What do you think?
Rate this book
Gone Without a Trace
GONE WITHOUT A TRACE by Mary Torjussen is a chilling, twisty, compulsive thriller about a woman whose boyfriend has vanished. Fans of I LET YOU GO and THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN will be gripped.
No one ever disappears completely...
You leave for work one morning.
Another day in your normal life.
Until you come home to discover that your boyfriend has gone.
His belongings have disappeared.
He hasn't been at work for weeks.
It's as if he never existed.
But that's not possible, is it?
And there is worse still to come.
Because just as you are searching for him
someone is also watching you.
No one ever disappears completely...
You leave for work one morning.
Another day in your normal life.
Until you come home to discover that your boyfriend has gone.
His belongings have disappeared.
He hasn't been at work for weeks.
It's as if he never existed.
But that's not possible, is it?
And there is worse still to come.
Because just as you are searching for him
someone is also watching you.
352 pages, Paperback
First published April 18, 2017
About the author
Mary Torjussen
9 books345 followersMary Torjussen has an MA in Creative Writing from Liverpool John Moores University. She worked for several years as a teacher and lives outside of Liverpool, where Gone Without a Trace is set.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 964 reviews
February 24, 2019
I don’t even know where to start with this one . . . it should probably be with a warning to continue reading this review at your own risk. It’s not pretty and things might even get a little spoiler-ish, if you read between the lines.
I’m surprised to see such high praise for this book when I find myself sitting on the opposite side of the table, wishing I would’ve had the strength to set it down, early on, and run the other way. This book barely squeaked by with one measly little star from me.
I tried to give the author the benefit of the doubt, thinking maybe the stellar read I finished prior to picking this up was still clouding my headspace. That had to be the reason my perceived flaws with this story—the flat characters and overly detailed writing—seemed so prominent and glaringly obvious, right? I was only able to pacify myself with that excuse for so long though. As I got deeper into the story, things only continued to get worse . . . and worse . . . and dare I say . . . even worse?
From my perspective, this was two entirely different stories linked together by a horribly executed twist. Maybe some readers will experience gasp-worthy shock and awe when faced with the truth, but not this chick. I happen to dig the current trend in this genre, flipping the script with a shocking revelation or turning an entire story on its head (Ahem . . . striving for Gone Girl or I Let You Go greatness, maybe?), but there has to be some development and cohesiveness. The ‘after’ not only has to connect with the ‘before’, but it has to enhance or skew the readers overall perspective of everything and still make sense. In this instance, things didn't add up for me. Instead, the character's previous thoughts and actions seemed even more irrational. Non-sensical. Ridiculous.
Hannah, our main character, is entirely too dramatic throughout the entire story. When her over-the-top antics aren’t being thrown in our face, the author is running us through every boring and monotonous task she faces while trying to track down the boyfriend that ditched her. Every. single. one. In the beginning, I could understand Hannah wanting answers . . . who wouldn’t? But at what point do you give up searching for the guy when all signs point to the fact that he left willingly?
And if I haven’t complained enough already, the majority of the story is telling and remembering, as opposed to actually living or experiencing as a reader, which irks me more than anything. It was almost like some things were an afterthought, thrown in as memories, rather than actual storyline.
Despite what you may think—I’m ripping this author’s masterpiece apart or I’m just plain mean—I do appreciate the hard work it must take to piece your ideas together and create an entire book. Lord knows, I haven’t been able to do it. And kudos to Mary Torjussen for getting published. That’s a feat all on its own. With that said, at the end of the day, I sacrificed my limited reading time and energy on this book, so I’m not going to feel bad about being honest and sharing my feelings. Plain and simple, this didn’t work in any capacity for me. If this book sounds entertaining to you, there are plenty of reviews to support why you should give this a chance and I urge you to read those.
For me, this was an entirely dreadful read, one that left me wondering what the heck is wrong with me for even continuing on with it.
*Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I’m surprised to see such high praise for this book when I find myself sitting on the opposite side of the table, wishing I would’ve had the strength to set it down, early on, and run the other way. This book barely squeaked by with one measly little star from me.
I tried to give the author the benefit of the doubt, thinking maybe the stellar read I finished prior to picking this up was still clouding my headspace. That had to be the reason my perceived flaws with this story—the flat characters and overly detailed writing—seemed so prominent and glaringly obvious, right? I was only able to pacify myself with that excuse for so long though. As I got deeper into the story, things only continued to get worse . . . and worse . . . and dare I say . . . even worse?
From my perspective, this was two entirely different stories linked together by a horribly executed twist. Maybe some readers will experience gasp-worthy shock and awe when faced with the truth, but not this chick. I happen to dig the current trend in this genre, flipping the script with a shocking revelation or turning an entire story on its head (Ahem . . . striving for Gone Girl or I Let You Go greatness, maybe?), but there has to be some development and cohesiveness. The ‘after’ not only has to connect with the ‘before’, but it has to enhance or skew the readers overall perspective of everything and still make sense. In this instance, things didn't add up for me. Instead, the character's previous thoughts and actions seemed even more irrational. Non-sensical. Ridiculous.
Hannah, our main character, is entirely too dramatic throughout the entire story. When her over-the-top antics aren’t being thrown in our face, the author is running us through every boring and monotonous task she faces while trying to track down the boyfriend that ditched her. Every. single. one. In the beginning, I could understand Hannah wanting answers . . . who wouldn’t? But at what point do you give up searching for the guy when all signs point to the fact that he left willingly?
And if I haven’t complained enough already, the majority of the story is telling and remembering, as opposed to actually living or experiencing as a reader, which irks me more than anything. It was almost like some things were an afterthought, thrown in as memories, rather than actual storyline.
Despite what you may think—I’m ripping this author’s masterpiece apart or I’m just plain mean—I do appreciate the hard work it must take to piece your ideas together and create an entire book. Lord knows, I haven’t been able to do it. And kudos to Mary Torjussen for getting published. That’s a feat all on its own. With that said, at the end of the day, I sacrificed my limited reading time and energy on this book, so I’m not going to feel bad about being honest and sharing my feelings. Plain and simple, this didn’t work in any capacity for me. If this book sounds entertaining to you, there are plenty of reviews to support why you should give this a chance and I urge you to read those.
For me, this was an entirely dreadful read, one that left me wondering what the heck is wrong with me for even continuing on with it.
*Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
July 11, 2018
NOW AVAILABLE!!!!
this book is a whole lot of page-turning fun. the synopsis reminded me of Before We Met, another british psychological/domestic suspense novel in which a woman's husband fails to return from a business trip, and the details of his dark past that she discovers as she desperately tries to track him down.
this one is much more complicated and twisty, and it's ultimately more satisfying for the reader, even though there were some bits i didn't love.
it's about a woman named hannah who returns to liverpool from a business trip in oxford to find that matt, her live-in boyfriend of four years, has suddenly moved out of their house, taking all his stuff with him, down to the ketchup in the fridge, as well as everything they'd bought as a couple in the paroxysms of nesting, and in their place he has replaced that stuff with what had been there before he moved in - hannah's old tv, stereo, and coffee table brought out from storage, erasing the last four years of décor. not only that, matt has removed himself from every social media site, and deleted all texts, photos, and voice messages from hannah's phone and computer, as though he never existed.
hannah is stunned and humiliated. she had no idea that matt was unhappy in their relationship, and finds it unspeakably cruel that he would leave her so abruptly, without answers, never to know what happened to him, and she tries to pinpoint where it all went wrong:
When we went for an Indian meal the week before he left, did he know he'd never return to that restaurant? When he lay in bed beside me that last night, was he relieved he'd soon be gone? When he felt me kiss his cheek the morning he left, what was he thinking?
That was the moment I died for him, wasn't it? One last kiss and I was gone. I just hadn't known it.
the lack of closure is maddening to hannah, as well as matt's complete erasure of himself.
I could understand him removing everything that belonged to him, but why take my memories, too? All my photos of him had gone, all my texts. Not one email remained. There wasn't a T-shirt of his I could sleep in, there wasn't even a mug I could hold. How long would it be before I couldn't picture his face or remember what he'd said to me?
maddening is the operative word, and hannah quickly becomes obsessed; devoting all her time and energy to finding matt and an explanation, at the expense of her career, her friendships, and her hygiene. and it's such a drastic descent - she goes from a high-powered and ambitious senior manager at an accounting firm on the verge of being promoted to director to … a mess. and with every decision she makes that jeopardizes her life, you're yelling "NOOOOOOO" at the book, but you're kind of ghoulishly fascinated to see what will happen next, especially once the spooky stuff starts happening.
now, the ending. or rather, the reveal. there's nothing wrong with it at all - it's perfectly supported by the text, and i'd even considered it as a possibility while i was reading. but it's the part after the reveal i felt was a bit of a drag.
this section is going to be both spoilery and full of "things i wish had been handled differently," both of which you should avoid until you've read the book yourself.
on a personal note - i am not a lady who draws a bath and relaxes with a glass of wine and a book, but i had been reading a bunch of books in a row where women did just that, and i was feeling like less of a woman for that not being a part of my "me-time," so i gave it a go. and although i lack the range of experience to be so confident with this assertion, i don't care: this book is a perfect wine-and-bath selection. so i encourage you: bathe, read, imbibe, enjoy.
********************************************
four stars for the anticipation, three stars for resolution...
full review to come after i sort it all out...
come to my blog!
this book is a whole lot of page-turning fun. the synopsis reminded me of Before We Met, another british psychological/domestic suspense novel in which a woman's husband fails to return from a business trip, and the details of his dark past that she discovers as she desperately tries to track him down.
this one is much more complicated and twisty, and it's ultimately more satisfying for the reader, even though there were some bits i didn't love.
it's about a woman named hannah who returns to liverpool from a business trip in oxford to find that matt, her live-in boyfriend of four years, has suddenly moved out of their house, taking all his stuff with him, down to the ketchup in the fridge, as well as everything they'd bought as a couple in the paroxysms of nesting, and in their place he has replaced that stuff with what had been there before he moved in - hannah's old tv, stereo, and coffee table brought out from storage, erasing the last four years of décor. not only that, matt has removed himself from every social media site, and deleted all texts, photos, and voice messages from hannah's phone and computer, as though he never existed.
hannah is stunned and humiliated. she had no idea that matt was unhappy in their relationship, and finds it unspeakably cruel that he would leave her so abruptly, without answers, never to know what happened to him, and she tries to pinpoint where it all went wrong:
When we went for an Indian meal the week before he left, did he know he'd never return to that restaurant? When he lay in bed beside me that last night, was he relieved he'd soon be gone? When he felt me kiss his cheek the morning he left, what was he thinking?
That was the moment I died for him, wasn't it? One last kiss and I was gone. I just hadn't known it.
the lack of closure is maddening to hannah, as well as matt's complete erasure of himself.
I could understand him removing everything that belonged to him, but why take my memories, too? All my photos of him had gone, all my texts. Not one email remained. There wasn't a T-shirt of his I could sleep in, there wasn't even a mug I could hold. How long would it be before I couldn't picture his face or remember what he'd said to me?
maddening is the operative word, and hannah quickly becomes obsessed; devoting all her time and energy to finding matt and an explanation, at the expense of her career, her friendships, and her hygiene. and it's such a drastic descent - she goes from a high-powered and ambitious senior manager at an accounting firm on the verge of being promoted to director to … a mess. and with every decision she makes that jeopardizes her life, you're yelling "NOOOOOOO" at the book, but you're kind of ghoulishly fascinated to see what will happen next, especially once the spooky stuff starts happening.
now, the ending. or rather, the reveal. there's nothing wrong with it at all - it's perfectly supported by the text, and i'd even considered it as a possibility while i was reading. but it's the part after the reveal i felt was a bit of a drag.
this section is going to be both spoilery and full of "things i wish had been handled differently," both of which you should avoid until you've read the book yourself.
on a personal note - i am not a lady who draws a bath and relaxes with a glass of wine and a book, but i had been reading a bunch of books in a row where women did just that, and i was feeling like less of a woman for that not being a part of my "me-time," so i gave it a go. and although i lack the range of experience to be so confident with this assertion, i don't care: this book is a perfect wine-and-bath selection. so i encourage you: bathe, read, imbibe, enjoy.
********************************************
four stars for the anticipation, three stars for resolution...
full review to come after i sort it all out...
come to my blog!
April 9, 2017
The premise of this story is absolutely brilliant. Imagine you are going about life, happily living one day to the next, and all of a sudden your significant other vanishes. He doesn't just disappear, but somehow all trace of his livelihood ceases to exist. I don't know about you, but I would be incredibly hurt and extremely curious as to how someone could erase their footprint on this earth so quickly. Had he been planning his Houdini act for months? Why would he just up and leave? What was my part in causing his exit from my life altogether? These are the immediate questions that floated around in my brain after reading the summary; throw in that gorgeous cover art and I was sold. While this ended up being a slightly different read than I expected, it was heavy on the suspense and played well on my need to know WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON????
This was a case of the slow burner that turned into a wild and crazy ride about halfway through the story. The beginning drew me in; I kept wondering how someone could simply vanish as described with no trace of his existence left behind. My first conclusion was that he must be an imagination of a crazy woman, like so many other books I've read previously, but this was not the case. Without giving away any plot details, there is a very controversial twist (controversial in the sense that readers have widely varied in their like or dislike of it), and this has seemed to be the make or break point of their rating of this book. Personally, I was torn; on one hand it was quite unexpected on my end and I couldn't have seen it coming a mile away (which I love), and on the other it did seem a bit far fetched and unrealistic. I came to the conclusion that this book (and twist) will appeal heavily to the reader who doesn't need any sense of realism in their thrillers; if you have enjoyed books in the past with lavish twists and can suspend your sense of needing a realistic explanation, this very likely will be a 5 star read. It was exciting and engaging at all the right parts and easily devoured in a matter of hours or days.
I did have some trouble connecting with Hannah at times, which I think is expected as she's not an entirely likable character. I found myself wanting to smack her across the face a few times while she slowly descended into that spiral of frenzy in finding out what happened to Matt, but that is also to be expected as she's losing her marbles. The ending was wrapped up nicely and a bit quickly; this piggy backs off of the big twist and causes the reader to pause a moment and think back to previous information we were given.
Again, while I did have minor issues with a few plot points, this overall was an exciting read that was paced well and kept the reader engaged throughout. If you can suspend your need for realistic explanations, I think this could be a winner for fans of twisty psychological thrillers. Gone Without a Trace provided a glimpse into the author's immense talent as a writer and I look forward to seeing more from her.
*Many thanks to Berkley Publishing for providing my copy via NetGalley; it was a pleasure to provide my honest thoughts on the blog.
This was a case of the slow burner that turned into a wild and crazy ride about halfway through the story. The beginning drew me in; I kept wondering how someone could simply vanish as described with no trace of his existence left behind. My first conclusion was that he must be an imagination of a crazy woman, like so many other books I've read previously, but this was not the case. Without giving away any plot details, there is a very controversial twist (controversial in the sense that readers have widely varied in their like or dislike of it), and this has seemed to be the make or break point of their rating of this book. Personally, I was torn; on one hand it was quite unexpected on my end and I couldn't have seen it coming a mile away (which I love), and on the other it did seem a bit far fetched and unrealistic. I came to the conclusion that this book (and twist) will appeal heavily to the reader who doesn't need any sense of realism in their thrillers; if you have enjoyed books in the past with lavish twists and can suspend your sense of needing a realistic explanation, this very likely will be a 5 star read. It was exciting and engaging at all the right parts and easily devoured in a matter of hours or days.
I did have some trouble connecting with Hannah at times, which I think is expected as she's not an entirely likable character. I found myself wanting to smack her across the face a few times while she slowly descended into that spiral of frenzy in finding out what happened to Matt, but that is also to be expected as she's losing her marbles. The ending was wrapped up nicely and a bit quickly; this piggy backs off of the big twist and causes the reader to pause a moment and think back to previous information we were given.
Again, while I did have minor issues with a few plot points, this overall was an exciting read that was paced well and kept the reader engaged throughout. If you can suspend your need for realistic explanations, I think this could be a winner for fans of twisty psychological thrillers. Gone Without a Trace provided a glimpse into the author's immense talent as a writer and I look forward to seeing more from her.
*Many thanks to Berkley Publishing for providing my copy via NetGalley; it was a pleasure to provide my honest thoughts on the blog.
November 19, 2016
3.5 Hannah Moore is on top of the world, a manager for a group of accountants, her talk so well received, a promotion to director almost a sure thing. She arrives home to, share the wonderful news with her live in boyfriend of four years, Matt but when she enters her home she finds all his things are no longer there.
So the story begins, there are some other revelations she discovers that ratchet up the suspense. How could this happen? Where could he be? First person narration so we watch as her search for Matt becomes obsessive. Her best friend offers not so welcome advice, move on, forget him but Hannah cannot. Soon everything she has accomplished is in jeopardy, but still she can't let go.
I probably would have rated this a four but the first third of the book just irked me somehow, Hannah running to and fro, just lasted too darn long. Also one thinly veiled plot twist that I caught on to straightaway and was ultimately proved right. The reader knows there has to be more to the story and there is plenty, including something very seldom talked or written about but is also why I have this an extra .5. That I didn't see coming. So a good read, some slow bits but ultimately a surprise if cluttered dénouement.
ARC from Netgalley.
So the story begins, there are some other revelations she discovers that ratchet up the suspense. How could this happen? Where could he be? First person narration so we watch as her search for Matt becomes obsessive. Her best friend offers not so welcome advice, move on, forget him but Hannah cannot. Soon everything she has accomplished is in jeopardy, but still she can't let go.
I probably would have rated this a four but the first third of the book just irked me somehow, Hannah running to and fro, just lasted too darn long. Also one thinly veiled plot twist that I caught on to straightaway and was ultimately proved right. The reader knows there has to be more to the story and there is plenty, including something very seldom talked or written about but is also why I have this an extra .5. That I didn't see coming. So a good read, some slow bits but ultimately a surprise if cluttered dénouement.
ARC from Netgalley.
April 28, 2017
3.5 stars Surprisingly interesting, especially towards the end. An entertaining airport-type read, with an intriguing subplot that doesn't surface until you realize what's going on.
Review to come of the audio edition. I'll have to look up the voice actor's name, but she was terrific! It's hard to do Liverpool accents and a variety of male/female voices convincingly.
Review to come of the audio edition. I'll have to look up the voice actor's name, but she was terrific! It's hard to do Liverpool accents and a variety of male/female voices convincingly.
April 13, 2017
Hannah is having a great day! She can't wait to get home and tell her boyfriend Matt about how well she did during her training course. Her excitement is dampened when she walks in through her door and notices that everything is rearranged. It looks exactly like it did before Matt moved in. His belongings are gone and her possessions are back in their original places. His social media accounts are deleted and his phone number is disconnected. All remnants of him are gone, even the photos and text messages on her phone. It's like he never existed. After four years together, the relationship is over and she never saw it coming. Hannah was on the fast track to a promotion before Matt went missing, but it all starts to slip away as she becomes obsessed with finding him. Where could he have gone and why couldn't he have just told her it was over? While she's looking for him, it seems that someone is looking for her. Who's sending her creepy messages from an unknown number? Could it be Matt?
Hannah is humiliated. Everything she thought she knew feels like a lie now. How long had he been planning this? What does it say about her that he left like this? Hannah's devastation was understandable, but she's such an exhausting character. She's a very immature 32-year-old and a total drama queen. Her closest relationship besides Matt is her best friend Katie, but they have more of a toxic rivalry than a friendship. They're constantly making subtly rude comments to each other. Katie encourages her to move on, but Hannah isn't ready for that yet. As Hannah descends into madness, little things slip that show that she's an unreliable narrator--manipulative habits, selfish thoughts. I got the feeling she was glossing over something major. She comes across as deluded and I didn't trust her perceptions at all. Sometimes we don't know how far she's fallen until someone else calls her out on it.
My biggest criticism is that Hannah's investigation is so slow. She doesn't have much to go on because Matt was extremely thorough in extricating himself from her life! Hannah tends to make logical leaps and become obsessed with easily confirmable possibilities. At the three-month mark, I was more than ready for her to get over it and move on. He obviously didn't want to be found. The pace picks up about 2/3s of the way and it was a wild ride. I actually guessed most of the reveals, except for the very last one. That twist was actually my least favorite, because the scene was oddly tensionless after everything that had happened.
What would cause someone to disappear on their partner without a trace? Hannah's story kept me turning the pages, but it didn't make my heart pound.
___________
I received this book for free from Netgalley and Berkley Books. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. The publication date is April 18, 2017.
The whole thing seemed like a dream. His living there, I mean. Like a dream, or like he’d died. It was as though it belonged in another place, another realm. Because there was no sign of him, it was as though he hadn’t existed, as though I’d made him up.
Hannah is humiliated. Everything she thought she knew feels like a lie now. How long had he been planning this? What does it say about her that he left like this? Hannah's devastation was understandable, but she's such an exhausting character. She's a very immature 32-year-old and a total drama queen. Her closest relationship besides Matt is her best friend Katie, but they have more of a toxic rivalry than a friendship. They're constantly making subtly rude comments to each other. Katie encourages her to move on, but Hannah isn't ready for that yet. As Hannah descends into madness, little things slip that show that she's an unreliable narrator--manipulative habits, selfish thoughts. I got the feeling she was glossing over something major. She comes across as deluded and I didn't trust her perceptions at all. Sometimes we don't know how far she's fallen until someone else calls her out on it.
No matter how long you’ve known someone, you never truly know them.
My biggest criticism is that Hannah's investigation is so slow. She doesn't have much to go on because Matt was extremely thorough in extricating himself from her life! Hannah tends to make logical leaps and become obsessed with easily confirmable possibilities. At the three-month mark, I was more than ready for her to get over it and move on. He obviously didn't want to be found. The pace picks up about 2/3s of the way and it was a wild ride. I actually guessed most of the reveals, except for the very last one. That twist was actually my least favorite, because the scene was oddly tensionless after everything that had happened.
What would cause someone to disappear on their partner without a trace? Hannah's story kept me turning the pages, but it didn't make my heart pound.
___________
I received this book for free from Netgalley and Berkley Books. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. The publication date is April 18, 2017.
March 14, 2017
Wickedly fun read!
****If you haven't read book this yet and plan to, I highly recommend going in completely blind so as not to spoil any of the twists and turns to this plot.***
Hannah returns home from a highly successful business trip, eagerly looking forward to spending time with her boyfriend Matt. But when she opens the door, she finds that all of Matt's things are gone, down to food in the refrigerator that he ate. Not only have his things vanished, but Hannah's old things have been put back in exactly that same place as they were before he moved in. As she goes to call him, she discovers his number isn't there. So no calls, texts, emails, or even social media accounts exist for him or of their relationship....Gone, wiped out, vanished!
What would you do??
This is where the fun starts! ----Mild spoilers ahead!!----
I felt like something was off with Hannah right from the start; a bit self absorbed and spoiled, but nothing that would indicate just how obsessive she would become with finding the elusive Matt.
Did he even exist? Is Hannah going mad? She starts receiving strange messages, things in her house seem to be disappearing or moved around. Her obsession to find Matt is affecting her job, her friendships, even her personal hygiene!
With a small cast of characters, I was really surprised how many times the author fooled me into thinking different scenarios and finger pointing at one, then another of her friends. You KNOW something isn't right but can't place it, nor do you know whom should you feel sorry for-Hannah or Matt?
All told from Hannah's POV, I flipped back and forth on that last question. Hannah isn't the type of person that would be in my circle of friends, but I did start to develop a fondness for her ability to easily forgive herself of her narcissistic ways. She is forever the victim and even as I shook my head I was impressed with how well the author portrayed her character flaws.
While there are quite a few twists and turns, there is one that finally gave me the 'AHA' moment and things started to make sense. The final confrontation-brilliant! And the ending was spot on- I would have been disappointed with anything less.
Do yourself a favor and get a hold of this one. It won't be one that you will soon forget!!
ARC provided by NetGalley
****If you haven't read book this yet and plan to, I highly recommend going in completely blind so as not to spoil any of the twists and turns to this plot.***
Hannah returns home from a highly successful business trip, eagerly looking forward to spending time with her boyfriend Matt. But when she opens the door, she finds that all of Matt's things are gone, down to food in the refrigerator that he ate. Not only have his things vanished, but Hannah's old things have been put back in exactly that same place as they were before he moved in. As she goes to call him, she discovers his number isn't there. So no calls, texts, emails, or even social media accounts exist for him or of their relationship....Gone, wiped out, vanished!
What would you do??
This is where the fun starts! ----Mild spoilers ahead!!----
I felt like something was off with Hannah right from the start; a bit self absorbed and spoiled, but nothing that would indicate just how obsessive she would become with finding the elusive Matt.
Did he even exist? Is Hannah going mad? She starts receiving strange messages, things in her house seem to be disappearing or moved around. Her obsession to find Matt is affecting her job, her friendships, even her personal hygiene!
With a small cast of characters, I was really surprised how many times the author fooled me into thinking different scenarios and finger pointing at one, then another of her friends. You KNOW something isn't right but can't place it, nor do you know whom should you feel sorry for-Hannah or Matt?
All told from Hannah's POV, I flipped back and forth on that last question. Hannah isn't the type of person that would be in my circle of friends, but I did start to develop a fondness for her ability to easily forgive herself of her narcissistic ways. She is forever the victim and even as I shook my head I was impressed with how well the author portrayed her character flaws.
While there are quite a few twists and turns, there is one that finally gave me the 'AHA' moment and things started to make sense. The final confrontation-brilliant! And the ending was spot on- I would have been disappointed with anything less.
Do yourself a favor and get a hold of this one. It won't be one that you will soon forget!!
ARC provided by NetGalley
April 22, 2017
Hannah Moore is having a great day at work after finding out she is being considered for a promotion. She cannot wait to get home and share the news with her live-in boyfriend of four years, Matt. When she arrives home, she finds that Matt, along with all of his possessions is missing.
Matt has left no trace of his whereabouts and has completely erased Hannah from his life. His cell phone has been disconnected and all his social media accounts are gone. Files and photos on her computer have also been wiped clean along with her emails. Hannah is in complete shock about his departure and missed all signs that he was unhappy. Hannah can’t accept her situation and starts to search for her missing boyfriend. She becomes obsessed with locating him which begins to affect her job and her emotional well-being.
This novel is a thriller with unforseen twists and turns. To say more would spoil the mystery. This is a captivating debut novel by Mary Torjussen which kept me on edge until its' conclusion.
1 copy to give away on my blog until 4/24 https://www.facebook.com/suzyapproved...
Matt has left no trace of his whereabouts and has completely erased Hannah from his life. His cell phone has been disconnected and all his social media accounts are gone. Files and photos on her computer have also been wiped clean along with her emails. Hannah is in complete shock about his departure and missed all signs that he was unhappy. Hannah can’t accept her situation and starts to search for her missing boyfriend. She becomes obsessed with locating him which begins to affect her job and her emotional well-being.
This novel is a thriller with unforseen twists and turns. To say more would spoil the mystery. This is a captivating debut novel by Mary Torjussen which kept me on edge until its' conclusion.
1 copy to give away on my blog until 4/24 https://www.facebook.com/suzyapproved...
April 21, 2017
2.5 stars. 5 stars for the setup and 0 stars for the denouement. There is so little I can say before getting into the territory of spoilers, but here is an attempt at a few non-spoilery thoughts. First person narrator Hannah comes home from a brilliant day at work to find that her live in partner Matthew of four years has disappeared without a trace. All his things are gone. All photos of him are gone. All phone and email messages from him are gone. Hannah is devastated and becomes obsessed with finding him. For most of the book, the chase is on. Torjussen does a brilliant job of infusing the story with a lot of creepiness and growing uncertainty, without any explicit violence. And then the story takes a sharp turn that just didn’t work for me. The premise didn’t work and the delivery felt wrong in so many ways. I love mysteries and suspense novels where things are not what they seem, but when the big reveal comes it has to be plausible and linked to what came before. It didn’t work out that way for me in Gone Without a Trace. I see that I’m not alone in my reaction to this one, but some readers really seemed to love the big twist so I wouldn’t want to discourage other readers from giving it a try. And to be honest, given Torjussen’s skills in setting up the story, I might be willing to give her another try. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.
April 9, 2017
Gone Without a Trace by Mary Torjussen is a 2017 Berkley publication.
With a big job promotion practically signed and delivered, Hannah can not wait to get home and share her good news with her boyfriend, Matt. But her bubble is immediately popped when she realizes Matt has cleared out all his belongings, and has simply vanished into thin air without a word. His cell phone, their share text messages, everything- completely wiped out.
Hanna quickly becomes obsessed with finding Matt, which places a strain on her career, her health and her relationships with other people.
How does someone vanish so thoroughly? Did Matt want to disappear or is something more sinister going on?
It’s difficult to write this review without giving too much away, and even the slightest reference to narrative choices or plot twists could incidentally create a spoiler, but I will say I have some mixed feelings about this one.
I think this story had potential, but ran out of steam around the half way point and ended up sputtering, although the ending was somewhat theatrical and perhaps a little chilling, depending your personal point of view.
The author understands the formula behind the psychological thriller and did a very good job of building suspense and my curiosity remained piqued. But, the story began to lag a bit after a while and several odd threads began to crop up, most of them dealing with mother/ child relationships and the odd communication Hannah keeps receiving from someone she believes could be Matt.
There is plenty here that is original, that reverses the norm, but it doesn’t flow smoothly, is disorganized, and disjointed at times, especially in the second half of the book, which is normally when things begin to firm up, where the threads all begin to come together.
Once I knew what had happened and why, I realized that several of the characters behaved in ways that just did not make sense and simply was not plausible. There were also a few unnecessary complications, which were perhaps added in as red herrings, but only confused things, especially after those additional threads fell flat.
Despite that, there is a malicious atmosphere that kept sending out warning signals, clueing me in to the possibility that, besides the obvious, there is something very wrong, which is what kept me turning pages, trying to decide if I could trust anyone involved, which is part of the fun. So, from that standpoint the book has the desired effect a psychological thriller should have.
Overall, there are parts of the book that works very well with nice twists, and that ominous tone, but other parts do not come together evenly, with too many rough edges. However, the book is entertaining enough and hardcore psychological thriller fans will want to give this book a try.
3 stars
With a big job promotion practically signed and delivered, Hannah can not wait to get home and share her good news with her boyfriend, Matt. But her bubble is immediately popped when she realizes Matt has cleared out all his belongings, and has simply vanished into thin air without a word. His cell phone, their share text messages, everything- completely wiped out.
Hanna quickly becomes obsessed with finding Matt, which places a strain on her career, her health and her relationships with other people.
How does someone vanish so thoroughly? Did Matt want to disappear or is something more sinister going on?
It’s difficult to write this review without giving too much away, and even the slightest reference to narrative choices or plot twists could incidentally create a spoiler, but I will say I have some mixed feelings about this one.
I think this story had potential, but ran out of steam around the half way point and ended up sputtering, although the ending was somewhat theatrical and perhaps a little chilling, depending your personal point of view.
The author understands the formula behind the psychological thriller and did a very good job of building suspense and my curiosity remained piqued. But, the story began to lag a bit after a while and several odd threads began to crop up, most of them dealing with mother/ child relationships and the odd communication Hannah keeps receiving from someone she believes could be Matt.
There is plenty here that is original, that reverses the norm, but it doesn’t flow smoothly, is disorganized, and disjointed at times, especially in the second half of the book, which is normally when things begin to firm up, where the threads all begin to come together.
Once I knew what had happened and why, I realized that several of the characters behaved in ways that just did not make sense and simply was not plausible. There were also a few unnecessary complications, which were perhaps added in as red herrings, but only confused things, especially after those additional threads fell flat.
Despite that, there is a malicious atmosphere that kept sending out warning signals, clueing me in to the possibility that, besides the obvious, there is something very wrong, which is what kept me turning pages, trying to decide if I could trust anyone involved, which is part of the fun. So, from that standpoint the book has the desired effect a psychological thriller should have.
Overall, there are parts of the book that works very well with nice twists, and that ominous tone, but other parts do not come together evenly, with too many rough edges. However, the book is entertaining enough and hardcore psychological thriller fans will want to give this book a try.
3 stars
July 19, 2017
This is a very strong contender for the worst book I have ever read. I'm not saying that lightly.
Gone Without a Trace is about Hannah, a thirty-something young woman living the dream - she's got a house, a boyfriend, a steady job, and an imminent promotion. Until she comes home one day and finds that her boyfriend Matt has left her, in the most cold and calculated way possible - he's moved out all of his stuff, erased his number from her phone, deleted the pictures of him off her computer, and deactivated all of his social media accounts. She literally has no way to contact him, and she has no idea why he left.
I love the premise. It sounds like a nightmare, for someone to forcibly remove him or herself from your life in such an extreme way. This book had all the potential in the world... but Mary Torjussen dropped the ball. Getting through this book was agonizing. The prose was some of the most juvenile I've ever seen - exclamation points everywhere and probably about 80% of the sentences starting with "I" ("I wondered why Matt would do this to me! I loved him! I needed to find him!" - those sentences are my own, but I think they condense the contents of this book rather nicely). I try not to judge thrillers on their literary merit, but come on. This was painful to read.
And on top of that, it was just insanely boring. Hannah literally spends months - about 60% of the novel - trying to track down Matt, even though all signs point to him having left voluntarily. Each of her fruitless efforts is recorded in excruciating detail - why do I care that she's calling Matt's barber? And now his mechanic? And now every hotel in the greater Liverpool area? (Why doesn't she hire a private investigator? She has the money. She starts to go to such extreme lengths to find him, impersonating people, trying to trick them into divulging details; why wouldn't she just hire a professional at this point? Nothing in this book makes sense.)
My other major annoyance throughout this book that I just want to mention briefly was Hannah's relationship with her "best friend," Katie. These two had one of the pettiest relationships I've ever seen - when will we stop depicting all female friendships as catty and competitive? That's not real life. If you're 32 years old and you're still secretly trying to one-up everything your best friend does as if you're still in middle school, maybe you should reevaluate this supposedly rock solid friendship. The characters in this book just don't act like real people - they're shoddy and offensive caricatures.
And then we get to the twist. No spoilers, but I just... I literally do not have the words to describe how dumb this ending was. It's like the author was spinning a giant wheel of possible explanations including the likes of "aliens made them do it" and "it was all a dream" but instead landed on... whatever the hell we got instead. The 'explanation' we get to justify these characters' behavior doesn't make any sense. It doesn't fit with the information we'd had until that point, and not in the kind of way where if you went back to reread the beginning, you'd be able to read between the lines and see the truth lurking beneath. No, the explanation we get just doesn't add up. The entire ending of this book is one big incongruous, plot hole-ridden mess. I'd have preferred the aliens, to be perfectly honest.
To impress upon you just how terrible this book was, I have to tell you that I literally started doing a dramatic reading for my roommate toward the end, because we were getting into straight up comical territory. I'm sorry, but how did this book get published? It wasn't fast paced, it wasn't a page turner, it wasn't fun, it wasn't creepy, it was just... bad. I would compare this book to a soap opera, but soap operas didn't do anything to deserve that.
I received a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway. Thanks to the Goodreads First Reads program as well as the author and publisher for the opportunity. Sorry I didn't click with this more!
Gone Without a Trace is about Hannah, a thirty-something young woman living the dream - she's got a house, a boyfriend, a steady job, and an imminent promotion. Until she comes home one day and finds that her boyfriend Matt has left her, in the most cold and calculated way possible - he's moved out all of his stuff, erased his number from her phone, deleted the pictures of him off her computer, and deactivated all of his social media accounts. She literally has no way to contact him, and she has no idea why he left.
I love the premise. It sounds like a nightmare, for someone to forcibly remove him or herself from your life in such an extreme way. This book had all the potential in the world... but Mary Torjussen dropped the ball. Getting through this book was agonizing. The prose was some of the most juvenile I've ever seen - exclamation points everywhere and probably about 80% of the sentences starting with "I" ("I wondered why Matt would do this to me! I loved him! I needed to find him!" - those sentences are my own, but I think they condense the contents of this book rather nicely). I try not to judge thrillers on their literary merit, but come on. This was painful to read.
And on top of that, it was just insanely boring. Hannah literally spends months - about 60% of the novel - trying to track down Matt, even though all signs point to him having left voluntarily. Each of her fruitless efforts is recorded in excruciating detail - why do I care that she's calling Matt's barber? And now his mechanic? And now every hotel in the greater Liverpool area? (Why doesn't she hire a private investigator? She has the money. She starts to go to such extreme lengths to find him, impersonating people, trying to trick them into divulging details; why wouldn't she just hire a professional at this point? Nothing in this book makes sense.)
My other major annoyance throughout this book that I just want to mention briefly was Hannah's relationship with her "best friend," Katie. These two had one of the pettiest relationships I've ever seen - when will we stop depicting all female friendships as catty and competitive? That's not real life. If you're 32 years old and you're still secretly trying to one-up everything your best friend does as if you're still in middle school, maybe you should reevaluate this supposedly rock solid friendship. The characters in this book just don't act like real people - they're shoddy and offensive caricatures.
And then we get to the twist. No spoilers, but I just... I literally do not have the words to describe how dumb this ending was. It's like the author was spinning a giant wheel of possible explanations including the likes of "aliens made them do it" and "it was all a dream" but instead landed on... whatever the hell we got instead. The 'explanation' we get to justify these characters' behavior doesn't make any sense. It doesn't fit with the information we'd had until that point, and not in the kind of way where if you went back to reread the beginning, you'd be able to read between the lines and see the truth lurking beneath. No, the explanation we get just doesn't add up. The entire ending of this book is one big incongruous, plot hole-ridden mess. I'd have preferred the aliens, to be perfectly honest.
To impress upon you just how terrible this book was, I have to tell you that I literally started doing a dramatic reading for my roommate toward the end, because we were getting into straight up comical territory. I'm sorry, but how did this book get published? It wasn't fast paced, it wasn't a page turner, it wasn't fun, it wasn't creepy, it was just... bad. I would compare this book to a soap opera, but soap operas didn't do anything to deserve that.
I received a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway. Thanks to the Goodreads First Reads program as well as the author and publisher for the opportunity. Sorry I didn't click with this more!
October 27, 2016
Hannah Munroe has just returned from a successful training course. It was looking like she was going to get a promotion and she could not wait to get home to tell her boyfriend Matt.
When she gets home the house is in darkness and Matt and all his possessions have gone. The next thing she discovers is all his details have been removed from her phone, e-mail etc. It's like Matt never existed. She also finds out that he has not been at his work for weeks. Hannah begins a frantic search to find Matt. Then strange things start to happen and Hannah feels she is being watched.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Headline and the author Mary Torjussen for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
When she gets home the house is in darkness and Matt and all his possessions have gone. The next thing she discovers is all his details have been removed from her phone, e-mail etc. It's like Matt never existed. She also finds out that he has not been at his work for weeks. Hannah begins a frantic search to find Matt. Then strange things start to happen and Hannah feels she is being watched.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Headline and the author Mary Torjussen for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
March 8, 2017
I received an e-ARC of Gone Without a Trace from First to Read.
3.5
While attending a training course out of town, Hannah Monroe finds out that she’s in line for an amazing promotion at work. All she wants to do is share the news in person with Matt, her boyfriend of four years. Nothing, not even her 200 mile journey home, can dampen her excitement of getting back to Matt and celebrating her fantastic news with him.
That is, until she gets home and finds a disturbing scene: Matt is nowhere to be found and it’s not just Matt that’s missing - it’s everything he owns. All of his belongings have been removed. Not only that but all of the things Hannah had before Matt moved in have all been returned to their original spots. When she tries to call him, she finds he is no longer listed in her contacts and all her texts to and from him are missing - as well as every picture she had of him. All his accounts on social media are gone. His phone number is disconnected. It’s like he never existed.
Understandably upset and humiliated, Hannah decides to track Matt down for an explanation. What starts out as a mission to confront Matt, quickly becomes an all-consuming obsession that affects her work and her health - as well as her relationships with her few friends. The book is told in first person, using Hannah’s P.O.V., and it’s very effective in showing her descent from a strong, capable woman into an obsessed shell of her former self. You can’t help but wonder about her reliability as a narrator as she begins down her self-destructive path.
It does not help that some very odd things start to happen. Hannah finds signs that someone has been in her house and that someone is following her - she’s believes it’s Matt. Someone also keeps sending her strange texts. Again, she believes it’s Matt. She is still convinced he’s coming back to her. Her friends tell her to move on, that he left for a reason and he is not coming back. Good advice but she just can’t let him go.
At first you root for Hannah because she is so shocked and devastated by Matt’s sudden and bizarre departure from her life. Then, as her growing obsession with finding him hits critical levels, you get fed up with her as she lets this man who walked out on her get her so worked up that she’s destroying her life.
From the way Matt has erased himself from Hannah’s life, you know something major has caused him to flee but when the reason is revealed, it is certainly a twist I did not see coming. It makes you rethink everything you read up to that point. I still don’t know how I feel about it but it’s definitely clever and unique.
Gone Without a Trace is not what I expected and I did like it but I feel more explanation was needed at what was kind of an abrupt reveal. After that point there is a lot of telling not showing that strips the remaining suspense from the book which is a shame because the rest of the book was rife with tension. I did not always love what I was reading but most of it was all well-written and well-plotted. If you like psychological suspense with a twist and sketchy narrators and you don’t mind unlikeable characters, you should give this one a try.
3.5
While attending a training course out of town, Hannah Monroe finds out that she’s in line for an amazing promotion at work. All she wants to do is share the news in person with Matt, her boyfriend of four years. Nothing, not even her 200 mile journey home, can dampen her excitement of getting back to Matt and celebrating her fantastic news with him.
That is, until she gets home and finds a disturbing scene: Matt is nowhere to be found and it’s not just Matt that’s missing - it’s everything he owns. All of his belongings have been removed. Not only that but all of the things Hannah had before Matt moved in have all been returned to their original spots. When she tries to call him, she finds he is no longer listed in her contacts and all her texts to and from him are missing - as well as every picture she had of him. All his accounts on social media are gone. His phone number is disconnected. It’s like he never existed.
Understandably upset and humiliated, Hannah decides to track Matt down for an explanation. What starts out as a mission to confront Matt, quickly becomes an all-consuming obsession that affects her work and her health - as well as her relationships with her few friends. The book is told in first person, using Hannah’s P.O.V., and it’s very effective in showing her descent from a strong, capable woman into an obsessed shell of her former self. You can’t help but wonder about her reliability as a narrator as she begins down her self-destructive path.
It does not help that some very odd things start to happen. Hannah finds signs that someone has been in her house and that someone is following her - she’s believes it’s Matt. Someone also keeps sending her strange texts. Again, she believes it’s Matt. She is still convinced he’s coming back to her. Her friends tell her to move on, that he left for a reason and he is not coming back. Good advice but she just can’t let him go.
At first you root for Hannah because she is so shocked and devastated by Matt’s sudden and bizarre departure from her life. Then, as her growing obsession with finding him hits critical levels, you get fed up with her as she lets this man who walked out on her get her so worked up that she’s destroying her life.
From the way Matt has erased himself from Hannah’s life, you know something major has caused him to flee but when the reason is revealed, it is certainly a twist I did not see coming. It makes you rethink everything you read up to that point. I still don’t know how I feel about it but it’s definitely clever and unique.
Gone Without a Trace is not what I expected and I did like it but I feel more explanation was needed at what was kind of an abrupt reveal. After that point there is a lot of telling not showing that strips the remaining suspense from the book which is a shame because the rest of the book was rife with tension. I did not always love what I was reading but most of it was all well-written and well-plotted. If you like psychological suspense with a twist and sketchy narrators and you don’t mind unlikeable characters, you should give this one a try.
April 11, 2017
Hannah returned home to the biggest surprise of her life, her boyfriend Matt had packed up every trace of himself from the home that the shared and is gone from her life without a trace. Checking her cell phone to try to call Matt he'd even gotten a hold of it and wiped all texts and numbers so she would have no way to find him.
Without even a picture to remember Matt, Hannah is more than hurt and only wants answers. Hannah's life in the days and weeks that follow Matt's disappearance become completely consumed with tracking him down to get the answers she feels she deserves. With her work life coming undone Hannah throws everything into discovering what led to Matt's disappearance.
Gone Without A Trace by Mary Torjussen quickly became a real page turner when I picked up the book and began reading. I'm sure almost every adult has had a relationship end at some point in their life but how and why would someone move out and remove every trace of the relationship while their partner was gone?? I just couldn't wait to find out what had happened that would lead to these events and didn't want to put the book down.
Now, I will admit that Hannah's complete spiral after Matt's departure did have myself wondering a few times why she would or could not just try to start moving on with her life. But as soon as I would begin thinking this the author would throw in a twist that would have me back on the edge of my seat wanting to search with Hannah for the answer. The I will admit that the ending was nothing that I expected and will give the author credit for tossing in something I wouldn't have thought of myself.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....
Without even a picture to remember Matt, Hannah is more than hurt and only wants answers. Hannah's life in the days and weeks that follow Matt's disappearance become completely consumed with tracking him down to get the answers she feels she deserves. With her work life coming undone Hannah throws everything into discovering what led to Matt's disappearance.
Gone Without A Trace by Mary Torjussen quickly became a real page turner when I picked up the book and began reading. I'm sure almost every adult has had a relationship end at some point in their life but how and why would someone move out and remove every trace of the relationship while their partner was gone?? I just couldn't wait to find out what had happened that would lead to these events and didn't want to put the book down.
Now, I will admit that Hannah's complete spiral after Matt's departure did have myself wondering a few times why she would or could not just try to start moving on with her life. But as soon as I would begin thinking this the author would throw in a twist that would have me back on the edge of my seat wanting to search with Hannah for the answer. The I will admit that the ending was nothing that I expected and will give the author credit for tossing in something I wouldn't have thought of myself.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....
February 6, 2017
3.5/5 stars for this read!!
I'm VERY torn on how to rate this book. Like really, picking a number out of 5 is SO hard - I'd give different parts of the book totally different ratings if I could.
The last 100 pages were just fantastic - gripping and full of major shocks and twists. But the beginning of the book was very repetitive to me. As the story begins, the reader spends a lot of time with main character Hannah as she tries to track down her boyfriend. At the beginning, this was very immersive - watching Hannah struggle to make sense of what's going on and track down Matt pulls you into her mindset and makes you invested in her wellbeing.
But after 200 pages, I really needed the story to move forward. Granted, the repetition of the first 200 pages DID make the twists and reveals of the last 100 pages even more shocking, which was a plus!! But I needed more from the first part of the book. There is one thread of this story that I wished had received more attention - it's a plot line to do with Hannah's parents. I wished for more time spent building that up, and less time spent watching Hannah run around looking for Matt.
I would definitely recommend this book, but it would be with a caveat: read this book if you're ok with a rather drawn-out start to the book. The last 100 pages are TOTALLY fantastic, and truly made the read for me - I just personally hoped for more suspense and tension in the first 200 pages.
I'm VERY torn on how to rate this book. Like really, picking a number out of 5 is SO hard - I'd give different parts of the book totally different ratings if I could.
The last 100 pages were just fantastic - gripping and full of major shocks and twists. But the beginning of the book was very repetitive to me. As the story begins, the reader spends a lot of time with main character Hannah as she tries to track down her boyfriend. At the beginning, this was very immersive - watching Hannah struggle to make sense of what's going on and track down Matt pulls you into her mindset and makes you invested in her wellbeing.
But after 200 pages, I really needed the story to move forward. Granted, the repetition of the first 200 pages DID make the twists and reveals of the last 100 pages even more shocking, which was a plus!! But I needed more from the first part of the book. There is one thread of this story that I wished had received more attention - it's a plot line to do with Hannah's parents. I wished for more time spent building that up, and less time spent watching Hannah run around looking for Matt.
I would definitely recommend this book, but it would be with a caveat: read this book if you're ok with a rather drawn-out start to the book. The last 100 pages are TOTALLY fantastic, and truly made the read for me - I just personally hoped for more suspense and tension in the first 200 pages.
March 5, 2019
Wow.... let's just say that this book was unexpected. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone, however I will say that the ending was a bit unrealistic. The ending, along with the fact that several times throughout the book I really wanted to smack the main character cross her face for how just plain dumb she was acting, kept this book away from being a five star book. That being said, the character development was very strong, I really felt like I got to know all of the main characters throughout this 300+ page thrill ride. I will add to that by saying none of the characters were exactly what I would say were good people, which contributed to my frustrations with them.
This book had me hooked from the very beginning as I wanted to find out what REALLY was the reason for the boyfriend's disappearance… Did he leave of his own accord? Or was he forced? Or was there something completely mental going on with the main character? Was she an unreliable narrator? This book really keeps you guessing throughout and there are very few, if any dull moments.
One last thing I will say is, It's not very often that an ending completely baffles me and is so surprising that I'm still thinking about it hours after I finished the book, but this one is still staying with me! That really says something as I never would have guessed the personality characteristics that are revealed in the main character towards the very end - it just completely Took me by surprise! I would go into more detail but I believe that would spoil the experience, so that's all I will say for now.
This all being said,I can't wait for this authors next release!
This book had me hooked from the very beginning as I wanted to find out what REALLY was the reason for the boyfriend's disappearance… Did he leave of his own accord? Or was he forced? Or was there something completely mental going on with the main character? Was she an unreliable narrator? This book really keeps you guessing throughout and there are very few, if any dull moments.
One last thing I will say is, It's not very often that an ending completely baffles me and is so surprising that I'm still thinking about it hours after I finished the book, but this one is still staying with me! That really says something as I never would have guessed the personality characteristics that are revealed in the main character towards the very end - it just completely Took me by surprise! I would go into more detail but I believe that would spoil the experience, so that's all I will say for now.
This all being said,I can't wait for this authors next release!
April 10, 2017
Hannah's live-in boyfriend, Matt, has suddenly vanished without a trace. Not just his person, but all physical and digital proof of him and their four-year relationship have disappeared. How is that possible? It's enough to drive anyone mad.
I was so intrigued by the premise of this book. How could someone erase his existence like that? I was hooked right away, and the author did a great job pulling the reader into Hannah's crazy obsession over finding Matt. There came a point, though, that I'd had enough with the minute details of her search and wanted something big to happen.
At about the three-quarters mark, things get pretty exciting and plot twists are revealed. One I expected, but the others were surprising, including something that's not addressed very often. I guess I'm left with mixed feelings about the outcome. It's hard to talk about without revealing spoilers, so I'll just say that I was all around frustrated with Hannah. I enjoyed the big twists, though the last quarter of the book felt a bit disjointed from the rest. OMG, the last sentence! I guess there's a lesson there.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I was so intrigued by the premise of this book. How could someone erase his existence like that? I was hooked right away, and the author did a great job pulling the reader into Hannah's crazy obsession over finding Matt. There came a point, though, that I'd had enough with the minute details of her search and wanted something big to happen.
At about the three-quarters mark, things get pretty exciting and plot twists are revealed. One I expected, but the others were surprising, including something that's not addressed very often. I guess I'm left with mixed feelings about the outcome. It's hard to talk about without revealing spoilers, so I'll just say that I was all around frustrated with Hannah. I enjoyed the big twists, though the last quarter of the book felt a bit disjointed from the rest. OMG, the last sentence! I guess there's a lesson there.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
April 18, 2017
About: Gone Without a Trace is a mystery thriller written by Mary Torjussen. It will be published on 4/18/17 by Berkley Publishing, an imprint of Penguin Random House, 352 pages. The genres are mystery, psychological thriller, suspense, adult fiction, and British literature.
My Experience: I started reading Gone Without a Trace on 3/19/17 and finished it on 3/22/17. This book is full of mystery and suspense! I just couldn’t put it down! In this book, readers will follow the point of view of Hannah Monroe, a young senior manager on the path to career success. She is on her way to becoming the youngest Director when she found out after coming home from a business trip that her live-in boyfriend, Matt Stones has left her, gone without a trace, removing himself and everything he owned during the time he lives with her from their home. She couldn’t turn to anyone for support except her best friend Katie and her work colleagues Sam. Hannah couldn’t deal with why Matt left her and spent days and weeks retracing her steps to calculate whether there were signs that she missed. She becomes obsess with finding him that her work, self image, and her mind suffer.
Adding to the mystery of Matt leaving her are the little texts, notes, signs of him around that nearly drives her crazy. I like that Hannah always questions her situations. She confides in her co-worker Sam but questions if he gossips her personal troubles with her Assistant Lucy. She confides in her best friend Katie but holds back on something else. The mystery lasts for a long time and I became impatient to know what’s going on. As the story goes on, readers will get shredded information of Hannah of her past. Little information of how Hannah became friend with Katie and how she met Matt and the constraints relationship she has with her parents.
The story takes place in Liverpool, England. Living in America, I enjoy those few different words that we don’t use here, such as having a row is having a fight and the boot of the car is the trunk of the car. This book starts out really good. It captures my attention immediately and I just couldn’t read on fast enough. I begin to lose interest as the mystery and suspense drags on. The twist at the end is definitely fascinating and unexpected. It requires more patience to read this book because there were just too much of Hannah and her visions and assumptions during her search. I love that the author included an epilogue. This book is still a good read and I do recommend it.
Pro: suspense, page turner, fast pace, mystery, couldn’t put down, whodunit,
Con: too much of Hannah’s
I rate it 4 stars!
***Disclaimer: Many thanks to Penguin Random House for inviting me to take part in Gone Without a Trace Blog Tour and to have the opportunity to read and review. Please assured that my opinions are honest.
xoxo,
Jasmine at www.howusefulitis.wordpress.com
My Experience: I started reading Gone Without a Trace on 3/19/17 and finished it on 3/22/17. This book is full of mystery and suspense! I just couldn’t put it down! In this book, readers will follow the point of view of Hannah Monroe, a young senior manager on the path to career success. She is on her way to becoming the youngest Director when she found out after coming home from a business trip that her live-in boyfriend, Matt Stones has left her, gone without a trace, removing himself and everything he owned during the time he lives with her from their home. She couldn’t turn to anyone for support except her best friend Katie and her work colleagues Sam. Hannah couldn’t deal with why Matt left her and spent days and weeks retracing her steps to calculate whether there were signs that she missed. She becomes obsess with finding him that her work, self image, and her mind suffer.
Adding to the mystery of Matt leaving her are the little texts, notes, signs of him around that nearly drives her crazy. I like that Hannah always questions her situations. She confides in her co-worker Sam but questions if he gossips her personal troubles with her Assistant Lucy. She confides in her best friend Katie but holds back on something else. The mystery lasts for a long time and I became impatient to know what’s going on. As the story goes on, readers will get shredded information of Hannah of her past. Little information of how Hannah became friend with Katie and how she met Matt and the constraints relationship she has with her parents.
The story takes place in Liverpool, England. Living in America, I enjoy those few different words that we don’t use here, such as having a row is having a fight and the boot of the car is the trunk of the car. This book starts out really good. It captures my attention immediately and I just couldn’t read on fast enough. I begin to lose interest as the mystery and suspense drags on. The twist at the end is definitely fascinating and unexpected. It requires more patience to read this book because there were just too much of Hannah and her visions and assumptions during her search. I love that the author included an epilogue. This book is still a good read and I do recommend it.
Pro: suspense, page turner, fast pace, mystery, couldn’t put down, whodunit,
Con: too much of Hannah’s
I rate it 4 stars!
***Disclaimer: Many thanks to Penguin Random House for inviting me to take part in Gone Without a Trace Blog Tour and to have the opportunity to read and review. Please assured that my opinions are honest.
xoxo,
Jasmine at www.howusefulitis.wordpress.com
April 21, 2017
This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.
This book and me did not get along. I was so excited to read this novel because the story sounded exactly like the kind of book that I enjoy. I thought it started out okay but then I found myself wanting to put it down. I would set this book aside and read another book and go back to it and quickly find that I was bored again. I actually ended up reading a couple of other books in the middle of this one which is something that I rarely do. I considered not finishing this book but I pushed myself to finish it instead. After finishing the book, I do wish that I had just stopped as soon as I realized that it wasn't working for me.
Hannah comes home from work to find her boyfriend, Matt, gone from their home. Matt has taken absolutely everything that he had in their home. It is like Matt never lived there. Photos are gone. He even erased all of the phone records, texts, and emails. Hannah is stunned and has no idea where Matt has gone or why he left. She can't get his loss out of her mind and starts working to figure out where he has gone.
After the initial shock of Matt's leaving, there didn't seem to be a whole lot going on in this book. Hannah does not deal with his leaving well at all and her spiral downward is detailed in the story but it seemed to me that the story needed something to keep things moving forward. I found that I spent most of the book rather bored.
The story does have a big twist and the last quarter of the book does pick up the pace. I would imagine that most people will really appreciate this giant twist but by the time it was revealed, I had really lost any investment in the story that I had ever had. I did find that the last section of the book did seem to move faster and was more entertaining.
I think that this is a book that some readers will love but it will not work well for others. Unfortunately, I was in the later group. I wouldn't discourage anyone from reading it that really thinks that they would enjoy it based on the description but I won't be encouraging readers to pick it up either.
I received an advance reader edition of this book from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley.
Initial Thoughts
This is a generous 2 stars. I didn't enjoy this book at all. There was a little bit of excitement towards the end but I found most of the book to be quite dull.
This book and me did not get along. I was so excited to read this novel because the story sounded exactly like the kind of book that I enjoy. I thought it started out okay but then I found myself wanting to put it down. I would set this book aside and read another book and go back to it and quickly find that I was bored again. I actually ended up reading a couple of other books in the middle of this one which is something that I rarely do. I considered not finishing this book but I pushed myself to finish it instead. After finishing the book, I do wish that I had just stopped as soon as I realized that it wasn't working for me.
Hannah comes home from work to find her boyfriend, Matt, gone from their home. Matt has taken absolutely everything that he had in their home. It is like Matt never lived there. Photos are gone. He even erased all of the phone records, texts, and emails. Hannah is stunned and has no idea where Matt has gone or why he left. She can't get his loss out of her mind and starts working to figure out where he has gone.
After the initial shock of Matt's leaving, there didn't seem to be a whole lot going on in this book. Hannah does not deal with his leaving well at all and her spiral downward is detailed in the story but it seemed to me that the story needed something to keep things moving forward. I found that I spent most of the book rather bored.
The story does have a big twist and the last quarter of the book does pick up the pace. I would imagine that most people will really appreciate this giant twist but by the time it was revealed, I had really lost any investment in the story that I had ever had. I did find that the last section of the book did seem to move faster and was more entertaining.
I think that this is a book that some readers will love but it will not work well for others. Unfortunately, I was in the later group. I wouldn't discourage anyone from reading it that really thinks that they would enjoy it based on the description but I won't be encouraging readers to pick it up either.
I received an advance reader edition of this book from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley.
Initial Thoughts
This is a generous 2 stars. I didn't enjoy this book at all. There was a little bit of excitement towards the end but I found most of the book to be quite dull.
August 25, 2020
A pesar de no ser ninguna obra maestra, me ha intrigado lo suficiente para terminarlo. Es predecible en algunos aspectos y, sin embargo, en otros se pasa un poco de rosca para alargarlo innecesariamente, sobre todo repitiendo cosas que ya se han contado antes. Un aprobado.
March 22, 2017
Oy vey - what a collection of unpleasant and downright disturbed (and disturbing) characters! But I guess that's the point; getting into their heads is what makes this a "novel of psychological suspense," as the official description rightly says.
It begins with central character and narrator Hannah Monroe, whose live-in lover, Matt, suddenly goes missing - totally. He's taken away every single item he brought to her house when he moved in plus anything even remotely associated with him. He's even deleted all references to him on Hannah's computer and cell phone; it's as if he never even existed. Hannah, an extremely successful (but clearly neurotic) accountant, starts going even more mentally bonkers as she tries to figure out what happened, why he left and whether he will return to her and when. The only way those questions can be answered, she reasons, is by confronting him personally. So, forsaking everything and everyone else in her life, she turns her own into a full-on awake nightmare as she tries to track him down.
Let me amend that; with Hannah, there is no reasoning. Absolutely everyone, including her childhood friend Katie, Katie's boyfriend James (at one time Hannah's boyfriend), her mother, father and even next-door neighbors is out to get her and cannot be trusted. Her thoughts as she works her way through the why did he/they, why didn't he/they, why should he/they, why shouldn't he/they, etc., are outlined in almost excruciating detail in every chapter. About halfway through, in fact, I almost gave up - thinking I couldn't bear another 150 pages or so of her constant (and I do mean constant) second-guessing of everyone's motives for disrupting her very existence.
That's not to say, however, that she isn't at least partly right (bringing to mind that well-known joke, "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you"). She's always, for instance, had issues with Katie, who appears to have developed a serious case of Hannah-envy back when they were kids. And Hannah's parents' relationship can't be called ideal (and certainly not conducive to their daughter's stress-free childhood).
And make no mistake: it is Hannah's ad nauseam ruminating that is central to the psychological "pull" of the story. Little by little, layers of Hannah's mind and those of her friends and family are peeled away, giving up insights as to what they think is going on and prompting me to keep reading even though I was happy that all these misfits are confined to a single book with no chance to ruin others I may want to read.
So whose "reality" is real? Now that I've finished, I'm not sure I know the answer to that question - especially since the trip through the pages in many ways blew my own mind. If you want to chance messing with yours, give this one a try. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for providing an advance copy to read and review. Whew!
It begins with central character and narrator Hannah Monroe, whose live-in lover, Matt, suddenly goes missing - totally. He's taken away every single item he brought to her house when he moved in plus anything even remotely associated with him. He's even deleted all references to him on Hannah's computer and cell phone; it's as if he never even existed. Hannah, an extremely successful (but clearly neurotic) accountant, starts going even more mentally bonkers as she tries to figure out what happened, why he left and whether he will return to her and when. The only way those questions can be answered, she reasons, is by confronting him personally. So, forsaking everything and everyone else in her life, she turns her own into a full-on awake nightmare as she tries to track him down.
Let me amend that; with Hannah, there is no reasoning. Absolutely everyone, including her childhood friend Katie, Katie's boyfriend James (at one time Hannah's boyfriend), her mother, father and even next-door neighbors is out to get her and cannot be trusted. Her thoughts as she works her way through the why did he/they, why didn't he/they, why should he/they, why shouldn't he/they, etc., are outlined in almost excruciating detail in every chapter. About halfway through, in fact, I almost gave up - thinking I couldn't bear another 150 pages or so of her constant (and I do mean constant) second-guessing of everyone's motives for disrupting her very existence.
That's not to say, however, that she isn't at least partly right (bringing to mind that well-known joke, "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you"). She's always, for instance, had issues with Katie, who appears to have developed a serious case of Hannah-envy back when they were kids. And Hannah's parents' relationship can't be called ideal (and certainly not conducive to their daughter's stress-free childhood).
And make no mistake: it is Hannah's ad nauseam ruminating that is central to the psychological "pull" of the story. Little by little, layers of Hannah's mind and those of her friends and family are peeled away, giving up insights as to what they think is going on and prompting me to keep reading even though I was happy that all these misfits are confined to a single book with no chance to ruin others I may want to read.
So whose "reality" is real? Now that I've finished, I'm not sure I know the answer to that question - especially since the trip through the pages in many ways blew my own mind. If you want to chance messing with yours, give this one a try. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for providing an advance copy to read and review. Whew!
April 11, 2017
All of my reviews can be found on www.novelgossip.com
I absolutely love the idea behind this one, can you even imagine coming home to a house and seeing literally no sign that your significant other had ever been there?! That’s exactly what happens to Hannah, almost from the minute she steps foot through her front door she knows something is wrong. All of Matt’s things are gone, and when she starts trying to figure out where he is, it seems like he’s simply vanished into thin air. His social media profiles are all gone, he quit his job, and his phone number is no longer active. This is one of my favorite type of reads, one where I keep asking myself, what in the world is going on?!?
Hannah was a very complex, deeply flawed character, the type that always interests me. She wasn’t very likable, but something about her drew me in. As she searches for Matt, she becomes a woman possessed and slowly begins to spiral out of control. She behaves extremely erratically, and the part that really sent a chill up my spine is that she doesn’t even realize the way she is behaving is abnormal. Every aspect of her life starts to fall apart, her job gets put into jeopardy, her friendship with her lifelong best friend Katie gets strained, her whole world starts to fall apart the day Matt leaves.
Torjussen lead me on a complicated maze and her writing was so full of subtlety and tension. Several times she alluded to suspicious behavior from Matt, but she never elaborates, making the story all the more intriguing. She also casually makes mention of a darkness in Hannah’s past, but she never shows her hand, just faint whispers that make you uneasy.
This starts off a bit on the slow side but it more than makes up for it in the end when the pacing turns frantic and the suspense mounts. The last twenty five percent was filled with an onslaught of plot twists that left my mouth hanging open in shock. I do think this will divide readers as it is a little bit out there, but I loved it. When I say divide readers, I’m thinking of books like Behind Her Eyes and The Girl Before but I loved both of those, so if you did as well, I think you’ll like this one too. I can’t forget to mention the ending, nothing pleases me more than a strong ending and this one was chilling and oh so satisfying.
I absolutely love the idea behind this one, can you even imagine coming home to a house and seeing literally no sign that your significant other had ever been there?! That’s exactly what happens to Hannah, almost from the minute she steps foot through her front door she knows something is wrong. All of Matt’s things are gone, and when she starts trying to figure out where he is, it seems like he’s simply vanished into thin air. His social media profiles are all gone, he quit his job, and his phone number is no longer active. This is one of my favorite type of reads, one where I keep asking myself, what in the world is going on?!?
Hannah was a very complex, deeply flawed character, the type that always interests me. She wasn’t very likable, but something about her drew me in. As she searches for Matt, she becomes a woman possessed and slowly begins to spiral out of control. She behaves extremely erratically, and the part that really sent a chill up my spine is that she doesn’t even realize the way she is behaving is abnormal. Every aspect of her life starts to fall apart, her job gets put into jeopardy, her friendship with her lifelong best friend Katie gets strained, her whole world starts to fall apart the day Matt leaves.
Torjussen lead me on a complicated maze and her writing was so full of subtlety and tension. Several times she alluded to suspicious behavior from Matt, but she never elaborates, making the story all the more intriguing. She also casually makes mention of a darkness in Hannah’s past, but she never shows her hand, just faint whispers that make you uneasy.
This starts off a bit on the slow side but it more than makes up for it in the end when the pacing turns frantic and the suspense mounts. The last twenty five percent was filled with an onslaught of plot twists that left my mouth hanging open in shock. I do think this will divide readers as it is a little bit out there, but I loved it. When I say divide readers, I’m thinking of books like Behind Her Eyes and The Girl Before but I loved both of those, so if you did as well, I think you’ll like this one too. I can’t forget to mention the ending, nothing pleases me more than a strong ending and this one was chilling and oh so satisfying.
April 18, 2017
US Blog Tour Host April 18
GONE WITHOUT A TRACE by Mary Torjussen is a twisty suspense of domestic suspense. When things are not always as they seem. Dark secrets are revealed, a learned behavior with a role reversal in play.
Hannah, age thirty-two is all about appearances. Material possessions, status, and seeking her dad’s approval. Underneath, she is insecure. She is a grown woman and has managed to gain a position as a senior manager for a large accounting firm. She knows her dad would be proud.
She has been away at a training conference in Liverpool and on her 200-mile drive home to her live-in boyfriend, Matt to celebrate. However, when she arrives at home with the champagne, Matt is not home, nor any of his belongings. He has stripped everything in their house of his. Her things are still there in the same place.
At first, she thinks it is a burglar; however, the more she investigates, she realizes some of the more expensive stuff is still there. Things she brought into the relationship.
Everything has been removed erasing all existence of Matt. Including emails, phone numbers, social media, photos, etc. She cannot understand why he left without even a note and she is not able to get in touch with him. Hannah unravels with a capital U.
We learn early on Hannah is an unreliable narrator. You know there is something else going on. Is she blocking out something or events leading up to the time she left for her trip? Delusional?
She recruits her childhood friend Katie and boyfriend James and we soon learn these two have a past. Katie and Hannah are always trying out do one another. Plus then she begins receiving texts and strange things occurring. Is someone playing with her, or is she just plain nuts? Move on. He clearly wants away from you.
Hannah, was maddening! No likable characters here unless it was possibly the mom, which did not a strong voice in the novel. An overbearing controlling dad. She soon loses her career-obsessed with her personal life. She is disturbing.
Even though I had high hopes, here is my take: The first 10% was a great set up. It pulled me in. The next 70% was an obsessive Hannah and crazy friend Katie (could have done without all of this). This could have been covered in one simple chapter. It just went on and on. . .
She actually drove me nuts. I was ready to push her out my 15th-floor apartment window. This girl with a so-called career is now a total mess and narcissistic (she possesses all the signs). Ready to give up on the book numerous times and finally just skipped over all this drama, otherwise would have been a DNF. I knew then I did not like this gal. Very self-absorbed. Do not blame the poor guy for leaving.
Nothing changed until we get to the 80% point (I actually looked down) to see where the action actually started. At this point, hooked again. Of course, the very end, not crazy about though. Basically, if you retain the 30% which was good, then remove all the middle drama, and possibly replace those parts with a dual timeline (Hannah’s childhood) POV.
What I would love to have seen: A POV from Hannah’s mom, would have been interesting. Possibly Hannah’s dad, even Hannah’s POV as a child; then switch to Matt POV or James. Possibly some from Hannah in the present (not all Hannah).
I think the different perspectives and dual timeline would have enhanced the overall book and still deliver a nice domestic suspense thriller. As well, as bringing in some good research and facts about domestic abuse and violence in the home, and how this affects children through adulthood, as well as the male/female role reversal.
Mild spoilers here: Especially the learned behavior and the woman being the abuser versus the man. It is not serving our society well to downplay the fact female violence can also be lethal, towards men and towards children: women account for more than half of all murders of children. Most family violence is two-way aggression as well. Given the shame and stigma associated with being a male victim of family violence, it is not surprising that men downplay these experiences in victim surveys. Sure, there are more than we are aware of.
Children witnessing any form of family violence, including couple violence, suffer high rates of mental health problems and the children are more likely to be violent themselves.
As we have discovered through the hit series Big Little Lies, how domestic violence trickles down through our children with bullying and other fatal events in our schools. This would have been a great opportunity to play in the male versus female reversal role, and show both sides. Of course, I did not care for the book, Big Little Lies, either, however, loved the TV series!
Not to take anything away from the author, she is very talented; however, I would have loved this one to take a different route. GONE WITHOUT A TRACE is one which will receive a wide range of reviews due to the way the story plays out, as indicated.
A special thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for an early reading copy.
JDCMustReadBooks
GONE WITHOUT A TRACE by Mary Torjussen is a twisty suspense of domestic suspense. When things are not always as they seem. Dark secrets are revealed, a learned behavior with a role reversal in play.
Hannah, age thirty-two is all about appearances. Material possessions, status, and seeking her dad’s approval. Underneath, she is insecure. She is a grown woman and has managed to gain a position as a senior manager for a large accounting firm. She knows her dad would be proud.
She has been away at a training conference in Liverpool and on her 200-mile drive home to her live-in boyfriend, Matt to celebrate. However, when she arrives at home with the champagne, Matt is not home, nor any of his belongings. He has stripped everything in their house of his. Her things are still there in the same place.
At first, she thinks it is a burglar; however, the more she investigates, she realizes some of the more expensive stuff is still there. Things she brought into the relationship.
Everything has been removed erasing all existence of Matt. Including emails, phone numbers, social media, photos, etc. She cannot understand why he left without even a note and she is not able to get in touch with him. Hannah unravels with a capital U.
We learn early on Hannah is an unreliable narrator. You know there is something else going on. Is she blocking out something or events leading up to the time she left for her trip? Delusional?
She recruits her childhood friend Katie and boyfriend James and we soon learn these two have a past. Katie and Hannah are always trying out do one another. Plus then she begins receiving texts and strange things occurring. Is someone playing with her, or is she just plain nuts? Move on. He clearly wants away from you.
Hannah, was maddening! No likable characters here unless it was possibly the mom, which did not a strong voice in the novel. An overbearing controlling dad. She soon loses her career-obsessed with her personal life. She is disturbing.
Even though I had high hopes, here is my take: The first 10% was a great set up. It pulled me in. The next 70% was an obsessive Hannah and crazy friend Katie (could have done without all of this). This could have been covered in one simple chapter. It just went on and on. . .
She actually drove me nuts. I was ready to push her out my 15th-floor apartment window. This girl with a so-called career is now a total mess and narcissistic (she possesses all the signs). Ready to give up on the book numerous times and finally just skipped over all this drama, otherwise would have been a DNF. I knew then I did not like this gal. Very self-absorbed. Do not blame the poor guy for leaving.
Nothing changed until we get to the 80% point (I actually looked down) to see where the action actually started. At this point, hooked again. Of course, the very end, not crazy about though. Basically, if you retain the 30% which was good, then remove all the middle drama, and possibly replace those parts with a dual timeline (Hannah’s childhood) POV.
What I would love to have seen: A POV from Hannah’s mom, would have been interesting. Possibly Hannah’s dad, even Hannah’s POV as a child; then switch to Matt POV or James. Possibly some from Hannah in the present (not all Hannah).
I think the different perspectives and dual timeline would have enhanced the overall book and still deliver a nice domestic suspense thriller. As well, as bringing in some good research and facts about domestic abuse and violence in the home, and how this affects children through adulthood, as well as the male/female role reversal.
Mild spoilers here: Especially the learned behavior and the woman being the abuser versus the man. It is not serving our society well to downplay the fact female violence can also be lethal, towards men and towards children: women account for more than half of all murders of children. Most family violence is two-way aggression as well. Given the shame and stigma associated with being a male victim of family violence, it is not surprising that men downplay these experiences in victim surveys. Sure, there are more than we are aware of.
Children witnessing any form of family violence, including couple violence, suffer high rates of mental health problems and the children are more likely to be violent themselves.
As we have discovered through the hit series Big Little Lies, how domestic violence trickles down through our children with bullying and other fatal events in our schools. This would have been a great opportunity to play in the male versus female reversal role, and show both sides. Of course, I did not care for the book, Big Little Lies, either, however, loved the TV series!
Not to take anything away from the author, she is very talented; however, I would have loved this one to take a different route. GONE WITHOUT A TRACE is one which will receive a wide range of reviews due to the way the story plays out, as indicated.
A special thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for an early reading copy.
JDCMustReadBooks
March 21, 2017
2.5 stars
Gone Without a Trace is another addition to the unreliable narrator genre of thrillers. While it was very apparent that something was wrong with the narrator, I did not predict what it was. The characters were all fairly nasty to each other most of the time which always turns me off from a story. I like to be able to relate to at least one person in a book and that just did not happen here. The relationship between the best friends was so bad that I called my own best friend one night to tell her how much I appreciated her and how thankful I was that she was not like the women in this book! (She laughed). Instead of entertaining me, that behavior just stresses me out. The story also jumped around a bit too much for me. I did finish it because I wanted to know what happened. Thanks to First to Read for the chance to read this book.
Gone Without a Trace is another addition to the unreliable narrator genre of thrillers. While it was very apparent that something was wrong with the narrator, I did not predict what it was. The characters were all fairly nasty to each other most of the time which always turns me off from a story. I like to be able to relate to at least one person in a book and that just did not happen here. The relationship between the best friends was so bad that I called my own best friend one night to tell her how much I appreciated her and how thankful I was that she was not like the women in this book! (She laughed). Instead of entertaining me, that behavior just stresses me out. The story also jumped around a bit too much for me. I did finish it because I wanted to know what happened. Thanks to First to Read for the chance to read this book.
July 14, 2021
I thought this book started out well and was enjoying it; that is until things started to seem just plain crazy! I'm talking about the main character, Hannah. Definitely an unreliable narrator. I could not suspend disbelief that far especially towards the end!
I must say I read the first book by Ms. Torjussen and found it quite enjoyable. Not so much this one. I'm giving her another chance with the next book, "The Closer you Get" which I purchased at the same time. Hopefully it will be better.
I must say I read the first book by Ms. Torjussen and found it quite enjoyable. Not so much this one. I'm giving her another chance with the next book, "The Closer you Get" which I purchased at the same time. Hopefully it will be better.
November 26, 2016
Hannah Monroe,a senior Manager for a large firm of accountants is having a really good day and was actually singing to herself as she walked up the path to her house.She had just returned from a training course,her speech had gone really well and it looked like she was on track for a promotion to director.She couldn't wait to share her wonderful news with Matt her boyfriend of four years but when she enters her home she discovers that Matt and all his belongings are gone.She then discovers that he hasn't been at work for weeks,it's like he has erased all evidence that he ever existed.After Hannah begins a frantic obsessive search to find Matt strange things start happening and she begins to get the unsettling feeling that she is being watched.
This is a thrilling mystery that is voiced completely by Hannah who is not a very likeable character for reasons that I cannot explain without giving away too much information because certain elements of her character are pivotal to the plot.Many of the characters are untrustworthy and I had my doubts about what they did or did not know and how much they were involved in Matt's disappearance as the story unfolded.
The story hooked me in from the first page and has one hell of a twist that completely changed my perception of everything that I had read.It's a gripping,intreguing story that keeps the reader guessing and has no parts that come across as padding.It has short chapters and the story flows along nicely.I thought this was Mary Torjussens first book but apparently she has two others both of which I will definitely be getting hold of and I look forward to reading more books written by her in the future
I think the issues raised in this book could lead to some very interesting discussions in a book group
Many thanks to publishers Headline books for a arc of this book via netgalley in exchange for a honest review
This is a thrilling mystery that is voiced completely by Hannah who is not a very likeable character for reasons that I cannot explain without giving away too much information because certain elements of her character are pivotal to the plot.Many of the characters are untrustworthy and I had my doubts about what they did or did not know and how much they were involved in Matt's disappearance as the story unfolded.
The story hooked me in from the first page and has one hell of a twist that completely changed my perception of everything that I had read.It's a gripping,intreguing story that keeps the reader guessing and has no parts that come across as padding.It has short chapters and the story flows along nicely.I thought this was Mary Torjussens first book but apparently she has two others both of which I will definitely be getting hold of and I look forward to reading more books written by her in the future
I think the issues raised in this book could lead to some very interesting discussions in a book group
Many thanks to publishers Headline books for a arc of this book via netgalley in exchange for a honest review
April 11, 2017
Hannah is bursting with excitement after hearing that she’s headed for a big promotion at her job. She’s worked hard for it and she’s ready to celebrate. But when she comes home from her business trip, she’s astonished to see that her live-in boyfriend Matt has taken each of his possessions and is gone. Not only are his belongings gone but all photos and texts from her phone are missing and he’s disappeared from social media. She’s completely at a loss as things had been going so well for the two of them. She just can’t understand why he would leave and knows she has to get to the bottom of what’s happened.
Thus starts Hannah’s descent into obsession. She starts getting strange texts and phone calls and sees signs that someone has been in the house when she’s not there. She’s sure that Matt’s trying to contact her. Is she mad or is there someone watching her?
It was quite sad to watch Hannah’s deterioration as she struggles to come to terms with Matt’s apparent abandonment of her. I could definitely empathize with her as she went over and over in her mind everything that Matt said and did in the days and weeks before his disappearance, trying to work it all out. She longs for closure but can’t stop thinking about Matt. She has a friend, Katie, but their relationship has always been a competitive one and Katie isn’t always as supportive as Hannah needs.
I didn’t see the plot twist coming though in looking back, I realize there were clues so others may guess. The twist touches on something that not many authors write about. All in all, this is a rip-the-pages-turning-them-so-fast book that is recommended.
This book was given to me by the publisher in return for an honest review.
Thus starts Hannah’s descent into obsession. She starts getting strange texts and phone calls and sees signs that someone has been in the house when she’s not there. She’s sure that Matt’s trying to contact her. Is she mad or is there someone watching her?
It was quite sad to watch Hannah’s deterioration as she struggles to come to terms with Matt’s apparent abandonment of her. I could definitely empathize with her as she went over and over in her mind everything that Matt said and did in the days and weeks before his disappearance, trying to work it all out. She longs for closure but can’t stop thinking about Matt. She has a friend, Katie, but their relationship has always been a competitive one and Katie isn’t always as supportive as Hannah needs.
I didn’t see the plot twist coming though in looking back, I realize there were clues so others may guess. The twist touches on something that not many authors write about. All in all, this is a rip-the-pages-turning-them-so-fast book that is recommended.
This book was given to me by the publisher in return for an honest review.
February 7, 2017
A hard to put down mystery peppered with thrills - I was really impressed by this relatively new authors work. Told via first person perspective (which I always find pleasing in this genre), Hannah is distraught when she returns home from work one day and her long term boyfriend is gone. All his possessions have been removed and the home returned to the exact standards of before he even moved in. It's as if Matt has never existed.
With no leads, Hannah and her best friend Katie and boyfriend James are left to uncover what has really happened to Matt. His work say he left them weeks ago. His mother is nowhere to be found. What next?
Initially I found the book to be quite repetitive - the first half is literally made up of Hannah's inability to accept that her boyfriend has left and how she cannot survive without him. The feminist in me ached a little. But the second half of the novel catches up fairly quickly, resulting in a thrilling climax as the mystery comes to light.
It's not often I start to change my opinion on a book midway. Up until the fifty percent mark I was picturing this a solid three star rating. I was pleasantly surprised to find the ending made up for the initial repetitiveness of the first several chapters.
As always, the proof is in the final verdict: would I read this author again? Without hesitation.
With no leads, Hannah and her best friend Katie and boyfriend James are left to uncover what has really happened to Matt. His work say he left them weeks ago. His mother is nowhere to be found. What next?
Initially I found the book to be quite repetitive - the first half is literally made up of Hannah's inability to accept that her boyfriend has left and how she cannot survive without him. The feminist in me ached a little. But the second half of the novel catches up fairly quickly, resulting in a thrilling climax as the mystery comes to light.
It's not often I start to change my opinion on a book midway. Up until the fifty percent mark I was picturing this a solid three star rating. I was pleasantly surprised to find the ending made up for the initial repetitiveness of the first several chapters.
As always, the proof is in the final verdict: would I read this author again? Without hesitation.
March 17, 2017
This psychological thriller lacked the timing and tempo to keep me highly engaged. I found the first portion rather tedious and the last quarter of the book moved at a faster yet not totally believable pace.
Compared to Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train, I Let You Go and The Widow but not as well constructed as these novels.
Compared to Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train, I Let You Go and The Widow but not as well constructed as these novels.
November 12, 2020
Wow! I know reviewers say things like "I read it in one sitting!"
But people.... I really did!
I was riveted from the beginning!
Hannah and Matt share a house across the Mersey River from Liverpool. Both are in their early thirties and are successful in their careers. They are in love, and she assumes that one day they will marry.
Ready to celebrate a very successful work conference, Hannah arrives home with a bottle of champagne to share with him. She finds all traces of Matt gone. Really gone. No trace of him left, not even in the trash cans! Photos of him with her, gone. Everything he had brought to their home - his television, his clothes, his extensive record collection - GONE. Right down to the mugs in the kitchen and his favourite marmite and ketchup from the fridge. All the messages in her email account and all the texts they exchanged have been wiped from her phone. When she calls his number she gets a 'recording'. When she calls his work she is told that no one by that name works there...
At first she is spooked. Then comes the anger. How dare he leave her without a word! Was it something she did? Then... inconsolable, she begins to question the forensic nature of his disappearance. Surely everything wouldn't be gone? Strangely, the possessions she had before he moved in had been put back as they were before he lived with her. Her books are back on the shelves that he had commandeered for his record collection. The blank spaces where his photos stood are not visible because her other photos have been rearranged to fill the gaps...
Hannah's confusion, panic, and stress are palpable. I found my heartbeat speeding up as she goes from room to room.
"Creepiness overload!"
Hannah begins to get anonymous text messages. Then, she is sure that someone has been in her house while she was at work. She left a vase of blowsy, dying, purple tulips on the table and when she returned home there were fresh purple tulip buds in their place...
She receives a video on her phone. Someone has filmed her when she went out for a morning run... Who would do such a thing?
Hannah has a very small support system with few people to turn to in her time of need. She has a very unhealthy relationship with her parents and wouldn't dream of bringing her troubles to their door. One wonders what kind of childhood she had. She has a 'best' friend, Katie, whom she has known since childhood. However the reader gets the impression that theirs is a sort of love/hate relationship with jealousy and competition playing major factors. Hannah confides in Sam, one of her coworkers, but again the reader wonders if he has an ulterior motive for being her confidant.
As the messages, phone calls and house invasions escalate, Hannah's life begins to unravel. She can no longer pay attention to her work and misses important deadlines. She doesn't even pay attention to her own personal hygiene and her house shows signs of squalor. She loses weight and is agitated and sleepless. She becomes obsessed with finding Matt.
Themes of loss and betrayal run throughout this fast-paced thriller.
With every component that makes for a FAB psychological thriller, "Gone without a trace" ticked all the boxes for me! It was a very easy read with short chapters and even short sentences. Not literary by any means, but compelling. The structure drives the reader into reading faster and faster. With a few requisite plot twists and an ending that can only be described as 'chilling', this novel will be relished by thriller lovers.
But people.... I really did!
I was riveted from the beginning!
Hannah and Matt share a house across the Mersey River from Liverpool. Both are in their early thirties and are successful in their careers. They are in love, and she assumes that one day they will marry.
Ready to celebrate a very successful work conference, Hannah arrives home with a bottle of champagne to share with him. She finds all traces of Matt gone. Really gone. No trace of him left, not even in the trash cans! Photos of him with her, gone. Everything he had brought to their home - his television, his clothes, his extensive record collection - GONE. Right down to the mugs in the kitchen and his favourite marmite and ketchup from the fridge. All the messages in her email account and all the texts they exchanged have been wiped from her phone. When she calls his number she gets a 'recording'. When she calls his work she is told that no one by that name works there...
At first she is spooked. Then comes the anger. How dare he leave her without a word! Was it something she did? Then... inconsolable, she begins to question the forensic nature of his disappearance. Surely everything wouldn't be gone? Strangely, the possessions she had before he moved in had been put back as they were before he lived with her. Her books are back on the shelves that he had commandeered for his record collection. The blank spaces where his photos stood are not visible because her other photos have been rearranged to fill the gaps...
Hannah's confusion, panic, and stress are palpable. I found my heartbeat speeding up as she goes from room to room.
"Creepiness overload!"
Hannah begins to get anonymous text messages. Then, she is sure that someone has been in her house while she was at work. She left a vase of blowsy, dying, purple tulips on the table and when she returned home there were fresh purple tulip buds in their place...
She receives a video on her phone. Someone has filmed her when she went out for a morning run... Who would do such a thing?
Hannah has a very small support system with few people to turn to in her time of need. She has a very unhealthy relationship with her parents and wouldn't dream of bringing her troubles to their door. One wonders what kind of childhood she had. She has a 'best' friend, Katie, whom she has known since childhood. However the reader gets the impression that theirs is a sort of love/hate relationship with jealousy and competition playing major factors. Hannah confides in Sam, one of her coworkers, but again the reader wonders if he has an ulterior motive for being her confidant.
As the messages, phone calls and house invasions escalate, Hannah's life begins to unravel. She can no longer pay attention to her work and misses important deadlines. She doesn't even pay attention to her own personal hygiene and her house shows signs of squalor. She loses weight and is agitated and sleepless. She becomes obsessed with finding Matt.
Themes of loss and betrayal run throughout this fast-paced thriller.
With every component that makes for a FAB psychological thriller, "Gone without a trace" ticked all the boxes for me! It was a very easy read with short chapters and even short sentences. Not literary by any means, but compelling. The structure drives the reader into reading faster and faster. With a few requisite plot twists and an ending that can only be described as 'chilling', this novel will be relished by thriller lovers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 964 reviews