Psychological thriller Gone Before is a page-turner with twists right to the finish line. Beyond the authority of the author with both the words and story, the perspective of the main character Phoebe as a young woman who has spent most of her life in Africa – sprinklings in the right places of the author's first-hand knowledge of African life and the jarring differences for Phoebe between her old home and France and Britain – add a unique layer in the unfolding of the story. Fifteen years ago, Maya Duncan was infamously abducted in Britain. In the opening of Gone Before, Phoebe believes she is Maya and is knocking of the door of her real mother in the Mediterranean village of Cassis. She is reeling with grief and hurt, a life based on lies. Soon, she is even more unanchored than before, guilt-ridden, and driven to unpick years of dangerous secrets and to discover her true identity. Gone Before is a complex, twisty and gripping read. 4.5 stars from me.

Fifteen years ago, a five year old girl was abducted and never recovered. Now, a young woman knocks nervously on a door holding a battered yellow rain hat stitched with Maya's name. The joyous reunion doesn't last for long and at one point the plot had twisted so much that I started to feel like I'd picked up the wrong book midway through. Despite the sudden change in the tone and direction of the plot, this is an enjoyable domestic thriller.

Sam Hepburn is a new to me author, but I was definitely not disappointed and will be looking out for her work in the future. This had more than its fair share of twists and definitely one to recommend

Gone Before was a really good book before it got so very twisty it had me scratching my head. The story of Phoebe & Kay Duncan was gripping and I liked Phoebe the best. Phoebe was a well-balanced & appealing character. Roz too was a great character too & I loved her story as well! There were many moments in the book that felt very realistic & I loved the way she handled the shocks & twists that were thrown at her. The plot was very interesting to read & great until those twists started turning on themselves leaving me very confused. I get that it created an added sense of drama and probably repeated "aha!" moments for many, but it just left me feeling confused. Yet, I'm glad I read this one! The plot was something new & it was a good experience seeing it unfold. After the first few chapters, I felt invested in Phoebe's journey for the truth & the plot felt very compelling. I enjoyed the book, for the most part.

Thank You, NetGalley, Bookouture & Sam Hepburn for an arc!

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the arc of Gone Before by Sam Hepburn.

4 star read- it was very well written, very enjoyable, hooking read. This follows Britains most famous missing person cases she ended up vanishing without a trace until now... An intriguing story with lots of twists that will keep you guessing throughout the whole thing... not gonna spoil what happens but you must read fro yourself.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

The first half of this book was pretty compelling. I felt the pace slackened and the narrative just got a bit stuck towards the end. Enjoyable just stretching the imagination a bit too far at the end for my tastes.

When 5-year-old Maya Duncan disappeared 15 years ago, she was never found. She became the most famous British missing child case in history, leaving mystery and speculation in her wake, and many pointed fingers at her mother, Kay Duncan.

Phoebe grew up in Botswana, raised by her single mother Roz, who she knows is not her biological mother. But when Roz loses her battle with cancer, she leaves behind a trail of loose ends and mystifying puzzle pieces that just don’t fit together. It’s left up to Phoebe to figure out what it all means and to put everything together to discover her true identity.

Can one only move forward if one knows where one has come from? Phoebe always felt safe and comfortable in her life with Roz, but suddenly she’s been set adrift and there are so many unanswered question to questions she’d never even realised she needed to ask. But as soon as she has one answer it only leads to more uncertainty.

This is a high speed rollercoaster ride where I felt that I wasn’t strapped in and all the lights were off! Every time I thought I knew which direction things were going in … WRONG … they took off the opposite way! I was kept guessing right up until the end.

This is a highly recommended, high-adrenaline 5-star read! It took me all over the place and back again. Yes, maybe it’s really far fetched, but it’s extremely well woven fiction, which I appreciated – so well done Sam Hepburn!

Omg what a brilliant book. Lots of twists and turns definitely keeps you on your toes. Cant wait to read more by this author

Sam Hepburn is a new author to me and after reading this book I will watch out for more of her work.. Lots of twists in this story make it a worthwhile read and one that I will recommend

Mind blown! I have just finished this book, and OMG! New fav author anyone? Sam Hepburn is a twisted genius. I usually pride myself on being pretty good at figuring out what’s going on fairly quickly but Sam keeps leading you one way only to dupe you and throw you another. There are so many brilliant twists and turns that by the end you are gasping for answers, so badly hooked you might result to murdering someone yourself, if they dare to interrupt you from the words on the page.

I don’t even know how to explain to you what this story is for fear of revealing anything I shouldn’t. So the short and simple reply is this is a book about a very determined girl, who’s desperate to know who she is, and he discovers so much more than she bargained for in the process.

If you love psychological thrillers, thrillers, family drama, or just reading in general, read this. This is the best book I have read in year and I will definitely be getting a hard copy, to go on my shelf’s as soon as it’s released.

I will also be devouring anything else that Sam writes. I so hope this is not her first book because I am not sure I can cope with waiting for another.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to NetGalley, Sam Hepburn and her publishers for allowing me to read and advance copy. And please Sam, if this is your first and only book, hurry up and write more, I need way more of this in my life.

A definite must read!

Have you ever seen a trailer to a movie and been so excited to see it because the trailer has you on the edge of your seat with anticipation, only to be disappointed when you do get to see it because all the good parts were in the trailer and the movie left you wondering why you wasted your time? That is how I felt about this book. The description had me so excited, I was so happy to be picked for an ARC. I started reading it and it was interesting to start off with. But then it slowed down and was hard too follow at times. The end got better but not enough to redeem the time I felt I lost by dragging through the middle. I wouldn't recommend this book to those who like a fast paced page turner. I want to thank the publisher, author, and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Reading this book was like being lost in a maze, lots of ways it can take you and never knowing what’s coming around the corner.

So where do I start to review a book that is so cleverly complex, full of smart diversions and enough twists and turns to keep thriller readers very happy.

Well I will start with the plot, one I happily couldn’t relate to as I am blessed to know exactly where I come from and have a loving warm family. Phoebe on the other hand learns that her whole life is a lie and she may not be Phoebe but Maya Duncan who was abducted fifteen years ago. So turning up at the doorstep of Kay, the woman she thinks is her birth mother you assume it will be happy ever after. WRONG!!! DNA tests and a suicide follow and Phoebe puts herself in harms way to get to the truth.

Phoebe was a great character and being written in first person meant you can really get inside her head. I was as desperate as she was to discover the truth and this is such a great book for armchair detectives.

Fast paced and with an intricately layered plot of identity, cults and child abduction this is a book to concentrate on. An abundance of twists that kept me guessing until all was revealed.

"Kay and Roz. Two mothers, two enigmas, two damaged women who each lost a child... Phoebe and Maya. Two little girls, both gone before their time."

When her mother Roz dies, everything Phoebe Locklear has ever believed to be true is shown to be a lie. Faced with the realisation that the woman who raised her did nothing but deceive her, she tracks down Kay Duncan, the woman she's now told is her real mother. But instead of answers, all Phoebe finds is more questions. So she goes in search of the truth, delving deeper into Roz and Kay's past and the disappearance of Kay's daughter Maya in the hope of solving not one, but two mysteries; what really happened to Maya Duncan, and who Phoebe really is.

"If I'm not Phoebe Locklear and I'm not Maya Duncan, then who the hell am I?"

At the heart of this story is the question of identity. Phoebe is already feeling lost when she discovers that what she'd believed about her birth mother and the reason Roz had raised her was a lie, but when she finds out she isn't Maya Duncan she is cast further adrift, with no clue whatsoever about her real mother or identity. Who we are is the core of our being, a vital part of our sense of self, and through Phoebe we see the emotional trauma and turmoil that is experienced when someone has lost that part of themselves and examines whether identity is something that is a part of our character or what we are told about ourselves.

Gripping and fast-paced, Gone Before combines mystery with a journey of self discovery that is full of twists, turns and shocking revelations. While parts felt a little predictable, there were also a lot of surprises, the author keeping me on my toes right until the unexpected conclusion.

IDENTITY - condition or character as to who a person or what a thing is



Imagine discovering that everything that you thought you knew about yourself may be a lie. Our identities are a core part of our human make up and without them we are as lost as a baby bird trapped in a gust of wind. This gripping tale is the story of Phoebe, a young woman who's search for the truth uncovers a number of shocking revelations and a catalogue of lies,secrets, deceptions and manipulations that started before she was born.Phoebe had recently discovered that she had apparently been kidnapped at the age of five and that Roz the woman that she had grown up believing to be her mother had apparently been lying to her. Only after she uncovers where her alleged birth mother Kay and alleged step father David are living, turns up on their doorstep and agrees to a DNA test, the results are not what she expected. At first she is understandably upset,lost, bewildered and directionless but then a determination to uncover the truth about her past and true identity kicks in. Was she really the little five year old girl who mysteriously disappeared fifteen years ago? Had there been a mix up with the DNA results? Why had Roz apparently been lying to her? Phoebe was a feisty,stubborn,determined, very intelligent,flawed but likeable character who I couldn't help feeling a lot of sympathy for as the story unfolded and she gradually uncovered the truth and the shocking events that had happened in the past. Throughout her quest to uncover the truth, she encouraged danger and a mixed bag off diverse, vivid characters, some likeable, some not so likeable.One character in particular was particularly sinister and spine chillingly creepy.

This is a very well written,tightly plotted page turner that has a multitude of twists,keeps the reader guessing and has a genuinely unexpected conclusion. I really enjoyed this gripping,enthralling thriller and would happily read more of this author's books in the future.

Maya Duncan disappeared when she was 5 years old and no one knew what happened to her.
Fifteen years after the abduction, Phoebe knocks on Kay Duncan’s door, clutching a yellow rainhat with Maya’s name stitched into the back. Phoebe is convinced that she is Maya Duncan, and that the woman behind the door is her real mother.
Phoebe has a letter from, who she thought was her real mother. saying how she took Maya (Phoebe) 15 years ago. Phoebe now has to prove it. Then Kay commits suicide and Phoebe feels gulity.
Phoebe decides to find out the truth about Kay and then things start to unravel and she has memories of her childhood.
There are surprises and some twists. Some I saw coming and some I didn't.

Gone Before by Sam Hepburn is a psychological thriller that has more twists and turns than the motorway that is known as Spaghetti junction in the UK!
Phoebe lives in Botswana with her mother, Roz. Roz passes away and Phoebe discovers a letter in which she finds out she is not Roz's biological child but the daughter of a woman, famous for her husband and the rock and roll lifestyle they led. Phoebe finds she is Maya really and is the subject of the the most famous missing persons case in the U.K, in fact she went missing when she was five years old, never been seen since! She makes the decision to discover her mother and who she is by birth. This sets the wheels in motion for a fantastically thrilling story that I just had to keep reading.
This is really a book that keeps you interested. Like I say there are so many twists, turns and lies that you have to just keep reading if only to keep the suspense in check.The fact that you can't be sure who is lying and who is tell the truth, keeps you on the edge of your seat. I think Phoebe has some guts, she is dogged in her determination to dig the truth out, even while she is experiencing so many emotions and taking one step forward and four steps back all the time.She makes it her aim to find the truth even though the people round her are hiding it as well as they can.
A riveting and totally fascinating search for the truth which turns out to be even more complex than first anticipated! It definitely kept me on my toes anyway.I thoroughly enjoyed this and will be on the look out for more of Sams books in the future.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the copy of this book for my review today.

Wow this book was a ROLLERCOASTER ride! Grabbed my attention from the very start and was a page turner until I hit the subplot which lost me for a few chapters. There was a small section of the book that took away from the reading experience for me. Made me lean towards the “oh come on now” feeling. But it’s as if the author knew he has to real you back in and the rest of the book picked up it’s momentum.
This was for sure a mystery you won’t figure out early on. There was so many twists and turns I gave up trying to foreshadow the ending and just enjoyed the ride.

When Phoebe Locklear lands from Botswana after losing the only mother she knew, she's desperate to make contact with her 'real' mother, Kay Duncan. And she believes she has connected, only to have everything turned upside down when the DNA tests establishes she not the kidnapped 'Maya Duncan' after all. What follows is Phoebe's determined pursuit of the truth to find out who she really is? Did her 'foster' mother, Roz lie to her. But how come she has memories of her 'real' mother and step father? As she begins to uncover layer upon layer of this story, she has to face the death of Kay and Kay's bandmate, and feel the guilt that she indirectly caused their deaths.

The author takes us on a real thriller of a ride which includes blackmail, murder, deceit, a cult with a crazy leader and Phoebe herself being the victim of a murder attempt.

The book was unputdownable! Just when you thought you'd figured out the plot there was another twist. I thoroughly enjoyed this book from Sam Hepburn and will be looking out for more of her writing.

Title: Gone Before
Author: Sam Hepburn
PUBLICATION DAY: Oct 12th 2020

Description:

‘My name is Phoebe Locklear. I think I’m your daughter.’

I rehearse the words as I walk up the path, clutching a faded old photograph of a little girl with thick dark hair.

When I knock, the door opens, and there she is: the woman I believe is my mother. The woman whose five-year-old daughter disappeared fifteen years ago.

Had I known what would happen next, would I have knocked on that door? Would I take back the lives I’ve destroyed?

But now that I’ve started, there’s no going back. I can’t stop until I find out who I really am.

Even if the truth could kill me.

Twisty, addictive and utterly unputdownable, Gone Before asks what happens when your whole life turns out to be a lie. Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Gone Girl and The Silent Patient.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'Gone Before' by Sam Hepburn.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous

Publication date 12th October 2020

This is the first book that I have read by this author.

I was originally drawn to this book by its intriguing colourful cover and interesting sounding blurb. The fact that it states on Amazon that the book is perfect for fans of Mark Edwards also drew me in as I'm a big fan of his books. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of a 35 chapters and an epilogue. The chapters are medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

This book is written in first person perspective with the protagonist being Phoebe/Maya. I enjoy books written in first person perspective as as long as they are well written it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them.

This book is based in Provence, France 🇫🇷 and London 🇬🇧.I always enjoy when books are set in the UK as I'm from Wales and have sometimes visited areas mentioned in the book. This makes it easier to picture where the scenes are set at times.

Wow!!! Well, Well, Well where to even start on this one???

An extremely well written book which reads very smoothly and has fantastic descriptions which really grip your imagination. I loved the newspaper headlines included to show the 'worlds' opinion on what was going on and thought they were placed perfectly and helped to see the bigger picture. I also enjoyed the flashbacks throughout that were well placed and again helped with the bigger picture.

The storyline itself was quite unique and was absolutely gripping!! It kept me up until I could barely keep my eyes open and even then only had to call it a night knowing my kids would wake up in a few hours!!! Very fast paced and action packed it is rammed full with twists, turns, deceit, red herrings, love, loss, mystery and I could go on, everything you want in a psychological crime thriller. A true page turner that kept me guessing until the unexpected twist at the end!!

The characters were all perfect for the storyline and I loved Phoebe/Maya's personality and strength, can't beat a strong female lead in a book!! They all seemed to have a mystery about them that made you continuously question myself while drawing me in. This book would make an absolutely gripping movie and I would love to read more about what happens next!! I am looking forward to reading more of this very talented authors books!!

Overall an absolutely gripping psychological thriller which will keep you up late at night turning the pages and biting your nails!!!

Genres covered include Suspense, Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Crime Fiction and Psychological Fiction.

I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as ANYONE looking for a good read with a fantastic twist you won't see coming.

312 pages.

This book is 99p to purchase on kindle via Amazon or free on kindle unlimited which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 5/5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

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Author Bio:

Sam Hepburn read modern languages at Cambridge University and, after a brief spell in advertising, joined the BBC as a General Trainee. She worked as a documentary maker for twenty years and was one of the commissioners for the launch of BBC Four. Since then, she has written several books, including psychological thrillers Gone Before and Her Perfect Life, and novels for young adults and children. She won the 2017 CWA Margery Allingham Short Story award and has been nominated for several other prestigious prizes, including the CILIP Carnegie Medal for her YA thrillers.

Sam has worked and travelled widely in Africa and the Middle East, and is a trustee of the Kenyan’s children’s charity, I Afrika. She now lives in London with her husband and children.

Author Social Media Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sam_Osman_Books

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/SamHepburnAuthor

BUY LINKS:

Amazon: https://geni.us/B08CW5398ZSocial

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My first by this author and it grabbed me right out of the gate. There are lots of twists and turns. Dense and tightly written, it was a good read.