This is the first book I've read by Leona Deakin and its her debut thriller and it's a great start.
There's two central characters Augusta Bloom, a psychologist who specialises in child and young psychopaths and who is now working alongside Marcus Jameson an ex Secret Service operative. Their main work involves helping police and the legal profession with understanding the minds and habits of suspects or accused people. But one day Marcus asks Augusta to help with a case closer to home, a young girl, Jane, who is a friend of his sister wants help to find her mother who disappeared on her birthday.
Marcus and Augusta then find themselves investigating the weirdest game they've ever heard of. As more about the game is revealed, the duo find themselves running all over the country trying to save Jane and discover the scope of what's going on.
This is a very twisty tale where we're faced with some very scary realisations about psychopaths and their place in society, the way their minds work and where they see themselves amongst their peers.
I really enjoyed this story and I'm really pleased to see that Leona has this as book 1 of a series, book 2 "Lost" is out next year, I'll be pre-ordering that I think.
A new writing talent in the psychological thriller genre.

The most scary psychological thriller I have read for a long time. I will never complete a quiz on Facebook again or use an app when I am walking. This takes the use of technology to a new level. The end was unexpected too. Mind games are fine in the right context but this blew them out of all proportion. Well written and researched - a book well worth reading.

Really excellent novel and one I thoroughly enjoyed reading from start to finish . I say from start to finish literally as sometimes when reading a book there may be parts where you wonder what that particular part adds to the story, whether it was actually necessary, but ‘Gone’ is not one of those. Every single part of the story is essential, even though the reader may not think so at the time. It’s a gripping page turner of a book and one I would highly recommend.

I received a copy of this book via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I thought the start was a little confusing, though quickly got into the storyline, once the book picked up the pace. The book is a great read and has an intriguing premise, which offered a new and different storyline for the thriller genre.
The premise centres on the recruitment of psychopathic personalities, managed this an intriguing way. That leads the reader back to the starting point of the book. Set in the UK, two private investigators, one a forensic psychologist, the other ex-MI6 accept an assignment to find a missing family friend. That leads them to discover individuals all around the country are being sent cards on the birthday inviting them to ‘play a game?

What follows is a twisting and turning rollercoaster of a read, which I very much enjoyed. I thought this was a brilliant debut novel by Leona Deakin.

Four people go missing on their birthdays all with an invite to play a game. This book follows Augusta Bloom and Marcus Jameson as they delve into the lives of the 4 missing people in hopes of discovering who is inviting them to play the game and why.
Sadly this book just didn't do it for me. I loved the concept of it but for me it took too long to get going. I like thrillers to keep me gripped from the get go which I didn't feel this did. The beginning was very confusing and I don't think the format of the version I recieved helped either. Was glad I got the chance to read it but sadly it just wasn't for me.

I loved this. It hooked me instantly. Think I’ve found a brilliant author and when that happens you have to share it. This is why I love being able to review books.
No spoilers but guaranteed you will love this. Can’t rate it high enough. 5/5 on goodreads and Amazon.

This mystery/thriller deal with psychologist Augusta Bloom and her partner Marcus Jameson, as both start investigating (first for personal reasons) the disappearances of four people, all after receiving a mysterious card on their birthday. A lot of the investigation rests on psychology rather than on typical clue analysis by the police, in that there are very few physical clues, and so Augusta tries to find out more by relying on what psychological profiling can tell her. Which in itself was pretty interesting, all the more after she develops her theory about who/what exactly the vanished people are.

The novel also makes use of contemporary internet, both when it comes to its strong points and to its weakness: one of the involved policemen goes to the deep web to look for clues, for instance, but it’s also clear that relying on social media to glean information is definitely a double-edged sword, since it allows other people (shady characters included) to get to know you.

Then there’s the setting—I always enjoy being able to relate to the places in a story, so with part of the action set in London (and the UK in general), that was good for me. And it was good, too, to see the investigation progress with both the ‘private eyes’ and the police working hand in hand, rather than have one try to hide information from the other.

It was a good story in general, but I admit I sometimes had trouble with the pace (in places, it was just a tad bit too slow) and with really connecting with the main characters. For reasons I won’t detail because Spoilers, Augusta was fairly aloof and emotionally remote, so it was difficult to empathise with her. I found Marcus, in spite of his past as an ex-MI6 agent, was too quick to trust certain people, which jarred with what I had expected of him. Finally, the ending was slightly too rushed, and too open as well—but then, I took this book as a standalone, so I guess that if it turns out not to be, then said open ending will not be a problem.

It took me awhile to get into this book but once passed the initial few chapters I was hooked.
If a card arrives daring you to play a game would you drop your whole life to do so?
Dr Augusta Bloom looks into the four lives that had agreed to play the game and soon discovers not everything is as it seems.
Can she find the psychopath responsible for the game before they come for her?

Four people are missing. Each received an envelope inviting them to join a game- but what is the game and what is the outcome?
Dr Augusta Bloom is a private investigator and is looking for them. then more envelopes are delivered and more people disappear but who really is in danger?
This will have you on the edge of your seat, a real rollercoaster.

In the beginning of Gone by Leona Deakin I was a bit confused. I was not sure I as going to like it despite all the good things that I had heard about it. Never fear - once this book got going it did not stop! This is a scary, thrilling ride that I really enjoyed. I am already looking forward to another book in this series. As long as you take the story for what it is you will really enjoy it, some parts are a little far fetched but still enjoyable.

Psychologist Augusta Bloom and her colleague Marcus Jameson get caught up in a strange case of missing people. 4 people that they know of have gone missing, all on their birthdays after receiving an interesting birthday cards. The more they investigate the more it seems that the real victims are not who they believe they are. It gets dangerous in many ways but they don't give up.

Thanks yo Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Black Swan and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.

I loved the way the plot of this book unfolded. Very addictive reading. Highly recommended.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Leona Deakin for the copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

Complex thriller with some scary ideas. I liked the two main characters but thought the story was just a little unbelievable.

Gone was an incredibly enjoyable, even addictive read, if a bit far-fetched, and a very assured debut novel from Leona Deakin.

Four people - Lana Reid, Faye Graham, Stuart Rose-Butler and Grayson Taylor - are missing; four people with, on the face of it, nothing in common, other than the fact that they all disappeared on their birthdays and all received a rather unusual birthday card beforehand. But as it turns out, that’s not all they have in common. As psychologist Augusta Bloom and her colleague Marcus Jameson investigate and the mystery deepens, things quickly get more and more alarming. Where have the disappeared people gone, and what if they are not, in fact, the ones in danger?

Gone has a very original and intriguing plot which really kept me turning (or rather swiping) the pages - I read it in just over a day. I’m not sure I entirely engaged with or felt like I got to know the main characters, Bloom and Jameson (hmm, maybe I’m a psychopath?), but they were likeable and interesting enough, with plenty of scope for further development. (The ending clearly leaves the door wide open for a sequel/series featuring the same characters. I’d definitely read that.)

I did have suspicions about certain things, but I didn’t guess the truth until right before it was revealed. In retrospect I probably should have done, but that probably reflects how cleverly the author misdirects the reader.

An excellent read, even if credulity was a little bit strained at times.

After a somewhat confusing start, where I was introduced to quite a lot of characters and scenarios over a very short space of time, I soon settled into this story. It's a thrilling, fast-paced read involving high functioning psychopaths, a mysterious game and the enigmatic psychologist Augusta Bloom. There were a few twists and not everything is neatly wrapped up at the end of the book which has me hoping that there will be a follow-up. I want to learn more about Bloom and her colleague Marcus Jameson and delve deeper into the background of these two characters.

My thanks go to the publishers and Net Galley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

What a superb book - I loved it! Intriguing, interesting, thrilling and so well written. A totally unusual psychological thriller which I hope is the beginning of a series. I read it in one sitting on a sunny bank holiday. Highly recommended.

An amazing debut book. I found this very difficult to put down as it was written so well. The story has obviously taken a lot of research into the behaviour of psychopaths. He characters are so well described and as the reader it was easy to imagine that I was there living in the story. The ending was unexpected and leaves the way open for a follow up. I can imagine 5his as a series on TV or even a movie as I think it would be top rate and get many awards for 5he dramatisation.
Highly recommend this to anyone who loves creepy thrillers.

Thank you for the opportunity to read 'Gone' by Leona Deakin,.

I enjoyed this book. It is a fast-paced thriller and would make a good film. I enjoyed the combination of Dr Augusta Bloom and her PI partner Marcus Jameson who investigated a series of disappearances after the victims had all received a special birthday card.

I will look forward to the next in the series!

This was a good, well written thriller. I really liked the psychological details - the analysis of psychopaths was fascinating and gave the book real depth. I read a lot of thrillers so I like it when there's an unusual angle or interesting extra points. Interesting characters and good dialogue. Thumbs up from me!

Gone by Leona Deakin is a fantastic novel that had me hooked from page one. This is a fast paced mystery/thriller with a very likable main character of Dr Augusta Bloom.

I would highly recommend this book. There are numerous twists throughout. It was an excellent read. Im now looking forward to the second book in the series coming out in 2020.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK for the Arc. My review is my own opinion.

What a brilliant book! I couldn’t put it down. Exactly my favourite sort of book. Filled with psychopaths and a twisty story. The book was fast paced and intriguing. Great characters that I hope will become part of a series. The pairing of a psychologist and a former spy is superb. I understand this is a first novel but it certainly won’t be the last. Great writing.