By: K. L. Slater
ISBN: 9781805500605
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: 03/03/2025
Format: e-book
My Rating: 4.5 Stars (ARC)
The message has disappeared. So has my best friend.
When I read the message from my best friend Leona, I sense the danger screaming from every word.
Can’t speak. Don’t text or call. Please just come.
I race to her house, thinking about the circle of bruises I saw on her wrist days earlier. But when she opens the door, Leona is smiling, her husband’s arm tightly around her narrow shoulders, her little girl’s laughter echoing from the living room.
She says she never sent me a message and she’s fine. And when I look at my phone, the message is deleted.
But six hours later, the police are at my door. Leona and her family have disappeared, their dinner burned, blood all over the kitchen.
My best friend and her beautiful family are missing. I was the last one to see them alive…
A completely gripping and addictive thriller from the number 1 ebook bestselling author K.L. Slater, Message Deleted will have you glued to the pages until the very last twist. Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell and Freida McFadden.
My Review
K.L. Slater (favorite author) returns following The Married Man with her latest gripping twisty who and whydunit thriller, MESSAGE DELETED. A desperate message from a woman's best friend appears, then the message shockingly disappears, and so has her friend and family.
About...
The book opens with a chilling prologue in a suburban neighborhood south of Nottingham in a highly coveted affluent area. This sets the stage for the mysterious stalker and the following unexpected events. No one expects anything to happen in a place like this, which makes the situation even more unsettling.
Meet the characters:
Saffy Morris, formerly married to Neil, an accountant, has custody of her son Fox and is engaged to Mira, who is pregnant. There was an attack on Poppy, Saffy's sister, in the past, and fear has all but ruined her life. She saved her. Both she and Poppy had escaped their attacker, and now, they felt more like curiosities than heroines.
In the present while waiting for her job interview, Shaffy receives a text message from her best friend, Leona. They have been friends since school, and Rosie is her goddaughter.
"Can't speak.
Don't text or call.
Please just come."
Three short messages sent in a panic.
Then "This message was deleted"
She is worried, especially after Leona's confession to her last week. Was Ash abusing her? She frantically leaves before her interview and hurriedly goes to Leona's house, worried about her safety.
When she arrives, Leona is there with her husband, Ashley, and denies sending the message or needing help.
Six hours later, the police are at Saffy's door. Leona (Age 34, had recently given up her nursing position at the Queen's Medical Centre to become a full-time mom to Rosie (her five-year-old daughter), and Ashley (Age 36, a medical supplies sales director) is missing, and they found blood at the home. Saffy was the last to see the family; she may now be the number one suspect.
What happened to the Bannatyne family?
Many amateur armchair detectives are involved, sharing their thoughts, online postings, live streaming, and social media updates. Their collective efforts add a layer of realism and intrigue to the story, as the mystery unfolds in the public eye.
Can she uncover the truth before her own life unravels?
My thoughts...
MESSAGE DELETED is a suspenseful, highly entertaining thriller that grabs you from the beginning to the end. The plot is filled with unexpected twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat, eager to uncover the next turn of events. From past to present, we meet the characters and their history, each twist adding a new layer of intrigue.
The detectives and Nottinghamshire Police are investigating, but Saffy must take it upon herself and follow the clues to determine what happened to her best friend and her goddaughter; After all, they are friends who tell each other everything. Right? But is Leona keeping secrets?
The author cleverly ratchets up the suspense, full of mystery, twists, and intrigue. We also meet Saffy's sister, Poppy, and her connections with twists and turns, with surprises, a mysterious cabin, deeply buried memories, and plenty of SECRETS leading up to the unraveling of the real killer and motive.
Told from multiple POVs, including Saffy, Leona, and Poppy from past to present, the narrative becomes multi-layered and complex. Each character is intricately developed, with their secrets and motivations, making the story all the more engaging and the characters more relatable.
Do we know those closest to us?
MESSAGE DELETED is an unpredictable, gripping psychological whodunit suspense thriller. The author's masterful storytelling will keep you turning the pages into the wee hours of the morning, anxious to see how the mystery will unfold, and thrilled by the suspenseful narrative.
Recs...
MESSAGE DELETED is for fans of the author and those who enjoy works by Freida McFadden, Victoria Helen Stone, Daniel Hurst, Keri Beevis, Emily Shiner, and Miranda Rijks.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for an advanced digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4.5 Stars
Pub Date: Mar 3, 2025
About the Author
Kim is the number one bestselling author of over twenty psychological crime thrillers. She has sold over three million copies of her books worldwide. She has also written four Carnegie-nominated Young Adult novels as Kim Slater for Macmillan Children’s Books. Kim has an MA in Creative Writing and lives with her husband in a small Nottinghamshire village. WEBSITE
Order of publication:
SAFE WITH ME (2016)
BLINK (2017)
LIAR (2017)
THE MISTAKE (2017)
THE VISITOR (2018)
THE SECRET (2018)
CLOSER (2018)
FINDING GRACE (2019)
THE SILENT ONES (2019)
SINGLE (2019)
THE APARTMENT - AUDIBLE ORIGINAL only (2019) August
THE APARTMENT - eBook & paperback formats available (2020) April
LITTLE WHISPERS (2020)
THE GIRL SHE WANTED (2020)
THE EVIDENCE - AUDIBLE ORIGINAL only (2021) February
THE EVIDENCE - eBook & paperback formats available (2021) July
THE MARRIAGE (2021)
THE WIDOW (2021)
MISSING (2022)
THE NARRATOR - AUDIBLE ORIGINAL only (2022) August
THE NARRATOR - eBook & paperback formats available (2023) January
THE GIRLFRIEND (2022)
THE BEDROOM WINDOW (2023)
HUSBAND AND WIFE (2023)
MESSAGE DELETED (2024)
THE MARRIED MAN (2024)
THE LUCKY WINNERS (2025) Pre-order available
