I was just about ready for an intelligent page turner when I got an advance copy of this novel. It's really well written and demands a little more from the reader than your average mystery. Also it's a quite a while before you start to suspect where this may be going and even then the plot doesn't entirely play out until the very last pages of the book. If you're tired of predictability and like a literary theme, this is a great read.

What a page turner - I really enjoyed all the twists & turns!

Received from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thomas Huston is on the run and is being searched for by the police (one of whom is his friend ) for the Murder of his family. He is a college professor and best selling author. Ryan DeMarco, a police officer and Thomas' friend is leading the investigation into the Huston family Murder. This is the gist of the book. The book also contains several other characters who tie into the story rather nicely. There are some twists and turns, and several reveals. Most of the characters have a purpose that is revealed during the book.

I'll be honest, in the beginning I was not a big fan of this book. I kept finding other thins to do and read. Then I got past a certain part of the book, and I found that I had to keep reading. It was not a pager turner for me but yet I wanted to see "who dunnit" and why. Did Thomas Murder his family? If he did not, who did and why? I found the book to be nicely paced, even though the beginning was slow for me. Nice detective work.

Holy heck!! Two Days Gone had me captivated from the beginning! This novel starts out with Thomas Huston's (a local college professor and bestselling author) entire family found brutally murder inside their family home. With no signs of Thomas anywhere, he becomes suspect numero uno!!

Sergeant Ryan DeMarco is heading up the massive search for Huston. Having previously gotten to know Thomas Huston personally, DeMarco's gut is telling him that Thomas couldn't have possibly committed this heinous crime. When major clues that are discovered indicating the opposite, DeMarco's initial feelings are rocked. It is now up to DeMarco to the bottom of who killed the Huston family, and if Thomas is indeed innocent, why did he run?!?!

This book nearly gave me whiplash with all the twists and turn I never saw coming!! I love it when an author can completely bust all my conspiracy theories to smithereens-- well played, Mr. Silvis, well played! The storyline was well thought out and the book was perfectly paced! If you're a fan of mystery/thriller's like I am, then this 4.5 star book is a MUST read! Having never read a book written by Randall Silvis before, but I can guarantee it won't be my last! Go 1-click One Day Gone-- you won't regret it!

Thomas Hudson's entire family has been murdered in their beds. Their father/husband Thomas is a successful author, professor who is loved and admired by all. He is now wandering, hiding from police and going in and out of being a character who would be in one of his books. Detective DeMarco has been called to the scene only to discover the family is his friend Thomas Hudson's. He can't believe a loving father and husband like Thomas did this. But where is he? DeMarco sets out to find Thomas and unravel the truth about this crime. While battling his own demons, DeMarco will not give up until he finds Thomas. He reads Thomas's notes on his new novel trying to get a glimpse into where Thomas mind was at on the day of the murder. What will he uncover?

I would like to thank NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for allowing me to read an advanced copy. I enjoyed Two Days Gone so much that I didn't want to stop reading once I started. The characters were very believable and as a reader, I felt there pain. Randall Silvis has an excellent way with words. I enjoyed the way he brought a little view into the world of an author thru Thomas. When I came to the place where DeMarco had put all the pieces of the murder together, I said "Oh snap, I didn't see that coming". This is the first book I've read of Randall Silvis and won't be the last!!!!

ABSOLUTELY ADDICTIVE!!! I stayed up all night with this book. It was fantastic storytelling and a true "thrill ride"--I loved it!

Implausible. Almost laughable. Ridiculous premises.
Couldn't put it down.

I enjoyed this book, but it started a little slow for me and I found it hard to get into at first. Ultimately I thought there was a good story line and the characters were well portrayed. It wrapped up well and answered all of my questions.

I have read a veritable plethora of mysteries, crime fiction, cozy locked-room puzzles,sci-fi mysteries set in the far future, even a few bodice-ripper dramas. Only a fraction of those stories were so interesting that I stayed up later than I should to get to the story's climax:

Even with some notable imperfections "Two Days Gone", by Randall Silvis, is so engaging that I enjoyed rushing to the finish line! The story: Thomas Hudson is a best-selling author and stud professor at a small college. He has a perfect family, and the ideal life, at least until one night his entire family is butchered. Hudson goes on the run and is viewed as the likely murderer. Detective Demarco is the local cop chasing Hudson although he has an awkward previous friendly relationship with Hudson.

Sounds like fairly standard fair, right? In Silvis' adept hands we follow the thinking of both Hudson and Demarco as the chase ensues and the building pressure to understand what happened that night at the Hudson house for both Demarco and we, the readers.

No spoilers in this review. Enjoy the read as much as I did: in doing some thinking about this book I most enjoyed the fact that Silvis we rites as if his readers are intelligent -- and knowledgeable.

Thanks to Net Galley for making this book available. Now I am going to research what else I can read by Randall Silvis.

This book took a bit longer to grab me but once it did I was caught. It is a good mystery. A mans family is murdered, did he do it? Where is he and what really happened to this family. I enjoyed this book, I wanted to find out the truth about the murders so I found it hard to set aside. I liked both main characters, Thomas Huston the professor, author and suspected killer of his family, and Ryan DeMarco the sergeant looking for both Huston and answers. Both of these men have pasts that haunt them. The south or did a beautiful job describing the surroundings as well as the feeling of the men. I good story for anyone who likes mystery books.

What a page turner! This book had so many twists and shocking secrets. Highly recommend to those who love thrillers!

I liked this book, it was definitely something different than I usually read.

This is a book about two men, who on the verge of friendship become the hunter and the hunted. Who do either of them trust? This is a beautifully written book, not just a suspenseful thriller, but a literary treat. How does it feel to have everything in your life taken away from you? Plenty of twists and turns with a surprise ending.

Thank you Landmark as well as netgalley.com for allowing me a chance to read this novel. I truly enjoy thrillers that keep me guessing. The start of this novel really hooked me. A professor on the run, his entire family murdered - the how and the why definitely caught my attention. I also enjoyed how the beginning of the novel went from the professor's "escape" and the state trooper's (DeMarco) chase. Seemed like this would really be a good novel.
However, as the book progressed, my interest waned. The novel transitioned more into DeMarco's life. There also seemed to be quite a few elements missing. You learn about the professor's colleagues - then nothing from them until the end of the story. The sub-story of DeMarco and his ex-wife was odd, at best. Finally, the fact that DeMarco allowed the professor to escape - not once, but twice - was tough for me to digest. The story just got less and less believable as it went on.
I give this thriller two stars - it was readable, but left me wanting a much better ending than was given.

In writing a novel, writers may research different places, people, professions. While working on his best-seller, Thomas Huston had conferred with state trooper Ryan DeMarco about legal aspects, criminal behavior and related topics. They became friendly over the course of many of these meetings,. Ryan DeMarco can’t quite make himself believe that Huston has killed his family, this family DeMarco believed he so cherished. He had everything, why would he do that? And where is Thomas?

Huston’s been working on a new novel, which may or may not hold some clues to his state of mind, give DeMarco something to probe, but are there answers there? Huston’s also a college professor with students and co-workers. Student affair? Professional jealousy? And where is the novel he was working on?

Thomas Huston is a man with his own demons, though, his mother brutally murdered during a holdup in their little store, his father, unable to live without her, with the memories, takes his own life soon thereafter. As happy or content as he may be now, these memories never really leave.

“He understood how a single event could shred a privileged life, leave it tattered and flapping in the black gales of night.”

Ryan DeMarco also has his own demons, his son and wife gone – a tragic car accident which both Ryan and his wife survived, only to lose the one thing that tethered them to each other. This haunts him still.

A student of Huston’s, Nathan, is helpful in giving insights into what Huston’s new novel-in-progress was about, a Lolita-like character merged with Poe’s Annabelle Lee who is young and hopeful, an exotic dancer? Perhaps. In the name of research Huston went in search of the one to build his Annabelle from. And, also in the name of research, DeMarco follows in an attempt to find a girl who Huston might have viewed as his muse.

There were parts of “Two Days Gone” which I loved, but there was so much of this that I “knew” from fairly early on in the story to take some of the thrill out, but by this point in the story there were enough other avenues involved that kept my attention. I enjoyed the various forks in the road taken. I was entertained. The writing was atmospheric, the prose often lovely.


Pub Date: 1 Jan 2017

Many thanks to Source Books Landmark, NetGalley, and to Randall Silvis for providing me with an advanced copy.

I read this book quickly in two days. The character development and the plot were very interesting and the suspense kept me reading. I felt in reading this book that I really became to know the character of Tom and the detective and was interested in finding out what happened to them in the future and how the problem they had would be solved if possible. I would be interested in reading more by this author!

A woman and her children have been viciously slaughtered and residents of a small Pennsylvania college town are shocked and horrified that the popular writer and professor they thought they knew is on the run, a jaded cop on his heels. The narration is split between the grief-stricken, half-mad writer and the damaged man who is hunting him, his thoughts slipping back to his wrecked marriage and the accident that killed his son whenever he pauses. There's a lot of intensity in this psychological thriller, but I found the tension more exhausting than thrilling.

Fantaatic book , i could not put it down, hooked from start to finish.

Started out as a page turner but then the story kept "slogging" along with no real action. After all the great psychological thrillers I've recently read through Netgalley - this was disappointing.

This is the first book by Randall Silvis that I have read. It is a book full of mystery and suspense. It even had a few surprises. It is a book I would recemmend to all who enjoy mysteries.

A well known writer/college professor’s family is found slain and he appears to be on the run. An emotionally damaged detective who has had prior (noncriminal) dealings with the professor investigates. As part of his investigation, he tries to get inside the writer’s mind, particularly as it relates to the novel he is presently writing.

There are literary references that I enjoyed and the book is well written, with the story being told from the points of view of these two. Unfortunately, despite the grave circumstances for the professor, I felt no affinity for him. Although it took me a while to get into it, the story held my attention. It is worth a read.

This was a fast paced mystery/thriller full of twists and a satisfying ending. The characters were strong and relatable. Enjoyable read!

Two Days Gone by Randall Silvis looks at the unexpected, gruesome murder of esteemed college professor and author Thomas Huston's family. Detective Ryan DeMarco is the detective trying to solve the crime, and he also finds himself trying to reconcile the man he admires to the senseless, violent act.

There is suspense, crime solving, and also a look into how a person can create stories (or art) that hold a darkness in them - is it the person society and loved ones see that is the real thing, or does this darkness come from what their hidden secrets and desires are?

DeMarco and Huston connect on several occasions during the pursuit of the murderous professor and DeMarco has to decide if he really believes that Huston isn't the perpetrator, and how far he can trust his instincts.


Some of DeMarco's backstory is a bit convoluted, but is meant to explore all the ways life happenings can change people and how they can change things completely. I thought it was well written for the most part, and kept me entertained throughout.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion / review.

I received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

This was a slow builder for me. Maybe I was distracted, but it took a decent chunk of the book until I was hooked. But it got me. This is different than other mysteries I have read lately. I liked the way the twists were laid out and I really couldn't guess what was going to happen next.

I almost gave up on this one, but I am glad I didn't. This was a well written and enjoyable story!

A very unusual book. I enjoyed it very much and looking for more by the author. I enjoyed "meeting" the characters and the whole story was well written and believable. Will recommend

In Two Days Gone, this book asks the question of can an All American family guy be pushed far enough to do unthinkable evil, or is there more below the surface if you looked again. The book’s premise is Thomas Huston, who is becoming more of a celebrity as his books receive more and more attention, and is also a beloved professor, father, and husband is suddenly found missing after his wife and children have been found brutally murdered. Obviously, he is the police’s first suspect because it’s always the husband right? Or is it? An acquaintance of Huston’s, Sergeant Ryan DeMarco, is actually on the police force and deep down believes that Huston would never be able to do such acts of violence especially against his wife and children, and decides he’s going to prove to everyone that believes Huston is guilty, that he is innocent and would never do this. But first he has to find him, and before Huston may do something drastic.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and I really enjoyed it and would definitely check out any other work by this author. I’ve always been willing to try new authors as long as the premise of their books sounds like the type of book I generally enjoy. It took a little bit to get used to the authors writing style as it would jump a lot while not really having any cuts or segways in between the different viewpoints. It would go from Huston’s thoughts while on the run, to what his Sergeant DeMarco was thinking about the case, to a flashback of what Huston’s life used to be, to a flashback of what Sergeant DeMarco’s life used to be. After I got used to the writing style, I really liked it and it really helped to get more into the story and couldn’t put it down after the storyline really got going.

I thought the character development was really well done, and you really got a sense of why Sergeant DeMarco is the way he is, because he’s had his share of tragedy in his life making him kinda jaded, but still believing that the people he knows are genuinely good people. You also find out as the story goes on that maybe Huston wasn’t as innocent as a family man as he led everyone to believe, and that’s part of the reason I kept wanting to continue reading. I wanted to know if Huston maybe actually did do this horrible crime, and DeMarco was completely wrong in his judgement that it had to be someone else, or if again not everything was as it seems. I felt like the ending wrapped up everything very nicely, and everything came together and nothing came out of left field which if a book has an ending that seems to come out of nowhere or facts are just thrown in at the last minute to try and make the ending work is always a huge disappointment to me and sometimes comes off as sloppy writing, even if the book was really good up until that point.

This book didn’t have that problem, and I just really enjoyed this book and the author and would definitely read more books by the author. Also a big thank you to Netgalley, Sourcebooks Landmark and Randall Silvis for letting me read this ARC, as I can’t express how much I truly enjoyed this book.

Ryan DeMarco is a sergeant in the Pennsylvania State Police, trying to hold his life together after his family fell apart. Thomas Huston is a fiction author and academic at the local college. His family has been found dead in their beds, and he has disappeared. Two Days Gone follows the paths of these two men as they try to understand this tragedy and guess each other’s next move, based only on their brief acquaintance. Like his fictional author, Silvis has the “goal of bridging the gap between serious and commercial fiction.” (Would Silvis, like Huston, resent selling “too many copies”? Perhaps not.) But also like Huston’s books, the success of Two Days Gone lies in the plotting and dialogue as much as in the cherished prose (check out the Acknowledgements.) The almost-parallel stories of DeMarco and Huston intersect just enough, and there are good plot twists and turns. It says a lot that I figured out who done it about two-thirds of the way through, but there was still plenty of story (and loose ends) left. Even once you know who perpetrated the murders, you will still be engaged with this book. If you’re looking for a psychological detective mystery while you’re waiting for the next installment in the Dublin Murder Squad series, this would be a good choice.

A tragic, complex thriller full of twists and turns. The author keeps an intense pace brewing right uo till the end with this beautifully crafted work.

Thomas Huston has it all. A beautiful wife, and four happy children. He's a respected college professor and a best-selling author. His family is everything to him, so the town is shocked when they are all discovered slaughtered in their beds, and Tom is nowhere to be found. Ryan Demarco, the detective working the case, is acquainted with Tom socially, and can't believe that the man he knew would be able to do such a terrible thing. The character parallels are heart-breakingly beautiful, as Ryan sympathizes, (often overly much) with Huston due to the loss of his own child, and consequently his marriage, years earlier. They are two broken men, each on their own journeys that connect in surprising ways. Yes, there are some twists and turns, but not in a Gone Girl kind of way. This is a more cerebral, literary thriller, and that is a good thing.

I loved this book and would recommend it with enthusiasm but could only bring myself to score it 4 stars because of the sex references. I know this might make me sound like a prude to some but it really isn't that. It's just that it read to me as if another author had written all the bits of the book that had any sex in. The rest of the writing was excellent and the plot both thrilling and believable. I enjoyed all the characters and would look forward to reading more from Randall Silvis but just less gratuitous sex please!

I really enjoyed this book.
It was tense, the characters were believable and it was very well written.
I'm not normally one for heavy prose but it worked for this book and made sense for Huston to be using that type of prose as he is an author.
I liked the twists and turns and the story had me gripped as to what had happened.
I'm not going to spoil the book with a blow by blow recount as that's not my thing but I urge you to read it and will be urging people around me to read it when it is published.
Many thabks to the publishers and Net Galley for allowing me to read an advanced copy.

This crime novel was nice and dark with lots of flawed, likeable characters, a story which flowed at a good pace and a twisty plot to keep you guessing.

This book was filled with beautiful, lyrical prose and then would have a jarring segment that just didn't fit. It is narrated by two very broken, very likable men. A well paced, good dark mystery that has some nice twists and turns along the way.

What is it about a book that pulls you in? Keeps you thinking of it when you aren't able to read? Different types of books do this for all sorts of different types of people making that 'thing' almost impossible to put your finger on. Two Days Gone is a good book. It's written very eloquently and all the ends are tied up tightly by the conclusion. But, for me, it just didn't have that 'thing'. With 150 pages still to go I felt it must be wrapping up. What could possibly be in so many more pages? And I found that while the last ends were being tied, I didn't really need them to be. They weren't necessarily superfluous, but I didn't have much attachment to those characters. A solid book that I can see may hold that 'thing' for others. Perhaps that person is you.

I received an Advance Readers' Copy through Netgalley for am impartial review.

Wow! Two Days Gone is phenomenal. The complex and incredibly sad story of a family murdered. Is the father, noted novelist Thomas Huston, a family annihilator? Detective Ryan DeMarco, an acquaintance, an almost friend of Huston, is in charge of the investigation to bring the missing Huston to justice.

Silvis presents the family in flashbacks; they are lovely and funny and sweet. He does not belabor the circumstances of their deaths because he doesn't need to be gratuitous. Readers will feel the emptiness that their senseless deaths have caused. Huston, a man familiar with sudden and violent death, is viewed sympathetically. I wanted him to be innocent although nothing could ever make him whole again. Did he snap? Was there some sort of emotional breakdown?

Detective DeMarco is also swimming in his own bottomless sea of grief. After the sudden accidental death of his son, his marriage and life as he knew it are over. His personal life now is just a series of motions while he subverts his grief investigating the abyss of others' evil.

Silvis allows his detective to contemplate motivations. Too often in too many mystery/thrillers, there are sudden leaps of knowledge. Here DeMarco immerses himself in the hearts of those he questions. He keeps on pondering even when it appears there are no more issues to resolve.

Silvis' characters, both living and dead, are well drawn and true. Two Days Gone is one of the best books I have read this year.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The blurb sounded exciting and I was looking forward to a psychological thriller. But honestly, I just couldn't get into this book. I was bored. And I found myself stopping this book to read other books.

I DNF this book.

Two Days Gone by Randall Silvis is a great read, It drew me in from the beginning. Since I live in the same geographical location the story is set in, I enjoyed it even more! I liked the way Silvis uses Thomas Hustons own research for his book, to each characters description. I had no problem getting into each character and setting and imaging just how they were. I love books that become a film in my mind. I so recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley, Sourcebook Landmark, and Randall Silvis for the advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review. This story revolves around Thomas Huston, author and beloved small Pennsylvania town professor. An unthinkable crime is committed against Huston's wife and children. The community comes together in support of their local "hero". Huston then disappears and becomes the town's number one suspect. Sergeant Ryan DeMarco has the difficult task of not only dealing with his own demons but also trying to solve the grisly murder as well as come to terms with whether or not Huston is guilty. The writing was top not.

It is more like 4.5 Stars.

I must admit that this book surprised me. I expected a very interesting story, which it was. But i did not expect all this darkness in the lives of the different characters. In a way, it was fascinating!

Thomas Huston had it all. Perfect life, perfect family, perfect career. One day, it was all gone. All his family was butchered and he was the only suspect.
DeMarco, the cop in charge of this investigation, had his own demons and tragedies. What he did not expect was that while investigating the life of Huston, he discovered something else under all that apparent perfection, something similar to the darkness inside his own soul.

The story was amazing and at points depressing but i enjoyed every chapter. The way the investigation brought to light different facts and sides about all the people involved. The despair of Huston was acutely expressed, and after some of those specific chapters i felt tired and sad!
And i kept building theories all along the story, trying to come up with a reasonable explanation that would make sense of the actions of Huston, and still the end was not like i imagined it, it was much more!

It was a very good book and i would recommend it to all my friends.

When Thomas Huston's wife and children are found brutally murdered, and Thomas is nowhere to be found, everyone assumes that Thomas is behind the deaths and fled after he killed his family.

Sargent Ryan DeMarco met Thomas a couple times in the past, and has a hard time reconciling the man he met with the man who could kill his entire family. The further DeMarco gets into the investigation, the more he wrestles with the question of whether he really knew Thomas, or whether Thomas may actually be innocent.

*Thanks to NetGalley who provided an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Two Days Gone by Randall Silvis is chilling, and I couldn't put it down. A recommended read! I am intentionally listing vague details here to avoid spoilers. The book begins with an unthinkable and senseless crime, immediately drawing the reader to demand answers. As an investigation into the crime unfolds, we are immersed in the inner workings of each character involved until the truth comes out like a punch in the gut, and the truth is more horrible than anyone can imagine.
The main characters in this book, Ryan DeMarco, the cop, and Thomas Huston, the novelist/college professor, are well developed and you are led to care for them and feel their deep emotion. The interactions between DeMarco and some of the other characters are at times humorous, which helps to balance out some of the intensity.
The progression of the story, and the clues we are given as DeMarco conducts his investigation, are the kind that give you a slight inkling of what may be going on without being predictable. But be warned....just when you think you have it figured out, a huge twist reveals itself!

This story was intriguing from the outset. The entire family of successful author and college professor Thomas Huston has been brutally murdered. The Huston family had "appeared the epitome of a happy family, smiles on all their faces. Claire and Thomas holding hands, the kids laughing, little Davy all eyes and sloppy grin." But Tom Huston is on the run and suspected of committing the atrocities. The story is very dark. The community and investigating police officer have trouble believing Huston could have butchered his family; however, he has disappeared, was seen tossing what could be the murder weapon off a bridge into the water, and it is discovered that all was not so idyllic in the Huston household. Did Tom Huston snap? Did something caused a psychological disconnect? Or is everybody wrong? Did somebody else murder the Huston family?

The writing flows beautifully with luxuriously descriptive sentences. I enjoyed the of prose.

Great book! Kept me engaged and interested. Parts were predictable, but at the same time it stayed interesting. I really liked the characters throughout the book.

This was a mystery murder/thriller cum detective novel at its finest! A real page turner. One I had to finish in one go.

A well respected college professor, also a famous crime writer finds his entire family brutally murdered. He is also on the run. It simply points out to his guilt. For some reason, completely unfathomable to everyone around him - his students, his in laws and even to the police chief who knew him this was not his work. But then why was he missing, why didn't he turn himself in and tell his part of the story.

The story unravels slowly without any sequence or logic. I personally could not work out who was the murderer and why till it was actually spelt out. Taken in baby steps, the logic and why and wherefore of how a murderer's mind works and subsequently how those who are most affected take revenge are devious and complicated. This adds to the story here.

A solidly-plotted, fast-paced thriller with dark undertones. Compelling, unusual and moving with some moments of real brilliance.

This is a well-paced thriller that picks up speed as you go along. The characters are well-drawn and fully dimensional, especially the professor and the investigator. Most of all, I was impressed with Silvis' writing. So often thrillers sacrifice attention to language in furtherance of plot. Not here. He checks both boxes.

A riveting mystery that had me hooked from page one. Loved the twists and turns.

This was a great mystery. A professor loved by everyone is accused of murdering his whole family. The cop on this case is someone he has been friends with and has a hard time believing the professor did it. The professor is on the run as he is scared and trying to figure out what happened. This was fast paced and I received it from NetGalley.

An innocent family is brutally murdered and the famous missing husband, of course, is the number one suspect. Throughout we see the story through the eyes of the lead detective, DeMarco and Huston, the missing husband. DeMarco who is battling his own demons actually had a friendship with Huston and at times it's hard to tell if this clouds his judgment during the investigation. Was Huston leading a double life or was his research on his latest novel to blame? Everyone seems to have their own option and most are quick to condemn Huston. . . what looks true IS true, right?
This novel was fast paced and it was very interesting where the investigation lead DeMarco at times