Gone

A Jack Caffery Thriller, Book 5

By: Mo Hayder

Narrated by: Steven Crossley

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, half-submerged 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.

©2010 Mo Hayder (P)2013 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Critic reviews

"Riveting... Hayder keeps the tension high... The meticulously crafted plot is heightened by Hayder's skillful evocation of mood as she summons the specter of a highly intelligent criminal who is taking great satisfaction from every parent's worst nightmare. A captivating thriller." ( Booklist)

"A brilliantly plotted mystery that keeps you guessing not only who the villain is, but what exactly he's after... First-rate mystery that takes full advantage of the wintry, moonlit West Country and the unusual skills of its lady diver." ( Kirkus Reviews)

"A carjacking goes from bad to horrifying in Hayder's gripping fifth thriller." ( Publishers Weekly)

"Chilling... Shocks are in store." ( The New York Times Book Review)

"It's a tribute to Hayder's powers as a suspense writer that she completely turns the over-familiar premise of this novel inside out and upside down. The more pages of Gone that we captivated readers turn, the farther away we get from cliched thriller conventions." ( The Washington Post)

Mo Hayder Delivers Excellent Detective Stories

I have been a big fan of the Jack Caffrey series since book 1. This was my first audiobook version and I was not disappointed.

The storytelling is always on point with Hayder's novels. I always care about her characters and can tell she does too. I never find her work to be predictable or weak.

I loved the narration. Very easy to get through.

Mo Please

I loved Mo Hayder's first book, so was really hoping to like this one, as well. I was not disappointed. As an American, I loved hearing it narrated by Steven Crossley. A lovely voice for this novel.

Good story, good narrator

I really liked the narrator. I think the author may have dragged out the story a little too long, but on the whole I quite liked it.

Good listen, not exceptional, as expected

What made the experience of listening to Gone the most enjoyable?

This book is an Edgar Award winner so I had high hopes. This was the first Jack Caffery novel I read and I found that I should have read them in order. There were many unexplained events, characters and references to earlier Jack Caffery books. While I still was able to comprehend the storyline I feel that I would have enjoyed the book more if I was able to have had knowledge of the earlier storyline. I am now writing this review after having gone back and listened to the first and second books of the series. In comparison to those I found this one to be disappointingly predictable. In conclusion the story, alone from the rest of the series, was very good I did not find it worthy of a story that has won an Edgar Award.

Thank you , thank you!

I'm amazed at the how I can see everything in my minds eye when listening to the marvel of Mo Hayder's storytelling combined with a narration so dead on. It will be a sad day if there is ever an end.

Better than Skin and Ritual but...

...not as great as the first two terrifying, haunting, and edge of seat Birdman and The Treatment.
DI Caffery returns to familiar territory, the kidnapping of young kids.
I know it was intentional, but the readers know who the kidnapper is very early and I kept shouting at Caffery for not seeing it as fast as us!
Great first half, but knowing who the villain is very early with Caffery being clueless made the last half tough to root for him!
Flea needs some common sense in this novel again as well. :)

excellent series

Mo Hayder's series with Sgt Detective Jack McCaffrey is gruesome and sensitive. one of the best crime thrillers I've listened too. highly recommend!

Excellent series, deteriorating narration

Mo Hayder has written a fabulous series about the exploits of DI Jack Caffery and Sgt. Flea Marley. As the events in some of the books take place close in time to the previous book, it's helpful to listen to them all in one marathon.

Damien Goodwin, the narrator of Birdman and The Treatment was absolutely excellent. He has a fabulous range of voices and characters. Andrew Wincott, the narrator of Ritual and Skin, was very good (but not as good as Damien Goodwin).

Unfortunately, Stephen Crossley, narrator of Gone and Poppet, is abysmal. He has only two voices: one male, and one female. Regardless of age, class or origin, the characters all sound the same. He has the same sort of breathy earth-shattering revelation quality to his narration that Scott Brick has, but without the skill.

If the story weren't so good, this would be unlistenable. I'm dreading listening to Poppet because it's the same narrator. Perhaps he will have had some lessons in vocal range and intonation.

The story lines are absolutely gripping, and filled with red herrings and intrigue and multiple plot lines. Mo Hayder is a genius. I love everything she has written. She's not afraid to kill off her characters, and there are often things she leaves hanging from one book to another.

The series is fabulous and a must-listen to anyone who likes thrillers, British police procedurals, and intricate psychological mysteries. The books aren't for the faint of heart or the squeamish, but they're well worth it if you enjoy this particular genre.

The theme of lost / missing / kidnapped children runs through all the books, but it's never heavy-handed.

The first two books are five stars across the board, the second two get 4 stars for performance and 5 overall and for story, and this one only gets a 2 for performance. They all merit 5 stars for the story.

Just Okay

I'm a big fan of Mo Hayder's previous works but this was slow moving and paled in comparison to some of her other works. Read Hayder but choose "Birdman" or "The Devil of Nanking" instead...far better and more compelling stories. This one seemed to ramble and I found myself skipping ahead which is something I rarely do. I found some of a passages tough to follow, not able to picture the setting that was being described (the underground location) and that made me disconnect a little, but I never seemed to connect again the same way once I'd moved past it.

ok

A little long. I would have enjoyed it more if it was a little shorter. A little bit to complicated and overdone.