I’m thrilled to welcome you today to my stop on the blog tour for gripping psychological thriller Gone by Leona Deakin. Thank you to Anne Cater and Transworld Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.
About the book:
Four strangers are missing. Left at their last-known locations are birthday cards that read:
YOUR GIFT IS THE GAME
DARE TO PLAY?
The police aren’t worried – it’s just a game. But the families are frantic, and psychologist and private detective Dr Augusta Bloom is persuaded to investigate. As she delves into the lives of the missing people, she finds something that binds them all.
And that something makes them very dangerous indeed.
As more disappearances are reported and new birthday cards uncovered, Dr Bloom races to unravel the mystery and find the puppeteer. But is she playing into their hands?
An addictive debut thriller with an ingenious hook that turns the missing person plot on its head – what if the missing people are the dangerous ones?
About the author:
Leona draws inspiration for her writing from her own experiences having started her career as a psychologist with the West Yorkshire Police and her successful work in psychology since. She is now an occupational psychologist and lives with her family in Leeds.
This is her debut thriller.
My Review:
Gone by Leona Deakin introduces private detective Dr. Augusta Bloom in the first of what looks to be a thrilling new series.
The story gets off to a flying start right from the opening pages as student Seraphine stabs a school caretaker in the neck with a pencil. She claims she was acting in self defence, but is she telling the truth? Or is there more to this violent act than at first meets the eye? Seraphine is a fascinating but unpredictable character who chilled me to the bone. She is sent to see psychologist Dr. Augusta Bloom, who tries to get to the bottom of why Seraphine acted as she did.
Dr. Augusta Bloom is a character I warmed to from the moment she was introduced. As well as being a psychologist she also works as a private detective, often working alongside the police. She is called in by friend and colleague Marcus Jameson to help investigate the case of a missing person. Marcus knows the woman concerned and has been contacted by her daughter to look into what has happened to her mother. But it soon becomes apparent that this isn’t an isolated case and that more people have gone missing. The one thing that connects them all is a birthday card found at the scene, each one saying the same thing: YOUR GIFT IS THE GAME. DARE TO PLAY?
What does this mysterious card mean? Is this a straightforward missing person case or is there more going on than at first appears? And what, if anything, does this have to do with Seraphine? Dr. Augusta Bloom is determined to find out and, alongside Marcus and the police, sets out to do so. As she delves deeper into the lives of the missing people, Augusta comes to the realisation that there is something else that binds these people together. Something that, if she’s right, will make them even more dangerous than she could ever have believed possible.
What follows is a taut and gripping psychological thriller that keeps you guessing throughout. It makes you think about who you can trust and the impact social media can have on our lives without us even realising it. The tension rises as the truth finally begins to emerge, leading to a conclusion that kept me on the edge of my seat right up until the final page had been turned.
Leona Deakin has written an impressive debut and I can’t wait to learn more about the fascinating Dr. Augusta Bloom in future instalments. A chilling and highly addictive read I would recommend.
Gone by Leona Deakin is available to buy now: Amazon UK
Check out what these other fabulous bloggers have had to say about this book:
Cal Turner Reviews 
Thanks for the blog tour support Cal xx
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You’re so very welcome, Anne. ❤️ xx
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