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A review by outsmartyourshelf
Message Deleted by K.L. Slater
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Saffy needs a job but whilst waiting to go into an interview, she receives 3 text messages from her best friend, Leona which read "Can’t speak… " "don’t text or call… " "please just come". As Saffy wonders what could be wrong, the messages are deleted. Leaving the interview pleading illness, Saffy heads to her friend's home but when she gets there, Leona insists everything is fine. Unconvinced but with nothing she can do, Saffy heads home, but six hours later, the police call: Leona, her husband, & her daughter are all missing, there's evidence of a confrontation with blood at the scene, & Saffy was the last one to visit them.
It started off quite well with Saffy's obvious worry at the deleted messages, but once the family disappears & the police become involved everything becomes rather contrived. One major issue for me is that the police had no physical evidence which pointed to Saffy - yes she was at the scene earlier in the day & her prints were there because of that, but nothing else. No concrete evidence she was involved just circumstantial, & yet they focus all their efforts on her. It works for the plot of the book but it didn't ring true for me (although one wonders when you see some forces' solve rates) & rather affected my focus on reading it.
The narrative is told from several viewpoints including Saffy's sister & Leona & the timeline moves back & forth between now & what happened in the past. I didn't particularly like any of the characters apart from feeling a bit sorry for Saffy. The book is set in the UK city of Nottingham which happens to be my old stomping grounds & it was nice to see some of the places I know mentioned, & bonus points for the mention of my football team, Forest. Overall though, I felt it didn't live up to the initial promise of the synopsis.
Thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Michael Joseph/Penguin Random House, for the opportunity to read an ARC. I am voluntarily giving an honest review.
It started off quite well with Saffy's obvious worry at the deleted messages, but once the family disappears & the police become involved everything becomes rather contrived. One major issue for me is that the police had no physical evidence which pointed to Saffy - yes she was at the scene earlier in the day & her prints were there because of that, but nothing else. No concrete evidence she was involved just circumstantial, & yet they focus all their efforts on her. It works for the plot of the book but it didn't ring true for me (although one wonders when you see some forces' solve rates) & rather affected my focus on reading it.
The narrative is told from several viewpoints including Saffy's sister & Leona & the timeline moves back & forth between now & what happened in the past. I didn't particularly like any of the characters apart from feeling a bit sorry for Saffy. The book is set in the UK city of Nottingham which happens to be my old stomping grounds & it was nice to see some of the places I know mentioned, & bonus points for the mention of my football team, Forest. Overall though, I felt it didn't live up to the initial promise of the synopsis.
Thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Michael Joseph/Penguin Random House, for the opportunity to read an ARC. I am voluntarily giving an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Blood