Gone Without a Trace Blog Tour: Review

Gone Without a Trace
Author: Mary Torjussen
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Release Date: April 18, 2017 (Paperback)
Publisher: Berkley Books

Description:

A jaw-dropping novel of psychological suspense that asks, "If the love of your life disappeared without a trace, how far would you go to find out why? "

Hannah Monroe's boyfriend, Matt, is gone. His belongings have disappeared from their house. Every call she ever made to him, every text she ever sent, every photo of him and any sign of him on social media have vanished. It's as though their last four years together never happened.

As Hannah struggles to get through the next few days, with humiliation and recriminations whirring through her head, she knows that she'll do whatever it takes to find him again and get answers. But as soon as her search starts, she realizes she is being led into a maze of madness and obsession. Step by suspenseful step, Hannah discovers her only way out is to come face to face with the shocking truth...  

Shari Lapena, New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door, says: “Gone Without a Trace has one of the most interesting narrators I’ve ever come across.”

Gone Without a Trace is another great addition to the mystery/thriller genre, and is definitely one fans are going to want to read. The main theme is one that almost everyone can identify with, and that's one of the major selling points - among several others. Overall, I'd definitely recommend it to readers who like suspense, mysteries, and thrillers. Here are my pros and cons after finishing:

Pros:
- First person point of view. This is such an important detail for me that I'm listing it right at the beginning. I truly believe that the story wouldn't have had the impact it did for me if it had been written in a different style. The fact that it's told from the first person - from Hannah's perspective - was one of my top positives for the novel.

- Fantastic attention to detail and lots of vivid imagery that brings the story to life for the reader.

- A tightly wound mystery with lots of twists and turns that you don't really see coming. I always try to figure out what's really happening before the author reveals it, but this book had me stumped for most of the story.

- The fact that this could potentially happen to someone in real life made it seriously creepy and made me stop and think about what I would do if I found myself in Hannah's shoes. 

- Hannah is a wonderful main character and I identified with her right away. It's a huge plus for me that the book is told from her perspective, and the fact that I could see inside her head made it all the better.

Cons:
- Some parts of the story seemed to be redundant. It felt like some points were repeated again and again to the point of almost being annoying - but then again, I haven't been in Hannah's position and I don't know how I would think or react. But I thought it was worth a mention.

 

Mary Torjussen has an MA in Creative Writing from Liverpool John Moores University. She worked for several years as a teacher and lives outside of Liverpool, where Gone Without a Trace is set.