A really enjoyable and nail-biting book from K.L. Slater, the plot is tight and well-wrought. Clues are left along the way but they are subtle and kept me guessing until the end, and I enjoyed how not everything was how it seemed! I thought the characters were excellently depicted and each had a personality of their own, which sometimes suffers in these kinds of thrillers, but happy to say not here! Poppy especially grew on me, at first she seemed slightly entitled but by the end I was rooting for her just as much as Saffy. A really enjoyable read, thank you Netgalley and Michael Joseph for the arc!

A very interesting and intricate mystery/thriller with a cast of flawed yet human characters. I thought the premise was really good, the writing flowed brilliantly with just enough detail and pace, and I admit that I was left guessing how it would all tie in for quite some time. The ending was exactly what was needed, nothing ambiguous about it which is how I like these books to end!

Not quite 5* for me personally, just because I feel it’s hard to empathise and care for any one character when moving between them and written in this style. However, that’s personal preference because the writing style is absolutely what’s needed to keep the mystery alive!

Message Deleted was a good read but not my favourite from this author. I was drawn in by the premise of the deleted messages but I thought it lacked in the police procedural part.

Saffy is waiting to go into a job interview when she receives a string of strange WhatsApp message from her friend Leona. “Can’t speak… don’t text or call… please just come.” Then as quickly as they arrive they are deleted by the sender and, when Saffy arrives at the house, Leona claims to have no idea what she is talking about. A few hours later Leona and her family disappear and, as the last person to see them, the police focus on Saffy as their number one suspect.

The attitude of the police right from the beginning really annoyed me. They had no obvious motive or reason to suspect Saffy at that point and yet they were extremely hostile from the moment they arrived at her home. Given that Saffy couldn’t have been at the house more than an hour, and could prove both where she was before and what time she left, it made no sense that they immediately thought she was somehow responsible or that they would focus their entire investigation on her.

The idea that Saffy has no visitation or parenting time with her child ex-husband deigned to allow also seemed so unbelievable. Even if her ex-husband has sole custody, that doesn’t mean he can decide whether or not she gets to see her son, especially given that Saffy has a job, a home, and her mental health issues seem to be well controlled.

The story is told in dual timelines, and that is something I really enjoy in a crime novel. It allows us to learn more about the characters as we are slowly introduced to the moments in their lives that have led to this present one.

None of the characters are likeable or sympathetic, and it makes it very difficult to care what actually happens to them. Being inside Saffy’s head, where she is full of self-pity and self-blame, is not at all fun and it makes the story drag a little.

The ending is a little bit melodramatic and slightly unbelievable but the story does build towards it in a way that all makes sense.

Thank you to Netgalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

I do enjoy a novel by KL Slater and this was no different. It’s always a gripping story with great characters, who sometimes aren’t that likeable. Saffy spends her life trying to keep everyone happy & safe, in particular her younger sister and best friend. When she receives a concerning text from Leona, the best friend, she rushes round to check on her. Everything appears fine so she goes home where she later has a knock on the door from police saying Leona, husband Ash and Daughter Rosie have all disappeared and Saffy was the last to see them.
Saffy tries desperately to try and find them but as she’s the prime suspect she can’t decide what she actually knows and what she believes but might not be true.
Saffy is a great character although at times you just roll your eyes at her decision making and actions. Written from the perspectives of Saffy and her sister Poppy the tale unravels at a fast pace and keeps you guessing.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book with no obligation to review.
#MessageDeleted #NetGalley

I’ve read several books by this author and enjoyed them. I did however find this story quite slow and it dragged quite a lot in the middle. It was an enjoyable read but I was expecting more.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC

I wanted to like this one more than I did. It was a really good premise but I thought it dragged a bit, especially towards the end. I've enjoyed other K L Slater books more than this one.

Saffy and Leona have been best friends for years. Leona is in a controlling relationship with Ash and has a young daughter. Saffy receives messages from Leona asking her to come round and not call first- then the messages delete. She goes round to find out what is happening but Leona denies sending them. This is a twisty thriller that is perhaps a bit too twisty and becomes completely unbelievable. It's not very gripping and I wouldn't rush to recommend it.

I enjoyed this book - it had lots of twist and built the tension and suspense well. It kept me reading and I was intrigued to find out what happened and how it all linked together.

Message Deleted is full of tension and endless twists. Saffy Morris receives three alarming messages on her phone from best friend Leona Bannatyne suggesting that she is in danger and need help immediately. Shortly after the messages are deleted but Saffy decides to go anyway as the messages were clear not to contact her back via the phone.

Leona is home with her husband, Ash, and young daughter, Rosie, and all appears fine at first sight is it… Leona claims to have no idea of the messages and they are not on her phone.

Layer upon layer of secrets and back story are unpeeled as the book goes on. I did find most of the characters hard to like and some just acted in ridiculously unsafe manners at time given what was happening around them.

I was anxious to know the ending so soldiered on to the end but found the description excessive at times. A whole page on make up being applied with details of foundation, blusher, mascara, eyeshadow and tools.

A satisfying ending but I did have to start writing down the character list and their various interactions with one another as it was getting quite involved. I also felt like Saffy’s ex, Neil, had a bit of a personality transplant at the end having been quite different in the rest of the book.
With thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph/Penguin Random House for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am a massive K.L. Slater fan and Message Deleted did not disappoint! I literally couldn't put this down and full of the twists and turns that you come to expect from K.L. Slater
If you are looking for something to really immerse yourself in, feel the emotions of the characters with some true gasp out loud moments then pick up Message Deleted

This book wasn’t great. Boring in places and I didn’t like any of the characters so didn’t care what happened to them.
The way the police were portrayed was very far fetched. The plot just didn’t seem realistic and Saffy was irritating.

OMG this book was a heart breaker, twists & turns & loads of lives intermingled which was brilliant & I loved it.
The characters came to life for me. I felt for some, didn’t like others & thought some were stupid & naive.
This is a page turner & I couldn’t wait to find out how it ended.

Wow! KL slater has absolutely nailed it with this one. A real page turner of a book. Expertly written, plot and characters are sublime.
Heartly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book with no obligation to review.

A lot goes on in this book, secret after secret, lie after lie, reveal after reveal. It is an exciting and sometimes tense read. The 3 main female characters are well drawn, the dialogue and interactions are believable and you sympathise with their past and present troubles and how they are coping. the book and plot are compelling and the pace is good.

Really, though I think there is just too much going on and it is unrealistic that all the traumatic events would happen to one person. Also, the basis of the story is all a bit absurd - how could 1 woman have abducted/harmed 2 adults and a child in the time it takes for a Tuscan chicken dish to burn in the oven and set off the smoke alarm but not actually set fire to the kitchen?

I am also concerned about the portrayal of the police and how they go about their business, I am no expert but I do wonder how accurate the book is in this respect.

So, with certain misgivings I enjoyed the book as I was reading it but on reflection afterwards there were too many niggles for it to be more than at most a 3.5 for me.

All the elements for a good psychological thriller are there – tests of friendship, a long-smothered secret and lie, revenge, clever twists and plenty of action. I enjoyed picking up the clues as I read, anticipated various events, wee bit irked with the police exchanges, intrigued as to how the author would pull it all together. I thought there was a deal of unnecessary repetition and at times I would have preferred descriptions of the characters’ reactions rather than telling the reader. But overall, a slick and quick read with some genuinely scary moments, and enjoyable in the main.

I was intrigued by the title of this book and I’ve read and enjoyed K.L.Slater’s books before and enjoyed them. The store centres around Saffy who receives a message from her good friend Leona, which is effectively a call for help but says don’t call back or text just come straight away. Within minutes the message is deleted. Saffy responds though and goes to her friends’ house where everything is normal or seems to be anyway. Then Leona, her child and her husband disappear and before you know it, Saffy is the last person to have seen them and the number one suspect!

The book was captivating to start with but then I just got a bit bored by it all. Saffy’s not a likeable character, she has a very troubled history and has mental health problems but aside from that, she’s just not very endearing. In fact, for me, there weren’t many likeable characters in the book at all. They all turned out to be duplicitous in one way or another.

The ending, which ultimately I was longing for, just seemed a touch too far fetched with everything being recited to explain the story. I’m not a fan of books where the police are supposedly involved in the crime but in fact Joe Public solves it quicker with no resources, just instinct.

Sorry, not for me. However, my thanks still go to the author, the publishers and to NetGalley for an advanced e.copy of this book. I think it’s obvious that the review is entirely my opinion.

QUEEN of Psychological thrillers is back, with another gripping, page turning thriller. WOW! WOW! WOW! WOO HOO! What a bloody twisty, mind blowing book. I thought I could predict what was going to happen, but damn, I was so wrong. A fantastic group of characters and a mega psycho plot, Loved everything about this excellent read. Huge congratulations to K.L Slater. QUEEN SLATER'S BOOKS NEED TO BE ADAPTED TO TV ASAP!.

Saffy is starting to get her life on track, her ex husband is even talking about letting their young son, Fox, come and stay for a whole weekend.

When Saffy receives a text message from her best friend, Leona, while waiting for a job interview, she is concerned when the message then disappears. She is so worried, that she walks out on her interview; she needs to check on Leona.

What follows is an intense and fast paced psychological thriller. I was on the edge of my seat throughout this story. At times, my blood ran cold, my heart went out to Saffy.

There is no surprise that there are some amazing twists in the story; the author is the queen of twists as far as I’m concerned.

I seem to always say that the author’s latest book is my new favourite, and I’m going to say it again. This story is my new favourite!

My thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Loved this book was totally gripped the whole way through and didn’t want it to finish. One of my favourite authors delivers another great read.