Almost Gone

The Au Pair #1

by Blake Pierce, Ophelia Night

When 23 year old Cassandra Vale accepts her first job as an au pair, she finds herself placed with a wealthy family in a rural estate outside of Paris, and all seems too good to be true. But she soon discovers that behind the gilded gates lies a dysfunctional family, a twisted marriage, troubled children, and secrets too dark to air.

Cassandra is convinced she’s finally found a fresh start when she takes a job as an au pair in the idyllic French countryside. Just beyond the Paris city limits, the Dubois manor is a grand relic of the past, the family its picture-perfect occupants. It’s the escape Cassandra needs—until she uncovers dark secrets that prove things aren’t as glamorous as they seem.

Beneath the opulence lies a dark web of malice, one Cassandra finds all too familiar, triggering dreams from her own violent and tortured past, one from which she desperately runs. And when a grisly murder tears the house apart, it threatens to take down her own fragile psyche with it.

A riveting mystery replete with complex characters, layers of secrets, dramatic twists and turns and heart-pounding suspense, ALMOST GONE is book #1 in a psychological suspense series that will have you turning pages late into the night.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Audiobook, Fiction, Ebooks, Suspense, Mystery Thriller

282 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 3, 2019

About the author

Blake Pierce is author of the bestselling RILEY PAGE mystery series, which includes seven books (and counting). Blake Pierce is also the author of the MACKENZIE WHITE mystery series, comprising four books (and counting); of the AVERY BLACK mystery series, comprising four books (and counting); and of the new KERI LOCKE mystery series.

An avid reader and lifelong fan of the mystery and thriller genres, Blake loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.blakepierceauthor.com to learn more and stay in touch.

Reviews

[TXGAL1 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh; what a gawd-awful book and main character. Cassie, the au pair, is immature and irritating. Not In the least bit believable. I have always liked Pierce’s books, but there is no way I will continue reading this series. I don’t need the aggravation!

[Gemma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this, I found it fast paced and I was gripped to see how the story panned out.

Well written as with all Blake Pierce books I have read.

I did find it a little less edgy and than I had expected. I was waiting for something more extreme to happen!

However it was an enjoyable read and the revelation at the end was interesting.

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vorab: Das Buch wird als Psycho-Thriller beworben, ... es ist kein Psycho-Thriller. Ich würde es nicht mal als Thriller bezeichnen. Es ist einfach ein Spannungsbuch mit ein paar Thriller-Elementen, die am Ende auftauchen.

Trotzdem mochte ich das Buch und gerade als Hörbuch. Die Sprecherin war super und ich habe es echt genossen das Buch zu hören, gerade ab etwa der Hälfte vom Buch. Der Anfang war schon sehr lang gezogen und das Pacing war langsamer als eine Schildkröte. Keine Ahnung, wie aber die Autorin hat nach der Hälfte komplett anders geschrieben und es wurde auf einmal tausendmal besser. Ich mochte von Anfang an die Protagonistin und ihre komplizierte Beziehung zu den Kindern. Das hat die Autorin richtig gut gemacht.
Ich finde nur die Basis ziemlich fraglich und auch ein bisschen unglaubwürdig. Warum darf eine Frau mit (schlimmen) psychischen Problemen Au-Pair werden? Warum darf so eine gewaltbereite und unseriöse Familie Au-Pairs aufnehmen? Von Freunden weiß ich, dass es in beide Richtungen ziemlich streng vorgeht und deshalb glaube ich nicht, dass das alles so einfach funktioniert.
Außerdem war die Auflösung wirklich langweilig. Sie war wohl spannend gestaltet, aber vom Inhalt her, war das einfach nicht überraschend. Sogar mir sind coolere Möglichkeiten eingefallen, was mit der Leiche passiert sein könnte. Oder die Standard-Möglichkeiten wären noch besser als das, was die Autorin da gemacht hat. Von der Thriller-Auflösung abgesehen, mochte ich aber das Ende.

Ich werde auch noch den zweiten Teil hören und hoffe, dass es besser wird, aber das wird noch ein bisschen dauern. Ich brauche nämlich erstmal ein bisschen Pause von der Reihe.

[Ibrahyn Castillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 de 5⭐⭐⭐⭐
.

✔️Casi ausente es una Novela de Thriller psicológico🔥 de esos que saben trabajar con el lecturo infundiendo pequeñas dosis de desaire y tragedia que la protagonistas principal experimenta, dando consigo que estos miendos se complemente a lo largo de la lectura trasmitiendo así ese Terror Real que a cualquiera le puede pasar.😈

Con diálogo rápido y pocos personajes esta novela tiena un singular característica que te va atrapando inclusive con su principio un poco flojo pero he de admitir que son estos mismo personajes que le dan ese matiz para quedarse hasta el final.

✖️ Quizás un poco mas de profundidad en diversos tema que se presentan hubiera aportado mas a la misma historia.
.

Para ser el Primer libro de una Trilogía suena bastante prometedor. Si quieres algo diferente en esta cuarentena esta novela seguro te gustará☑️

Esta en KINDLE GRATIS. 📶☑️

[Eva · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got this book through a Goodreads giveaway. The characters I liked most were the children. Most of the characters were not well developed. There was a twist at the end of the book, that was the best part. The main character showed strength at the end but not without a lot of hand wringing. It was like a bad movie when the audience shouts "Don't go in there!"

[Wonda · Rating 2 out of 5]

2...Overly dramatic and I felt like the authors tried to hard to lead you into a certain direction, therefore giving away the ending! Misdirection is sometimes a dead giveaway! Did care for the main character either, just not for me, I guess!

[Hannah | Katarama Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m teetering between 3-3.5 stars on this one. I’d recommend this book for anyone who is looking for a quick read, and anyone who enjoys the more cliché “murder mystery” types. It isn’t the best thriller book I’ve ever read, but it certainly isn’t the worst, either.
—
SYNOPSIS (I’ll try to keep it simple to avoid any spoilers):

Cassie Vale believes she’s finally gotten the fresh start she so desperately wants when she accepts as job as an au pair in the French countryside.

Unfortunately, once she arrives, she finds the dynamic of the family she now works for is no better than the life she’d left behind. The children are insubordinate, the parents are cruel, and the other staff members within the house make a point to be neither seen nor heard.

She quickly learns that the family she’s been placed with was not what was advertised to her: it’s full of lies, secrets, and abuse. Her own troubled past begins to haunt her as she tries to find her way out of the mess she’s gotten herself into. The harder she fights to escape, the more entangled she becomes in their web: an insufferable situation that soon turns truly sinister.

—
One of the biggest issues I had was the timeframe. The entire story plays out over the span of a single work week. Normally I’m one to easily suspend disbelief, but this was just absurd to me. There’s simply no way a story with this amount of substance could happen in a mere four or five days.

I also had some qualms with the predictability of the storyline. I understand that plans get foiled, things go wrong, and the need for a bit of drama. It’s what keeps the suspense building and the storyline flowing. However, it was a bit overboard in this case. Cassie would plan to do or say something, and then immediately after (literally immediately, sometimes you wouldn’t even get to the next page), something would get in her way. It got very redundant very quickly.

On top of these issues, I also found the characters to be a bit one-dimensional. The main character had a little bit more development than the rest, but there didn’t seem to be much growth, no mixture of emotions...everyone was a bit flat. They did the same things, felt the same way, made the same expressions over and over again.

Despite the slow buildup and most of the action taking place in the last 30% of the book, it still felt rushed to me (probably due to the nonsensically short timeframe). However, I will admit that the storyline kept me hooked, and I finished the book within a few days.

I think this book was worth the read, and Ophelia Night has a lot of potential. I’m interested to see if and how her other two novels tie into this one and I may check them out in the future.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never met a psych thriller that I didn't like... :)

Cassie has no clue what she's gotten herself into - the real question, dear readers, is who is to blame..!

I have this love-hate relationship with books that have a slow [yet steady] build. Half of me is like HURRY UP AND GET TO THE CRAZY PART! and the other half is SLOW DOWN WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING HERE?!...

Well this book is both. Hence why I love-hate it.

Cassie plays the typical part of the inexperienced au pair - desperate to find a steady job, no real nanny experience for the most part, totally willing to up and relocate her entire life just for a job that could end badly for her... Ya know, the usual. And boy oh boy does she have her work cut out for her... The kids alone are enough to make any sane person go off their rocker.

No plot spoilers here, but...

Shit hits the fan. And mostly all at once.

The slow build came up until about 75% of the book was over, and then BAM - then comes the WTF moment from the reader - leaving you wondering just what the Hell is really going on. And then that last 25% is that siting-on-the-edge-of-your-seat, nail-biting, adrenaline-rushing, plot escalation!

5/5 stars for the character dynamic, keeping my interest [even through the worst of the worst commutes], and being a solid psych thriller overall.

Definitely will be reading the 2nd and 3rd books in the series. :)

[KayG · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent psychological thriller with the required messed up cast of characters. I listened to this on Hoopla.

[Lauren · Rating 1 out of 5]

While I have many multitudinous issues with this book (to be discussed below), I give it one star because, clearly, it was engaging enough that my stubborn dislike of DNFing kicked in.

First, the main character, Cassie. She is not fleshed out, AT ALL. We get snippets that tell us that she comes from an abusive home, and that she wants to get a job far away so she can leave her abusive boyfriend behind. We get tiny tidbits telling us about her sister, and these tidbits hint that she may or may not be dead, and if she is dead, Cassie may or may not have had something to do with her death. That said, these tidbits are just tossed in Willy-nilly, and we are given no closure on that front.

Second, Cassie has NO experience with children, ever. Not even helping with younger siblings, as she is the youngest in her family. And yet, her FIRST and ONLY idea to get her away from the aforementioned abusive family and boyfriend is to… go be an au pair in France??? For THREE children? And she doesn’t even ask any questions… just takes the job on the spot. What. Anyone in childcare will immediately know chaos is about to ensue.

Third, once Cassie actually gets there, the family is IMMEDIATELY abusive to her on all fronts and in all forms. The soon-to-be stepmother SLAPS her and calls her HORRIBLE names. The father makes sexual advances - wrong in SO many ways. The children are rude and disrespectful (and that’s SEVERELY understating it) and Cassie just puts up with it, and even in some cases, rewards it, because as we have already established, she has NO CLUE how to deal with/care for/teach children. She just completely takes the abuse.

Fourth, there are all these “details” (I’m calling them details for lack of a better term) that make it seem like Cassie is the one who committed the murder (sorry; that’s not a spoiler, you are reading a thriller, you had to know there’d be a death). Cassie is literally an idiot - she takes SO MANY anxiety medications that she is concerned she’ll be fired if her employer finds out, and yet she thinks that going to a country she’s never been to - where she knows no one, barely speaks the language, and will have no contacts - and has NO money to get back home if it doesn’t work out, is the best idea for her. So dumb. Also, she accidentally overdoses ON THE WRONG MEDICATION - she took the wrong medicine without noticing, AND took too many of what she THOUGHT she was taking - and this has a convenient side effect of PSYCHOTIC EPISODES. Helpful for building the “thriller” aspect I guess.

I have many, many, many more thoughts on this story, but I will end here because I’ve hit the most important ones. To sum: this story has absolutely no redeeming qualities, but I finished it because I loathe DNFing. The end.

[André José · Rating 2 out of 5]

É a minha primeira experiência Kobo e, consequentemente, o meu primeiro ebook. "Quase Ausente", primeiro livro da coleção "The Au Pair" retrata a passagem de Cassie, jovem proveniente de uma família marcada pela violência física e psicológica, pela casa de Pierre - senhor Francês, de classe alta e de enorme influência política local; este último esconde vários segredos, os quais, (in)diretamente afetam a harmonia familiar.

Enquanto "Au Pair", Cassie procura fugir de uma família e de um namorado agressivo, acabando por, na sua escapatória, reviver o seu passado, utilizando-o para viver o presente. Perante as adversidades contextuais, debilidades psicológicas e uma personalidade em metamorfose, Cassie vive momentos de plena tensão no decorrer do exercício da sua profissão.

Quando me deparei com o assunto do livro, imaginei-lhe muitos destinos, uma trama plena de emoções arrebatadoras, porém, ao percorrê-lo, vivenciei a introdução gradual de personagens com as quais não tive tempo de desenvolver qualquer tipo de empatia. Sinto que as crianças acabam por ser sempre as crianças, os empregados - os empregados, a madame, a madame... mas sem grande sumo para folhearmos com ansiedade este intitulado "trama psicológico".

Mais destaco a tradução para a língua portuguesa, repleta de erros de digitação - o que considero demasiado desmotivante.

Concluí o livro com a sensação de que foi curto e desenvolveu muitos temas em pouco tempo. Ainda assim darei oportunidade a Blake Pierce de me conquistar com o segundo livro desta coleção.

[s.elle.books · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was surprised at how closely this plot came to another au pair thriller I previously read. Quite honestly, I thought I was rereading the book for a while, and I read the other book so long ago I'd actually forgotten about it until reading this.
I'd say it was a pretty good read, just some of the internal dialogue was a bit repetitive.

[Lori Rohre · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was full of suspense, plot twists, murder, secrets, and WTF moments. It felt like the main character (Cassie) just couldn't catch a break, going from an abusive relationship to being an au pair in a dysfunctional family.

[Emilia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me gusto mucho, suspenso mil...de lo mejor que he leido este año

[Diane 🌻 Williams · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very unlikable main character surrounded by a house full of horrible people. DNF

[Aukje Kuipers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spannend, origineel en leest lekker weg.

[Norma · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cassie accepts a position as an au-pair for a wealthy family living in a château outside of Paris. Cassie must deal with this dysfunctional family consisting of the adulterous father, the snobbish fiancée and the three spoiled and incorrigible children while coping with her own anxiety of a recent abusive relationship. We learn about the recent death of the children’s mother and the discovered death of the fiancée. Who and why?? All of this took place in three days! I was hopeful for this one but it fell flat with me. It seemed to be another ‘who better to take the blame for the crime than the new arrival’ especially one who was found to take anxiety medications. She surprisingly even started to doubt herself. Oh My!! I found the story-line lame and amateurishly written with a lack of depth. You could totally forget it was set in France as it had no correlation or mention of the French countryside, language or culture. I couldn’t imagine continuing with this series. I don't understand the higher ratings for this book.

[Ilse · Rating 1 out of 5]

A little bit of an info dump on Cassie’s backstory which is somewhat of a pity as I like such things to be revealed over time. Still, I understand why the author chose to do so, especially when we meet the horrible parents in chapter 3 and 4. They anger me terribly, and so I commend Pierce for making those to so dislikable in such few pages. The level of abuse in that household really are sort of disturbing, but yet it did make me want to find out how it ended.

The book is a fast-paced, tense thriller, with a main character that has no idea in what for situation she has ended up in. I simply cannot understand that she would remain after being so thoroughly physically and mentally abused and therefore won’t recommend it to others. The graphicness of the domestic abuse in this story definitely deserves a trigger warning to consider before starting.

[Leona]

First, no stars because I didn't finish the book. I'm a huge fan of Blake Pierce but this new series just didn't do it for me. The 23-year Cassie is so incredibly stupid, incompetent and ill-equipped for the toxic environment in which she enters that I had to stop reading at 41% I'm not sure why I continued to read after Cassie's encounter with Margot at 14% but I did. (She really should've spent her airfare money on a good therapist.) I like the author so much that I gave it another chance. At 41%, I just couldn't take anymore.

[Sondra Butler · Rating 1 out of 5]

Almost unreadable

The book is poorly written and the writing is like that of an amateur, perhaps a high school student. The plot is promising, with too much padding, excessive amounts of description neither related to nor necessary to progress the story.

Including Zane is a distraction and irritating. No character is adequately developed.

I would not recommend this book to another person.

[Claudete Takahashi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main character deals with very serious anxiety issues and has to deal with a very problematic family and sometimes she doesn´t know what is real and what is part of a dream. The level of abuse (verbal, physical and sexual) contained in the book are sort of disturbing - how can exist so much evil at one place? In spite of all of these points, the book is entertaining (although with a dark side to it) and has an unexpected ending.

[Brenda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh …

A sophomoric story about a sappy and seemingly stupid young woman who constantly allows herself to be victimized by everyone around her and even herself. It was a painful read punctuated with the main character’s pathetic handling of her decisions and life. Definitely cannot recommend.

[Rainbow Unicorn · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a disappointment! The best thing I can say about this book is that it was free. I read it because Blake Pierce has written some really good books and I was hoping for more of the same. Sadly that was not the case.

[Keri Stone · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really had a hard time finishing this audiobook. Maybe the recording was worse than the book, listening to the bratty kids, abusive father. Even main character was annoying. I definitely won’t read any of the sequels.

[Kirsten · Rating 2 out of 5]

Listened to this book on a recent road trip
The au pair and other characters were not well developed. One knew the ending almost from the beginning. If you have a few hours to waste- go for it. If time is valuable- skip

[☕Brenda Loves Books☕ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an ok book.
It was a fast paced read which I enjoy.
The plot was unique, and dynamics between all the characters were laid out well.
I thought the ending was great.

[Connie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible story, stupid characters.

[Sidrah Shaikh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blake Pierce's burgeoning brilliance is visible in unexpected and new ways in this masterpiece.

Blake Pierce's 'Almost Gone' is the first book in her series of The Au pair novels. By setting the book in the countryside of France, she efficiently makes the milieu seem (somewhat) authentically French.



The book progress around a 23-year-old Cassandra Vale who accepts her first job as an au pair, and she finds herself trapped with a high-profile family living on a rural estate outside of Paris. It seems too virtuous to be true. The gilded gates, however, hide a maladjusted family, a distorted marriage, troubled children, and secrets she could never want to unravel.



This book is considered suitable for a one-time read, however, there are a lot of improvements that could be made. Although the vivid language transported me into the story, there were several plot holes that didn't make sense. I found the writing clunky, as well as the dialogue to be awkward, but the story's premise was interesting. Even though I definitely recommend this book, readers should also expect cliched elements of mystery. Though the format is easy to read, it does have mature scenes that may not be suitable for young teens. Among old teenage readers, some will find it most valuable since they can connect with Cassandra's experience, and they may better relate to and appreciate her potential optimism. Over the course of the novel, Cassandra experiences a substantial transformation from a shrinking violet to a mature, resilient adult. I enjoyed being able to read her mind and feel exactly what she was thinking. Despite doing a decent job of providing justice to the other characters, the author failed to deliver anything substantial in the way of character growth, efficiency, or real repercussions. In spite of the fact that the book is set in France, I felt it did not do justice to the French culture and further stereotypicalized it. The author did not convey the appropriate sense of sensitivity and understanding when writing about cultures different from hers. Nevertheless, the book was able to keep you glued to your seat and keep you anticipating more. The ending in my opinion could have been much better, but I believe it mostly depends on whether the reader could connect with it. Personally, I expected something more heart-wrenching and better. Conversely, the ending was grounded in reality, which must have surprised many because we expected it to take a more thrilling turn than a realistic one.



Conclusion - Overall, Blake Pierce's interpretation gives Cassandra Vane a heart-pounding dimension. She reveals Cassandra's more personal struggles and demonstrates her intelligence, fortitude, and focus vicariously through it.

It doesn't matter what the truth ultimately is in the story, Almost Gone is a story that is equally captivating as any other of Blake Pierce's and one that you can't put down until the last sentence of its well-crafted narrative.

[Pamela Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

YOU CAN'T GET ANY BETTER THAN BLAKE PIERCE

273 PAGES OF FULL INTRIGUED INTRIGUE MYSTERY EYE POPPING SUSPENSE!?! THIS IS MY KIND OF BOOK!?! FOR US OLD FOLGIES GEZZIER THAT LOVES THE NANNY GOVERNESS ((AU-PAIR))( NOW LIKE THIS BOOK OLD STYLE GOTHIC BOOKS)) HURRY HURRY TO THUS AUTHORESS THAT DID THIS CONCEPT OF CONSTANT DRAMA A BOOK YOU CANNOT PUT DOWN))
THAT IN MY OPINION GAVE HOMMAGE OR CELEBRATED WRITERS LIKE VICTORIA HOLT CATHERINE COULTER MARY HIGGINS CLARK BARBARA MICHEALS AND MORE YOU DON'T SEE ANY MORE WISH THIS TYPE OF WRITING CREATIVITY CAN COME BACK FOR SURE!?!

AND WISH THIS AUTHORESS CAN BRING A MODERN NANNY CHARACTER 3BOOK TRILOGY OR A CURRENT TYPE OF LIKE ASSISTANT TO A RICH PERSON LIKE THE AU-PAIR TRILOGY CAN BE CREATED FOR US GRAYING TYPES OF READERS THAT WANTS GREAT WRITING SKILL LIKE THIS AUTHORESS HAS IN A OLD FASHIONED WAY OF WRITING THAT KEEPS YOU IN HER BOOKS LIKE THIS MARVELOUS AUTHORESS HAS DONE!?!WANT MORE WANT MORE OF THESE AU- PAIR STYLE OF BOOKS CAN'T WAIT!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

I DO KNOW THIS AUTHORESS HAS PROBABLY 49-80 BOOKS OUT THATS MURDERS SHE WROTE OR MURDER MYSTERIES WITH KILLER IN MIND IF YOU LIKE THOSE BOOKS THEY WILL BE WELL WRITTEN AS WELL AS THESE AU-PAIR BOOKS WAS!?!

JUST A BRILLIANT AUTHORESS ALL AROUND AND I HOPE BLAKE PIERCE READS THIS REVIEW SOO SHE CAN WRITE MORE AU-PAIR BOOKS FOR US GRAY LADY READERS((OLD GEZZERS AND FOLGIES THAT LIKES THE OLD GOTHIC STYLE OF CREATIVE BOOK WRITING THAT SHE DOES SOO WELL))I DON'T WNT TO OFFEND ANYONE BY SAYING OLD GEZZERS AND FOLGIES ITS JUST MEANING OLDER GENERATION IS ALL FOR GREATER UNDERSTANDING!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

[Kamilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Estava com saudades de ler um bom suspense, e vi que Blake Pierce tem várias séries lançadas, então resolvi começar pela série Au Pair para sentir um pouco o estilo dele, embora o livro seja rápido de ler, a história ainda não me conquistou completamente.

Achei a Cassandra meio lerda e muito dada a decisões idiotas e impensadas, os EUA são um país imenso, mas ela decide 'fugir' do seu namorado abusivo para a França, um pouco impulsivo, considerando que ela não conhece o país e nem teve muito tempo para pesquisar as referências da agencia e da vaga em si, e uma coisa é entrar numa roubada no seu país, mas entrar numa furada em um país estrangeiro é outro nível.

Mas então, vai a mocinha ingênua para a vaga misteriosa, e gente, as coisas que acontecem com ela em menos de uma semana no emprego seriam o suficiente para qualquer pessoa com mais juízo pegar a sua malinha e sair dali, nem que fosse na força do ódio e da caminhada, mas ela vai justificando a sua permanência pelo motivos mais bestas.

Enfim, a resolução ao meu ver foi meio rasa, a história tinha elementos que poderiam levar as coisas para um rumo muito mais perverso e sombrio, mas pouca coisa foi esclarecida e o ponto final foi dado da maneira menos chocante possível, confesso que eu queria uma coisa mais sangrenta rs

Vou tentar o segundo da série antes de decidir se eu continuo com os livros de Blake Pierce ou vou caçar outro autor.