After a summer of carnivals, beaches, and secrets Maureen disappears, never to be seen again. No one really notices, or cares, except for her friend Tammy.

30 years later Allison comes to town to start her life over and learns about Maureen from Tammy, who has never forgotten the girl who came and went so quickly. Allison and Tammy start to dive into the mystery, finding out that their beach town holds more secrets than they realized.

This book took a little bit of time to get pulled into, but once I did the story took me to places I wasn't expecting. This book really kept me guessing and I was trying to figure out both what happened to Maureen and what was happening to Allison. As the story was told from both their perspectives it was nice to go back and forth as the missing pieces slowly fill themselves in.

Not too much to say except that I found this to be a solid thriller by Tara Laskowski. I have never read a book from her before, but she definitely does a great job with developing the two leads (Maureen and Allison). She sets up the sleepy beach town with dark secrets very well too. I ended up pitying the characters and loved the epilogue.

"One Night Gone" has Allison Simpson struggling to move on. Readers find out that she had an epic tirade against her now ex husband while she was doing her weather report. Due to this, she goes viral and initially basks in the attention until it turns ugly (she's a woman on the internet, of course it did) and she loses her job. Her sister gets her an opportunity to house sit for a traveling couple in their gorgeous beach house in the town of Opal Beach. It's during the off season (fall and winter) so Allison is hoping that this will give her an opportunity to reset. However, as soon as Allison arrives in Opal Beach she has caused some of the residents to talk. She reminds them of a young girl named Maureen Haddaway that no one ever saw again decades earlier (1985). Allison soon starts to investigate Maureen's disappearance and wonders if a very connected and rich local family had something to do with it. Laskowski also goes back and forth and shows Maureen's POV in the 1980s timeline. We get to see her meeting the teenage versions of the adult characters we see in Allison's timeline.

So I thought this was so good. Some people may not end up liking Maureen and the choices she makes, but I pitied her a great deal. She is currently working at a carnival and finds herself drawn in against her will at times into the residents of Opal Beach. Maureen is considered disposable by so many in Opal Beach since she's considered just a "summer girl." There's just one hitch in her story-line that I didn't find believable, and that was her deciding to do a high stakes poker game for money. Other than that, I loved Maureen just wanting to belong and finding herself falling for local rich boy Clay and being best friends with a local girl named Tammy. Laskowski does a great job of capturing the mood of the mid 1980s I thought.

Allison is very strong and having a public blow up about her marriage definitely gets you on her side straight on. She's been living with her sister, but is glad tor a chance to stretch her wings to do something else. She honestly doesn't want to be known in Opal Beach, but finds out that is a bit too much to ask. When she is approached by an older Tammy to help her investigate what happened to her friend Maureen, Allison is pulled in reluctantly.

We have a chance to see so many characters who changed through the decades via both women's POV's so I thought that was pretty cool.

The writing was good. I thought that Laskowski does a great job of capturing Maureen's voice along with Allison's older and more hesitant one at times.

The flow worked between the alternating POVs though I can imagine some readers may get a bit sick of it. Laskowski does a great job of making sure you know who is "speaking" though so that should help.

The setting of Opal Beach feels very dark though you would expect it to be nothing but sunshine and ocean. Since Allison arrives during the off-season you see how isolated the community is and how it goes "dead" until the summer people arrive that many residents resent having to depend on to make ends meet.

The main reason why I gave this book four stars is that some of the book stretches belief a bit. I already mentioned the high stakes poker game. But I also had a moment of really when it's revealed who did what and how it related to Allison. It just felt very ridiculous and didn't make a lot of sense, at least to me. That said, I really enjoyed the majority of the book and think that thriller and mystery readers will like this one too.

Thank you to Netgalley and Graydon House books for my advance reader copy of One Night Gone!  This book is scheduled to be released TOMORROW!  Fair warning, you are about to see this book pop up everywhere because it is a crazy good thriller!!!





Enter Maureen circa 1980s.  She stumbles in to Opal Beach looking for something fresh in her life.  She works at the local carnival until the creep who runs it pushes the line too far.  She ends up staying with a friend she made over the summer until she suddenly just disappears...

We meet Allison, present day, who is going through a rough patch in her life...recently divorced and fired from her job (for telling her husband off on the air, she was a meteorologist) she has been staying with her sister in her small apartment.  Her sister finds her the opportunity to house sit a gorgeous beach house during the off season as its owners need to go overseas last minute.  She reluctantly takes the opportunity and it just may be the fresh start that she so desperately needs. 

Allison starts to make friends with the locals.  When she befriends a local she hears all about Maureen and starts to wonder if she didn't just leave town and something happened to her instead...

The book goes back and forth from Maureen's time at Opal Beach to the present day with Allison.  Just when you think you have it all figured out...think again.  What a crazy, crazy ride we go on.  This book sucked me in and left me turning the pages as fast as I could.  I did not see the ending coming!!

This is getting a 5 star read from me for the shocking ending.  There is a LOT going on at the end and we find out what has happened to everyone and who did what.  Without giving too much away, things start to happen to Allison at the house and well...you'll see.  I felt it had a huge climatic peak and then everything tumbled in to place afterward.  I wish I could have predicted it...but I didn't see it coming.  Pick this book up if you enjoy a good thriller!

***WILL BE POSTED TO DONNASREADINGCHAIR.HOME.BLOG ON SATURDAY AUGUST 31ST***

One Night Gone kept me reading to find out the mystery. It’s a nice piece of chick-lit that includes enough suspense to suck the reader in. I recommend this book for women who are interested in a slow burn mystery!

After a disastrous end to her marriage, Allison needs to get away for a bit. What better way to do that than house sitting at the beach? But it becomes apparent that things are not as they seem when she begins to discover that a girl who went missing 20 years ago may not have ever left town.

I enjoyed the atmosphere and the strong female characters. The ending was a bit predictable, but I was invested in these characters and enjoyed the book.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the advanced reader copy of this book.

This was an excellent mystery. Tara Laskowski has woven two alternative narrations together, past and present, to create a compelling, intriguing, confusing, somewhat creepy whodunnit.

First, the setting. A beach town in the off-season in the present; same town during the peak season in the past. This was so fun to read. I could feel the cold ocean chill during Allison's narration, and I could taste the fried carnival zeppole during Maureen's narration. I couldn't think of a better setting for a missing girl mystery. Is there anything more chilling and lonesome then the ocean in the winter in a seemingly abandoned town; conversely, is there anything more exhilarating than being young and in love on the beach in the summer? I was thrilled by this setting choice. It was very "Lost Boys", my favorite movie, which is set in the fictional beach town of "Santa Carla, the murder capital of the world".

Next, the characters. Laskowski nails it. Maureen is a young, traveling carny worker, a "summer girl" to the locals. She's broke, broken, and out of place with her new group of "local" friends. Clay is a rich local, whose family owns multiple seafood restaurants in the town. Tammy isn't rich, but she's richer than Maureen, and she sees value in a Maureen, where most people just see white trash. The ancillary characters are Clay's rich, snooty parents, his rogue uncle, Tammy's suspicious roommate, and the general group of rich future frat boys. And in the present, we have Allison, a tv meteorologist running from her past and hiding out as a housesitter in town during the off-season. I know this isn't a "cozy mystery", but I found the entire Allison plot perfect for putting on my cozy reading socks and diving into this book next to a roaring fire. She's alone in this huge house, shell-shocked by her past, unsure about her future, AND terrified by her present.

Finally, the mystery. Allison is intrigued when she learns that Maureen went missing over 20 years ago, and nobody has a clue (nor in some cases, a care), what happened to her. Some speculate that she was murdered, some think she fled, others think she simply moved on with the traveling carnival. Allison investigates the case with her new friend, the now-older Tammy. Along the way, she's creeped out by strange sounds in the house, odd items left at her doorstep, and bizarre encounters with locals.

There is of course a big reveal at the end, and sure I guessed it along the way. However, the predictability of whodunnit didn't alter my opinion of this book, nor did it detract from my enjoyment.
My one criticism of this book is that Maureen's past wasn't fleshed out enough. There are hints at her having had a hard life, but there's not enough there.

Overall, I recommend this mystery to anyone who loves a good creep-out.

5 out of 5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Graydon House for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

It's the 198o's and Maureen is working at a carnival in the wealthy community of Opal Beach. Into Maureen's wife come Tammy, local townie girl and Clay a "Yachter" who is wealthy. A fast friendship grows between Tammy and Maureen while she and Clay fall in love. First the first time in ages she feels that she isn't alone. She has a best friend and a boyfriend that care for her. Opal Beach seems like the perfect town and just maybe Maureen's life is going to be good. Then she disappears.....

In the present Allyson who is recovering from a nasty divorce and recently lost her job as a TV meteorologist is desperate to start life anew. Her sister gets her a job house/cat sitting in Opal Beach for a a few months. There she meets Tammy and gets wrapped up in the long ago disappearance of Maureen. As Allyson helps Tammy find out what happened to Maureen she discovers the ugly truth hidden behind the lux lives of the residents of Opal Beach,

The story goes back and forth from Maureen in the past and Allyson in the present. Maureen's story is haunting and heartbreaking. Her desire to belong and her strength of character will move you. Allyson is a fantastic character who you will root for. I loved this book and I can only hope that Tara Laskowski will write another novel featuring Allyson. This truly felt like a start of a new series. This was a great psychological thriller/ mystery that will keep you guessing.

While I enjoyed the storyline that involved Maureen, and found her mystery to be genuinely interesting, overall I wasn't as invested in ONE NIGHT GONE as I had hoped I would be. Maureen as a character was likable enough, but she didn't really move outside the usual box of 'girl from the wrong side of the tracks who gets swept up by the idle rich'. Her trajectory is a little predictable, and although I liked her personality and did care about her, I never got totally attached. Allison's story, on the other hand, was fine, but it didn't stand out at all. She has her own reasons to want to look into what could have happened to Maureen, but I don't know if I ever fully bought into them. The gap was bridged by some of the players across time, such as Tammy, Clay, and Mabel, and once again, they were all fine, but fairly two dimensional. Once all of the solutions were laid out, I had either figured them out, or just didn't really feel anything one way or another.

For whatever reason ONE NIGHT GONE didn't click with me, but that doesn't mean that it won't click with others!

One Night Gone is an incredible story of redemption, betrayal, revenge, and murder. Allison and Maureen’s stories wrapped me up and held me captive through the entire novel. Readers should know that there is a massive twist towards the end. When you get to it, you’ll remember little signs you saw along the way. I can’t wait to purchase this in hard copy to have for myself.

Maureen, a young carnival worker, arrives in the seaside town of Opal Beach where she is sure her destiny will change for the better. Thirty years later, Allison Simpson, arrives in Opal Beach to reset her crumbling life while housesitting for a wealthy couple. Two women separated by time but both will be pulled into the deadly undercurrents running through this seemingly perfect town. I was drawn in immediately by the character of Maureen and her youthful optimism despite her callous treatment by the affluent members of the town. Allison's character also intrigued me as I found myself rooting for her to get her life together after a personal and professional humiliation. The dual timeline worked very well as the roller coaster of their lives kept speeding to the startling climax. Excellent first novel, I look forward to her next one!

Both the premise and cover of this book caught my attention and I wasn't disappointed.

This is the story of Maureen and Allison who both share similarities despite never meeting and existed decades apart from each other.

Maureen heads to Opal Beach in hopes for a new beginning, she attends a party and vanishes without a trace.
Decades later Allison similarly heads to the same place escaping her troubled marital life. There she becomes curious about what really happened to Maureen all those years ago.

From there on it's a breathless shocking chain of secrets, twists and turns with an amazing ending.
This is a highly recommended psychological mystery thriller.

Thanks Netgalley, the publisher, and author for an ARC in exchange for a fair opinion.

This mystery-thriller is a must-read for those who love this genre. The two main characters, Maureen and Allison have never met, but their lives become entwined through the small vacation community of Opal Beach. They both sought refuge and a new start in this town.... 30 years apart. The book tells both stories separately and then brings them together while Allison attempts to solve the mystery of Maureen’s disappearance. The switching back and forth from one character story to the other is done seamlessly by the author, as Allison becomes friends with the same people who dramatically impacted Maureen’s life. The story of Maureen is heartbreaking in that this young girl is so desperate to be able to “take care of” her drug-addicted mother and has limited ways in which to do it. While Allison is at a more mature stage of her life, she is also fighting against personal trauma that has caused upheaval in her life. As the mystery is being solved, it brings some twists and turns and some “I didn’t see that coming” moments. I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley, the author and publisher in return for an honest review, which this has been. Thank you for a great read! #OneNightGone, #NetGalley

In this first novel after two short story collections, the suspense derives from the lives of two damaged women whose stories begin decades apart but dovetail into one suspenseful conclusion. Maureen is a runaway teenager who, after joining a traveling carnival, goes missing in the 80s, while Allison is a disgraced TV weather reporter discarded by her philandering husband in 2015. Both end up in the same seaside town, meeting the same people, making the same friends, and crossing the same beaches, both feeling like outsiders but with several decades separating their experiences. When Allison meets and befriends Tammy, Maureen’s best friend who has not stopped looking for Maureen in the 30 years since her disappearance, Allison is drawn into the search and the twists and turns of both women’s relationships fuel this thriller.

The book speaks of social inequity while providing a fast-moving plot. Both sides of the track, as well as the weather, take on almost personal characteristics. In fact, these "characters" are more distinct than the human ones. Allison and Maureen, as written, are sometimes easy to confuse in spite of their difference in both when they lived and how old they are. This is one for those who love twisty thrillers mixed with historical perspectives in striking locales, but not necessarily for those who appreciate distinct characterization.

This was a very refreshing read! Not a typical thriller as it primarily dealt with a cold case. Kept me guessing until the very end - you think early on you’ve figured it out. Rolling your eyes at the authors low opinion of your intelligence... but you won’t see the final turns coming!

This book was received as an ARC from HARLEQUIN - Graydon House Books in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

Usually I am not into psychological thrillers but this one caught my eye from the cover and the description. One Night Gone tells the story of Maureen and Allison. Maureen moves into Opal Beach and gets invited into the Party scene and makes all of these new friends and it looks like a perfect world until at one minute she vanishes, 30 years later Allison moves into Opal Beach to move on from her divorce but she uncovers a secret of a mystery disappearance and a getaway turns into a dark secret life or death situation. Page by page, chapter by chapter was a new twist that was so shocking that no one even saw coming. By the end, jaws will be dropped, words will be lost and just maybe, breath no breathe.

We will consider adding this title to our Mystery Thriller collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

I was shocked to discover this was written by a debut author. The writing is excellent, and the story is layered and complex. Allison, a disgraced meteorologist gets a house sitting job in Opal Beach on the Jersey shore. On her first day there, the local coffee shop owner reacts strangely to her. Turns out, that’s because Allison looks like her friend, who disappeared over 30 years before. Allison gets drawn into investigating the disappearance, even getting mysterious clues delivered to her door. The ending was completely unexpected! I can’t wait for author Tara Laskowski’s next book!

Loved this book. It's definitely a thriller that will be added to my collection. It was full of emotions and suspense. Never saw any thing coming. I really enjoyed this a lot and definitely recommend.

Thank you Netgalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Maureen, a teenage runaway in 1985, and Allison, a 40 year old woman recovering from a divorce in the present, are similar in the fact they are outsiders in a small beach town. Maureen disappears one night and years later Allison unwillingly becomes involved in figuring out what happened to her. The setting was unique in that it was a beach town in the winter. I liked reading about the people who stay through the winter and how different the beach is in the snow. This is a suspenseful mystery and along the way there are a few red herrings. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for this advanced reading copy. This is tale of suspense and mystery. After a nasty divorce and a public meltdown Allison gets an chance to house sit a lovely beach home in Opal Beach to restart her life. Unfortunately she becomes drawn into a mysterious disappearance of a young girl 30 years ago. The one friend she has made since coming to the beach was close friends with the missing girl and encourages her to pursue clues and solve the mystery. Allison and the missing girl Maureen have alot in common as characters to its easy to see why Allison is willing to put herself at risk for a stranger. A fast and light read that builds up to a surprising end.

A young girl finds herself in a beautiful beach town. An outsider wanting just wanting to fit in. Suddenly, she vanishes. Years later, Allison, who is divorced, unemployed, and embarrassed at the turn her life has taken, heads to Opal Beach to house sit and get her life back on track. However, this beach town isn’t as quiet and charming as it seems. Allison finds herself wrapped up in the mystery of the young girl who vanished. She discovers secrets that no one imagined and finds that she can’t just sit by and leave it alone. Could these things help her find herself in the end or leave her feeling crazy and worse than before?

This book kept me intrigued and I couldn’t put it down. Following the stories of multiple characters made it seem as if I was reading multiple books and I enjoyed how everyone was ultimately connected. The story line isn’t predictable and just when you think you have it all figured out, it takes an unexpected twist. The characters are incredibly relatable. You find yourself rooting for them and against them.

Thank you Graydon House Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy of One Night Gone in exchange for my honest review. The thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.