Name: Gone
Rating: 4 (0 reviews)
Author: Mo Hayder

About this book

Summary

Book Summary

November in the West Country. Evening is closing in as murder detective Jack Caffery arrives to interview the victim of a car-jacking. He's dealt with routine car-thefts before, but this one is different. This car was taken by force. And on the back seat was a passenger. An eleven-year-old girl. Who is still missing.Before long the jacker starts to communicate with the police: 'It's started,' he tells them. 'And it ain't going to stop just sudden, is it?' And Caffery knows that he's going to do it again. Soon the jacker will choose another car with another child on the back seat.Caffery's a good and instinctive cop; the best in the business, some say. But this time he knows something's badly wrong. Because the jacker seems to be ahead of the police – every step of the way…

Membership Advantages

Reviews
"Beyond the Book" articles
Free books to read and review (US only)
Find books by time period, setting & theme
Read-alike suggestions by book and author
Book club discussions
and much more!
Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
More about membership!

Media Reviews

"Hayder expertly brings to life the claustrophobia of Flea's dives and the emotional burden of the case on Jack." - Publishers Weekly

"Starred Review. The meticulously crafted plot is heightened by Hayder's skillful evocation of mood as she summons the specter of a highly intelligent criminal who is taking great satisfaction from every parent's worst nightmare. A captivating thriller." - Booklist

"Readers who can tolerate some graphic descriptions of violence (or skim past them) will be rewarded with a complex, fast-paced, well-written mystery with interesting characters fighting personal and external demons." - Library Journal

"First-rate mystery that takes full advantage of the wintry, moonlit West Country and the unusual skills of its lady diver." - Kirkus Reviews

This information about Gone was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

Write your own review

CarolK

First Rate Thriller
Yesterday, I was almost finished with Gone, you know at the point where everything is coming to a head and wrapping up. I was so bummed that I had to go to work. Now, I’m really a good employee, rarely sick and hardly ever take time off, but boy was I tempted to call in, stay home and finish this edge of your seat thriller. Reason won out and I convinced myself that when I got home at nine, I could finish Gone and that anticipation would just make it better. I suppose I could have brought it to work with me but for those of you who think working in a library is great, because all we do is read, I hate to burst your bubble, but I rarely get a chance to read at work. Yesterday would have been impossible.

I arrived home a bit after nine, quickly chatted with my husband; “no, nothing new, anything with you?, fine dear, talk later”. And then I hopped into my chair, put my feet up and raced to the finish.

If you’ve been bored with a certain thriller writer, not mentioning any names, then pick up Gone by Mo Hayder. This is the fifth to feature Detective Jack Caffrey. I don’t feel deprived that I haven’t read the first in the series. This was a very satisfying read on it’s own but I wouldn’t hesitate going back to read the rest. Hayder can join the men in her capacity for gritty storytelling. Where Hayder stands out is her descriptions of the psychology of evil and the writing of some great dialogue. But there’s a softer side too, a nice blend of punch you in the gut action and when you think you can’t take anymore, Hayder will give you a bit of a reprieve from harsh reality. All might not be as bad as it seems.

Gone is about a jacker, a despicable guy, a man who comes out of nowhere, knocks you to ground, calls you some awful names, jumps in your car and speeds off. You’d lick your wounds and all would be ok, only your child happens to be in the car. Imagine the terror? This is not a one-time incident and as no bodies have been found, no ransoms sought, it’s up to Caffrey and his team to figure out this guy’s motivation. Not a small order for a flawed group of police with hearts in the right place.

Suspenseful, fast paced, with graphic violence that’s not gratuitous; put this on your list. Be certain you don’t get caught having to go to work towards the end as I can’t be responsible for your actions.

DSNYDER

Gone by Mo Hayder
Horrible!! That describes the book. It was very bland. The plot was not exciting or captivating. I do not recommend this book.

Membership Advantages

Reviews
"Beyond the Book" articles
Free books to read and review (US only)
Find books by time period, setting & theme
Read-alike suggestions by book and author
Book club discussions
and much more!
Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
More about membership!

Author Information

Biography
Books by this Author

Mo Hayder Author Biography

Photo: Margaret Lister

Clare Dunkel, who wrote under the pen name Mo Hayder, worked as a filmmaker, Tokyo nightclub hostess, and English language teacher in Asia. She is the author of 10 novels including her 1999 debut Birdman. She won many awards including the 2011 Crime Writers' Association Dagger in the Library award for outstanding body of work. She lived in England until her death from motor neuron disease in 2021.

The Book of Sand, the first in a planned new series set in an alternate universe is due to be published in 2022 under the name Theo Clare. Dunkel had taken four years to write the novel, and described herself as "so happy to be writing fiction set in an entirely imaginative universe of my own creation".

Link to Mo Hayder's Website