Whilst Saffy is waiting to be seen for her job interview she receives a series of text messages from her childhood best friend, Leona.

"Can't speak"
"Don't text or call"
"Pls just come"

As quickly as she reads the messages, they are deleted.

She must see her, make sure she's safe but when she arrives at Leona's house, she asserts that everything and everyone is fine. However, Saffy can tell that something is not quite right and this feeling is reinforced when the police knock on her door to let her know Leona, her daughter and husband are all missing. A police investigation ensues with Saffy being their prime suspect. Saffy insists that she was not involved in their disappearance.

Are the police right in their suspicions or do they have it all wrong?

I was intrigued by the description of this book, I love a mystery thriller which was what initially piqued my interest. The mystery and tension in the buildup of this book made me not want to put it down however, I felt less compelled to read the further along I got in the book. The pace was slow in some places and it was difficult reading through the police investigation as it felt unrealistic. The ending was somewhat predictable and not as gripping or tense as the first few 100 pages of the book.

Overall, I do not regret reading this book and I think it was well written. However, the plot had amazing potential to be an interesting and gripping thriller but the execution of it and its ending affected the quality of this book.

Well paced psychological thriller with clever twists I didn't expect. I really enjoyed this book. Characters were diverse and thought provoking.

Message deleted is a really tense psychological thriller. I was hooked from the outset and increasingly frustrated as Saffy acted on impulse making decisions, I found hard to understand. This book is full of twists and turns, some I saw coming but only made it more edge of your seat tense and others that completely blind sighted me. The characters are really well written, I liked Poppy and Saffy's relationship and thought they had been through so much tragedy in their lives. This is the first novel I have read by K.L Slater but I’ll be seeking out more as I really enjoyed her writing style and fast paced action.

A gripping page turner from start to finish, I really enjoyed reading this book! All loose ends tied up satisfactorily.

I couldn't get enough of this edge of your seat thriller.
Kept me guessing right until the end.
I loved the multiple POVs and was routing for the main character throughout!

Superbly designed plot, told from the point of view of the main characters in lovely bite size chapters which constantly tempted me into ‘just one more’. Lots of intriguing twists building tension as the story unfolded.

Message Deleted is a mystery thriller, sure to keep you on the edge of your seat the whole way through.
I absolutely loved this book. At no point did I know what was going to happen next, and I loved the unpredictability of the plot. I found all the characters to be relatively likeable, and was able to connect with the feelings of the characters.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves thrillers.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Saffy's waiting to go into a job interview when she receives unsettling text messages from her best friend Leona - can't speak, don't text or call please come
Unsettling enough but then all the messages are deleted - what is going on?

Saffy goes to Leona's house but everything seems fine - Leona says she knows nothing about any messages. Something isn't quite right but Saffy can't put her finger on what.

Next thing she knows Leona's disappeared along with her husband and daughter, there's a lot of blood in their house and Saffy is prime suspect in the eyes of the police. But she knows nothing - or does she?

This is a really interesting premise and the use of time-hops helps to fill in the background and history for the characters as the story unravels. I didnt find any of the characters particularly likeable but this was perhaps the point - everyone is flawed in their own way and everyone keeps secrets or omits details at times.

I found the twist and final portion of the story a bit too far-fetched, but overall I think it is an interesting idea and decent story.

Amazing! I have somehow never read anything by KL Slater before but will now be adding more of their work to my TBR shelves.

A great , twisty story with a relatable protagonist. Saffy notices an odd text message from her friend Leona… and suddenly Saffy is prime suspect in the disappearance of not only her friend but also her friend’s entire family. A totally gripping psychological thriller and 100% worth a read.

I loved this. Read in one sitting!

I love this authors work and writing style and Message Deleted was another addictive and tension filled read. A great plotline with brilliant characters, plenty of twists to keep you on the edge of your seat.

A great read.

"Can't speak...don't call or text...pls just come..."

In recent years, Saffy's life has gone into freefall. Once married to dependable Neil and mother to the delightful Fox, it all came unravelling apart three years ago when she walked in on something unexpected. And has since been unable to move on. Everyone else has, but Saffy. Her marriage fell apart and Neil filed for full custody. She didn't contest because she knew she wasn't a fit parent and that Fox deserved better than what she could (or couldn't) provide.

Three years later and Saffy's life is on the up. She underwent treatment for her mental health, bought a half share of a house and is at this moment sitting in the waiting room for an interview as a data analyst. Neil has even agreed to a whole weekend visit with Fox - unsupervised. Nothing could spoil her mood today.

Until it does...

Leona has been Saffy's friend for as long as she can remember. Even when Leona didn't make the wisest of choices, Saffy was always there for her best friend. And then she met Ash. And only as Leona can, falls head over heels for him and elopes with him in Majorca. But there's something about Ash that Saffy doesn't like, doesn't trust. And it seems the feeling is mutual because Saffy has been excommunicated from her friend's house.

Then just moments before she's to walk into her interview, Saffy receives a text message from Leona.

"Can't speak...don't call or text...pls just come...",/b>

And then just like that, the message is deleted. What? Why? Saffy can't concentrate on her interview and leaves abruptly, hailing a taxi and hurrying to her friend's place. Something is wrong. Saffy can feel it. But when she arrives, Leona opens the door surprised by her friend's sudden appearance...and more to the point, denying all knowledge of the texts!

Something is wrong. Saffy can feel it. Maybe hubby Ash's presence prevented her friend from confiding in her? Who knows? But six hours later, there is a knock on Saffy's door with two detectives informing her that Ash, Leona and 5 year old Rosie have all disappeared. And Saffy was the last person to see them!

What ensues is a police investigation focused on Saffy being the last one to see the family and honing in her as their prime suspect. But Saffy didn't do this. And yet she is the only suspect.

Only a handful of characters in this psychological whodunnit, but boy, you will have your work cut out sifting through each of them trying to work out which one of them is the villain. The story unfolds in the past and present over the course of various timelines leading up to the big reveal. We hear from Saffy, her sister Poppy and from Leona as well. Three women with three different perspectives and agendas. And boy, did I want to shout at Saffy for the stupid decisions she made and slap Poppy who was so obviously indulged by their mother from an early age. And Leona? My goodness, the woman walked from one disastrous relationship into another.

And yet the story kept me glued to the pages and had me devouring this read in less than a day, despite its 400 pages. This is my 18th read of Kim's thrillers so I know how she likes to throw us off the path but I was still entangled in the brambles that still lay there! I did guess the ending as it approached as suddenly things began to fall into place.

Overall, an entertaining and intriguing read that kept me engaged throughout with plenty of twists, tense moments and never a dull moment!

I would like to thank #KLSlater, #Netgalley and #PMJBooks for an ARC of #MessageDeleted in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

Saffy is waiting to go into a job interview when she receives a text message from her best friend, Leona:
Can’t speak . . . don’t text or call . . . please just come

As Saffy struggles to understand what is happening the phone screen changes:
This message was deleted.
Saffy races to Leona’s house, but when her friend answers the door, she insists everything's fine. She doesn't know anything about the message. Saffy can tell something’s not right, but after looking around the house, she can’t think of anything else she can do.
Six hours later, Saffy gets a knock on the door. It's the police. Leona is missing, with her young child. There's blood everywhere.
And Saffy was the last one to see them alive . . .

I really wanted to love this book but I found all of the characters (aside from the kids) bloody annoying. I found Leona to be unlikeable and Saffy to be unbearable. I thought the premise was really good and I did enjoy the suspense and the switch in time and narratives.

Saffy is sitting waiting to get called into an interview when she receives a text from her best friend Leona. It is a cry for help. But then, very oddly, the text vanishes, showing as message deleted. Concerned for her friend, Saffy rushes around to her house, only to find her absolutely fine, and insisting she knows nothing about the text. Confused Saffy heads home. Then Leona and her children vanish. There is blood found at the scene and Saffy is the last person to have seen them. She becomes the prime suspect, and she doesn’t understand what is going on.

Saffy is legal guardian to her younger sister Poppy, who is 11 years younger. She was always treated more favourably since she was born, shortly after their father died. She continues to live a sheltered life while Saffy lives a life of anxiety, driven by her upbringing, and her notion of the burden of responsibility she has for Poppy. Saffy experienced a mental health crisis, followed by a divorce which saw her husband get full custody of her son. She is struggling to cling on to work, visitation rights with her son, and maintaining her sanity.

She is being pushed to the edge already with her ex-husband getting engaged to the nanny, (who is living in her former house with her son), struggling to find a good job, and stressing about her younger sister. Now her friend is missing and she is the prime suspect. The story unfolds through Saffy’s eyes, and a series of flashbacks. We start to see what the motive for the abduction could be, learn more about Saffy and Leona and their friendship, and why Leona would have reached out with such a dramatic message. Can Saffy keep it together long enough to find out what happened to Leona?

This started out as an interesting read as it was an interesting premise. It was a little far fetched, but we go with it. As the story starts to develop you begin to feel for Saffy, life is just hammering her down. We want to know what happened to Leona. As it progresses, things just fall apart in the story for me a little bit too much, and things become a little too disjointed from the first part of the story. It felt a bit rushed and a bit thrown at you at times. Overall a good read, interesting idea, but stretched at times.

*I received this book for review from NetGalley, but all opinions are my own.

I truly enjoyed this! It kept me interested throughout and I really liked the writers style! I liked that it got into the plot immediately too! I will definitely be looking out for more by this author!

📖 ARC Review

Message Deleted by K.L. Slater
Michael Joseph, 18th July 2024

In this psychological thriller, Saffy receives an unsettling text message from her best friend, Leona. Leona needs her help. Then, strangely, the text message disappears. Saffy rushes round to see Leona, who insists she is fine and knows nothing about the mysterious text. But Saffy's curiosity is piqued, and her unease is well depicted as shivers begin to run down my spine.

Then, Leona and her children vanish. There is blood at the scene, but a panicked Saffy has no clue what could have happened. The slow build-up to this devastating event is delightful, the twists and shocks gleeful and the characters believable. Great stuff.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to K.L. Slater and Michael Joseph for providing an eARC via NetGalley; this is my unbiased review.

#MessageDeleted #KLSlater #MichaelJoseph #PsychologicalThriller #NetGalley #ARC #ARCRead

"Message Deleted" is an unsettling psychological thriller that begins with a panicked, partially deleted text from Saffy's lifelong friend, Leona. When Saffy rushes to help her, she finds herself at the center of a mystery—Leona and her family have vanished without a trace, and Saffy is the prime suspect.

Saffy is a relatable protagonist, balancing family strain, trauma, and her own insecurities. Through flashbacks, the reader gains insight into her past, which adds complexity to her character. The sibling dynamic between Saffy and Poppy is particularly poignant, providing an emotional depth that enriches the narrative.

While the story is engaging, I found the pacing uneven at times. The slow build-up contrasts with the thrilling twists, which, though effective, left the ending feeling slightly disjointed. Despite this, Slater’s skillful storytelling and intricate plotting kept me hooked and guessing until the final pages.

Overall, Message Deleted is a suspenseful read, filled with psychological tension and unexpected turns. Fans of twisty thrillers will find much to enjoy here.

This as with all of k .l slater books was amazing so many twists and turns you will be up all night k. L slater is the queen of thrillers and plot twists

Thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for my advanced copy in exchange for a review. Some good plot twists but found the ending to be a bit of a cop out. Especially enjoyed the Nottingham depictions as I'm a Notts lass.

2 stars

This had a really interesting premise and the description of the story and first few chapters did really draw me in. However, it was very slow paced and drawn out. I am also not a fan of books that reveal random important information really late in the story as a 'twist'. My preference for thrillers and mysteries is that you can work it out along the way or join the dots after the reveal. However I feel I was just told the ending at the end, if that makes sense. I think it also got a bit silly at times storyline-wise. The plot and characters felt over the top and the main character's POV was just judgy and long winded.

Overall I did find it entertaining and I did finish it, however I do not think I would remember the plot. I think this was just a bit of a miss for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Gripping and great read about Saffy, who gets a message that her friend needs her which is swiftly deleted…..she goes round urgently all seems to be fine, and then her friend and family go missing. Twists and turns and great characters with an easy to follow plot. Highly recommend!