an enthralling tale that I read in two sittings. It should really have been three but with only a few percent of the book left to read at 01:00 in the morning during the second sitting, I just had to keep going to the last fullstop. Well worth my effort and yours as long as you please bear in mind this is a book that needs one's full attention and so is not, in my opinion, a book for the beach.

Omg, what an awesome debut novel-so much so I've just pre ordered the sequel which isn't out until 2020!
I have to admit I struggled to start with but there are so many twists and turns in this story it soon had me hooked! I couldn't put it down and am desperate to know what happens with Jameson and Bloom next!
I am local to Leeds so the locations really came to life but this was an added bonus which didn't distract from the book at all. I can't wait to get spreading the word about this awesome novel and author!

GONE Leona Deakin

People are going missing, nothing unusual in that, people go missing every day, but some of these people are being given a card with a message on it just before they disappear.

On the card is the message “Happy First Birthday. Dare To Play The Game” For some reason the Police aren’t linking the cases, and where they do, they deem the missing person to be old enough, and in good enough health, for them not to be seen as vulnerable.

Dr Augusta Bloom is a Psychologist who has teamed up with Ex MI6 officer Marcus Jameson to carry out independent investigations.

One of the woman that goes missing is related, in a tenuous way to Marcus, and he is asked to look into the case.

Between him and Dr Augusta they start to identify a worrying trend in the type of person that has gone missing after being invited to play the game.

But why are people being asked to play, and what is the end game.

As the two investigate secrets are uncovered which surprise everybody, and scare more than a few.

Can Dr Augusta, the shy almost introvert Psychologist, get into the mind of whoever is collecting these people. While she tries Marcus uses his investigative skills, and a few contacts from his Secret Service past to try to link all of victims.

The main part of this story is the hunt for the missing people, but what I found really intriguing was who was being invited to play the game, and the purpose they were asked to join in. It would not be a big leap of faith to see this happen in real life, and with frightening consequences.

A good read.

Pages: 384

People around the UK are receiving birthday cards daring them to join in the ‘game’, and then they appear to disappear. Working alongside the police is the couple Marcus Jameson and Dr Augusta Bloom are working frantically to work out what is going on. The pace of the novel really picks up, and it becomes a taut psychological thriller which really gripped me. I very much liked the two main characters, and I do hope that they become a regular fixture in the world of thrillers. A real page-turner.

Generally an OK book. It was exciting in parts and rather laborious in others. I found it a little bit confusing as we are introduced to a large number of characters very quickly and it was difficult to remember who was who. I also found it quite difficult, at times, to decide which person was talking.

It was an interesting premise, but rather long winded and sometimes unnecessarily. I liked the main characters and felt it could be the beginning of a series of books. Don't know whether this is the plan, but I would be interested in seeing how they develop.

Mixed feelings about the ending.

What a unique fascinating dual narrative that twists and turns with time. A thrilling puzzle, which has many mysterious moving pieces. Utterly thrilling!

This book has a little bit of everything- the mystery of the people who just up and disappear from their lives after receiving a strange anonymous card. Competitiveness, violence and psychopathy among the "players" of a very strange game, tension between the investigating police and the psychologist and a way of telling the story that keeps you just up to speed with the investigation without allowing you to jump ahead too much.
An excellent premise that is well written and easy to read.

Wow ...... this book was fabulous and I read it in 2 sittings on holiday. At first I was a little confused as there's lots of characters to remember but you soon realise who is who. The plot was intriguing and had several twists & turns right until the last chapter. Great debut novel that I'd highly recommend - haven't read anything that had so much detail. Loved it.

Psychological thrillers are becoming much more popular these days so an author has to really work at it to come up with one that stands out from the rest. This author has definitely succeeded with this book. Not only is the plot really original she has blended the psychological with a police procedural and come up with a really exciting story. I loved the way the very different personalities of the almost obsessive compulsive Augusta and the laid back Marcus managed to come together and bring out the best in both. I think the author has the makings of a brilliant series here and I will be eagerly looking out for more of her work. 10 out of 10

Review will be posted on Goodreads and Amazon.

I really should have liked this more. It's a good thriller with an unusual twist. Strange messages and psychopaths abound. Unfortunately I found the characters wooden and so never really engaged with it all.
A pity as it is so original.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC

There are many attractions to this book. One is that when you start,it grips your imagination very effectively. There are many reasons for this. The storyline is original and brilliantly conceived. The use of the dark web,psychologically damaged characters and believable lead characters is a compelling mix. Violence,deceit,love and betrayal are all there. The lead character,Dr Bloom is complicated and secretive. There is extensive use of psychological terminology but it is all explained and used to support a gripping tale. This book deserves success because it is different and modern.

Dr Bloom, a psychologist, and Jameson an Ex MI6 agent are an investigative team that agrees to look into a missing mother of a teenage girl. They quickly discover that people are disappearing on their birthday without a trace leaving behind a birthday card daring them to play a game. They seem to go willingly, leaving their lives and families behind without a second thought but where and why. What is this game and why are they playing?

The book manages to keep its secrets well hidden and Bloom and Jameson move from investigators to unwitting participants. The characters are well written, generally likable and believable and the text does not rely heavily on in-depth procedural descriptions and manages to present analyses of psychosis in understandable terms.

I really enjoyed this story. It had a wonderful premise and maintained tension throughout making it an incredible page turned. I would recommend this book to others.

Gone is one of the best books I’ve tread in a long time! The premise is so unusual of (SPOILER) psychopaths are going missing and the game is deadly!! I read this book in two days as I couldn’t put it down. I highly recommend it!!!

I haven’t read a straight crime thriller set in the UK for some time. I find that they tend to be pretty tame in comparison to their American counterparts, or they go overboard with the gore in order to try and stand out. I was pleasantly surprised that this novel fit neither of those stereotypes.

Sixteen-year-old Jane’s mother was missing. Lana left no note, no money, nothing to help ensure Jane’s safety. All that was left was a card saying “Happy 1st Birthday”, containing the message “YOUR GIFT IS THE GAME. DARE TO PLAY?” printed inside.

Frustrated by the lack of interest from the police, Jane reached out online and made a chilling discovery. Lana wasn’t the only one to receive this card – it was discovered in four other missing person cases.

Turning to a family friend for help, Jane just wants her mother to come home. Can former MI6 agent Jameson and his psychologist partner Bloom find Lana and the others? Or will they discover that the missing people are not the ones who need to be saved?

Despite a somewhat shaky start, I was quickly drawn into the narrative, and found the premise to be quite intriguing. The main characters are slightly two dimensional on occasion, but interesting enough for this story and are ripe for development in a possible future sequel. Some of the plot devices were obvious, but on the whole the novel is absorbing and well worth a try.

Gone appears to be a re-release of Deakin’s debut novel, Mind Games.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a book I wouldn’t normally choose. Initially it felt like 2 separate stories and i was concerned i wouldnt really get into the book. However, even though the stories don’t join until over half way through the book it wasn’t an issue

I felt the characters were extremely well developed and the background story was excellent. I was really getting into the book but I felt the ending wasxa little rushed. It seemed to happen all of a sudden and with not much detail. Everything else had been described so well and the ending just felt like it needed to be done. A bit of a disappointment but still a good read