This is my first Slater book and won't be the last.
This was such a fast read keeping me gripped throughout. Constantly having me change my theory on what had happened.
While the reason felt a little underwhelming it didn't take my enjoyment away.

I really enjoyed this suspenseful read. It hooked me in after a couple of pages and I finished the book in a day, as I was keen to find out the culprit/s. I felt really sorry for Saffy, as she had a difficult childhood and struggled with mental health issues, but in the end she didn't hesitate to do everything she could to protect and save her loved ones. A really good, easy read.

I have read a few books by k.l slater but I think this is the best one! I had a feeling towards the end, after the flash backs to 2009,that all that happened was down to a certain person but I didn't see all the other twists coming & the reasons behind it 🤯 the story had me gripped right from the beginning and I devoured this book in less than 24 hours!! I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a gripping thriller that has you guessing right from the start

Saffy is waiting to go into a job interview when she receives a series of text messages from her long-time best friend Leona Bannatyne. The texts are soon after deleted by Leona, but frighten Saffy in so much that she departs for her friend’s house without even attending her all-important interview. On arriving at her friend’s house, Leona denies all knowledge of the text’s Saffy has received.

Hours later, Saffy is visited by the police informing her that a neighbour of the Bannatyne’s has reported the family missing, and Saffy was the last person to see them before they disappeared.

What ensues is the police search for the family while they have Saffy as the number one suspect in their enquiries. Saffy is simultaneously searching for her friend’s family whilst trying to keep her head above water and clear her name of the suspicions the police have about her.

The plot is told from two different time lines, the present and past and ties the periods together really well, meaning the end of the story comes to a satisfactory conclusion, all be it a little far-fetched. This isn’t one of my favourite KL Slater books. I found it dragged on a little and lacked the usual gripping plot I have come to expect from this author. However, it’s still and ok thriller and worth a read.

WOW what an edge of the seat read Message Deleted was. A fast paced and exciting psychological thriller by K. L. Slater. This thriller had me up until the early hours as I just could not put it down it was so good.

Saffy and Leona childhood friends attended the same school together and are still friends in adulthood.

Saffy is waiting to be called in to be interviewed for a new job when an urgent text message appears on her mobile from Leona Can't speak, don't text or call, please just come. Saffy abandons her interview and rushes to Leona's aid full of angst.

Leona denies sending any message and is invited into Leona's home where Saffy senses something does not feel right and has a good look round Leona's home and all appears to be alright.

Six hours later Saffy opens her front door to the Police who inform her that Leona, her young daughter and husband are missing from their home and blood has been found inside.

Saffy was the last person to see them alive and Saffy becomes a person of interest.

I feel for both Leona and Saffy as they have both faced hardship. Leona was brought up in a children's home and Saffy's Mother and Father had both died and it was left to Saffy to bring up her eleven year old sister Poppy on her own.

This is a helter skelter thriller which is so chilling and what a finale.

As always this authors books are amazing! A book you can't put down. And sometimes I even had to remind myself to breathe. If you're looking for a mystery with relateable characters, this is the book to read.

I haven’t read much by K L Slater, but the books that I have, I have thoroughly enjoyed. So I was really excited to receive this proof
this book was a bit of a slow burn for me and took a while for the story to get going.
Once it did, I really enjoyed it. The author threw a few red herring at the reader to reveal the presence of the missing family!

Unfortunately, I did guess one of the twists really early on Whilst it did not ruin my overall experience of the book, the predictability dod slightly annoy me. Maybe I have been reading too many thrillers
other than that, I did really enjoy this book and there were twists that I didn’t guess that had the shock factor. The book was gripping and atmospheric and had all the key components of a good thriller
I am looking forward to reading more of this authors back catalogue

A great book from one of my favourite authors, extremely well written with excellent characters that all revolved around each other.

I was engrossed in the storyline from the very beginning with plenty of twists that will keep you guessing and then everything was brought to a satisfactory conclusion.

Thank you to Netgalley and Michael Joseph (Penguin) for this brilliant ARC which I can thoroughly recommend.

Firstly thank you to the publishers for my early access in exchange for a review .
I really must stop starting a book as I get into bed as before I know it I’ve demolished the whole thing.
This was insanely good!
A real rollercoaster of events which no one sees coming and the way it all ties in is so effective and clever .
Completely addictive and exhilarating this is a fantastic thriller :
This will have you captivated and enthralled as we dive deep into the secrets and pasts of the characters . Written in alternate narratives and timelines this keeps the story fresh and fast paced.
Highly recommend

K L Slater is a brilliant author and this book did not disappoint - loved the way all the characters were threaded together and their relationships - kept me guessing throughout but was a great conclusion that I didn’t expect.

Message Deleted by K L Slater was an extraordinary psychological thriller, at times the storyline was giving me goosebumps.
I believe it could be one of her best stories yet! The tension and the characters were all very finely drawn. The reader was never sure what was going to happen next.
As with all of KL Slater’s books there were many twists and turns to help keep the reader enthralled. A masterclass in psychological thrillers by the queen of suspense.
Highly recommended

A clever plot with lots of depth. This author always manages to write intriguing novels. Will look forward to reading the next book.

Another winner from K L Slater.

Gripping from the very first page. What would you do if you received a text from your best friend that said "Can’t speak… don’t text or call… please just come" and then disappears, in the middle of a job interview?

After rushing over to check if her friend was ok and finding her fine Saffy is very confused, Even more so, after receiving a call from the Police hours later telling her that the whole family have disappeared and she is the number one suspect as was the last person to see them alive. Her life turns to chaos as she tries to find out what's happened.

A great read that is completely entertaining and full of suspense and twists and turns to keep you on your toes.

A big thanks to Michael Joseph/Penguin Random House and Netgalley for the opportunity to review another fantastic book.

I really loved this book it had so many twists and turns and as I’m in a bit of a reading slump it still kept my interest from beginning to end.
For me the read had quite a few ‘didn’t see that coming’ moments so that was a big plus as when you read a lot of mystery thrillers as I do plots can become a bit stale but that certainly wasn’t this case for this book.
The story is told by different characters and also has different timelines but done so well it still was easy to follow and not get lost. The characters were well crafted my favourite being Poppy and I just couldn’t stand Saffy but I quite liked that lol.
So an excellent mystery thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed it kept me gripped till the end and one I would happily recommend.
My thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Another fabulous read from Ms Slater! These books just keep delivering! Possibly a little far fetched at times but on the whole a very good story with a great plot and authentic characters.

This is a very good psychological thriller which started slowly but the tension soon built up and continued to the end. I really liked the main character, Saffy and we got to know her very well as the plot progressed. It was told from two points of view, the present and the past and it wrapped up neatly at the end. The plot was a bit far fetched but overall, a good thriller. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

A very well written, well plotted story where you won’t know just what is happening until the end. I was intrigued by the title of this book; and because I do enjoy K L Slater’s books with this one being no exception.

It kept a steady pace of interest throughout which fed my “what’s going to happen next” juices with eagerness.

A deleted message that holds so much.

Have you ever opened messenger and there’s just an ‘unsent’ message where the person who sent it retracts it?
Or…
Someone goes to say something and then says “oh it doesn’t matter?”

Drives me up the wall, I can’t settle.

So a deleted message with a meaning to it….
Then it vanishes! Where did it go?

A very enjoyable read.

One of my favourite authors who never disappoints. A gripping read which I read in one go. Keep up the good work K L Slater.

I was thrilled to receive this book as KL Slater is my favourite author. When I start one of Kim's books I know I am in for a terrific read and this did not disappoint. Right from the start this book was gripping and hard to put down. This is Kim's grittiest book in my opinion and I highly recommend it. Roll on the next one. An easy 5 stars from me.

Thank you so much to Penguin Books and NetGalley for a review copy of Message Deleted by K.L. Slater. The premise of the book was so interesting and I am a sucker for psychological thrillers so this was right up my alley. Saffy receives three text messages from her best friend that say "can't talk", "don't text or call" and "please just come". But just as she reads them, another notification pops up that says "message deleted". And then her best friend goes missing with her husband and little daughter. Any of us would be pretty freaked out if this were to happen to us! 😱

This read was definitely a slow burn, but a slow burn thriller where we get to know the characters really well all the way through. We meet Saffy (nickname for Saffron) who, honestly speaking, is really annoying with her constant fear and paranoia. We also meet her sister Poppy who seems like a typical little sister. Their mom died when Poppy was really young and Saffy made a promise to their mom to always take good care of Poppy. And then later on when Poppy is about 18 years old, she gets attacked inside her house and Saffy walks in and interrupts the attack purely by chance. This attack has an adverse effect on both of them in different ways.

The main plot of the book is about Saffy's best friend, Leona, sending her 3 cryptic text messages and then deleting them. These messages freak Saffy out and she rushes to Leona's house only to see her seemingly safe and happy. That is until the entire family goes missing later that day. The rest of the book is spent unpacking the story and learning what happened there. Every character is a suspect and every person has a reason and motive for wanting to get ready of Leona or Ash, Leona's husband.

We are presented with a past and present point of view and also Saffy, Leona and Poppy's POV's. What I really loved about the different POV's is that each time we go to someone's perspective, some more details emerge that add to the whodunnit feel of the book. We have characters that are all hiding secrets from each other and the secrets form important details to the case of Ash and Leona's disappearance.

Overall, I was riveted and enjoyed the suspense that was felt throughout the book. The story is captured in such a vivid way that I truly felt part of the story as I was watching everything play out in my head. The characters are all very believable and obviously, the more details come to light, the more fun the story gets. The last chapters of the book, when everything comes to light, were the most crazy but ultimately the story has a good ending (in my opinion).

I would recommend this book to lovers of psychological thrillers and crime and mystery books.