A review by myfictionalworld
Gone Tonight by Sarah Pekkanen

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

How far will you go to protect the person you love the most?

Gone Tonight is a slow-burn thriller following a relationship between mother and daughter and the outcome of what can happen when you try to hide your past. In the last month, Ruth has been showing signs of early alzheimers. She has lost her keys, money, her way home and even put eggs inside of the cabinet. 

Her 24 year old daughter Catherine, is moving to Baltimore to begin her journey as a nurse at John Hopkins. She currently works at Sunrise where she takes care of patients who have alzheimer’s and dementia. Being aware of her mother’s symptoms, Catherine is willing to stay at home to take care of her mother.

Now that Ruth’s memory begins to fade, Catherine wants to dig into her mother’s past to get to know her more. What Catherine doesn’t know is that Ruth is willing to do anything to keep her daughter home and away from her past because there is someone out there waiting for her.

I have been a huge fan of the amazing duo of Sarah Pekkanen and Greer Hendricks. My favorite novel from these two amazing authors is: An Anonymous Girl. I was at the edge of my seat reading this book. My heart was pumping! I always recommend this book to anyone wanting to dive into the thriller genre.

When I came across Gone Tonight and realized it was written only by Sarah Pekkanen, I was astounded. I already knew that this book was going to be chef’s kiss and juicy! 

Unfortunately, this book was way too slow for my preference. I prefer to read thrillers that are more fast paced than this. I had to skip a few pages while reading because there were a lot of things that could have been left out. 

What I did enjoy about this book is that it is filled with secrets, distrust, deceit and betrayal. I have this love/hate relationship with Ruth. I understand why she ran away from her family and the police. But, I believe that her outcome would’ve been better than she thought if she would’ve told the police what the Coach did to her.

I wasn’t expecting the ending with Catherine. That was a shocker for me. But, I do want to mention that the ending was still lacking in a few areas. The ending could’ve been wrapped up a little neater. 

Overall, Gone Tonight is a really nice domestic thriller for readers that love the mother/daughter trope. Even though I have a few issues with this story, it is really good and I know that other readers will enjoy this book more than I did.