Really engrossing, thrilling read which I recommend to anyone who loves this genre. Really great new author for me to add to my must reads.

3 women whose stories get interlinked with a terror attack. The story was fast paced where the lives of the three women were unfurled as the book progressed. The story abounded in twists which caused me to read it in one go.

This one was okay for me...I had a hard time getting into it, but the plot was great and really well thought out.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the eARC.

I have said this alot this year but this is my favourite book of 2021. When I finished I just sat and thought about how what I had just read was amazing!!!

We follow the story of three amazing Lauren, Kathleen and Emily. All three stories are intertwined after a terrorist attack on the subway. Emily works with the local council and lives with her daughter, her elderly neighbour Kathleen is worried because her friend Sharon didn't turn up after a strange call from her. Turns out Emily was the last one to see her. When Sharon is found there's fear that Emily is being targeted. But there is far more to Kathleen's story but what will Emily do when she finds out. Plus how does Lauren fit in to all this?

This is one of those books where there is twist after twist after omfg moments. I just had mouth open throughout and I honestly just didn't see most of the twist coming.
I enjoyed all the women in the story Emily was pretty bad ass and I quite liked her take charge attitude she was really well written and I was in ora of her. Kathleen though just became that bad ass gran I need in my life. The more of her story I read the more I grew to adore her even more and I just was so hooked everytime we jumped to another person I wanted to get back to Kathleen.
Lauren's story is tragic and trigger warning talk of drugs and abuse. It was a hard read at times but harrowing non the less.

It's super hard because I want to spill out everything I loved about this book but if I do it will spoil everything so I shall not. But be warned. It's a roller coaster and be prepared for it to get more intense as you make your way through each part.
Surprisingly I quite liked the fact the story was told in parts as often that turns me off. But it made no difference at all and actually gave me a natural pausing point whilst trying to cram the new information in. Michele Weinstat Miller is a talented writer and I cannot wait for her next thriller


All in all I would whole heartedly record gone by morning to all that love the genre, also crime fiction lovers and any and all readers, this isn't one to miss
5 🌟. I honestly can say this is my best read of 2021

Thank you to netgalley, the author, the publishers for the advanced digital copy of gone by morning in exchange for my fair and honest opinions

Brilliant! Fast paced, strong characters, strong plot. I loved the women in this story and how retreated to one another. Well done, Ms Miller!

Gone by Morning is a compelling, action-packed thriller from multi-talented Michele Weinstat Miller. The book starts out right away with an explosion on the subway that nearly kills the protagonist, a badass woman named Kathleen with a shady past — the implications of which become more and more apparent throughout the rest of the plot. The reader is quickly introduced to a variety of interesting and nuanced characters, including Emily, one of the New York City mayor’s press secretaries who ends up joining forces with Kathleen to get to the bottom of the murder of Kathleen’s friend from her past. If, like me, you’re a sucker for plotlines driven by collaboration between sharp, multifaceted, vulnerable, and brave women, this book won’t disappoint. The dialogue between the characters is particularly snappy and flows easily.

The quick pace and Ms. Miller’s strong writing voice carries through the book, and there is a ton of action and compelling scenes that made it hard to put the book down. I felt like the main characters were given just enough background and detail for the interactions to seem realistic, even with a plot that might initially seem somewhat unlikely. Ms. Miller really created an environment that sets up clear heroes and villains, and makes it easy to root for the protagonists. She treats her characters, some of whom have questionable pasts, with compassion and nuance, and writes the villains in a deliciously despicable way.

I appreciate how Ms. Miller brings her own voice and unique life experiences to the books she writes. As a former City prosecutor, she gives the reader an incisive glimpse into the dynamics of the criminal justice system and City politics — it’s clear she poured her knowledge and astute observations into the plot, and the novel was even better for it.

Ms. Miller writes with engaging detail, the ability to draw you in and make you feel deeply for the characters and absolutely sweep you up in the book’s pages. Just about the time you think you have it all figured out, it takes a 90° turn and once again that thought repeats, “Just one more chapter.” Can’t recommend it enough.

Kathleen has reestablished her life after time in prison but now things are literally blowing it apart. She escapes a suicide bombing on the NYC subway only to find herself bombed again. Sharon, an old acquaintance, didn't turn up for their planned meeting because she's, well, been murdered. Kathleen's neighbor Emily, a journalist, doesn't like the explanations she's not getting (she saw Sharon leave their building) so she persuades Kathleen to help her investigate. Thriller readers know this will take them into dangerous areas- so perilous that someone wants them dead. The plot does get a bit convoluted in spots (and there are a couple of subplots) but it works because of the characters. I liked Kathleen, a mature woman who doesn't take guff, as well as Emily, her daughter, and the dog. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. No spoilers from me.

This book starts with a bang. While the story was good & kept me intrigued, I felt it was overly convoluted. There's a lot of twists, and I particularly liked the last chapter.

Michele Weinstat Miller writes a thriller with characters (and a dog!) who are so achingly real that you can't help but want to give them a hug. I loved the textured and nuanced circumstances of each person in this novel and how they all fit together so explosively. A page-turner, a thriller, but much more than that. This is an intelligent novel with heart that will entertain but it will also make you think,
#netgalley #gonebymorning #micheleweinstatmiller #crookedlanebooks

The story begins with a 68-year-old woman named Kathleen riding on a New York City subway. She receives a text alert telling her that CNN has reported a bomb in the subway system. She's close to where the bomber has set off the bomb, killing himself and at least 48 other people. She escapes and ends up walking seven miles home to her apartment in a building she owns.

The bombing sets up a flurry of investigations to determine the bomber's name, motive and if he was working alone. Once identified as Jackson Mattingly they mystery only deepens. He doesn't seem to have any motive for his actions.

Emily Silverman is one of the mayor's press secretaries. She also lives in the building Kathleen owns with her almost-three-year-old daughter Skye. Unknown to her is the fact that Kathleen is her grandmother who has manipulated events through a fake Facebook friend to get Emily her job at City Hall and her apartment in order to get to know her granddaughter and great-granddaughter.

Kathleen was convicted of manslaughter and spent some years in prison. She and her husband were both drug addicts. She is the one who brought her husband the drugs that killed him. After getting out of prison there weren't a lot of job opportunities which led her to become a madam. She is now many-years retired. She lost her daughter Lauren through all of the events of her trial and incarceration, Lauren, who had drug problems of her own, felt abandoned and has spent the past thirty years with very mixed feelings about the woman she wrote out of her life.

Now, it seems that the past has made a reappearance when one of the women who worked for her asked to see her but never arrived only to be found murdered and dumped at a b each famous as a dumping ground for prostitutes. Emily was a witness to the woman's near arrival at Kathleen's when she saw the woman get into a car outside the apartment building. The police seem to have written off what looks like the death of one more prostitute but Emily and Kathleen begin to investigate.

Then a lawyer who was also a former client of Kathleen's first tells Kathleen to back off the investigation and then is supposed to have committed suicide. This leads Kathleen to believe that there is more to know about her friend's past and the mysterious Client 13 who was the only thing they had in common.

After an arson attack on her building which nearly costs Kathleen, Emily and Skye their lives, police arrest Kathleen for being the arsonist. Her bank accounts have been drained and evidence is discovered that she's the one who started the fires as a way of claiming the insurance. All she and Emily know is that there is a powerful and connected enemy out there who doesn't want his secrets revealed.

The story is told from multiple viewpoints including both Kathleen and Emily and also Jackson Mattingly and the mysterious hidden figure who is at the center of the events. Lauren's husband Carl who is an FBI Agent currently on medical leave fighting MS and Lauren herself get chances to be viewpoint characters.

I really enjoyed this twisty tale about the past coming to haunt the present, about the hidden parts of wealth and politics, and about secrets. It was filled with so much tension that I needed to sometimes put it down and walk away to decompress. Fans of intense mysteries will enjoy this one.

This one reaches out and grabs your attention from the off with a very shocking terrorism attack. Immediately, the reader is introduced to Kathleen who you soon learn has a very colourful past. All of a sudden her friend is missing and then another crime needs to be solved.
Some really great characters in this, I love the complexity of Kathleen. Really like the minor characters that surround her too.
Its a tense storyline, and whilst it tends to veer off the terrorism plot to a point, the mystery of both plots are engaging, twisty and keep you hooked.
A great read.

This was my first Michele Weinstat Miller novel. I thoroughly enjoyed Gone by Morning, and I would highly recommend this novel to those who enjoy a good crime mystery.

This was an easy/fun read. Kathleen is a woman who spent 5 years in jail for a homicide. After her release, she scrapes by at the skin of her teeth and is almost blown up by a terrorist attack on a subway.

From there, Kathleen's life starts to spiral out of control.

A skipped meeting with an acquaintance ends up in murder.

This novel was filled with suspense, twists and turns. The chapters easily flow, the relationships are established and all in all this is an easy read.

I love how strong the voice is in this book. I feel like the author has a strong voice, an advocacy for women, and the trauma narratives underneath the surface appealed to me personally. The pacing is really strong, and the immediate impact is observant, crisp, and cinematic. I appreciated the way the description and action drew me in quickly and helped drive the story. I am a fan of TV shows like 911, 911: Lone Star, and especially Prodigal Son ... and this book recalled those things that I enjoy about those shows. There is some darkness to explore even within the characters that bring glimmers of hope and live seemingly balanced lives.

I am somewhat of a slow reader and this book allowed me to rest my thoughts with the way it pulled me in and kept things moving. The characters really developed throughout and the central character especially grew on me with her grittiness and yet vulnerability. Towards the middle I became totally invested in their lives, and as I approached the end new characters were introduced and more tertiary characters were developed to the point where I definitely wanted to read more about their lives. So the ending was satisfying and exciting, yet also left me wanting to read more about these people's lives.

The author shows herself to be an informed and astute observer of the dynamics of criminal justice. She also displays a really genuine understanding of addiction, recovery, and the lingering affects that being part of the system and "The Life" can have on a person. Personally I felt touched and strengthened by this story, which in ways reflected my tension with family members who didn't always present their best selves or protect me in the ways I needed as a child. It also illuminated the things that changed me, the mistakes I made, and the women I came to know in the sex industry who made different choices than me - and had different choices to be made. The gentleness with which Michele Weinstat Miller explores the lives of these many women, and displays their interconnectedness, contrasts with the also diverse male characters who are alternately entitled, narcissistic, vicious, and also hold themselves to a code of honor.

I am delighted to recommend this book and hope to read more soon!

I found this a brilliant read and got sucked right into it, couldn't put it down and read it in a few days! There was a great plot and kept me guessing right up til the end. I enjoyed reading how Kathleen & Emilys relationship evolved and the twists and turns of the story. I hope to read more by Michelle Weinstat Miller soon

Just finished Gone By Morning by Michele Weinstat Miller. Wow! Exciting plot right from the jump with many well-earned twists along the way. Great characters and villains you will love to hate. Crazy about primary protagonist former madam and badass Kathleen and the rest of the women who kick serious butt in this action-filled thriller. Great and satisfying ending! Brava!

This novel could be considered a fast-paced thriller about family and the primacy of strong family relationships. As the extent of the familial relationships is teased out over the course of the narrative – both on the heroes’ side and the villains’ – the importance of the family bond becomes apparent. However, the novel is far more than that.
While the villains remain in the shadows for much of the novel, their own pernicious heritage is revealed. Through creative use of flashback, we are introduced to a lineage populated by dangerous, high-functioning psychopaths who merit a sequel or further exploration.
The novel is well-researched, the author clearly knowledgeable about a variety of issues; Michele Weinstat Miller shows intimate familiarity with both the city of New York and aspects of the legal system. So too there are elements that touch on recovery from addiction, politics on a grand scale, the nature of police procedure, and the petulance of a dangerous, emotionally-unbalanced young man.
A highly recommended read with a number of twists and turns that will keep you riveted throughout.

This book starts off with a literal bang when a suicide bomber strikes in the New York subway. A woman named Kathleen barely escapes the blast. While the bombing story dominates the headlines a woman from Kathleen’s past is murdered, a seemingly unrelated event. The police question Kathleen about her past, which includes jail time and a job as a madam. They also talk to Emily, a young woman working for City Hall who saw the woman getting into a car the night she was killed. Kathleen and Emily, who live in the same building, decide to look into the case on their own. This proves to be much more dangerous than they could have imagined. As Kathleen’s past and Emily’s present collide they have to rely on each other, which leads to interesting personal revelations and a tense climax. The characters were well-written and the story was engaging, although the ending left some questions unanswered. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This was sent to me by Netgalley for review on Kindle. It is a character driven novel with many twists and turns...just when the read thinks the answers are obvious, something else happens...mayhem...murder...try this one...perhaps more likable characters might add to the story.

Gone by Morning by Michele Weinstat Miller, published by Crooked Lane Books, out on 10 August, 2021

This was a fun read. Kathleen is a lady with a past: she spent five years inside for homicide, and left prison to become an entrepreneur in a somewhat unusual business. Her daughter is estranged from her, and Kathleen knows her granddaughter only through circuitous means. She lives her life keeping under the radar. Until one morning when she narrowly escapes being blown up in a terrorist attack on the subway.

That attack has no obvious relationship with Kathleen. When, however, a part acquaintance of hers turns up out of the blue, only to skip the appointment and turn up murdered instead, Kathleen's neatly ordered life begins to unravel.

From there on, and very much in line with the genre, the plot unfolds. The twists and turns are nicely calibrated, never too far out of the ballpark to come as complete surprises, yet far enough out that they are unexpected. That suspension of disbelief that Kundera identified is never quite breached. There is the mighty coincidence without which no crime thriller can stand, the allies in unexpected places and betrayals closer to home. New York, where the book is set, is not quite the third-character that L.A. is in Chandler's novels, but nor could the story take place anywhere else.

My only gripe is that the author doesn't always seem fully in control of the plot - especially Kathleen's relationship with the cops. It's not quite implausible, but it isn't quite plausible either. That aside, this is great fun, baddies who are despicable and good guys who are interestingly conflicted. Well worth the price!