Gone: A Novel

by Kit Craig

Clary Hale thinks she has finally escaped her horrible past and created an idyllic family life until one day her children wake to find their mother gone, kidnapped by the psychopath who has been obsessed with her since youth

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Crime, Ebooks

392 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Pseudonym for author Kit Reed.

Reviews

[Wiseask · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the 1990s Kit Reed wrote what she called psychological thrillers under her maiden name Kit Craig. She was a writer in residence and Professor at Wesleyan University. If she taught anything like the way she wrote in Gone, supposedly her most famous thriller, then you can join me in feeling sorry for her students. I defy anyone to show me a book this bad by any other writer with her credentials.

Her unorthodox way of writing and unconventional style of storytelling made reading every page a struggle. It’s as if she were saying that as a college professor she’s too good to write genuine, generic, entertaining and effective thrillers that writers like King and Ludlum and Follett were writing back then. Instead, from her lofty ivory tower, Craig evidently felt entitled to write pretentious fiction like Gone, and if you were not educated or refined enough to like it, you could always enroll at Wesleyan where she’ll teach you to like it.

Stripped of its omnipresent obscurities, her story is simple. Clary Hale is a Navy wife. Her husband is a submarine commander who along with his boat and crew have been missing in action for four years. She and their two older children cling to the hope that one day he will safely return.

Their children are a daughter Teah, age 16, a son Michael, age 15, and a baby boy Tommy, just four and a half years.

Clary intentionally isolated herself and her kids from the Navy community after her husband went missing. They are not surrounded by supportive Navy families; instead they live alone in a house with basically an old lady as their only neighbor and where Clary, an artist by trade, is free to paint. Once a week a lady named Shar comes to clean their house.

One day her kids wake up to find Clary gone (hence the book’s brilliant title). No note, no explanation, no nothing. Unknown to them at the time, she had been abducted by a psychopath from her past, and her kids and the dim-witted Shar eventually embark on a quest to find her. Good luck to them: Shar and the two older children are a pathetic — almost comical — combination of gullible and stupid, which makes them easily manipulated and fooled by Clary’s mysterious captor who has targeted them too.

Although the author’s narrative was confusing and disjointed, her use of metaphors, many entirely unnecessary, were occasionally illuminating, but not enough for me to recommend reading this book. At only about 240 pages, it felt like Gone seemed longer than Gone with the Wind.

[Barbara Elsborg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this. I read a lot of psychological thrillers and this is an old one. It dates back to 1992! But it stands up with the more recent ones I've read and is better than many. No need to worry about making batteries dead on mobiles or losing them because they weren't common then. The story was fast moving, exciting and while a bit far fetched in places, riveting! 3 kids wake to find their mother is missing - they're Navy kids and follow orders. But should they be following the orders of the man who comes into their life?

[Alicia Walters · Rating 3 out of 5]

I couldn't put this book down, it was so good. Then it got weird, like Sci-fi.

[Keri Surprenant]

I can’t do it anymore; adding a DNF tag to this one. The writing is so off putting to me and at 44% it felt like nothing is happening most of the time. There were flashes of interest but I’m done with pushing myself when I’m already almost halfway through.

[Robyn Skelton · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent story unique

[Beth Crofts · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolutely terrible. I have zero idea what I just read.

[Laurie · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s probably a 2.5 rating. I can’t say I truly liked it but it held my attention.

The Hale family are a Navy family. Dad Tom was in the Navy and his submarine disappeared. At this point he is presumed dead. Mom Clary moves her family off the base and kind of isolates herself in a small town nearby. She works at home and except for her next door neighbor keeps to herself. They have 3 kids. Michael, the oldest son, who feels he needs to step up now. Teah, maybe a year younger or older but both are close in age, teens. Then little Tommy, can’t be more than 3 or 4.

One morning Michael wakes up and realizes something is wrong. Turns out their mom is gone. No note, no knowledge, nothing. Little by little they begin to think it is part of a secret Navy mission but then the longer it goes on they are worried. They get their housekeeper Shar to help them go searching for her.

So the whole thing is way too farfetched for me. Why not call the cops or the Navy or tell the neighbor what is going on? Then the story of why she is missing takes so long and is so weird.

Even the end chase scene seems to drag out longer than necessary. A few modifications could have brought this up to 3 stars.

[Lynda Kelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a free book I had downloaded and a new author to me. Seems he uses 2 names and there were heaps of differing editions on Goodreads so that's all a bit of a mess, which I have attempted to combine together and tidy up.
I had had enough of it only 5% into it, though. It started to get all flowery and poetic with the language used and I prefer straight talking. It just takes too much effort trying to wade through it otherwise and life's too short as it is !!
He wrote belter and not better and waked as opposed to awake or woken like maybe English isn't his first language.
But, "Fueled by pain, roots fed the double trunk" quickly followed by, "...that empty place where the trunk splits to put two feet on the ground" did for me.......it's just guff.
So not for me at all, I'm afraid.

[Kathy Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

great mystery and SUSPENSE, filled for sure

What a different perspective, and I’ll say I was a bit confused, but keep on going for great mystery and SUSPENSE filled story for sure . Draws you right into daily life, then to years of growing up, this will take you thru unexpected story, certain to make you rush reading each word to get to next page & chapter

[Ernest Judge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelling. Frustrating. Compelling!

King, Koontz, Herbert fans would love this. More psych thriller than horror, but horrific enough to please, horrify, astound and compel you to read on. Prepare to have your sleep disturbed!

[Barb Andrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent read

I had some trouble following the different peoples storylines. The first half was a little slow but thesecond half wasmuch better.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wasn’t a fan of her writing. However, I would say it was a good storyline.

[Ginny · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book kept me turning the pages, despite it's not being very believable.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haunting Psychological Thriller

A very well written psychological thriller. Great characters, the good and the bad, with a twisted and often terrifying plot. A great read.

[Larz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you ever have a feeling that someone is watching you, well maybe they are.

A scary book that makes you read your past.

[Leiba · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 1/2 stars

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

PG18
very dark. some language (sh.. f...) child rape by father, madness, pure evil character.

[Nolan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fifteen-year-old Mike Hale wakes up one Saturday morning to find that his mom is gone. His submarine captain dad has been missing in action for months, and now Clary, his mother, has disappeared. There’s no note, there are no orders. Mike awakens his older sister, and the two agree that the best approach is to not let anyone know Mom is gone.

But after a week, when their lifestyle is looking more like something out of The Lord of the Flies every day, they determine that the best thing to do is find Mom. They get one postcard in the mail from a South Carolina resort, and with the help of their cleaning lady, they pile into the car and head for the hotel. But first they stop at what had been their mother’s childhood house. It is gone, and the old couple next door to it seem more than a little strange. What Mike, his sister and little brother don’t know is that a psycho is only miles behind them at any time, and their lives are as endangered as is their mother’s.

Before leaving for South Carolina, the kids took a call from someone who mysteriously told them their mother was in a Florida town. When they failed to find her in South Carolina, they went on in search of her.

The chapters that allow you into the mind of the killer were more drug trippy than creepy. You read a bizarre farrago of rants directed to Clary and women in general. As thrillers go, this one was ok, but some of the newer stuff in the genre is far more sophisticated and, well, thrilling.

[William Herring · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only reason why I did not give it one star is because the beginning is pretty enjoyable. I found the rest of the book to be pretty boring. There are also too many characters. The mother, kids, killer, and maybe the commander were really all we needed. I understand that the point of the killer was that he can form relationships with multiple people, however, it got difficult to track who is who sometimes. The book also wasn't good at keeping the atmosphere steady throughout. I know that it's hard to capture an atmosphere in literature, however, I've seen it done in many novels. However, this one seems to fall short. Overall not a terrible story, but I don't see myself reading it again.

[Kellylynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This another one that I am struggling with here. Very difficult to rate. Clary, a mother of 3, goes missing. The family is already struggling with the idea that their father is missing at sea. The whole idea that the kids would go hunting for her on their own and never talk to anyone about what is happening is just odd. Then add in the creepy guy from clary's past that is behind it all. And it is just an odd story. But the author is rather well written, I just did not like this story.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a new writer for me. As you know, I go to the library, so books are usually not the most recent out.

This writer is pretty good. She offers plenty of suspense and keeps you reading.

I'll definately read more of her books.

[Cara Byrne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the plot. It was the plot that kept me going to be honest. I had to find out what had happened. Other than that, I found the style of writing quite frustrating. Plenty of missing punctuation so I had to re-read some of the sentences just to make sense of what it said!

[Reader · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to re-read a sectione within the first chapters and still didn't know what the author was trying to say. I found this book too much like hard work to keep reading it and so stopped at the end of chapter 3. Maybe it's just me but I couldn't get into it.

[Joe O'Connor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good; Children track down mother and her kidnapper, a man from her past who had killed her parents.

[Bobbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is about a mother who goes missing and her children go in search of her. I found the book to a bit slow going but it is an okay read.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was so insane and crazy. It left with a feeling of dread. I'm glad I am done with it. I need a more light-heart book so I can get out of this feeling. I almost hated it.

[Richard · Rating 2 out of 5]

nothing much to see here

[bette · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bit of an overload from the hard drinking, drug using womanizing private investigator plus being foul mouthed, Unlikable character.

[Holly Cunningham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow start. A little confusing at first. The action picked up later. Overall, an ok book.

[Toesnorth's mom]

psych suspense, good