When She Was Gone by Sara Foster

𝗤𝗨𝗜𝗖𝗞 𝗣𝗟𝗢𝗧 𝗣𝗘𝗘𝗞
British mother and ex-police officer Rose Campbell races to Australia to find her missing daughter Lou - a nanny suspected of abducting two children from a powerful family. Leading the investigation is Detective Mal Blackwood who tries to manage this complex kidnapping as he approaches retirement.

𝗛𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗢𝗣𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗢𝗡
The majority of the book alternates between Rose and Detective Blackwood.

Rose was a force - something she’d grown into after the trauma she’d experienced. Blackwood was pretty decent for a cop - they’re usually portrayed as useless in thrillers, but I respected his desire to improve and change.

I found the book very entertaining and exciting, eager to know what had really happened. When we got the truth, I was relieved it was good; although there’s no shocking twist, the reveals and ending more than made up for it.

𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗛 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗?
Despite its strong focus on domestic abuse, this isn’t a heavy read. With a balance of character development and plot, I both loved and highly recommend this book.

Thanks to @Netgalley and
@blackstonepublishing for access to this advanced readers copy

4.5 STARS - Sara Foster is a new-to-me author, and I was more than impressed with her upcoming book When She Was Gone. It grabbed me from the get-go with its well-developed characters with interesting pasts and the mystery surrounding the disappearance of a young nanny and her two young charges from a secluded beach in Australia.

Foster pulls readers into the lifestyles of a mega rich and oh-so-dysfunctional family whose children have gone missing. We also get to know Rose, the mother of the abducted woman and Blackwood, the detective who is assigned to the case who is looking forward to his impending retirement'

I loved Rose's character. She's a former British cop who has faced her own trauma and now with a PhD, she works with domestic violence survivors. She has been estranged from her daughter Lou for years but when Lou and her two young charges go missing, Rose races to Australia and inserts herself into the case - much to the chagrin of local police Detective Blackwood who has his own fair share of emotional demons to deal with.

Told with a few POVs, this story is chilling, dark and has a colourful, flawed and very interesting array of characters - some you'll get behind and a family you'll love to hate. The slow building tension was great, but it was the detailed descriptions of the characters that made this book for me (and I appreciated how it draws readers attention to domestic abuse). There are some nail-biting scenes, but this isn't your standard twisty thriller per se since we find out the baddies' identities, but it IS bingeable and totally addictive. I eagerly look forward to reading more of Sara Foster's backlist!

Disclaimer: Thanks to Blackstone Publishing for the complimentary digital copy of this book which was given in exchange for my honest review.

** This review was posted on March 26, 2025 on my blog, FB, IG, GoodReads, StoryGraph and Indigo.ca.

Well-paced, engaging, satisfying. I thoroughly enjoyed this book from page one. It was well paced, didn't lag and the storyline progressed without getting overly complicated or bogged down. I also appreciated that the author didn't try too hard to throw the reader off. Too often in these types of mystery/suspense/thriller stories you get extra information in attempt to create a big twist and at the end you realize that the extras didn't really need to be there.

Not many of the characters were likable and I think that's a good thing in this case. Without getting into too many details I loved that you could take the information given about the young protagonist at face value and at the end the outcome was what I was hoping it would be. I'm looking forward to trying other books from this author.

This was my first Sara Foster novel and I am pleased to say that I will 100% be back for me. I initially requested this book solely because of the cover. I went into this book completely blind not knowing one thing that this book was about. I was immediately hooked from the beginning. I was honestly on the edge of my seat the entire time reading/listening to this. I thought the character development was executed great and I never felt like anything got lost in this mix. Another one of my favorite things in this book is the short chapters. It always feels like you read much faster when you can fly through chapters. Though there wasn't any major jaw dropping twist, I loved enjoyed the mystery and wanted to know where this was going! This is a really enjoyable crime thriller that you could easily read in a day!

I really enjoyed this book. It was fast paced and suspenseful. The ending I would have never guessed. Overall, this is a winner and I can highly recommend it. Thank you for my gifted copy.

I was hooked when I read the premise for this, and even more so after the first chapter. The tension was built up from the beginning and I couldn’t wait to learn more about Rose. This one was told through different perspectives, and unfortunately, she ended up being the only POV I really cared about.

Blackwood seemed incompetent, moody, and at times petulant, so it was hard for me to get excited when the chapters shifted to his POV. Granted, I get the story centered around a high-profile case and it was his last one at that, BUT STILL. I almost wished we could’ve gotten Angie’s POV at times because she at least seemed a bit more intriguing 🥹

I also didn’t like how 80% of this book seemed to be literally people just talking; I would’ve loved more backstory and inner thoughts. All in all, this was just an ok read for me, and I really appreciated the Australian setting.

#ad many thanks for my advance copy @blackstonepublishing #partner

Entertaining AF! I couldn’t put this book down. Ahhhh it is just the perfect book, it pulled me in fast and didn’t let me go even after it was over.

In the world of the mega-rich and the nannies they hire to care for their children, life may seem mundane - until one of those nannies, Louisa, along with two babies, Kai Fisher - 11 months, and Honey Fisher, 3, go missing without a trace.

Did the nanny take the kids and run, or did something far more nefarious happen to them?

I loved all the characters, the likable and unlikeable. Rose, the estranged mother who grapples with past trauma and works in a domestic violence shelter - who has also worked in the police force - offers a glimpse of how far a mother will go for the daughter she’s always loved.

Blackwood, the detective who will soon retire, has marriage issues he’s working on trying to fix right as he’s pulled back into work to find Lou - the missing nanny and the two kids.

The Fisher’s are as dysfunctional as they come. Secrets and past scandals pour from the pages.

The suspense is palpable and the plot will keep you on your toes. This is the type of book TV dramas were made for and it begs to be adapted.

A missing persons case exasperated by the wealthy, pulls the media’s attention almost instantly. And while the other detectives are busy trying to figure out what is happening here, it’s Rose who really pushes this investigation forward. Much to the detectives pleas not too; but she will not be contained no matter how hard they might try to contain her.

The twists left my jaw on the floor! You won’t see them coming! And oof that ending! It’s fast-paced and bingeable! Expertly written, once you begin it’s impossible to think of anything else.

Couldn’t recommend more. Lovvvved it!

When Lou disappears from a remote beach in Western Australia, her estranged policewoman mother Rose, is quick to fly down from London. It is unclear whether Lou was taken or whether she chose to take the two children she was minding with her.

This was an amazing book. Heart stopping in parts because you could feel Rose's pain and full of action in other parts, especially the last 25% of the book. Once the story took shape, it was incredibly hard to put down. Told through multiple POVs, this fast paced novel will have you flipping those pages at rapid speed. Read it and thank me later.

Fast paced and intense!

Louisa is a nanny to the ultra rich Fisher family. Her charges are 3 years old and 11 months old and they are heirs to their family’s property empire. But when Lou and the two kids vanish from a remote Australian beach during a family vacation, everyone wants to know if she and the children were taken or did Lou run with them.

Rose Campbell, former UK law enforcement, is called by her ex husband, Henry, to go to Australia to find Lou. But Rose has been estranged from Lou for most of her young life so where does she start when she hardly knows her own daughter? DSS Mal Blackwood is recently released from medical leave and nurturing a fragile rekindled marriage when he is called in to work this complicated case. But as dark Fisher family secrets are unveiled, it’s a race against time to find Lou and the two babies before it’s too late.

This is a suspenseful read with short chapters and told in multiple POVs. I enjoyed the well constructed plot line and the character development. The side stories made it really interesting; propelling the story to a surprising ending.

Thank you Netgalley, Blackstone Publishing, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on April 1, 2025

The book was an okay read with a cool mystery. Louisa, a nanny, goes missing at the beach along with the kids she watches. The different perspectives and timelines kept things interesting and I found myself hooked trying to figure out what really happened.

There were too many secondary characters and the parts with the police investigation felt slow. The ending wrapped things up, but the big reveal did not quite hit the mark.

Overall, it was engaging without being exceptional.
Thanks Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for allowing me to read the ARC of this book.

Sara Foster's When She Was Gone is a tense thriller about the abduction of a nanny and two young children in a remote vacation area near Perth,
Australia. We get a terrible hint of what is to come in the first pages, as well as a quick view of the nanny's estranged mother, a former BRitish detective and current activist against domestic violence. The parents of the abducted kids are rich and annoying, and the Aussie cop called back from a leave to take on the case is trying to temper his hyper-dedication to the job in order to save his marriage. kkkkThe complex scenario is handled ably by Foster, and the reader is swept along in the palpable tension of both the plot and the interpersonal relations. Highly recommended.

🌀 W H I R L W I N D W E D N E S D A Y review 🌀 featuring “When She Was Gone” by Sara Foster!

MY RATING: 🖤🖤🖤🖤/5

Rose Campbell is a former police officer and has been estranged from her daughter Lou for over a decade. Rose had to walk away from having a relationship with her daughter due to being in a very dark place in her life. She wrote hundreds of letters to Lou over the years and never received a response from her.

Now in current days, Lou is the nanny for 2 children from the prestigious and powerful Fisher family in Western Australia. What started out as a delightful beach picnic with the kids turns into something much more sinister. Lou and the kids DISAPPEAR and now the police are on the hunt to find them and they suspect a kidnapping!

Estranged or not, Rose is asked to fly across the world and help find Lou before it’s too late. She soon finds out that Rose’s father hid all the letters from Lou and Rose has no idea what she is working with: innocence, cruel intentions or being targeted. What really happened to Lou and the kids??

🚨 This is a fast paced police procedural that is high stakes and anxiety ridden! As the clock ticks and evidence and accusations start to collide, dark secrets start to unravel and the ugly truth starts to show its face!

Thank you kindly to @sarafosterauthor @blackstonepublishing @netgalley for my #gifted advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review! This book releases on April 1, 2025!

Rose is a former police officer and hostage negotiator turned writer and consultant. She has little to no relationship with her young adult daughter due to a controlling and malicious ex-husband. When he calls in a panic and let’s her know that their daughter has gone missing along with the two small children she nannies for, Rose is suprised that he requests that she travel to Western Australia to represent the family while the police investigate. She agrees and becomes aware that the investigation has huge implications because the two young children are the grandchildren in a famous family publishing empire, helmed by the family patriarch, Jock Fisher.

The story is narrated by Rose and Detectives Blackwood, a soon to retire investigator who is in charge of the case. Occasionally other characters add their perspectives. The sordid affairs of the Fisher family complicate the case as the police, and Rose, race to find the truth.

This is a well crafted story of a kidnapping that I absolutely devoured in a day. The plot is taut thriller executed with aplomb by author Sara Foster who also delves into the complicated family dynamics of both the Fishers and Louisa’s mother and father with a deft hand. The characters are expertly crafted and believable and the twists in the story are fast paced and exciting. This is a phenomenon thriller that will have you staying up late to finish it. Five well deserved stars.

I received this advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and feedback.

This was an incredibly fast-paced read. I felt like I was perched on the edge of a boat during a swift-water rescue, watching events unfold before my eyes in quick succession.

I loved the excellent character development and the short, multi-character POV chapters—even more than the central mystery of what happened to the nanny and kids, or the dark secrets the Fisher family harbors, giving off Australian Corleone vibes!

When Louisa, a nanny to a wealthy Australian family, and her two young charges disappear from a secluded beach in western Australia, the police are in a race to find her and the children and bring them home safely. But did she take off with them on purpose, or did someone else have more sinister intentions? Lou’s mother Rose, a retired London police officer herself, flies halfway across the world to help find her estranged daughter.

Told from multiple POVs, When She Was Gone is a solid mystery/thriller with a lot of complicated family dynamics. Rose’s relationships with her ex-husband and daughter are examined, as are the dark dynamics of the uber-wealthy Fisher family, and even the rocky marriage between Detective Blackwood and his wife (retirement and date night will just have to wait until the case is solved!). All of those relationships added a real human element to this carefully plotted and evenly paced mystery. The twists are dark and everything gets wrapped up in a very satisfying way!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for providing me an advance copy of this book.

I absolutely loved this thrilled from Sara Foster and can’t wait to read more from her soon. I particularly enjoyed the easy to follow, multi-characters POVs and rich character development.

Thank you Blackstone book for the copy of When She Was Gone by Sara Foster. This would have made a great last book in a series because we know from the beginning that this is Blackstone’s final case. It would have also made it so we didn’t have to spend so much time on Blackstone and his relationship with his wife along with the long descriptions of people and places, that was too much when I wanted . The story started to pick up as we started to meet the other characters and hear them being questioned. While I loved the premise, the writing never really captured my interest. Everything came together in the end, but the big reveal was just okay for me. I’m not sure this book was for me,, but readers who like more “police procedural” books will probably love it. 3 stars

3.5🌟🌟🌟💫
Lou is employed buy a wealthy family in Australia as a nanny for two young children. But a play date at the beach may have turned into something sinister when Lou and the children vanish.

Rose has been estranged from her daughter Lou since Lou was a baby. All attempts to be a part of her life were thwarted. But now, with Lou missing across the world, the gloves just came off as Rose jumps on the first plane to Australia. With a background in law enforcement and being a mama bear she’s laser-focused on finding her daughter.

Detective Mal Blackwood is coming off a medical leave and hoping to rekindle his marriage as he inches his way towards retirement. But when the chief requests that he head up the investigation into the disappearance of the nanny and kids he can’t refuse. Retirement and his wife will just have to wait. (Sorry honey💔).

What I enjoyed:
*Told from all three perspectives, including a couple additional voices along the way.
*A solid thriller that wasn’t too OTT
*The cover art is gorgeous.

What fell short:
* I was never completely vested in the characters.
* There was a lot of telling rather than showing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing

What a fantastic, solid thriller. No twists and turns just for shock value and cheap entertainment, no plot holes- just a good old fashioned mystery set in the Australian bush. BRB - off to read everything Sara Foster has written !

Super good book and author !! Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this in exchange for an honest review!!!