Soon Gone

by Kate Bold

“An excellent book… When you start reading, be sure you don’t have to wake up early!” (Reader review for The Killing Game)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

FBI Agent Gemma Forge must navigate a path of macabre crime scenes to enter a diabolical killer's twisted mind, racing to stop him as he recreates Dante's inferno, taking victims with him as he completes his descent into darkness—and aims to take her with him….

When victims are found murdered in abandoned Midwest churches, each scene marked with Latin inscriptions about souls trapped between salvation and damnation, Gemma Forge realizes she's facing a killer obsessed with Dante's concept of Limbo. Can she decode medieval references before another innocent soul is claimed by this twisted vision of divine justice?

SOON GONE is BOOK #1 in a new series by #1 bestselling mystery and suspense author Kate Bold, whose bestseller NOT ME (a free download) has received over 3,00 five star ratings and reviews.

The Gemma Forge mystery series delivers pulse-pounding suspense through a deadly game of psychological chess filled with stunning revelations and unforeseen developments. With its compelling protagonist and fresh approach to crime fiction, this series will keep you turning pages long into the night. Fans of Lisa Regan, Karin Slaughter, and Teresa Driscoll are sure to fall in love.

Future books in the series are also available!

“This book moved very fast and every page was exciting. Plenty of dialogue, you absolutely love the characters, and you were rooting for the good guy throughout the whole story… I look forward to reading the next in the series.”
—Reader review for The Killing Game
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“Kate did an amazing job on this book and I was hooked from the first chapter!”
—Reader review for The Killing Game
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“I really enjoyed this book. The characters were authentic, and I see the bad guys as something we hear about daily on the news... Looking forward to book 2.”
—Reader review for The Killing Game
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“This was a really good book. The main characters were real, flawed and human. The story went along quickly and wasn't mired in too many unnecessary details. I really enjoyed it.”
—Reader review for The Killing Game
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Alexa Chase is headstrong, impatient, but most of all brave with a capital B. She never, repeat never, backs down until the bad guys are put where they belong. Clearly five stars!”
—Reader review for The Killing Game
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Captivating and riveting serial murder with a twist of the macabre… Very well done.”
—Reader review for The Killing Game
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“WOW what a great read! Talk about a diabolical killer! Really enjoyed this book. Looking forward to reading others by this author as well.”
—Reader review for The Killing Game
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Page turner for sure. Great characters and relationships. I got into the middle of this story and couldn’t put it down. Looking forward to more from Kate Bold.”
—Reader review for The Killing Game
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Hard to put down. It has an excellent plot and has the right amount of suspense. I really enjoyed this book.

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Amazon

197 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 6, 2026

About the author

Bestselling author Kate Bold is author of the ALEXA CHASE SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising six books (and counting); of the ASHLEY HOPE SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising six books (and counting); of the CAMILLE GRACE SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising eight books (and counting); of the HARLEY COLE SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising ten books (and counting); of the KAYLIE BROOKS SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising five books (and counting); and of the EVE HOPE SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising five books (and counting). Kate loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.kateboldauthor.com to join the mailing list, receive free ebooks, hear the latest news, and stay in touch.

BOOKS BY KATE BOLD

EVE HOPE SUSPENSE THRILLER

IN HIS BLOOD (Book #1)

IN HIS SIGHTS (Book #2)

IN HIS REACH (Book #3)

IN HIS MIND (Book #4)

IN HIS WAY (Book #5)

(and counting)

KAYLIE BROOKS SUSPENSE THRILLER

LAST BREATH (Book #1)

LAST CHANCE (Book #2)

LAST WISH (Book #3)

LAST SHOT (Book #4)

LAST MISTAKE (Book #5)

(and counting)

HARLEY COLE SUSPENSE THRILLER

NOWHERE SAFE (Book #1)

NOWHERE LEFT (Book #2)

NOWHERE TO RUN (Book #3)

NOWHERE LIKE THIS (Book #4)

NOWHERE GIRL (Book #5)

NOWHERE TO HIDE (Book #6)

NOWHERE CERTAIN (Book #7)

NOWHERE PURE (Book #8)

NOWHERE SOUND (Book #9)

NOWHERE SANE (Book #10)

(and counting)

CAMILLE GRACE SUSPENSE THRILLER

NOT ME (Book #1)

NOT NOW (Book #2)

NOT WELL (Book #3)

NOT HER (Book #4)

NOT NORMAL (Book #5)

NOT AGAIN (Book #6)

NOT SAFE (Book #7)

NOT TODAY (Book #8)

(and counting)

ALEXA CHASE SUSPENSE THRILLER

THE KILLING GAME (Book #1)

THE KILLING TIDE (Book #2)

THE KILLING HOUR (Book #3)

THE KILLING POINT (Book #4)

THE KILLING FOG (Book #5)

THE KILLING PLACE (Book #6)

(and counting)

ASHLEY HOPE SUSPENSE THRILLER

LET ME GO (Book #1)

LET ME OUT (Book #2)

LET ME LIVE (Book #3)

LET ME BREATHE (Book #4)

LET ME FORGET (Book #5)

LET ME ESCAPE (Book #6)

(and counting)

Reviews

[Santana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed. Reading whole series soon

[Mariann Snyder · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting premise poorly edited (sorry!)

Interesting premise but often belabored by repetition of lengthy, flowery phrases. Describing a crime scene twice (or more), in exactly the same way, within a very few pages took me out of the story and made me wonder if the author forgot she’d just said those exact words or if her editor moved words around but forgot to delete some. Very distracting. (As were numerous typos in the Kindle edition.) Spoiler alert: it seems the author will require us to read 8 more books to find out whodunnit. I may have to live with not knowing.

[Neera Kapahi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was intriguing- these were not random murders but were sophisticated and well thought out. The murderer staged the body carefully with medieval symbolism, references to Dante and Latin text.

This is the first book in the Gemma Forge series and the perfect case for her. In addition to her FBI training she is knowledgeable in medieval symbolism and Latin. The book is a riveting and fast paced thriller. I thoroughly enjoyed the book but wish that the author had come up with a better title.

[Christopher Tree · Rating 5 out of 5]

What’s next. do not leave me in suspense.

Wow Wow Wow. What a page turner. It is always good when a detective is slightly off the norm. Kate Bold has knocked this out of the park. Difficult to put down . A story with a sequel in the promise. Totally recommend,. Well done.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this first book of a long series and an author I did not know, not having much expectation. I was nicely surprised! The story is about an FBI Agent Gemma Forge, who has very specific and unusual expertise in Medieval and ancient arts and languages. She also speaks reads and interprets several languages, including historical dialects of Latin. Ok…she is an odd duck. The book gets into the story quickly and is fairly well written. It could have been proofed better, which is the cost of 1 star from me. Mostly errors in the pronouns. Not a huge deal. The book moved at lightening speed and I could barely put it down. Well told story in prose that moved the story right along. At NO TIME during the book was I thinking, “OK, get on with it”. No! I enjoyed every word! Now I am into the second book of this series and so far it is as intriguing as the first book. I think I read a lot for my age (74) and many are book club books. I was looking for something that would capture my mind and be a series I could escape to. I know I have found it!!! Kate Bold….here I come! OK…this is confusing. Every book is “____” GONE. I. Thought I was reviewing the first book here. Now I have read the second Book, which focuses on the second sin as described inn Dante’s inferno. ANYWAY, the second book was equally enjoyable so I guess this is my review for books #1 and #2. Im knee-deep into book #3 now….more soon! PS…the typos and grammar usage are still bad. Still 4 stars

[Paige Alexander Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an exciting start to a new series from this author. The story moves quickly and is hard to put down. It was easy to follow, even without prior knowledge of the historical or religious concepts explored in the book.

I did find the culprit somewhat contradictory, though I won’t include spoilers. My only real bugbear was that several characters (around five or six) were all described as wearing wire-rimmed glasses. This felt repetitive and unrealistic, and a bit more variety in character description would have improved this aspect.

The main characters worked well together, and I appreciated that there wasn’t excessive back-and-forth in their personal lives, which kept the focus on the story.

Overall, I would recommend this book and have already purchased the second in the series.

[Krystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! Usually these kind of books follow a specific pattern that I can see by chapter 2 or so. This book did not follow that pattern and I am so happy about it!

The partnership between the two characters was great and I’m hoping they continue to work together throughout the rest of the series. A series following the medieval, theology, philosophy, and art was a great idea! I found it so interesting and while I have not personally read Dante’s Inferno, it is on my To Be Read list. I just found this entire book to be completely engrossing and I want to read all 12 (so far) books in the series. Knowing there are nine circles of Hell in Dante’s Inferno, I wonder what the other 3 books in the series are about.

The last chapter was riveting when discussing the eight circles that were left.

[Maryann Hornbaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just OK

Gemma is an FBI Agent with a specific skill set. She’s extremely knowledgable in the field of ancient Latin and religion. She’s called into a murder scene that is grotesque in that it displays the victim in a unique manner with ancient messages. As she and her partner attempt to find the perpetrator more and more victims are discovered. False leads get them nowhere until it’s solved. End of story.

Needless to say I was Unimpressed. I plowed through until I started skimming to get to the end. Which was the most interesting part of the book. It could also do with some more editing.

[MGB · Rating 3 out of 5]

You should have paid attention when studying Dante, particularly important was the commentary by Thomas Aquinas. It wouldn't have hurt to pick up some of the Tuscan dialect of Italian, probably Latin would have been good too.

Gemma has that background so she is well suited to this case. But it is a case with evil at it's core. Think of the levels of Hell described by Dante and you will have a hint of what's coming - just not all in this book. The highlights of the case are covered, but some of the details get short shrift while others are belabored. Still was interesting to see it come together even if not as quickly as expected.

[Sumaiyah Bijoux · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was A LOT of repetition- way more than the usual. I’ve had to put it down a few times. It was almost as if the author had tried to reach a word count but ran out of things to say. Further to this, I’ve had to report quite a number of errors on my kindle.

Unfortunately, Gemma’s character also fell flat for me. As the central detective of the series, I found her surprisingly uninteresting and struggled to connect with her throughout the story. I don’t feel compelled to continue the rest of the series.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story reflective of Dante's inferno

Detectives with the FBI look for a killer versed in archaic Latin languages who's hunting those people who believe being kind, helpful, and trustworthy will get them into heaven without believing in God. He has a master plan for removing these people from life by killing them and staging them in various positions and places. The book ends with the perpetrator being killed, however there's more to come.....

[Avid · Rating 2 out of 5]

Instead of book 1 of obviously a series, this felt more like a bizarre beginning of a book left undone. I have no desire to pick up any of the following books in this series. This was so disjointed and without purpose as it was, the characters appeared from no background, and the storyline is beyond.

Not for me.

[Alexandria Simpson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoy Kate's writing style. It pulls you in and keeps you invested. If you love a good cop show, then she is a good fit for you. This was not my favorite of her books, but I will probably continue the series.

[Faye Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant!

Wow! What an intense read! I did not expect this one at all! I loved the theme of this book, it was alternative and gave one something to contemplate. Another true masterpiece by Kate Bold!

[Nicole Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost 4 but not quite

[Joan Hemingway · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little bit slow didn’t get to point of the murders finished wanting you to buy the next book

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 bumped up to 4 because I love Dante’s Inferno

[SM · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good book, but I can't see myself reading the eight additional one's mentioned...

[Liza · Rating 3 out of 5]

How many times can a book talk medieval characters? How much of the text can be wasted on repeat?

The murders were okay.

[Corey Chudy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kate Bold does it again

Another great read from Kate! I read another book from Kate, and this book was fantastic!

I can't wait to read the next book in the series!

[Jenna · Rating 2 out of 5]

SO repetitive, I feel I read the same line(s) 73916 times over and over again

[Machka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story and it moved at a good pace. The editor needed to read the story more carefully as there were a few missing words.