Ever Gone

by Rylie Dark

“A brilliant book. I couldn’t put it down and I never guessed who the murderer was!”
—Reader review for Only Murder
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Recovering gambling addict-turned FBI Agent Cassidy Wilde is summoned when a killer leaves a mysterious, single playing card at the scene. Finding herself trapped in the center of a diabolical case that summons her worst memories, Cassidy must keep it together to save the next victim in what is another hand in a deadlier game….

A killer is stalking the ultra-rich, turning their opulence into crime scenes and their diamonds into death sentences. FBI Agent Cassidy Wilde races to stop them before another Jack of Diamonds is played—but in this high-stakes game, even the winner loses everything.

EVER GONE is book #1 in a new series by #1 bestselling and critically acclaimed mystery and suspense author Rylie Dark, whose books have received over 2,000 five-star reviews and ratings.

The CASSIDY WILDE series deals out mystery and suspense with every turn of the page. Its compelling protagonist, a gifted investigator fighting her own demons, anchors stories that will grip you from the first card to the final reveal. Fans of Teresa Driscoll, Kendra Elliot, and Melinda Leigh are sure to fall in love.

Future books in the series are also available!

“I loved this thriller, read it in one sitting. Lots of twists and turns and I didn’t guess the
culprit at all… Already pre-ordered the second!”
—Reader review for Only Murder
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“This book takes off with a bang… An excellent read, and I'm looking forward to the next book!”
—Reader review for SEE HER RUN
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Fantastic book! It was hard to put down. I can’t wait to see what happens next!”
—Reader review for SEE HER RUN
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“The twists and turns kept coming. Can't wait to read the next book!”
—Reader review for SEE HER RUN
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“A must-read if you enjoy action-packed stories with good plots!”
—Reader review for SEE HER RUN
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“I really like this author and this series starts with a bang. It will keep you turning the pages till the end of the book and wanting more.”
—Reader review for SEE HER RUN
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“I can't say enough about this author! How about ‘out of this world’! This author is going to go far!”
—Reader review for ONLY MURDER
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“I really enjoyed this book… The characters were alive, and the twists and turns were great. It will keep you reading till the end and leave you wanting more.”
—Reader review for NO WAY OUT
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“This is an author that I highly recommend. Her books will have you begging for more.”
—Reader review for NO WAY OUT
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Crime, Amazon

246 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 26, 2026

About the author

Rylie Dark is author of the SADIE PRICE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising six books (and counting); of the CARLY SEE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising six books (and counting); of the MIA NORTH FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising six books (and counting); of the MORGAN STARK FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising five books (and counting); of the HAILEY ROCK FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising five books (and counting),of the TARA STRONG MYSTERY series, comprising five books (and counting); and of the ALEX QUINN SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising five books (and counting).

Rylie loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.ryliedark.com to receive free ebooks, hear the latest news, and stay in touch.

BOOKS BY RYLIE DARK

ALEX QUINN SUSPENSE THRILLER

FIRST, MURDER (Book #1)

SECOND, DEATH (Book #2)

THIRD, ENVY (Book #3)

FOURTH, LUST (Book #4)

FIFTH, WRATH (Book #5)

HAILEY ROCK FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

BEHIND YOU (Book #1)

BESIDE YOU (Book #2)

AFTER YOU (Book #3)

WATCHING YOU (Book #4)

JUDGING YOU (Book #5)

TARA STRONG MYSTERY

GIRL WITHOUT A CHANCE (Book #1)

GIRL WITHOUT A HOME (Book #2)

GIRL WITHOUT A TRACE (Book #3)

GIRL WITHOUT A NAME (Book #4)

GIRL WITHOUT A PRAYER (Book #5)

SADIE PRICE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

ONLY MURDER (Book #1)

ONLY RAGE (Book #2)

ONLY HIS (Book #3)

ONLY ONCE (Book #4)

ONLY SPITE (Book #5)

ONLY MADNESS (Book #6)

MIA NORTH FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

SEE HER RUN (Book #1)

SEE HER HIDE (Book #2)

SEE HER SCREAM (Book #3)

SEE HER VANISH (Book #4)

SEE HER GONE (Book #5)

SEE HER DEAD (Book #6)

CARLY SEE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

NO WAY OUT (Book #1)

NO WAY BACK (Book #2)

NO WAY HOME (Book #3)

NO WAY LEFT (Book #4)

NO WAY UP (Book #5)

NO WAY TO DIE (Book #6)

MORGAN STARK FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

TOO LATE (Book #1)

TOO CLOSE (Book #2)

TOO FAR GONE (Book #3)

TOO LOST (Book #4)

TOO BROKEN (Book #5)

Reviews

[Juliaestrella · Rating 1 out of 5]

repeat, repeat, repeat

How many times do we have to hear about her past and how it triggers her? How many card references can we endure? So monotonous, repetitive, not creatively written at all.

[Antigone Walsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh

Recovered gambling addict and FBI agent Cassidy Wilde is sent to New York City to help with a perplexing homicide. An extremely wealthy woman is murdered and positioned at her vanity. The main clue? A playing card. As her suspicions grow there there is a serial killer at large the body count rises as foes pressure to capture the killer.

This was an okay read. It was not especially suspenseful or fast paced. None of the,characters is gripping, likable or even especially interesting. For all her skill at pattern recognition Cassidy plods along with no helpful insight. Not memorable.

[Claudete Takahashi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cassidy is a flawed FBI agent who deals with gambling addiction and now she is asked to investigate a murder in which the killer's signature is a jack of diamonds. She'll have to battle her own demons while hunting for the killer who wanted to make a statement against the extremely wealthy that bought beautfil and expensive items but did not put them to use. But will his arrest put an end to this killing spree?
I thank the author for this ARC

[Jeanette Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok! A bit repetitive at times, not crazy about how they arrested everyone for the murders immediately, as the narrative progressed, rather than continue to collect evidence. Like arresting the final suspect, rather than just talking to her when she gave her reasons for why she was doing what she was doing. That's really not realistic. But it did have a nice little hook at the end making you want to read the next one!

[Virgean Ostrand · Rating 4 out of 5]

One down. How many to go

FBI agent Cassidy and her partner Zane worker case of murders with the calling card Killer. He was given that name due to the Jack of diamonds cards being left at the murder scenes, and only Cassidy with her unique ability to follow patterns and familiarity with gambling and cards was able to find a connection. This book leaves us wondering what the next case for Cassidy and her partner is going to be, with only Clues that there will be more killing.

[Larissa Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Repeated the same things too much

Good story line but repeated a lot about the gambling addiction and their working relationships. I skipped through pages of just that.
Also, every person they wanted to question there was a big police chase.
Take out the fluff and it’s a good read

[Victoria Wienke · Rating 5 out of 5]

The collectors have to die

Cassidy is a recovering gambler so this murder case is right up her alley as there is always a jack of diamonds left behind at the scene. Will her gambling skills help her find this murderer?

[Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rylie Dark is a good story teller. I was intrigued by the rhythm of her prose, for example:
“Outside, Manhattan continued its restless pulse, indifferent to the small dramas of life and death playing out within its gridded streets.“ and her descriptions flowing with detail, for example:
“Appropriate, Cassidy thought, for a building where residents likely viewed themselves as modern deities, elevated above common concerns by the divine right of capital.”
“The space was a study in curated opulence—opulence—cream sofas that had never known the indignity of spilled wine, abstract art in subtle hues that complemented rather than challenged the decor, surfaces free of the clutter that accumulated in ordinary lives.’
She is able to interject social commentary into her passages: “…passing rooms that spoke of lives maintained rather than lived—a dining room with a table set for entertaining that had never seen family meals, a study lined with books arranged by color rather than content.”

[Sheila Waldner · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Thriller to the End

This one will keep you on your toes trying to figure out whodunit. But, you won’t until the last few chapters. And, the ending? Well, just wait. It ain’t over till it’s over. Enjoy!

[Linda Gagliano · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kept my interest. Ending was far fetched.

Too many page fillers about how her mind worked and how the partners could read each other. The ending was not realistic. Trained FBI special agents don’t let themselves into such peril. I think they missed the chapter on how to apprehend a suspect and not get killed.

[Nora Lyons · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was a struggle

I liked the characters but didn't like the constant reminders that she was a gambler who almost lost everything. It seems like overkill. That and the ever present thoughts about how her and Zane were so insync about everything. I finished but it was a struggle.

[Josephine Pizzimenti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Readable

This was a good story but the endless repitition of several things was offputting. So many writers feel this need to remind us repeatedly of the reasons they do the job they or why the keep on. I would love to read just the actual storyline, which was very interesting.

[Faye Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant!

I loved this book. Loved the card references, loved the relationship between Cassidy and Zane. Though it was a fast paced story about catching a determined killer, it was also a story about friendship.

[AB Myers · Rating 3 out of 5]

So so mystery with a hook at the end that makes you want to read the text one in the series.

[diannscollins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unusual Plot

There was repetition in details so I took off one star. Otherwise, I liked the book because it had a different plot. But one you could believe could happen.

[Nicole Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow to get into.

[Donna Kaczynski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting

This is a very interesting story. With all the twists and turns you will be guessing until the very end.

[Liza · Rating 3 out of 5]

How many times can a book talk about the patterns of gambling? How much of the text can be wasted on repeat?

The murders were okay.

[Mary Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed it as a fast read
Characters were real and believable
I wil
Look forward to next book

[Barry Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Flows well, nice character development, well written, good story line, weak ending but open ending allows for another book

[Healie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story

I liked the story but the main characters backstory was very repetitive and unnecessary in the story, felt the author relied on this too heavily to fill space.