Haylen Beck delivers a tense thriller about an isolated mother struggling to find her children before it’s too late.
Leaving behind an abusive husband, a young mother packs her belongings into an old station wagon. Then, taking her young children she sets out on a journey to start a new life. As she travels from New York through Arizona, Audra Kinney half expects someone will follow her. She’s understandably nervous so she sticks to quiet, back roads but the journey is long and the car is hot.
Stopping for water at an isolated gas station, she spots a police car parked on the forecourt. Although she’s done nothing wrong, the sight of the car makes her nervous. She buys the water and plans to stop off overnight when she reaches the next town. It’s just a few miles away and both she and the children are ready for a rest. Back in the car, with no sign of the police, she resumes her journey. But then she notices the police car following her and when Sheriff Whiteside pulls her over, Audra’s nightmare is about to begin. In the blink of an eye she finds herself in a jail cell with her children missing. Isolated and with no one to call on for help, she must battle corrupt authorities to find her children before it’s too late.
Here and Gone is not just tense, it’s intense. From the first page, Haylen Beck had my heart racing. I felt both too scared to continue reading and too scared to stop. In the event, I read on until 300 pages later I reached the end in a single sitting.
This is good, old-fashioned storytelling with a strong plot, believable characters, tension, drama and a fast pace. If you don’t mind being scared, it’s a cracking read!
Disclosure: I read an advance copy via Netgalley.