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Jack Caffery #5
Gone
A page-turning triumph from the internationally bestselling thriller author Mo HayderGone is a riveting tale that pits detective Jack Caffery and police diver Flea Marley against a carjacker who is making every parent's worst nightmare come true.
Praised as a "maestro of the sinister" by the New York Daily NewsMo Hayder delivers her most suspenseful novel to date. By turns thrilling and horrifying, Gone follows the investigation of a brilliant and twisted carjacker with a disturbing game to play.
Jack Caffery's newest case seems like a routine carjacking, a crime he's seen plenty of times before. But as the hours tick by and his investigation morphs into a nightmare, he realizes the sickening truth: the thief wasn't after the car, but the eleven-year-old girl in the backseat. Meanwhile, police diver Sergeant Flea Marley is pursuing her own theory of the case, and what she finds in an abandoned, halfsubmerged tunnel could put her in grave danger. The carjacker is always a step ahead of the Major Crime Investigation Unit, toying with their minds in taunting letters, and ready to strike again. As the chances for his victims grow slimmer, Jack and Flea race to fit the pieces together in time.
Gone is Mo Hayder at her terrifying best. Each dark and captivating twist reveals a new dimension to this tight-knit plot, burrowing deeper into the chilling and clever world Mo Hayder creates.
550 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
385 people are currently reading
5380 people want to read
About the author
Mo Hayder
21 books2,549 followersMo Hayder left school at fifteen. She worked as a barmaid, security guard, film-maker, hostess in a Tokyo club, educational administrator and teacher of English as a foreign language in Asia. She had an MA in film from The American University in Washington DC and an MA in creative writing from Bath Spa University UK.
Mo lived in Bath with her daughter Lotte-Genevieve. She was also the actress Candy Davis, who was most known as the blonde secretary on “ Are You Being Served?”
Series:
* Jack Caffery
Mo lived in Bath with her daughter Lotte-Genevieve. She was also the actress Candy Davis, who was most known as the blonde secretary on “ Are You Being Served?”
Series:
* Jack Caffery
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 959 reviews
July 13, 2016
This is the fifth installment in the Jack Caffrey crime series and the focus is directed away from that of the previous three novels. This, unlike the others, feels like more of a standalone story and is only briefly linked to its predecessors. It is extremely plot-driven and feels more like a straight-up crime story rather than focusing on Caffrey's past and personal life as much as is experienced before. I feel this story called for a divorce from his personal life as the focus of the crimes being on children led to this being one of the most heart-wrenching story lines. Police diver Flea Marley, who also appeared in the previous books, is assigned a large portion of the story and I enjoyed seeing both her and Caffrey struggling to solve the crime in their own distinct ways.
This novel has only lost a star as I stumbled upon whodunnit early on in the novel. For a portion of time Hayder put me off the scent but it turns out my theories were correct and so I smugly finished this novel knowing I had been right all along. This (while inflating my ego) led to the shocking big reveal not actually being that shocking at all. That isn't to say that this story wasn't shocking, because it most certainly was - child abductions, chilling messages, underground travels and an abundance of false clues and dead ends abound!
There may be a lot of triggers in this story for those of a sensitive nature but if dark, shocking and thrilling fiction is your thing, then I can think of no finer example!
This novel has only lost a star as I stumbled upon whodunnit early on in the novel. For a portion of time Hayder put me off the scent but it turns out my theories were correct and so I smugly finished this novel knowing I had been right all along. This (while inflating my ego) led to the shocking big reveal not actually being that shocking at all. That isn't to say that this story wasn't shocking, because it most certainly was - child abductions, chilling messages, underground travels and an abundance of false clues and dead ends abound!
There may be a lot of triggers in this story for those of a sensitive nature but if dark, shocking and thrilling fiction is your thing, then I can think of no finer example!
February 13, 2020
Επιτέλους!!
Η Mo Hayder των πρώτων βιβλίων της σειράς με πρωταγωνιστή τον Jack Caffery
Η Mo Hayder των πρώτων βιβλίων της σειράς με πρωταγωνιστή τον Jack Caffery
July 2, 2021
Really liked this one. Not as gruesome as her previous books ; Gone read more like a conventional crime thriller but with that Mo Hayder twist - of the knife!
June 29, 2021
Wow.
This book almost feels completely separate to the rest of the series but get also part of the series too.
There were clues in other books previously that hint to the storyline in this novel.
It was captivating, surprising and thrilling. It wasn’t as dark as Mo Hayders’ other books although the topic was still chilling.
This series keeps getting better and better why isn’t there a 5* + option because this book would get it.
Starting the next one now as I already can’t wait. I think this will be one of those series that when it ends I’ll feel a lost!
Fully recommend!
This book almost feels completely separate to the rest of the series but get also part of the series too.
There were clues in other books previously that hint to the storyline in this novel.
It was captivating, surprising and thrilling. It wasn’t as dark as Mo Hayders’ other books although the topic was still chilling.
This series keeps getting better and better why isn’t there a 5* + option because this book would get it.
Starting the next one now as I already can’t wait. I think this will be one of those series that when it ends I’ll feel a lost!
Fully recommend!
May 15, 2020
Επιτέλους, επιστροφή στη Mo Hayder των δύο πρώτων βιβλίων της σειράς, αυτή που αγαπήσαμε και κάπου ψιλοχάθηκε στο τρίτο και το τέταρτο, όμως εδώ επανέρχεται δριμύτερη!
Με το πέμπτο βιβλίο της σειράς με ήρωα τον επιθεωρητή Τζακ Κάφερι, το Μάτι στο σκοτάδι, η Mo Hayder επιστρέφει στην ατμόσφαιρα των πρώτων της βιβλίων, που τόσο αγάπησαν οι αναγνώστες της.
Ένας άγνωστος άντρας κλέβει το αυτοκίνητο μιας γυναίκας, ενώ στο πίσω κάθισμα βρίσκεται η μικρή της κόρη. Η αστυνομία ξεκινάει αμέσως τις έρευνες και δεν αργεί να ανακαλύψει δύο παρόμοια παλαιότερα περιστατικά. Κι ενώ αρχικά πιστεύουν πως πρόκειται για κλέφτη αυτοκινήτων, δεν αργούν να αναθεωρήσουν και να κατατάξουν τον δράστη στην κατηγορία με τους απαγωγείς παιδιών. Όταν δε σημειωθεί ακόμη ένα περιστατικό, όλοι νιώθουν τα χρονικά περιθώρια να στενεύουν επικίνδυνα. Πρέπει να τον συλλάβουν προτού χτυπήσει ξανά.
Ο Τζακ νιώθει τους παλιούς του εφιάλτες να ξυπνούν, μιας και ο μικρότερος αδελφός του είχε πέσει θύμα ενός παιδεραστή πολλά χρόνια πριν. Το πτώμα του δεν είχε βρεθεί ποτέ, η οικογένειά του είχε διαλυθεί και ο δράστης πέθανε χωρίς να πληρώσει για το έγκλημά του. Τα στοιχεία δεν θα αργήσουν να τους οδηγήσουν σε έναν τύπο που δουλεύει ως καθαριστής στα γραφεία της Αστυνομίας, και επομένως είχε πρόσβαση στα αρχεία της υπόθεσης. Όλοι ξεκινούν ένα ανθρωποκυνηγητό προκειμένου να τον συλλάβουν· όμως δεν θα αργήσουν να διαπιστώσουν πως τα πράγματα δεν είναι έτσι όπως φαίνονται, και πως ο πανέξυπνος και πανούργος τύπος που κυνηγούν παίζει μαζί τους.
Ταυτόχρονα, η Φλι Μάρλι συνεχίζει να βασανίζεται από τύψεις για την πράξη της να βοηθήσει τον αδελφό της και να συγκαλύψει τον θάνατο της Μίστι Κίτσον. Μπορεί η υπόθεση να έχει κλείσει για την Αστυνομία, όχι όμως και για εκείνη. Το γεγονός πως η ομάδα της αμφισβητείται από τα υπόλοιπα τμήματα, σε συνδυασμό με τις τύψεις της, την κάνει να πεισμώσει και να θελήσει να αποδείξει την αξία όλων τους, βοηθώντας στις έρευνες για τα χαμένα κορίτσια. Τόσο η ομάδα της, όσο και εκείνη του Τζακ, θα πρέπει να ξεχωρίσουν την αλήθεια από το ψέμα και να δράσουν το συντομότερο δυνατόν, μιας και ο χρόνος που περνά αποδεικνύεται ο χειρότερος εχθρός όλων τους…
Γενικά, όταν πρόκειται για σειρά βιβλίων, το καλύτερο είναι -αν υπάρχει η δυνατότητα- να τα διαβάζει κανείς με τη σειρά. Στα βιβλία της Hayder υπάρχει ένας λόγος παραπάνω, μιας και βρισκόμαστε στο πέμπτο βιβλίο και οι ήρωες είναι ακόμα επηρεασμένοι από γεγονότα που έχουν συμβεί στα προηγούμενα. Αν τα έχει διαβάσει κανείς, οπωσδήποτε κάνει πιο γρήγορα την όποια σύνδεση ανάμεσα στα διάφορα γεγονότα. Ακόμα όμως κι αν το «Μάτι στο σκοτάδι» αποτελεί την πρώτη γνωριμία του με τη συγκεκριμένη συγγραφέα και πάλι αξίζει τον κόπο, γιατί η πλοκή από μόνη της είναι αξιόλογη.
Το θέμα το οποίο καταπιάνεται η συγγραφέας αποτελεί έναν από τους πιο φριχτούς εφιάλτες για τον καθένα: η απαγωγή παιδιών είναι κάτι που κανείς δεν θέλει να περνάει καν ως ιδέα από το μυαλό του. Η Hayder, συνηθισμένη να καταπιάνεται με θέματα-ταμπού στα βιβλία της και να μας χαρίζει ιδιόμορφες, ρεαλιστικές και πολλές φορές εξαιρετικά ωμές περιγραφές που αφορούν τα εκάστοτε εγκλήματα τα οποία αφηγείται, καταφέρνει και εδώ να διατηρήσει τις αφηγηματικές ισορροπίες και να χειριστεί το ιδιαίτερο αυτό θέμα με ευαισθησία, χωρίς να αφαιρεί τίποτα από τη δράση και τη συγκίνηση.
Ιδιαίτερο ενδιαφέρον έχει ο τρόπος που οι απαγωγές των παιδιών επηρεάζουν τις οικογένειές τους. Γενικά, μια κρίση είναι εκείνη που συνήθως γίνεται η αφορμή να έρθουν στην επιφάνεια παλιές αμφιβολίες, κρυμμένα μυστικά και καταπιεσμένα συναισθήματα. Το «στοίχημα» σ’ αυτές τις περιπτώσεις -εκτός βέβαια από το να βρεθεί το άτομο που έχει απαχθεί- είναι το μετά· το αν θα μπορέσει η οικογένεια να συνεχίσει περισσότερο ενωμένη από πριν ή αν η δύσκολη κατάσταση που καλούνται να διαχειριστούν τους χωρίσει τελικά. Έτσι κι εδώ, οι δύο οικογένειες που βιώνουν την απώλεια των παιδιών τους συγκρούονται, ξεγυμνώνονται ως χαρακτήρες, γίνονται άλλοι άνθρωποι, παίρνουν αποφάσεις που μέχρι τη δεδομένη στιγμή δεν θα σκέφτονταν καν ως επιλογές και καλούνται να παραμείνουν όλοι δυνατοί μέχρι το τέλος – με την ελπίδα πως θα έχουν την ευκαιρία να αγκαλιάσουν και πάλι τα παιδιά τους.
Ο χαρακτήρας των δύο κεντρικών ηρώων δεν έχει εξελιχθεί όσο θα περίμενε κανείς. Κολλημένοι στο παρελθόν τους, προσπαθούν ακόμη να διαχειριστούν όσα τους πονάνε και τους προβληματίζουν. Η Φλι παλεύει με τις τύψεις και με τη σιωπή της, ενώ ο Τζακ με τη συνείδησή του ως αστυνομικού και ως ανθρώπου, μιας και γνωρίζει για το έγκλημα που εμπλέκεται η Φλι κι όμως, δεν την έχει καταδώσει. Επίσης νιώθει ανόητος και μπερδεμένος επειδή είχε ξεκινήσει να τρέφει κάποια αισθήματα για εκείνη, τα οποία τώρα, υπό το πρίσμα των όσων ξέρει για την υπόθεση που έχει στοιχειώσει τη συνάδελφό του, φαίνονται να είναι εντελώς άκυρα. Η όποια σχέση μεταξύ τους, όμως, μάλλον έχει αρκετά ακόμα να μας πει στο μέλλον.
Το «Μάτι στο σκοτάδι» είναι ένα ανατρεπτικό αστυνομικό θρίλερ που κόβει την ανάσα με τους γρήγορους ρυθμούς του, μια πραγματικά τονωτική ένεση μετά τα δύο προηγούμενα (και κάπως πιο άνευρα) βιβλία της Hayder κι ένα μυθιστόρημα που θα κάνει τους αναγνώστες να θυμηθούν ξανά τους λόγους που επέλεξαν εξαρχής να διαβάσουν τη συγκεκριμένη συγγραφέα.
Με το πέμπτο βιβλίο της σειράς με ήρωα τον επιθεωρητή Τζακ Κάφερι, το Μάτι στο σκοτάδι, η Mo Hayder επιστρέφει στην ατμόσφαιρα των πρώτων της βιβλίων, που τόσο αγάπησαν οι αναγνώστες της.
Ένας άγνωστος άντρας κλέβει το αυτοκίνητο μιας γυναίκας, ενώ στο πίσω κάθισμα βρίσκεται η μικρή της κόρη. Η αστυνομία ξεκινάει αμέσως τις έρευνες και δεν αργεί να ανακαλύψει δύο παρόμοια παλαιότερα περιστατικά. Κι ενώ αρχικά πιστεύουν πως πρόκειται για κλέφτη αυτοκινήτων, δεν αργούν να αναθεωρήσουν και να κατατάξουν τον δράστη στην κατηγορία με τους απαγωγείς παιδιών. Όταν δε σημειωθεί ακόμη ένα περιστατικό, όλοι νιώθουν τα χρονικά περιθώρια να στενεύουν επικίνδυνα. Πρέπει να τον συλλάβουν προτού χτυπήσει ξανά.
Ο Τζακ νιώθει τους παλιούς του εφιάλτες να ξυπνούν, μιας και ο μικρότερος αδελφός του είχε πέσει θύμα ενός παιδεραστή πολλά χρόνια πριν. Το πτώμα του δεν είχε βρεθεί ποτέ, η οικογένειά του είχε διαλυθεί και ο δράστης πέθανε χωρίς να πληρώσει για το έγκλημά του. Τα στοιχεία δεν θα αργήσουν να τους οδηγήσουν σε έναν τύπο που δουλεύει ως καθαριστής στα γραφεία της Αστυνομίας, και επομένως είχε πρόσβαση στα αρχεία της υπόθεσης. Όλοι ξεκινούν ένα ανθρωποκυνηγητό προκειμένου να τον συλλάβουν· όμως δεν θα αργήσουν να διαπιστώσουν πως τα πράγματα δεν είναι έτσι όπως φαίνονται, και πως ο πανέξυπνος και πανούργος τύπος που κυνηγούν παίζει μαζί τους.
Ταυτόχρονα, η Φλι Μάρλι συνεχίζει να βασανίζεται από τύψεις για την πράξη της να βοηθήσει τον αδελφό της και να συγκαλύψει τον θάνατο της Μίστι Κίτσον. Μπορεί η υπόθεση να έχει κλείσει για την Αστυνομία, όχι όμως και για εκείνη. Το γεγονός πως η ομάδα της αμφισβητείται από τα υπόλοιπα τμήματα, σε συνδυασμό με τις τύψεις της, την κάνει να πεισμώσει και να θελήσει να αποδείξει την αξία όλων τους, βοηθώντας στις έρευνες για τα χαμένα κορίτσια. Τόσο η ομάδα της, όσο και εκείνη του Τζακ, θα πρέπει να ξεχωρίσουν την αλήθεια από το ψέμα και να δράσουν το συντομότερο δυνατόν, μιας και ο χρόνος που περνά αποδεικνύεται ο χειρότερος εχθρός όλων τους…
Γενικά, όταν πρόκειται για σειρά βιβλίων, το καλύτερο είναι -αν υπάρχει η δυνατότητα- να τα διαβάζει κανείς με τη σειρά. Στα βιβλία της Hayder υπάρχει ένας λόγος παραπάνω, μιας και βρισκόμαστε στο πέμπτο βιβλίο και οι ήρωες είναι ακόμα επηρεασμένοι από γεγονότα που έχουν συμβεί στα προηγούμενα. Αν τα έχει διαβάσει κανείς, οπωσδήποτε κάνει πιο γρήγορα την όποια σύνδεση ανάμεσα στα διάφορα γεγονότα. Ακόμα όμως κι αν το «Μάτι στο σκοτάδι» αποτελεί την πρώτη γνωριμία του με τη συγκεκριμένη συγγραφέα και πάλι αξίζει τον κόπο, γιατί η πλοκή από μόνη της είναι αξιόλογη.
Το θέμα το οποίο καταπιάνεται η συγγραφέας αποτελεί έναν από τους πιο φριχτούς εφιάλτες για τον καθένα: η απαγωγή παιδιών είναι κάτι που κανείς δεν θέλει να περνάει καν ως ιδέα από το μυαλό του. Η Hayder, συνηθισμένη να καταπιάνεται με θέματα-ταμπού στα βιβλία της και να μας χαρίζει ιδιόμορφες, ρεαλιστικές και πολλές φορές εξαιρετικά ωμές περιγραφές που αφορούν τα εκάστοτε εγκλήματα τα οποία αφηγείται, καταφέρνει και εδώ να διατηρήσει τις αφηγηματικές ισορροπίες και να χειριστεί το ιδιαίτερο αυτό θέμα με ευαισθησία, χωρίς να αφαιρεί τίποτα από τη δράση και τη συγκίνηση.
Ιδιαίτερο ενδιαφέρον έχει ο τρόπος που οι απαγωγές των παιδιών επηρεάζουν τις οικογένειές τους. Γενικά, μια κρίση είναι εκείνη που συνήθως γίνεται η αφορμή να έρθουν στην επιφάνεια παλιές αμφιβολίες, κρυμμένα μυστικά και καταπιεσμένα συναισθήματα. Το «στοίχημα» σ’ αυτές τις περιπτώσεις -εκτός βέβαια από το να βρεθεί το άτομο που έχει απαχθεί- είναι το μετά· το αν θα μπορέσει η οικογένεια να συνεχίσει περισσότερο ενωμένη από πριν ή αν η δύσκολη κατάσταση που καλούνται να διαχειριστούν τους χωρίσει τελικά. Έτσι κι εδώ, οι δύο οικογένειες που βιώνουν την απώλεια των παιδιών τους συγκρούονται, ξεγυμνώνονται ως χαρακτήρες, γίνονται άλλοι άνθρωποι, παίρνουν αποφάσεις που μέχρι τη δεδομένη στιγμή δεν θα σκέφτονταν καν ως επιλογές και καλούνται να παραμείνουν όλοι δυνατοί μέχρι το τέλος – με την ελπίδα πως θα έχουν την ευκαιρία να αγκαλιάσουν και πάλι τα παιδιά τους.
Ο χαρακτήρας των δύο κεντρικών ηρώων δεν έχει εξελιχθεί όσο θα περίμενε κανείς. Κολλημένοι στο παρελθόν τους, προσπαθούν ακόμη να διαχειριστούν όσα τους πονάνε και τους προβληματίζουν. Η Φλι παλεύει με τις τύψεις και με τη σιωπή της, ενώ ο Τζακ με τη συνείδησή του ως αστυνομικού και ως ανθρώπου, μιας και γνωρίζει για το έγκλημα που εμπλέκεται η Φλι κι όμως, δεν την έχει καταδώσει. Επίσης νιώθει ανόητος και μπερδεμένος επειδή είχε ξεκινήσει να τρέφει κάποια αισθήματα για εκείνη, τα οποία τώρα, υπό το πρίσμα των όσων ξέρει για την υπόθεση που έχει στοιχειώσει τη συνάδελφό του, φαίνονται να είναι εντελώς άκυρα. Η όποια σχέση μεταξύ τους, όμως, μάλλον έχει αρκετά ακόμα να μας πει στο μέλλον.
Το «Μάτι στο σκοτάδι» είναι ένα ανατρεπτικό αστυνομικό θρίλερ που κόβει την ανάσα με τους γρήγορους ρυθμούς του, μια πραγματικά τονωτική ένεση μετά τα δύο προηγούμενα (και κάπως πιο άνευρα) βιβλία της Hayder κι ένα μυθιστόρημα που θα κάνει τους αναγνώστες να θυμηθούν ξανά τους λόγους που επέλεξαν εξαρχής να διαβάσουν τη συγκεκριμένη συγγραφέα.
October 15, 2017
Dual review with Swedish first and then English!
SWEDISH REVIEW
Om det är något Mo Hayder kan så är det att skriva böcker som går under skinnet på en. Precis som Dennis Lehane så vågar hon ta ut svängarna och det är med isande fasa man läser varje sida.
Försvunnen är inget undantag. Att läsa om kidnappade barn är hemskt och man vet inte om Jack Caffery kommer att lyckas rädda situationen. Caffery är en lysande polis, men i denna bok så verkar det som om kidnapparen kan förutse polisen nästa drag och ju mer tiden går desto mer lutar det åt att det är försent, att flickan inte kommer att räddas.
Sedan har vi polisdykaren Flea Marley, som lever med konsekvenserna från föregående bok, vilket stör henne i jobbet. Hon vet inte om att Jack misstänker henne för ett brott som hon faktiskt är oskyldig till men som i och med det Jack vet om det ter sig logiskt att han misstänker henne. Nu ger hon sig in kampen för att rädda den kidnappade flickan. Men är hon verkligen i form att ta sig an fallet? Kommer hon istället bara att riskera sitt eget liv?
Försvunnen är en ruggig thriller där den okände förövaren hela tiden lurar i bakgrunden och man sitter på helspänd på slutet när Caffery konfronterar förövaren. Frågan är kommer allting att sluta lyckligt?
Tack till Modernista för recensionsexemplaret!
ENGLISH REVIEW
If there is one thing Mo Hayder knows is it to write a book that crawls under your skin. She dares, just like Dennis Lehane can she write in such a way that it's with terror you turn each page.
Gone is no exception. Reading about kidnapped children is always terrible and you do not know if Jack Caffery will be able to save the kidnapped girl. Caffery is a brilliant police, but in this book, the kidnapper seems to anticipate every single move the police do, and as more time goes by, the fear grows that they will be too late.
Then we have police diver Flea Marley, who lives with the consequences from the previous book, which has consequences for her at work. She does not know that Jack suspects her for a crime she's actually innocent of. Although it's quite logical that he suspects her since he doesn't have the whole picture. Now she decides to search for the kidnapped girl. But, is she really in shape to help out? Or will she only risk her own life?
Gone is a tough thriller where the unidentified perpetrator always lurks in the background, and at the end, when Caffery confronts the perpetrator will you still question if everything will end happily...
Thanks to Modernista for the review copy!
SWEDISH REVIEW
Om det är något Mo Hayder kan så är det att skriva böcker som går under skinnet på en. Precis som Dennis Lehane så vågar hon ta ut svängarna och det är med isande fasa man läser varje sida.
Försvunnen är inget undantag. Att läsa om kidnappade barn är hemskt och man vet inte om Jack Caffery kommer att lyckas rädda situationen. Caffery är en lysande polis, men i denna bok så verkar det som om kidnapparen kan förutse polisen nästa drag och ju mer tiden går desto mer lutar det åt att det är försent, att flickan inte kommer att räddas.
Sedan har vi polisdykaren Flea Marley, som lever med konsekvenserna från föregående bok, vilket stör henne i jobbet. Hon vet inte om att Jack misstänker henne för ett brott som hon faktiskt är oskyldig till men som i och med det Jack vet om det ter sig logiskt att han misstänker henne. Nu ger hon sig in kampen för att rädda den kidnappade flickan. Men är hon verkligen i form att ta sig an fallet? Kommer hon istället bara att riskera sitt eget liv?
Försvunnen är en ruggig thriller där den okände förövaren hela tiden lurar i bakgrunden och man sitter på helspänd på slutet när Caffery konfronterar förövaren. Frågan är kommer allting att sluta lyckligt?
Tack till Modernista för recensionsexemplaret!
ENGLISH REVIEW
If there is one thing Mo Hayder knows is it to write a book that crawls under your skin. She dares, just like Dennis Lehane can she write in such a way that it's with terror you turn each page.
Gone is no exception. Reading about kidnapped children is always terrible and you do not know if Jack Caffery will be able to save the kidnapped girl. Caffery is a brilliant police, but in this book, the kidnapper seems to anticipate every single move the police do, and as more time goes by, the fear grows that they will be too late.
Then we have police diver Flea Marley, who lives with the consequences from the previous book, which has consequences for her at work. She does not know that Jack suspects her for a crime she's actually innocent of. Although it's quite logical that he suspects her since he doesn't have the whole picture. Now she decides to search for the kidnapped girl. But, is she really in shape to help out? Or will she only risk her own life?
Gone is a tough thriller where the unidentified perpetrator always lurks in the background, and at the end, when Caffery confronts the perpetrator will you still question if everything will end happily...
Thanks to Modernista for the review copy!
February 17, 2015
Easily the best of Mo Hayder's Jack Caffery thriller/police procedural series (at least through books #1-5), Gone (the fifth installment) simultaneously amps up the creep-out factor while dialing back the gore a few notches. Ms. Hayder's end-product is is truly an unputdownable nail-biter that has cemented my opinion of her craft.
A huge caveat to the Hayder-uninitiated: this series must be read in order for maximum enjoyment. There are a few evolving back stories (involving Inspector Jack Caffery's personal demons stemming from the abduction of his younger brother by a pedophile thirty years prior, and a peculiar relationship with a sergeant/diver of the Underwater Missing Persons team, 'Flea' Marley) that you will completely be lost with if you start in the middle of the series. (Even those lured in by hearing Gone was an Edgar Award winner, you'd best start at the beginning with Birdman and work your way through the series; otherwise the crucial backstory will be lost upon you.)
This installment started out dangerously similar to the gruesome second one (The Treatment, a novel I could barely stomach.) In the outskirts of Bristol (SW England), Caffery's team, while investigating a carjacking by a Santa Claus mask-wearing suspect, realizes the perp might be a serial 'nonce' (a 'paedophile' stalking victims with children in tow). As the investigation advances, Caffery's team keeps being stymied by the perp's actions consistently running counter to a pedophile's predictable psychological profile.
There were a few times in this series where it seemed Ms. Hayder's direction seemed unfocused, unsure of where she wanted this series to go. Several times I considered abandoning it altogether, but persistence has paid off: Gone, with a taut, chilling story (while tantalizingly advancing the backstories) has got me permanently in Ms. Hayder's clutches. I cannot wait to read the next two installments, Poppet and Wolf, to see what else she has in store.
A huge caveat to the Hayder-uninitiated: this series must be read in order for maximum enjoyment. There are a few evolving back stories (involving Inspector Jack Caffery's personal demons stemming from the abduction of his younger brother by a pedophile thirty years prior, and a peculiar relationship with a sergeant/diver of the Underwater Missing Persons team, 'Flea' Marley) that you will completely be lost with if you start in the middle of the series. (Even those lured in by hearing Gone was an Edgar Award winner, you'd best start at the beginning with Birdman and work your way through the series; otherwise the crucial backstory will be lost upon you.)
This installment started out dangerously similar to the gruesome second one (The Treatment, a novel I could barely stomach.) In the outskirts of Bristol (SW England), Caffery's team, while investigating a carjacking by a Santa Claus mask-wearing suspect, realizes the perp might be a serial 'nonce' (a 'paedophile' stalking victims with children in tow). As the investigation advances, Caffery's team keeps being stymied by the perp's actions consistently running counter to a pedophile's predictable psychological profile.
There were a few times in this series where it seemed Ms. Hayder's direction seemed unfocused, unsure of where she wanted this series to go. Several times I considered abandoning it altogether, but persistence has paid off: Gone, with a taut, chilling story (while tantalizingly advancing the backstories) has got me permanently in Ms. Hayder's clutches. I cannot wait to read the next two installments, Poppet and Wolf, to see what else she has in store.
November 26, 2011
What is it about crime writers that they just do not seem to be able to keep me the reader entertained for the complete read??? I have read all Mo Hayder's books and even enjoyed the stand alone's ie Pig Island...but here in this read we have a real dilemma..:(( The first 300 pages is enjoyable and the plot/storyline is a little different...and our two heroes Caffery and Flea are once again on the case. I particularly enjoy "The Walking Man" which in essence is a "sounding board" for Caffery, a man who lives by his wits under the skys and although he and Caffery share a related/sad past for the most part The Walking Man is a way for Caffery to take stock and introduces a nice touch for the reader...we should all have a walking man to bounce our ideas off. Living in Bristol I enjoy the setting for this series with the mystical surroundings of Somerset playing a major part...however this all falls apart if the story becomes somewhat pedestrian and predictable. Someone is kidnapping young children..why?..when it becomes known the answer is somewhat bizarre...who is doing this?...someone with insider information...any amateur reader/detective will soon have worked the solution out by page 300..and then there is the question of Flea??? What exactly is her role in this story, she is a police diver by trade....and well does what she is best at...eh..diving...why...not sure?? She's gets into a little trouble and blow me down the killer tracks her down..will our hero Caffery rescue in time!! Of course he will, this is a series, and so we plod along for some 200 pages...killer dies...Flea lives...what a surprise!! Dear author please try not to bore us the reader, this book was too long by some 200 pages, fine if the story merits it but if not it is a real struggle to finish...but finish I did. I started off giving this latest Hayder book 5 stars....but it became so utterly predictable by the final page I was tempted to award one star...however on reflection and given that I have great respect for the author I decided to award two stars...but come on Miss Hayder if there is no further life in this series and the storylines become even more boring and bizarre...perhaps it is time for Caffery and Flea to do themselves a favour and both retire.....
April 15, 2015
Man, I really love Mo Hayder for Birdman and The Treatment. Since then, it's been a bit of a struggle to continue the relationship.
It was almost over for me with Ritual. She had introduced a new character, Flea, who I couldn't give a toss over because I had resented her taking the storyline away from Cafferty's personal story.
Then Poppet came out to wide appeal.
So I'm two books behind Poppet and remembering the first two books, and...well I can't ignore what we had and I should really give her another chance because maybe she's back in my wheelhouse. So there it was, and I read Skin.
To much delight! It turns out that my resentment towards Flea has evaporated and I was able to enjoy her character and a very strongly told story that had me ripping through the pages.
Yes!
Now comes Gone. Mo's hitting her stride here big time. For a good 70% of the way she's got me hooked with a creepy story about child abduction.
I was into 5-star quality at this point, but as you can see, this got shaved off.
Gone is just too long.
And I'm still tired of the Walking Man. Let's move on from him, okay?
Poppet will be next...
It was almost over for me with Ritual. She had introduced a new character, Flea, who I couldn't give a toss over because I had resented her taking the storyline away from Cafferty's personal story.
Then Poppet came out to wide appeal.
So I'm two books behind Poppet and remembering the first two books, and...well I can't ignore what we had and I should really give her another chance because maybe she's back in my wheelhouse. So there it was, and I read Skin.
To much delight! It turns out that my resentment towards Flea has evaporated and I was able to enjoy her character and a very strongly told story that had me ripping through the pages.
Yes!
Now comes Gone. Mo's hitting her stride here big time. For a good 70% of the way she's got me hooked with a creepy story about child abduction.
I was into 5-star quality at this point, but as you can see, this got shaved off.
Gone is just too long.
And I'm still tired of the Walking Man. Let's move on from him, okay?
Poppet will be next...
January 21, 2019
Πρόκειται για το πέμπτο βιβλιο της σειράς βιβλίων της Mo Hayder, που φαίνεται ότι μετά από την κακή παρένθεση των δύο προηγούμενων βιβλίων της (''Ritual'', ''Skin'') ξαναβρίσκει τη φόρμα της και μας παραδίδει ένα έξοχο θρίλερ με σασπένς, ανατροπές και αρκετή αγωνία. Το ''Μάτι στο σκοτάδι'' (πρωτοτυπος τίτλος: ''Gone'') μας κάνει μέτοχους στην πλοκή του από την πρώτη κιόλας σελίδα και απο εκεί και πέρα παρασύρει τον αναγνώστη σε μια σχεδόν ψυχαναγκαστική ανάγνωση, αφού πολλές φορές νιώθεις ότι το βιβλίο έχει κολλήσει στην κυριολεξία στα χέρια σου και είναι αδύνατον να το αφήσεις. Προσωπικά, είχα υποψιαστεί τον ''κακό'' της ιστορίας αρκετα νωρίς, ωστόσο αυτό δεν στάθηκε εμπόδιο στο να απολαύσω αυτό το βιβλίο που καταδεικνύει τις ιδιαίτερες, περιγραφικές και όχι μόνο, δεξιότητες της συγγραφέως που, παρά το γεγονός ότι επιλέγει ιστορίες εξαιρετικές δυσσάρρεστες που συχνα περιλαμβάνουν την παιδεραστεία και την κακοποίηση ανηλίκων, έχει τον τρόπο να τις καθιστά καθηλωτικές και να γράφει crime μυθιστορήματα εξαιρετικής ποιότητας και δύναμης. Το μόνο μου παράπονο, το οποίο αφορά το σύνολο της σειράς με πρωταγωνιστή τον Τζάκ Κάφερι , είναι ο χαρακτήρας της Φλι που σε κάθε βιβλίο μου δίνει λαβή για παράπονα, καθώς βρίσκω ότι είναι βαρετός και δεν προσθέτει τίποτα στις ιστορίες που εμφανίζεται. Κατά τα άλλα, όσοι ευχαριστήθηκαν τα δύο πρώτα, εξαιρετικά, βιβλία της σειράς (''Birdman'', ''The Treatment'') είναι βέβαιο ότι θα βρούν αυτό το βιβλίο συναρπαστικό.
June 8, 2011
Yesterday, I was almost finished with Gone, you know at the point where everything is coming to a head and wrapping up. I was so bummed that I had to go to work. Now, I’m really a good employee, rarely sick and hardly ever take time off, but boy was I tempted to call in, stay home and finish this edge of your seat thriller. Reason won out and I convinced myself that when I got home at nine, I could finish Gone and that anticipation would just make it better. I suppose I could have brought it to work with me but for those of you who think working in a library is great, because all we do is read, I hate to burst your bubble, but I rarely get a chance to read at work. Yesterday would have been impossible.
I arrived home a bit after nine, quickly chatted with my husband; “no, nothing new, anything with you?, fine dear, talk later”. And then I hopped into my chair, put my feet up and raced to the finish.
If you’ve been bored with a certain thriller writer, not mentioning any names, then pick up Gone by Mo Hayder. This is the fifth to feature Detective Jack Caffrey. I don’t feel deprived that I haven’t read the first in the series. This was a very satisfying read on it’s own but I wouldn’t hesitate going back to read the rest. Hayder can join the men in her capacity for gritty storytelling. Where Hayder stands out is her descriptions of the psychology of evil and the writing of some great dialogue. But there’s a softer side too, a nice blend of punch you in the gut action and when you think you can’t take anymore, Hayder will give you a bit of a reprieve from harsh reality. All might not be as bad as it seems.
Gone is about a jacker, a despicable guy, a man who comes out of nowhere, knocks you to ground, calls you some awful names, jumps in your car and speeds off. You’d lick your wounds and all would be ok, only your child happens to be in the car. Imagine the terror? This is not a one-time incident and as no bodies have been found, no ransoms sought, it’s up to Caffrey and his team to figure out this guy’s motivation. Not a small order for a flawed group of police with hearts in the right place.
Suspenseful, fast paced, with graphic violence that’s not gratuitous; put this on your list. Be certain you don’t get caught having to go to work towards the end as I can’t be responsible for your actions.
(less)
I arrived home a bit after nine, quickly chatted with my husband; “no, nothing new, anything with you?, fine dear, talk later”. And then I hopped into my chair, put my feet up and raced to the finish.
If you’ve been bored with a certain thriller writer, not mentioning any names, then pick up Gone by Mo Hayder. This is the fifth to feature Detective Jack Caffrey. I don’t feel deprived that I haven’t read the first in the series. This was a very satisfying read on it’s own but I wouldn’t hesitate going back to read the rest. Hayder can join the men in her capacity for gritty storytelling. Where Hayder stands out is her descriptions of the psychology of evil and the writing of some great dialogue. But there’s a softer side too, a nice blend of punch you in the gut action and when you think you can’t take anymore, Hayder will give you a bit of a reprieve from harsh reality. All might not be as bad as it seems.
Gone is about a jacker, a despicable guy, a man who comes out of nowhere, knocks you to ground, calls you some awful names, jumps in your car and speeds off. You’d lick your wounds and all would be ok, only your child happens to be in the car. Imagine the terror? This is not a one-time incident and as no bodies have been found, no ransoms sought, it’s up to Caffrey and his team to figure out this guy’s motivation. Not a small order for a flawed group of police with hearts in the right place.
Suspenseful, fast paced, with graphic violence that’s not gratuitous; put this on your list. Be certain you don’t get caught having to go to work towards the end as I can’t be responsible for your actions.
(less)
February 10, 2012
One Friday evening, close to Christmas, when my son was a few months old, I pushed his buggy back to the car park on the edge of town where I’d parked hours earlier. We were completely alone, no one in sight, no residential houses, just empty office blocks, fields and a churchyard. It struck me, in that moment, how utterly vulnerable women with young children are. Had I been attacked, I would have been helpless, unable to run and leave my son behind, incapable of fighting back and risking him coming to harm.
Mo Hayder’s GONE explores exactly this premise. Parents, in the moment of getting into their cars with their children are attacked, fast and hard. Taken completely by surprise, they can barely begin to defend themselves before the car and the child are gone.
With this one simple idea, Hayder has us. Because we know how easily the fictional victim could become real – become us.
GONE is a west-country based Jack Caffery thriller. DI Caffery, now in his 5th trip on the Hayder express, is as brooding, sexy and distant as we could ask for (think Heathcliff goes to Hendon) but what really brings this series alive for me is Sergeant Flee Marley, with her “irritating, incurable energy”. Flee is head of the Underwater Search Unit, and only really at home breathing through an aqua lung in the murky depths.
This book deals with some difficult themes, touching upon what, for many of us, is our worst nightmare. DI Jack voices his darkest fears only to himself, when in the presence of a kidnapped girl’s father, he thinks: “...the truth, Mr Bradley is this: he has raped your daughter. He’s done it as many times as he could manage. And he has killed her – to shut her up, stop her crying.”
Do not be put off! I’ve just quoted the most distressing line in the book, and it’s nothing more than speculation on Jack’s part anyway. Whilst no one with a weak constitution should ever read Hayder, this book is excellent. Nail-bitingly, jaw-clenchingly, bone-achingly tense but never tipping over into the “too much, too dark” territory where Mo sometimes likes to play.
GONE has been shortlisted for an Edgar this year, in the best novel category, and in my mind truly deserves to win.
Mo Hayder’s GONE explores exactly this premise. Parents, in the moment of getting into their cars with their children are attacked, fast and hard. Taken completely by surprise, they can barely begin to defend themselves before the car and the child are gone.
With this one simple idea, Hayder has us. Because we know how easily the fictional victim could become real – become us.
GONE is a west-country based Jack Caffery thriller. DI Caffery, now in his 5th trip on the Hayder express, is as brooding, sexy and distant as we could ask for (think Heathcliff goes to Hendon) but what really brings this series alive for me is Sergeant Flee Marley, with her “irritating, incurable energy”. Flee is head of the Underwater Search Unit, and only really at home breathing through an aqua lung in the murky depths.
This book deals with some difficult themes, touching upon what, for many of us, is our worst nightmare. DI Jack voices his darkest fears only to himself, when in the presence of a kidnapped girl’s father, he thinks: “...the truth, Mr Bradley is this: he has raped your daughter. He’s done it as many times as he could manage. And he has killed her – to shut her up, stop her crying.”
Do not be put off! I’ve just quoted the most distressing line in the book, and it’s nothing more than speculation on Jack’s part anyway. Whilst no one with a weak constitution should ever read Hayder, this book is excellent. Nail-bitingly, jaw-clenchingly, bone-achingly tense but never tipping over into the “too much, too dark” territory where Mo sometimes likes to play.
GONE has been shortlisted for an Edgar this year, in the best novel category, and in my mind truly deserves to win.
September 16, 2020
Σε γενικές γραμμές είμαι φαν της Μο. Ωστόσο, ακόμη κι εγώ θα πρέπει να ομολογήσω, ότι μετά «Το φονικό κελάηδισμα» και την «Σιωπή των δέντρων», τα οποία κατ’ εμέ είναι τα κορυφαία της, τα δύο που ακολούθησαν («Τελετουργία» και «Το δέρμα»), δεν ήταν αντάξια των προσδοκιών μου. Περίμενα αίμα, βία και φρικαλεότητες (θα πρέπει να το κοιτάξω αυτό) κι αντιθέτως έλαβα μια πιο σοφτ κατάσταση, με μυστήριο μεν και σκοτεινές γωνιές που παραμονεύουν «τέρατα» αλλά χωρίς, δυστυχώς, αυτή την αιμοδιψή διάθεση που χαρακτηρίζει την συγγραφέα.
Ωστόσο, με το «Μάτι στο σκοτάδι» η Μο κάνει την επιστροφή της στα γνωστά μονοπάτια. Το βιβλίο δεν φτάνει φυσικά, σε φρικαλεότητα, το Κελάηδισμα αλλά πλησιάζει κάπως, με την σκοτεινή πλοκή του. Η ιστορία, η οποία κι εδώ αφορά στην απαγωγή παιδιών, είναι ακραία και σκληρή και τολμά να «παίξει» με τους γονείς/αναγνώστες, ξυπνώντας θεωρώ μέσα τους, φόβους και συναισθήματα που οι ίδιοι δεν θα ήθελαν να ξέρουν ότι υπάρχουν.
Οι βασικοί χαρακτήρες οι γνωστοί μας μέχρι τώρα, παραμένουν οι ίδιοι. Ο Κάφερι που παλεύει να χωνέψει τον χαμό του αδελφού του κι η Φλι, με τα δικά της οικογενειακά θεματάκια. Ο Πλανόβιος από την άλλη, είναι ένας χαρακτήρας που αρχικά δε με είχε πείσει. Σε αυτό το βιβλίο όμως της Μο, φαίνεται να ριζώνει γερά στην ιστορία και να αποκτά την αληθοφάνεια που του έλειπε στα προηγούμενα. Όσον αφορά στον «κακό» της υπόθεσης, είναι εντυπωσιακό το πόσο αριστοτεχνικά έχει στήσει την συγκεκριμένη περσόνα. Βρισκόμαστε αντιμέτωποι με έναν πανέξυπνο χαρακτήρα, άρτια δοσμένο, που προσωπικά δεν πήγε ούτε μια στιγμή το μυαλό μου ότι μπορεί να είναι αυτός ο απαγωγέας, παρά μόνο μερικές παραγράφους πριν την αποκάλυψη. Τολμώ να πω, ότι τα παιχνιδάκια που μας παίζει σε αυτό της το βιβλίο η Hayder, μου θύμισαν κάποιες στιγμές, τον πολυαγαπημένο μου Sebastian Fitzek (όχι δεν κάνω σύγκριση, μου τον θύμισαν είπα!) και τα πολυδιάστατα γαϊτανάκια του, που τόσο περίτεχνα στήνει.
Επιπλέον, μας δίνει πολύ ωραίες περιγραφές των τόπων που επισκέπτονται οι ήρωές μας (Κάφερι και Φλι). Τόσο ζωντανές που είναι σαν να βρίσκεται κι ο αναγνώστης εκεί και να τα βλέπει με τα ίδια του τα μάτια.
Γενικότερα, θα έλεγα ότι η πένα της Hayder έχει περάσει σε άλλο επίπεδο και θέλω να πιστεύω πως, τα δύο προηγούμενα βιβλία της δεν ήταν τίποτα άλλο, από το μεταβατικό στάδιο. Μοιάζει σα να μην θέλει πια να γράφει πια φρικιαστικές ιστορίες αλλά προτιμά να «περιπαίζει» τους αναγνώστες της, γράφοντας ψυχολογικά θρίλερ, τα οποία παίζουν με το μυαλό, την ηθική, τα συναισθήματα μας.
Μειονέκτημα για μένα το τέλος του βιβλίου. Θα προτιμούσα κάτι πιο «τραχύ» και λιγότερο ωραιοποιημένο, όπως θα άρμοζε σε μια τέτοια ιστορία. Επίσης, αν ήταν καμιά 100στή σελίδες μικρότερο, είμαι σίγουρη ότι θα ήταν καλύτερα. Υπήρξαν σημεία που δεν καταλάβαινα το λόγο του τόσου μπλα-μπλα και τα προσπερνούσα στο fast forward. Τέλος, υπήρχαν αρκετά λάθη επιμέλειας κι ασυνέπειες στο κείμενο. Όχι ότι ενοχλούσαν στην πλοκή αλλά όταν τα προσέξεις, είναι πράγματα που σε χαλάνε.
Με περιμένουν τα δυο επόμενα, «Η Κούκλα» και «Ο Λύκος» τα οποία ελπίζω να ικανοποιήσουν τις προσδοκίες μου και να δικαιώσουν την εκτίμησή μου.
Καλές αναγνώσεις!
Μπορείτε να διαβάσετε περισσότερα στο blog μας: https://vivliografika.blogspot.com/20...
Ωστόσο, με το «Μάτι στο σκοτάδι» η Μο κάνει την επιστροφή της στα γνωστά μονοπάτια. Το βιβλίο δεν φτάνει φυσικά, σε φρικαλεότητα, το Κελάηδισμα αλλά πλησιάζει κάπως, με την σκοτεινή πλοκή του. Η ιστορία, η οποία κι εδώ αφορά στην απαγωγή παιδιών, είναι ακραία και σκληρή και τολμά να «παίξει» με τους γονείς/αναγνώστες, ξυπνώντας θεωρώ μέσα τους, φόβους και συναισθήματα που οι ίδιοι δεν θα ήθελαν να ξέρουν ότι υπάρχουν.
Οι βασικοί χαρακτήρες οι γνωστοί μας μέχρι τώρα, παραμένουν οι ίδιοι. Ο Κάφερι που παλεύει να χωνέψει τον χαμό του αδελφού του κι η Φλι, με τα δικά της οικογενειακά θεματάκια. Ο Πλανόβιος από την άλλη, είναι ένας χαρακτήρας που αρχικά δε με είχε πείσει. Σε αυτό το βιβλίο όμως της Μο, φαίνεται να ριζώνει γερά στην ιστορία και να αποκτά την αληθοφάνεια που του έλειπε στα προηγούμενα. Όσον αφορά στον «κακό» της υπόθεσης, είναι εντυπωσιακό το πόσο αριστοτεχνικά έχει στήσει την συγκεκριμένη περσόνα. Βρισκόμαστε αντιμέτωποι με έναν πανέξυπνο χαρακτήρα, άρτια δοσμένο, που προσωπικά δεν πήγε ούτε μια στιγμή το μυαλό μου ότι μπορεί να είναι αυτός ο απαγωγέας, παρά μόνο μερικές παραγράφους πριν την αποκάλυψη. Τολμώ να πω, ότι τα παιχνιδάκια που μας παίζει σε αυτό της το βιβλίο η Hayder, μου θύμισαν κάποιες στιγμές, τον πολυαγαπημένο μου Sebastian Fitzek (όχι δεν κάνω σύγκριση, μου τον θύμισαν είπα!) και τα πολυδιάστατα γαϊτανάκια του, που τόσο περίτεχνα στήνει.
Επιπλέον, μας δίνει πολύ ωραίες περιγραφές των τόπων που επισκέπτονται οι ήρωές μας (Κάφερι και Φλι). Τόσο ζωντανές που είναι σαν να βρίσκεται κι ο αναγνώστης εκεί και να τα βλέπει με τα ίδια του τα μάτια.
Γενικότερα, θα έλεγα ότι η πένα της Hayder έχει περάσει σε άλλο επίπεδο και θέλω να πιστεύω πως, τα δύο προηγούμενα βιβλία της δεν ήταν τίποτα άλλο, από το μεταβατικό στάδιο. Μοιάζει σα να μην θέλει πια να γράφει πια φρικιαστικές ιστορίες αλλά προτιμά να «περιπαίζει» τους αναγνώστες της, γράφοντας ψυχολογικά θρίλερ, τα οποία παίζουν με το μυαλό, την ηθική, τα συναισθήματα μας.
Μειονέκτημα για μένα το τέλος του βιβλίου. Θα προτιμούσα κάτι πιο «τραχύ» και λιγότερο ωραιοποιημένο, όπως θα άρμοζε σε μια τέτοια ιστορία. Επίσης, αν ήταν καμιά 100στή σελίδες μικρότερο, είμαι σίγουρη ότι θα ήταν καλύτερα. Υπήρξαν σημεία που δεν καταλάβαινα το λόγο του τόσου μπλα-μπλα και τα προσπερνούσα στο fast forward. Τέλος, υπήρχαν αρκετά λάθη επιμέλειας κι ασυνέπειες στο κείμενο. Όχι ότι ενοχλούσαν στην πλοκή αλλά όταν τα προσέξεις, είναι πράγματα που σε χαλάνε.
Με περιμένουν τα δυο επόμενα, «Η Κούκλα» και «Ο Λύκος» τα οποία ελπίζω να ικανοποιήσουν τις προσδοκίες μου και να δικαιώσουν την εκτίμησή μου.
Καλές αναγνώσεις!
Μπορείτε να διαβάσετε περισσότερα στο blog μας: https://vivliografika.blogspot.com/20...
May 11, 2025
4.5 stars
This was outstanding! Well-paced thriller. Someone is car jacking cars but there’s a catch. He’s only jacking cars with kids in the back. Why? That’s one of the mysteries. Where are the children? Why are certain people targeted? What’s the connection? Getting to the answers was a thrill ride. Jack Caffery is much more present in this novel than the previous two books and the story is much better for it. “Flea”Marley, the other protagonist, first introduced in #3, has a separate but connected storyline of her own. It all works well together.
Most of the horrific, gruesome aspects of the first two novels in the series are gone. Not sure if it was a deliberate choice by the author to eliminate the gore. It’s not a complaint. These novels are dark and some of the characters are truly awful and sickening. This book didn’t need to be bloody. The story is entertaining and well-written.
Also, this series must be read in order. There are underlying stories which continue from book to book.
This was outstanding! Well-paced thriller. Someone is car jacking cars but there’s a catch. He’s only jacking cars with kids in the back. Why? That’s one of the mysteries. Where are the children? Why are certain people targeted? What’s the connection? Getting to the answers was a thrill ride. Jack Caffery is much more present in this novel than the previous two books and the story is much better for it. “Flea”Marley, the other protagonist, first introduced in #3, has a separate but connected storyline of her own. It all works well together.
Most of the horrific, gruesome aspects of the first two novels in the series are gone. Not sure if it was a deliberate choice by the author to eliminate the gore. It’s not a complaint. These novels are dark and some of the characters are truly awful and sickening. This book didn’t need to be bloody. The story is entertaining and well-written.
Also, this series must be read in order. There are underlying stories which continue from book to book.
April 6, 2025
GONE (Jack Caffery Book 5) [2011] By Mo Hayder
My Review 5.0 Stars
This Edgar Award winning novel was first published in 2010 following four prior novels featuring Detective Jack Caffery. I became fascinated by her work several years ago when I discovered her debut novel “Birdman” (2000). Mo Hayder (pen name) lived perhaps the most colorful and exotic lifestyle of any author whose works I have read. Tragically, she succumbed to complications of Lou Gehrig’s Disease in the summer of 2021. Many readers today are familiar with her terrifying first book “Birdman” despite the fact it was first published a quarter of a century ago in December 1999. It became an international bestseller. I found it interesting that the manuscript of this first book was accepted by a leading literary agent and published in England by a division of Penguin Random House. Patrick Janson-Smith of Transworld described the manuscript at the 1998 Frankfurt Book Fair as one of the most powerful and violent books he had come across, "a completely gripping story with believable characters". Her second novel “The Treatment” (2001) was an award-winning bestseller, and a book which Karen Slaughter has gone on the record as saying, “It scared the hell out of me”. Frankly it is quite easy to see how that the reading public of 25 years ago would deem her work controversial. I thought “Birdman” was terrifying, but “The Treatment” was one of the most emotionally disturbing novels I have ever read and remains true today.
I am a passionate fan of her body of works and had been reading through her Jack Caffery series on a regular basis until I became sidetracked by the horror subgenre Extreme Horror/Splatterpunk. I learned very early on that psychological horror is often more terrifying that blood splatter. Obviously, the late Mo Hayder still had a place on my virtual bookshelf. I have periodically been touching base with a buddy who was only introduced to her infamous “Birdman” recently. He is now a fan and when he has messaged me periodically about his progress reading the series, I am always telling him that I am going to read the next book in the series for me which was the international bestseller and Edgar Award Winning “Gone”. I read it during the final week of March.
Gone [2010] is Book 5 in the author’s Jack Caffery series (and the third novel in “The Walking Man” series). This is an overlap with “The Walking Man” series starting with “Ritual” (Jack Caffery Book 3), continuing with “Skin” (Jack Caffery Book 4), and “Gone” (Jack Caffery Book 5). This is not as complicated as it perhaps sounds. It would be more accurate to state that the haunting character dubbed “The Walking Man” was initially sighted in the third installment of the Jack Caffery series and continued to make appearances in the subsequent Caffery books as stated above.
Ordinarily I am one of those readers who are adamant about going to the very first book in any given series and reading the installments in chronological order. I am not going to make that argument in this case. Why? “Gone” is an absolutely fantastic book, and I almost cried at the end. Yes, I am sticking to that lie to protect my reputation (smile). It is not a good book; it is a truly great read. The reason I do not advise potential readers of this novel to “go back” and read the earlier novels in the series is because they may not “get” to this book. It is such a propulsive and intense crime thriller that I do not want any reader to miss out. I am going to issue a “spoiler” in a sense. Hayder to this point had been limited to a cult favorite (a cult I joined in a New York second) but she changes things up with this novel and makes the jump to a mainstream smash.
Gone [2010] is relegated to the categories of “Kidnapping Thrillers”, “Serial Killers”, and “Police Procedurals”. Well, take your pick of the genre designations. The description on Amazon is a nifty synopsis of the storyline. Detective Jack Caffery is in the driver’s seat, but he is joined in this superlative narrative of terror by the indomitable police diver Sgt. Flea Marley. This hellish nightmare of a pulse-pounding thriller taps into the worst nightmare that could ever visit a mother or father. The case begins with a routine carjacking by a criminal wearing a Santa Claus mask and exhibits a streak of violence and a penchant for profanity toward the female driver of the vehicle. The car-jacker steals the automobile but there is a caveat in that the back seat is occupied by an eleven-year-old girl. It is not immediately apparent to the police that the “car-jacker’s” target is the children who are a passenger in the cars. The mind-numbing fear of the parents who have had their child abducted is simply paralyzing to read. Cafferty leads a formidable task force, and it is the epitome of frustration when leads on the carjacker are absent or lead nowhere. Caffery and his tireless police force, forensic experts, and computer geniuses cannot lay a glove on this seemingly invincible thief of goods more precious than the Hope Diamond.
Hayder puts on a master class of ratcheting up the tension in this top shelf mystery and crime suspense story. The character of police diver Sgt. Flea Marley is pursuing her own intuition and theory of the case. This ultimately places her in grave danger as she explores an abandoned, half-submerged tunnel. The character of Flea Marley was introduced in the third book of the series and she is no “Susie Sunbonnet” to be clear. That said, Hayder is per her usual style running multiple plotlines here. In this installment of the series, she and Caffery are at odds with one another for reasons that will be revealed in the storyline. The inclusion of “The Walking Man” is always both creepy and fascinating. There is the thread of Caffery continuing to seek out the haunted man’s counsel. But the primary story of the “car jacker” stealing little girls that are unable to be found is enough to make you want to take a drink, a Valium, or whatever. The mothers’ fear and irreconcilable heartache of loss while awaiting any word about their little girls would be completely gut wrenching for any reader. The masterful storytelling ability of Hayder to create immediacy (“you are there”) creates a compelling demand for your sympathy. The hours tick by and Caffery becomes more stressed and frustrated with his inability to make any progress in the identification of the “Jacker”. The reader is trying without success not to imagine what is happening to the children and when the search will switch to a recovery effort instead.
The author manages to push both her protagonists to the limits of endurance in this frantically paced and deviously plotted whodunit. I was not particularly fond of the character of Flea Marley in the two prior installments but then she did provide a modicum of relief from the darkness and haunted persistence of Caffery to find clues to the disappearance of his little brother. The readers know the answers to all of Caffery’s questions, but the main character doesn’t know “Jack” (pun intended).
You are hooked once you start reading this emotionally charged, infuriating, stress inducing mystery of multiple child abductions, and it is also an incredibly effective mystery. Flea Marley manages to redeem herself in this one, and I don’t think I was breathing at some points when her life was hanging by a thread, literally trapped in the underwater tunnel with her very life at the whim of fate.
I felt foolish when I realized the identity of the “Jacker”. I loved the manner in which the parents of the abducted children were involved to the nth degree in efforts to find their young girls. Flea Marley’s escapades were enough to give me a stroke if I was older. Caffery’s sleepless haunted eyes and frustration were not particularly irritating this time around. “The Walking Man” was a temporary almost hypnotic detour. Caffery believes the man is psychic (he warned Caffery at the beginning that this one was cleverer than the others). The ending of the novel is nothing short of hitting the ball not just out of the park, but out of the stratosphere. The special touch that was delivered at the climax made me “believe”.
TRIGGER WARNING: AVOID THIS TIGHTROPE OF TENSION IF YOU HAVE A HEART CONDITION
My Review 5.0 Stars
This Edgar Award winning novel was first published in 2010 following four prior novels featuring Detective Jack Caffery. I became fascinated by her work several years ago when I discovered her debut novel “Birdman” (2000). Mo Hayder (pen name) lived perhaps the most colorful and exotic lifestyle of any author whose works I have read. Tragically, she succumbed to complications of Lou Gehrig’s Disease in the summer of 2021. Many readers today are familiar with her terrifying first book “Birdman” despite the fact it was first published a quarter of a century ago in December 1999. It became an international bestseller. I found it interesting that the manuscript of this first book was accepted by a leading literary agent and published in England by a division of Penguin Random House. Patrick Janson-Smith of Transworld described the manuscript at the 1998 Frankfurt Book Fair as one of the most powerful and violent books he had come across, "a completely gripping story with believable characters". Her second novel “The Treatment” (2001) was an award-winning bestseller, and a book which Karen Slaughter has gone on the record as saying, “It scared the hell out of me”. Frankly it is quite easy to see how that the reading public of 25 years ago would deem her work controversial. I thought “Birdman” was terrifying, but “The Treatment” was one of the most emotionally disturbing novels I have ever read and remains true today.
I am a passionate fan of her body of works and had been reading through her Jack Caffery series on a regular basis until I became sidetracked by the horror subgenre Extreme Horror/Splatterpunk. I learned very early on that psychological horror is often more terrifying that blood splatter. Obviously, the late Mo Hayder still had a place on my virtual bookshelf. I have periodically been touching base with a buddy who was only introduced to her infamous “Birdman” recently. He is now a fan and when he has messaged me periodically about his progress reading the series, I am always telling him that I am going to read the next book in the series for me which was the international bestseller and Edgar Award Winning “Gone”. I read it during the final week of March.
Gone [2010] is Book 5 in the author’s Jack Caffery series (and the third novel in “The Walking Man” series). This is an overlap with “The Walking Man” series starting with “Ritual” (Jack Caffery Book 3), continuing with “Skin” (Jack Caffery Book 4), and “Gone” (Jack Caffery Book 5). This is not as complicated as it perhaps sounds. It would be more accurate to state that the haunting character dubbed “The Walking Man” was initially sighted in the third installment of the Jack Caffery series and continued to make appearances in the subsequent Caffery books as stated above.
Ordinarily I am one of those readers who are adamant about going to the very first book in any given series and reading the installments in chronological order. I am not going to make that argument in this case. Why? “Gone” is an absolutely fantastic book, and I almost cried at the end. Yes, I am sticking to that lie to protect my reputation (smile). It is not a good book; it is a truly great read. The reason I do not advise potential readers of this novel to “go back” and read the earlier novels in the series is because they may not “get” to this book. It is such a propulsive and intense crime thriller that I do not want any reader to miss out. I am going to issue a “spoiler” in a sense. Hayder to this point had been limited to a cult favorite (a cult I joined in a New York second) but she changes things up with this novel and makes the jump to a mainstream smash.
Gone [2010] is relegated to the categories of “Kidnapping Thrillers”, “Serial Killers”, and “Police Procedurals”. Well, take your pick of the genre designations. The description on Amazon is a nifty synopsis of the storyline. Detective Jack Caffery is in the driver’s seat, but he is joined in this superlative narrative of terror by the indomitable police diver Sgt. Flea Marley. This hellish nightmare of a pulse-pounding thriller taps into the worst nightmare that could ever visit a mother or father. The case begins with a routine carjacking by a criminal wearing a Santa Claus mask and exhibits a streak of violence and a penchant for profanity toward the female driver of the vehicle. The car-jacker steals the automobile but there is a caveat in that the back seat is occupied by an eleven-year-old girl. It is not immediately apparent to the police that the “car-jacker’s” target is the children who are a passenger in the cars. The mind-numbing fear of the parents who have had their child abducted is simply paralyzing to read. Cafferty leads a formidable task force, and it is the epitome of frustration when leads on the carjacker are absent or lead nowhere. Caffery and his tireless police force, forensic experts, and computer geniuses cannot lay a glove on this seemingly invincible thief of goods more precious than the Hope Diamond.
Hayder puts on a master class of ratcheting up the tension in this top shelf mystery and crime suspense story. The character of police diver Sgt. Flea Marley is pursuing her own intuition and theory of the case. This ultimately places her in grave danger as she explores an abandoned, half-submerged tunnel. The character of Flea Marley was introduced in the third book of the series and she is no “Susie Sunbonnet” to be clear. That said, Hayder is per her usual style running multiple plotlines here. In this installment of the series, she and Caffery are at odds with one another for reasons that will be revealed in the storyline. The inclusion of “The Walking Man” is always both creepy and fascinating. There is the thread of Caffery continuing to seek out the haunted man’s counsel. But the primary story of the “car jacker” stealing little girls that are unable to be found is enough to make you want to take a drink, a Valium, or whatever. The mothers’ fear and irreconcilable heartache of loss while awaiting any word about their little girls would be completely gut wrenching for any reader. The masterful storytelling ability of Hayder to create immediacy (“you are there”) creates a compelling demand for your sympathy. The hours tick by and Caffery becomes more stressed and frustrated with his inability to make any progress in the identification of the “Jacker”. The reader is trying without success not to imagine what is happening to the children and when the search will switch to a recovery effort instead.
The author manages to push both her protagonists to the limits of endurance in this frantically paced and deviously plotted whodunit. I was not particularly fond of the character of Flea Marley in the two prior installments but then she did provide a modicum of relief from the darkness and haunted persistence of Caffery to find clues to the disappearance of his little brother. The readers know the answers to all of Caffery’s questions, but the main character doesn’t know “Jack” (pun intended).
You are hooked once you start reading this emotionally charged, infuriating, stress inducing mystery of multiple child abductions, and it is also an incredibly effective mystery. Flea Marley manages to redeem herself in this one, and I don’t think I was breathing at some points when her life was hanging by a thread, literally trapped in the underwater tunnel with her very life at the whim of fate.
I felt foolish when I realized the identity of the “Jacker”. I loved the manner in which the parents of the abducted children were involved to the nth degree in efforts to find their young girls. Flea Marley’s escapades were enough to give me a stroke if I was older. Caffery’s sleepless haunted eyes and frustration were not particularly irritating this time around. “The Walking Man” was a temporary almost hypnotic detour. Caffery believes the man is psychic (he warned Caffery at the beginning that this one was cleverer than the others). The ending of the novel is nothing short of hitting the ball not just out of the park, but out of the stratosphere. The special touch that was delivered at the climax made me “believe”.
TRIGGER WARNING: AVOID THIS TIGHTROPE OF TENSION IF YOU HAVE A HEART CONDITION
July 22, 2018
Προφανώς διαβάζεται εύκολα και γρήγορα.
Εκεί που έλεγα ότι τίποτα δε μπορεί να με εκπλήξει κι ότι η Hayder το ‘χει χάσει, συμβαίνει αυτό με το εύρημα του Κάφερι στη μηλόπιτα, το οποίο βρίσκω τρομερά ανατριχιαστικό. Μου θύμισε την εποχή που διάβαζα το Τόκυο και κάποια άλλα βιβλία της, που μου είχαν προκαλέσει παρόμοια ‘’ταραχή’’.
Απ’ την άλλη το γεγονός ότι ο Κάφερι έχει γίνει πιο γήινος σαν άνθρωπος και σαν επαγγελματίας προσθέτει γαλόνια στο χτίσιμο του χαρακτήρα. Και η συνέχιση στο χτίσιμο της Φλι, είναι αληθοφανής.
Στο κύριο σώμα του το βιβλίο είναι καλοδουλεμένο σε σχέση με τα προηγούμενα και για πρώτη φορά φαίνεται καθαρά ότι η συγγραφέας φυτεύει στοιχεία στα βιβλία της που θ’ αποτελέσουν ικανοποιητικές αιχμές, σε μελλοντικά.
Βέβαια, με ενοχλεί η προβολή ορισμένων καταναλωτικών αγαθών, επώνυμα. Προσδίδει ένα χαρακτήρα που δεν ταιριάζει στο βιβλίο, ακόμη κι αν ορισμένες επιλογές τέτοιων αντικειμένων, έχουν την τάση να καθρεφτίζουν ορισμένους τύπους, που όσο κι αν θες να αποφεύγεις τα στερεότυπα, δύσκολα αγνοείς.
Μάλλον είναι το πιο ανατρεπτικό και μη ευθύγραμμο βιβλίο της, που διαρκώς οδηγεί σε λάθος συμπεράσματα, παίζοντας και φλερτάροντας με τον αναγνώστη, επιτυχώς.
Είναι απ’ τις λίγες φορές που χωρίς ειρωνεία και με καλοπροαίρετη διάθεση γίνεται ορατός ο ανθρώπινος χαρακτήρας της αστυνομίας μ’ ό,τι αυτό σημαίνει για την εντατικοποίηση και τα λάθη που γίνονται. Αυτό το φινίρισμα έξω από στοιχεία σούπερ ντούπερ κάνει το βιβλίο περισσότερο ελκυστικό.
Τέλος, το εύρημα του βιβλίου δεν είναι στο ποιος, αλλά στο πως κοροϊδεύει τους πάντες με μαεστρία προς τέρψη του αναγνώστη.
Ενώ δεν έχω το σύνδρομο του happy end, παρόλ’ αυτά η συγγραφέας για πολλές σελίδες με έκανε να το εύχομαι.
Δυστυχώς ΄όμως σπέρνει ενόχους που στο τέλος μένουν αστήρικτες οι αόρατες συνδέσεις ως παρανοήσεις.
Σε σχέση με τα προηγούμενα μυθιστορήματα είναι πολύ καλό αστυνομικό. Θα ικανοποιήσει πιστεύω αυτό που θέλει να διασκεδάσει και θα εξυπηρετήσει την ανάγκη για ένα απολαυστικό βράδυ με μπλόκμπάστερ κατάσταση και ανάλογη διάθεση.
Εκεί που έλεγα ότι τίποτα δε μπορεί να με εκπλήξει κι ότι η Hayder το ‘χει χάσει, συμβαίνει αυτό με το εύρημα του Κάφερι στη μηλόπιτα, το οποίο βρίσκω τρομερά ανατριχιαστικό. Μου θύμισε την εποχή που διάβαζα το Τόκυο και κάποια άλλα βιβλία της, που μου είχαν προκαλέσει παρόμοια ‘’ταραχή’’.
Απ’ την άλλη το γεγονός ότι ο Κάφερι έχει γίνει πιο γήινος σαν άνθρωπος και σαν επαγγελματίας προσθέτει γαλόνια στο χτίσιμο του χαρακτήρα. Και η συνέχιση στο χτίσιμο της Φλι, είναι αληθοφανής.
Στο κύριο σώμα του το βιβλίο είναι καλοδουλεμένο σε σχέση με τα προηγούμενα και για πρώτη φορά φαίνεται καθαρά ότι η συγγραφέας φυτεύει στοιχεία στα βιβλία της που θ’ αποτελέσουν ικανοποιητικές αιχμές, σε μελλοντικά.
Βέβαια, με ενοχλεί η προβολή ορισμένων καταναλωτικών αγαθών, επώνυμα. Προσδίδει ένα χαρακτήρα που δεν ταιριάζει στο βιβλίο, ακόμη κι αν ορισμένες επιλογές τέτοιων αντικειμένων, έχουν την τάση να καθρεφτίζουν ορισμένους τύπους, που όσο κι αν θες να αποφεύγεις τα στερεότυπα, δύσκολα αγνοείς.
Μάλλον είναι το πιο ανατρεπτικό και μη ευθύγραμμο βιβλίο της, που διαρκώς οδηγεί σε λάθος συμπεράσματα, παίζοντας και φλερτάροντας με τον αναγνώστη, επιτυχώς.
Είναι απ’ τις λίγες φορές που χωρίς ειρωνεία και με καλοπροαίρετη διάθεση γίνεται ορατός ο ανθρώπινος χαρακτήρας της αστυνομίας μ’ ό,τι αυτό σημαίνει για την εντατικοποίηση και τα λάθη που γίνονται. Αυτό το φινίρισμα έξω από στοιχεία σούπερ ντούπερ κάνει το βιβλίο περισσότερο ελκυστικό.
Τέλος, το εύρημα του βιβλίου δεν είναι στο ποιος, αλλά στο πως κοροϊδεύει τους πάντες με μαεστρία προς τέρψη του αναγνώστη.
Ενώ δεν έχω το σύνδρομο του happy end, παρόλ’ αυτά η συγγραφέας για πολλές σελίδες με έκανε να το εύχομαι.
Δυστυχώς ΄όμως σπέρνει ενόχους που στο τέλος μένουν αστήρικτες οι αόρατες συνδέσεις ως παρανοήσεις.
Σε σχέση με τα προηγούμενα μυθιστορήματα είναι πολύ καλό αστυνομικό. Θα ικανοποιήσει πιστεύω αυτό που θέλει να διασκεδάσει και θα εξυπηρετήσει την ανάγκη για ένα απολαυστικό βράδυ με μπλόκμπάστερ κατάσταση και ανάλογη διάθεση.
June 21, 2012
This is, as promised, a nail-biter of a thriller. As it raced to its conclusion, I couldn't help reading into the wee hours, heart pounding. So why only 3 stars? Well, the characters, while solid enough, are mostly predictable and the key female investigator, Flea, does a quite predictable, quite risky stupid thing. She is also up to her neck in a very serious cover-up. Apparently this is supposed to make her "human" to the reader. For me, it makes her, despite her skill, a completely crooked, scum cop, with two sets of rules--one for her and those close to her, and another for everyone else. Fortunately the mothers of the missing girls are not so stupid, saving this from being a book about how the "little woman" steps in it. The other problem is that the underwater scenes, central to much of the action, are so complex and so poorly described that I could neither picture nor follow them. This was very frustrating. Still, it help me reading. I will read more by Hayder.
June 21, 2019
Επιτέλους ξαναγύρισε η Mo Hayder που αγαπήσαμε με τα δύο πρώτα βιβλία της.
Μια σκληρή υπόθεση, σφικτά δεμένη που δεν σε αφήνει να πάρεις ανάσα. Καλοδουλεμενοι χαρακτήρες και σωστή ροή πληροφοριών για την λύση του εγκλήματος και του λόγου που αυτό έγινε.
Σε αυτό το βιβλίο ο ντετέκτιβ Τζακ Καφερι αρχίζει και γίνεται πιο ανθρώπινος. Η συγγραφέας στρογγυλεύει τις αιχμές του και σιγά σιγά βγαίνει από το κουκούλι της μοναξιάς και της βίας που ήταν τυλιγμένος.
Ανυπομονώ για την επόμενη περιπέτεια του.
Μια σκληρή υπόθεση, σφικτά δεμένη που δεν σε αφήνει να πάρεις ανάσα. Καλοδουλεμενοι χαρακτήρες και σωστή ροή πληροφοριών για την λύση του εγκλήματος και του λόγου που αυτό έγινε.
Σε αυτό το βιβλίο ο ντετέκτιβ Τζακ Καφερι αρχίζει και γίνεται πιο ανθρώπινος. Η συγγραφέας στρογγυλεύει τις αιχμές του και σιγά σιγά βγαίνει από το κουκούλι της μοναξιάς και της βίας που ήταν τυλιγμένος.
Ανυπομονώ για την επόμενη περιπέτεια του.
November 21, 2025
A figure wearing a rubber Santa mask sprints through a parking lot, flings a woman out of her driver’s seat and speeds away. Horrifically, a young girl was buckled into the back during the jacking, but police expect the little one to turn up as soon as the thief realizes his mistake. She doesn’t. Nor does the next.
Mo Hayder returns to her treacherous roots in Gone and offers us her best constructed villain of the series. This is a novel that reminds brave readers how evil far more insidious than death can be conceived of by a brilliant, twisted villain.
Six months have passed since the events of the last entry in this incredible series, which is part intense police procedural, and part soul search. Detective Jack Caffery is as tormented as ever about his brother disappearing during their childhood, presumably stolen by a pedophile neighbor, so the child abduction theme here launches him into action. Flea (Pheobe) Marley, our other protagonist, leads a team of police divers in the Underwater Search Unit. She’s got closets of skeletons as well, but is so brave and reliable, most don’t see them. We root for the deeply flawed pair.
This book is best to approach with few plot details to maximize shock and awe. Hayder is particularly skilled at dipping into the lives of secondary characters a couple days before they are directly relevant to the plot, so when a major event occurs, we feel deeply invested in the people affected.
Easily one of the most innovative thrillers I've ever read. Highly recommended to fans of the author or lovers of dark, prickly mysteries like Red Dragon or Silence of the Lambs. Amazing, spine-tingling stuff.
Mo Hayder returns to her treacherous roots in Gone and offers us her best constructed villain of the series. This is a novel that reminds brave readers how evil far more insidious than death can be conceived of by a brilliant, twisted villain.
Six months have passed since the events of the last entry in this incredible series, which is part intense police procedural, and part soul search. Detective Jack Caffery is as tormented as ever about his brother disappearing during their childhood, presumably stolen by a pedophile neighbor, so the child abduction theme here launches him into action. Flea (Pheobe) Marley, our other protagonist, leads a team of police divers in the Underwater Search Unit. She’s got closets of skeletons as well, but is so brave and reliable, most don’t see them. We root for the deeply flawed pair.
This book is best to approach with few plot details to maximize shock and awe. Hayder is particularly skilled at dipping into the lives of secondary characters a couple days before they are directly relevant to the plot, so when a major event occurs, we feel deeply invested in the people affected.
Easily one of the most innovative thrillers I've ever read. Highly recommended to fans of the author or lovers of dark, prickly mysteries like Red Dragon or Silence of the Lambs. Amazing, spine-tingling stuff.
January 20, 2018
Das ist mein 2tes (?) Buch von Mo Hayder und ich bin irritiert, denn das andere fand ich richtig gut. War dieses jetzt hier einfach n seltener Griff ins Klo oder das erste n seltener Glückstreffer?
September 3, 2021
Αυτό μάλιστα..πολύ καλύτερο από τα προηγούμενα δύο ..
May 6, 2012
Gone by Mo Hayder is so good I read it practically at one sitting. I kept thinking, "I need to savor this because I might not find another book I enjoy as much." But, I just kept reading until I finished. She is the author of six other books and I will definitely be checking them out. Okay, now for the review.
The protagonist is Inspector Jack Caffery Of Bristol's Crime Investigation Unit. The plot begins with Jack looking at video of a carjacking. A man wearing a rubber Santa Claus mask rushed to a woman as she placed packages in the boot of her car, slammed into her, climbed into the driver's seat of her car and sped off with the blur of a small girl's head in the back seat. Jack assured the parents that two other girls had been taken in similar circumstances and released later, unharmed. This is the beginning of a well-thought out, brilliant mystery that doesn't let up until the final pages.
Jack works with a lady diver named Flea Marley and a detective named Prody who transferred in from Traffic. When the eleven year-old Martha doesn't return and another child is abducted, Jack knows
they are probably searching for a pedophile. The plot takes twists and turns never letting up on the adrenalin as the families are tortured, almost beyond belief. Hayder is especially adept at describing the two mothers' feelings of helplessness. The setting switches to a tunnel under the Cotswold where Flea rationalizes the girls might be hidden. Her exploits ratchets up the suspense while Jack keeps looking for a commonality connecting the two families. The ending is unexpected and highly explosive. I'm looking for the next Mo Hayder thriller.
The protagonist is Inspector Jack Caffery Of Bristol's Crime Investigation Unit. The plot begins with Jack looking at video of a carjacking. A man wearing a rubber Santa Claus mask rushed to a woman as she placed packages in the boot of her car, slammed into her, climbed into the driver's seat of her car and sped off with the blur of a small girl's head in the back seat. Jack assured the parents that two other girls had been taken in similar circumstances and released later, unharmed. This is the beginning of a well-thought out, brilliant mystery that doesn't let up until the final pages.
Jack works with a lady diver named Flea Marley and a detective named Prody who transferred in from Traffic. When the eleven year-old Martha doesn't return and another child is abducted, Jack knows
they are probably searching for a pedophile. The plot takes twists and turns never letting up on the adrenalin as the families are tortured, almost beyond belief. Hayder is especially adept at describing the two mothers' feelings of helplessness. The setting switches to a tunnel under the Cotswold where Flea rationalizes the girls might be hidden. Her exploits ratchets up the suspense while Jack keeps looking for a commonality connecting the two families. The ending is unexpected and highly explosive. I'm looking for the next Mo Hayder thriller.
June 27, 2012
How did I not know about this author before? Very dark, similar to Stephen Booth's Cooper & Fry series (although Jack Cafferty nothing like Ben Cooper).
There's an odd carjacking: a man in a Santa mask performs a seemingly opportunistic jacking, not realizing that there's a little girl in the back of the car. In these cases, the child is usually returned (well, released) rather quickly... except this doesn't seem to be "these cases" and Martha hasn't been released quickly. Cafferty and team start to realize that the jacker targeted the car because it had a child in the back, and that this is part of a pattern; in the other cases, the children were released. Then there's another carjacking, and another girl taken.
Then there's Sgt. Flea Marley, still dealing with her cover-up of her brother's fatal hit-and-run and trying to get her Underwater Search Unit back on track. The search for the missing girls in part helps, but her hunches start to endanger her and her second-in-command... and then finally her.
The character development is, as always in these cases, very slow and there are so many layers to Cafferty and Marley still to be unwrapped. Their history, both together and apart, is one of solitary togetherness, a professional relationship that may never be much more because of the damage they each have. As for the mystery, the main suspect was clearly a false lead and my guess as to who had point them in that direction was right (but it wasn't so obvious that I didn't have to check the back of the book!).
Definitely a "buy more" author/series.
Copy provided by publisher.
There's an odd carjacking: a man in a Santa mask performs a seemingly opportunistic jacking, not realizing that there's a little girl in the back of the car. In these cases, the child is usually returned (well, released) rather quickly... except this doesn't seem to be "these cases" and Martha hasn't been released quickly. Cafferty and team start to realize that the jacker targeted the car because it had a child in the back, and that this is part of a pattern; in the other cases, the children were released. Then there's another carjacking, and another girl taken.
Then there's Sgt. Flea Marley, still dealing with her cover-up of her brother's fatal hit-and-run and trying to get her Underwater Search Unit back on track. The search for the missing girls in part helps, but her hunches start to endanger her and her second-in-command... and then finally her.
The character development is, as always in these cases, very slow and there are so many layers to Cafferty and Marley still to be unwrapped. Their history, both together and apart, is one of solitary togetherness, a professional relationship that may never be much more because of the damage they each have. As for the mystery, the main suspect was clearly a false lead and my guess as to who had point them in that direction was right (but it wasn't so obvious that I didn't have to check the back of the book!).
Definitely a "buy more" author/series.
Copy provided by publisher.
January 1, 2013
I don't know. Maybe I read too many mysteries. (BLASPHEMY!) But I couldn't quite finish this one. A little over 100 pages to go and I just chucked it. What's the problem? 1) No humor. NONE. Just tortured, flawed people which is FINE. It's a staple of the genre. I get it. But MAN it gets old after a while. And you can be dark and still allow us a few light moments. Pacing! 2) All the descriptions of Flea puttering around boats and underground caverns and blah blah. I get that as a scene these places are important but again, pacing. You'd just get a head of steam going and here we are again, underground. 3) I just didn't care, in the end. The only character that I liked AT ALL was Janice and then she started behaving like a twit. Anyway, sorry to be the voice of dissent but there's much better stuff out there. Denise Mina, Tana French, Harry Bingham, S.J. Bolton's Lacey Flint series.
April 14, 2015
Reading this book was at times a trial for me. I've not been sleeping well, and would find myself falling asleep during this book. I'd wake up a few minutes later, look back at what I'd read, continue on, and fall asleep again. In the middle of the morning, and in the middle of the afternoon. I was just too tired to pay attention to all the details. It's not entirely my fault, though. About the book, I mean. There were times I thought the book could have been shortened a little. All the time spent with the families, and Jack meeting with the Walking Man, seemed too long. I did like the fact that part of the storyline was a continuation from the previous book, Skin. I also like that the storyline looks like it's going to continue into the next book, Poppet.
August 26, 2018
Spannend van begin tot eind en moeilijk weg te leggen!
July 19, 2019
Mo Hayder takes you to the edge! Stolen car with 11 year-old in the backseat. Is it a carjacking or a kidnapping? Jack Cafferty and Flea Marley race to put the pieces together. Chilling and captivating. Fast-paced plot. Fascinating characters. Shocking ending. 5th book in series. Can‘t wait to read next one. Recommended.
December 25, 2025
I was a bit trepidatious turning to book five of this series after the disappointment of the previous volume. However, this book was so much better in my opinion.
About six months has passed since the events described in the previous book and Flea is wondering if she can start to move on with her life. No one has discovered the body of the footballer's wife that her brother killed in a hit-and-run, and which she was then blackmailed into disposing of by her brother's unpleasant girlfriend after he declined to take any responsibility. Flea is still out of control in terms of risk taking, and her team's reputation has taken a beating. But she is eventually vindicated in her deductions about where the carjacker, previously a background element in the last two books, is keeping little girls he has abducted, although the revelation about that person's identity is a shocker.
Caffery actually does some useful work in this, coming up with some of the breakthroughs himself, or taking forward Flea's where the force doesn't allow her to 'act above her pay grade'. There's a slightly supernatural element at the end, an echo of the end of a previous volume where Caffery received an impression of his brother, who had only just died unbeknownst to him. Here it is Flea who is able to reach out and place an impression in his mind which allows a happy ending for once. A dog does feature, with Caffery taking care of it, but as a pleasant change no animals are brutalised or die, and there's no dwelling on gruesome details of crimes.
I liked the character of Janice, a very astute woman who is the mother of one of the abducted children, and who is able to make deductions of her own. The bond that eventually forms between her, the other mother, and their family liaison office, Nick, another woman, is nicely portrayed.
I almost awarded 5 stars, but there's a bit of muddle or lack of clarity about what the perpetrator had against some of the people concerned. I also didn't quite understand exactly how Flea's improvised action near the end of the book worked without being fatal to her. So a 4 star rating.
About six months has passed since the events described in the previous book and Flea is wondering if she can start to move on with her life. No one has discovered the body of the footballer's wife that her brother killed in a hit-and-run, and which she was then blackmailed into disposing of by her brother's unpleasant girlfriend after he declined to take any responsibility. Flea is still out of control in terms of risk taking, and her team's reputation has taken a beating. But she is eventually vindicated in her deductions about where the carjacker, previously a background element in the last two books, is keeping little girls he has abducted, although the revelation about that person's identity is a shocker.
Caffery actually does some useful work in this, coming up with some of the breakthroughs himself, or taking forward Flea's where the force doesn't allow her to 'act above her pay grade'. There's a slightly supernatural element at the end, an echo of the end of a previous volume where Caffery received an impression of his brother, who had only just died unbeknownst to him. Here it is Flea who is able to reach out and place an impression in his mind which allows a happy ending for once. A dog does feature, with Caffery taking care of it, but as a pleasant change no animals are brutalised or die, and there's no dwelling on gruesome details of crimes.
I liked the character of Janice, a very astute woman who is the mother of one of the abducted children, and who is able to make deductions of her own. The bond that eventually forms between her, the other mother, and their family liaison office, Nick, another woman, is nicely portrayed.
I almost awarded 5 stars, but there's a bit of muddle or lack of clarity about what the perpetrator had against some of the people concerned. I also didn't quite understand exactly how Flea's improvised action near the end of the book worked without being fatal to her. So a 4 star rating.
December 4, 2010
Mo Hayder has been writing for ten years and it shows. Her latest book “Gone”, her eighth and fifth to feature Bristol Detective Inspector Jack Caffrey, is a rollercoaster of a whodunit. Frightening at times the narrative exudes a thrilling quality that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the final pages.
Set in the West Country Jack Caffrey, lead detective in the MCIU, (Major Crime Investigation Unit) is called in to investigate a seemingly random carjacking. However it soon becomes evident that this is no ordinary carjacking; the suspect, sporting a Santa Claus face mask is targeting cars with children in the back seat. What the police can’t figure out is why some children are returned to their parents and some remain missing – can Caffrey discover the identification of the masked carjacker before it’s too late?
One thing is clear, the carjacker is clever; very very clever and Caffrey is up against it. To solve this crime and those that follow, he will have to use the full force of the law and his years of experience as a detective to bring about a successful outcome.
Along for the ride is Flea Marley, Sergeant and head of Underwater Search Unit (USU). Hayder introduces us to our heroine by way of an abandoned cave in the Mendip Hills where, intriguingly, she is confirming that a corpse she hid six months previously remains undisturbed!
The carjacker taunts the police with a number of disturbing handwritten letters and despite the leads and the sluggish momentum the jacker is always one step ahead of Caffrey’s unit - It’s clear he won’t stop until he’s caught.
Although part of a long standing series and a continuation of her fourth Caffrey novel SKIN, Gone remains a thrilling and powerful standalone novel.
Full Review on my blog
Set in the West Country Jack Caffrey, lead detective in the MCIU, (Major Crime Investigation Unit) is called in to investigate a seemingly random carjacking. However it soon becomes evident that this is no ordinary carjacking; the suspect, sporting a Santa Claus face mask is targeting cars with children in the back seat. What the police can’t figure out is why some children are returned to their parents and some remain missing – can Caffrey discover the identification of the masked carjacker before it’s too late?
One thing is clear, the carjacker is clever; very very clever and Caffrey is up against it. To solve this crime and those that follow, he will have to use the full force of the law and his years of experience as a detective to bring about a successful outcome.
Along for the ride is Flea Marley, Sergeant and head of Underwater Search Unit (USU). Hayder introduces us to our heroine by way of an abandoned cave in the Mendip Hills where, intriguingly, she is confirming that a corpse she hid six months previously remains undisturbed!
The carjacker taunts the police with a number of disturbing handwritten letters and despite the leads and the sluggish momentum the jacker is always one step ahead of Caffrey’s unit - It’s clear he won’t stop until he’s caught.
Although part of a long standing series and a continuation of her fourth Caffrey novel SKIN, Gone remains a thrilling and powerful standalone novel.
Full Review on my blog
September 7, 2015
So here I am, still reading the Jack Caffery series. Even though I know the chances of not fully enjoying these books are high.
Still, and surprisingly enough, I managed to enjoy this book. Well, at least I enjoy it more than the previous two.
In this fifth instalment of the series carjacking and little girls kidnappings take place, and, I must be honest, it was a rather breath-taking story. Quite gripping and I didn't see who the perpetrator was. I gave it a little thought but dismissed the idea because, no, it couldn't be. And there was no black magic stuff, which was quite good, as Caffery sounded more normal in this book.
So, though I found this fifth book a lit bit better, it still wasn't worth the four stars. As usual, I found myself lost in police procedures and terms, and there were parts that sounded too abrupt as they happened and were difficult to understand. Also, I honestly think Flea Marley is completely insane, as she always gets herself in crazy and life-threatening situations. 'Gone' is no exception.
And I will keep reading Hayder's books in hopes that this series will improve. Masochistic, I know. I know.
Still, and surprisingly enough, I managed to enjoy this book. Well, at least I enjoy it more than the previous two.
In this fifth instalment of the series carjacking and little girls kidnappings take place, and, I must be honest, it was a rather breath-taking story. Quite gripping and I didn't see who the perpetrator was. I gave it a little thought but dismissed the idea because, no, it couldn't be. And there was no black magic stuff, which was quite good, as Caffery sounded more normal in this book.
So, though I found this fifth book a lit bit better, it still wasn't worth the four stars. As usual, I found myself lost in police procedures and terms, and there were parts that sounded too abrupt as they happened and were difficult to understand. Also, I honestly think Flea Marley is completely insane, as she always gets herself in crazy and life-threatening situations. 'Gone' is no exception.
And I will keep reading Hayder's books in hopes that this series will improve. Masochistic, I know. I know.
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