REVIEW: Here and Gone by Haylen Beck

Here and Gone is a gripping, wonderfully tense suspense thriller about a mother’s desperate fight to recover her stolen children from corrupt authorities. It begins with a woman fleeing through Arizona with her kids in tow, trying to escape an abusive marriage. When she’s pulled over by an unsettling local sheriff, things soon go awry and she is taken into custody. Only when she gets to the station, her kids are gone. And then the cops start saying they never saw any kids with her, that if they’re gone than she must have done something with them… Meanwhile, halfway across the country a man hears the frenzied news reports about the missing kids, which are eerily similar to events in his own past. As the clock ticks down on the search for the lost children, he too is drawn into the desperate fight for their return. 

Wow, I am still breathless from this epic read! I think it’s best to go into a thriller without knowing too much so I won’t to go too in-depth about what this book is about, but here is a brief synopsis.

Audra Kinney had led a difficult life filled with strife, heartache, and addiction. The one good thing in her life is her two children, Sean and Louise. When her abusive ex-husband threatens to take them away from her, she runs. On their drive to California, Audra and her two kids get stopped by a sheriff near a small Arizona town. What happens next is every parent’s worst nightmare and Audra will do anything, even face pure evil, to bring her family back together again.

This book had everything I want in a thriller–a solid plot, excellent characterization, perfect pacing, gripping twists, and killer suspense. By the end of chapter five, I was sucked into this chilling tale and no one could get me to stop reading until I reached that final, satisfying conclusion! One of my favorite aspects of this book was Audra’s character development. The glimpses we saw into her past made me understand her better, and I couldn’t help but root for her with a deep passion. The superb writing made it all too easy to place myself in her shoes, and her terrifying situation really makes you think about how far you would go to save your family. The shifting perspectives of Audra, Danny, Sean, and the villain were excellently woven throughout the story for a perfectly well-rounded read. It was like a movie playing out in my head. The only reason this isn’t five-stars for me is the fact that it had some content that bothered me at times. Other than that, I can’t say anything bad about this book.

If suspense is what you are looking for, read Here and Gone. You won’t regret it. I couldn’t put it down for the life of me! As my first experience reading from this author, all I can say is that I’m ready for whatever comes next.

*I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

{Content Warning: This book would be R-rated if it were a movie. Contained strong violence including violence against children, strong language including f–k and g-d–m, physical and emotional abuse, some brief sexual content as told in flashbacks or memories, and overall mature content. I would not recommend for anyone under the age of 18.}

Thanks for reading my review! Will you be reading Here and Gone? Do you have any thrillers or mysteries to recommend to me? I’m in a suspense mood now! Comment down below. ♥