What do you think?
Rate this book
One Gone Blonde: A mystery novel
305 pages, Hardcover
Published February 8, 2026
4 people are currently reading
2770 people want to read
About the author
Lindsay Bruno
3 books18 followersLindsay Bruno spent the last twenty years as a copywriter in the advertising field. She’s worked in Chicago, New York, and her hometown of Kansas City on large national brands and small mom-and-pop clients. Along the way, she’s written long-form fiction, screenplays, and essays. In 2018 she resigned the full-time grind of agency life to give her creativity room to think—or overthink as it turns out. She currently works as a freelance writer to support her dog’s lavish lifestyle. She is the author of two books, Overthinking in Your Underwear, a lighthearted self-help book. And One Gone Blonde, a modern, page-turning thriller. Follow @lindsayabruno on Instagram and TikTok.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 2, 2026
Loved this book!! Such a great, twisty plot. I wanted to read more & more to find out what happened. It pulled me in!
I also felt like the stories of the main characters were intriguing - I wanted to know how they ended up together & involved with the same man.
A great read!!
I also felt like the stories of the main characters were intriguing - I wanted to know how they ended up together & involved with the same man.
A great read!!
April 19, 2026
Absolutely riveting! A fiction masterpiece + masterclass in one!
I admit, I’m mostly a romance girlie. 99% romance, 1% non-fiction/self-help. The last mystery I read was likely a Sherlock Holmes 15+ years ago. I’m just not drawn to mysteries. But One Gone Blonde: A mystery novel was written by a local Kansas City author so I gave it a chance.
As a reader, I was impressed. As an author, I was even more impressed. I was sucked in from page 1. I hated that adulting kept me from devouring this book in one sitting. I would say the diverse, unique characters with distinct backstories and well thought-out character development were the foundation of this book, but the story was so compelling, with so many plot twists throughout; they both played their parts.
Through most of the book, my jaw dropped from both the plot twists and revelations and Lindsay’s writing style and descriptions. Her metaphors were so juicy; every one set the scene perfectly and drew me in further. Some of my standouts:
• It’s not one night that got me. It was a series of nicks cutting away at my self-worth, whittling me into a splinter of myself.
• Her hips sway back and forth like a metronome as she pushes her chest toward God.
• “She's the Paris Hilton of southwest Missouri.”
• I slide my feet inside the pricey leather shoes. They squeeze my feet like they got a grudge against my toes.
• Something hangs in the air—an eagerness of too many young people yearning for their life to begin and their night to turn into a story.
• My brain tips from one side to the other like the viscous liquid in a snow globe.
• Everything is Polaroid snaps and memories nested in dry ice, white foam rising around the edges.
• He’s the biggest guy you ever meet, near six foot six, three hundred pounds—face as forgettable as a fart.
Even after reading 80%, I had no idea how Lindsay was going to pull it all together. The book timeline jumps around from before and after Will’s (the Gone Blonde) disappearance, with chapters told from multiple characters’ POV. The pacing of the last 10% had me stuck in - I was not leaving that chair for anything. Forget the dishes. Forget the laundry. Forget my own novel projects waiting on the laptop. I HAD to know what happened and who did what. It was so much more than a whodunit mystery because all the characters played their part in what happened before and during, and even after. There was no one villain and no one victim. Each had their own heartbreaking backstory that brought them to this place at this time, each compelling their motivations, machinations, and obsessions.
As an author, I learned about pacing, story revelations, and character development for people who aren’t soft and sweet golden retrievers with “just want to take care of you” intentions. Such a departure from my romances, and good for me in broadening my perspective in the fiction writing craft.
I heartily recommend this book especially for mystery/thriller lovers, but also others looking for a change of pace.
I admit, I’m mostly a romance girlie. 99% romance, 1% non-fiction/self-help. The last mystery I read was likely a Sherlock Holmes 15+ years ago. I’m just not drawn to mysteries. But One Gone Blonde: A mystery novel was written by a local Kansas City author so I gave it a chance.
As a reader, I was impressed. As an author, I was even more impressed. I was sucked in from page 1. I hated that adulting kept me from devouring this book in one sitting. I would say the diverse, unique characters with distinct backstories and well thought-out character development were the foundation of this book, but the story was so compelling, with so many plot twists throughout; they both played their parts.
Through most of the book, my jaw dropped from both the plot twists and revelations and Lindsay’s writing style and descriptions. Her metaphors were so juicy; every one set the scene perfectly and drew me in further. Some of my standouts:
• It’s not one night that got me. It was a series of nicks cutting away at my self-worth, whittling me into a splinter of myself.
• Her hips sway back and forth like a metronome as she pushes her chest toward God.
• “She's the Paris Hilton of southwest Missouri.”
• I slide my feet inside the pricey leather shoes. They squeeze my feet like they got a grudge against my toes.
• Something hangs in the air—an eagerness of too many young people yearning for their life to begin and their night to turn into a story.
• My brain tips from one side to the other like the viscous liquid in a snow globe.
• Everything is Polaroid snaps and memories nested in dry ice, white foam rising around the edges.
• He’s the biggest guy you ever meet, near six foot six, three hundred pounds—face as forgettable as a fart.
Even after reading 80%, I had no idea how Lindsay was going to pull it all together. The book timeline jumps around from before and after Will’s (the Gone Blonde) disappearance, with chapters told from multiple characters’ POV. The pacing of the last 10% had me stuck in - I was not leaving that chair for anything. Forget the dishes. Forget the laundry. Forget my own novel projects waiting on the laptop. I HAD to know what happened and who did what. It was so much more than a whodunit mystery because all the characters played their part in what happened before and during, and even after. There was no one villain and no one victim. Each had their own heartbreaking backstory that brought them to this place at this time, each compelling their motivations, machinations, and obsessions.
As an author, I learned about pacing, story revelations, and character development for people who aren’t soft and sweet golden retrievers with “just want to take care of you” intentions. Such a departure from my romances, and good for me in broadening my perspective in the fiction writing craft.
I heartily recommend this book especially for mystery/thriller lovers, but also others looking for a change of pace.
April 7, 2026
Twists and turns galore! Didn’t want to put it down until I finished the whole thing.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews