I like jumping into the books without reading much about them. I try not to read the blurb before I pick a book up if I can help it. I did read the plot summary on its blurb before I received this book for a review, a while ago but had completely forgotten what I had read. So I dove directly into the book without an idea what to expect. How did that end up for me? Read more to know.
Book Name: Here and Gone
Author: Haylen Beck
Genre: Fiction - Thriller
Characters: Audrey, Danny, Sean, Louise, Sheriff Whiteside, Deputy Sheriff Collins
Disclaimer: Thanks to the Author, Netgalley and Blogging for Books for the free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Audrey is running away from her terrible past with her children. She is not hiding from the law technically but was she? When she is stopped by the cops on her way to San Deigo, does not realize her life was going to turn for worse. She knows the cops took her children while she was arrested on a fake charge of possession of Marijuana, but who is going to believe her? It is her words against the County Sheriff's, and her ex-husband's attempts to discredit her does not help her case. A former addict, single mother with no one turn to, one who is running away from Child Protection Services. It doesn't take long for the media to turn her into the villain - child murderer. Does she get her kids back? Who could help her out?
I always have affliction towards strong women who face abusive relationships and come out better for it. Audrey's past made me like her and understand her situation better. She is a flawed woman, my favorite kind, who has had a terrible past, yet she fends for her own - well mostly. I do hope Patrick and his mother rot in a special kind of hell, or wherever bad guys from books go at the end. I had a problem with the whole Audrey - Patrick scene was how quick she recovered from her drinking woes, I don't think that happens so fast and easy ever.
I have a solid woman crush on Mrs. Gerber. I could picture her smoking from the top of her stairs looking down at her husband's body like a badass, just moments after pushing him down to his death. I wish I could have felt this close to Danny or Audrey, but I am not complaining. Dark web and their conversations were flimsy and disappointing. Thankfully their parts were kept brief, lest it might have been bizarre and too clichéd.
Rarely thrillers sustain the pace they begin with. Here and gone does a great job at maintaining it till the very end, even after we got to know what had happened to the kids. Even if at times when we get the gnawing feeling that it is one of those stories that has been retold countless times, we stick glued to the book, and that is the power of crisp and straight forward narration. There are no unnecessary twists and turns that could have made false promises to the reader.
Here and Gone
does justice to the plot and genre. I can recommend this book if you are looking for a fast paced thriller that might keep you occupied for an hour or two.