Book Review: Gone Tonight - Sarah Pekkanen

 

I have to admit - I’ve an odd relationship with Ms. Pekkanen, the author of “Gone Tonight.” Some of her books I’ve greatly enjoyed and others are okay. I went into this book blind - literally all I saw was an email saying “approved to read” and I started reading. The first third I was wondering “Is this a family or woman’s book? That’s a new direction for Ms. Pekkanen to take.” But I dug in and continued reading … then, the end of Part I happened … and the proverbial light bulb turned on. It’s a bit of a slow burn at the beginning, but push through - Ms. Pekkanen’s thriller magic does happen (thank goodness!). Knowing a bit about the plot probably would’ve helped me with the first part (it seemed like a lot of set-up), but things picked up during the second and third parts. What I like about Ms. Pekkanen’s stories is that she’s a very engaging writer, with some interesting information twists along the way. Sometimes things are what they seem to be … and I liked the mother/daughter relationship in this book a lot. Must admit, though, that the information about an illness was a titch too close to home for me, since I had a family member who suffered from it for a while. If you’ve read Ms. Pekkanen’s works before, add this one to your want to read list - it’s a good one. Four stars.