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.

Gone by Mo Hayder

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?

Available now from Book Depository & Amazon

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 Phoebe “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.

One thing I always ask myself when joining a series midstream is “do I have to read the earlier novels to enjoy this”? The answer with Gone is a definite no, allowing the reader to jump right in and get to know the characters from scratch. As this is a continuing series Hayder isn’t afforded the luxury of deep filling the main protagonists, but she does manage to create a history without going over too much old ground – the balance I found was spot on; not too much, not too little – just right!

Mo Hayder

Both Caffrey and Marley are maverick cops, both flawed and both carry an inordinate amount of baggage. For me, this is what makes a believable leading man or woman – who wants to read about the perfect cop who never makes a mistake – where’s the intrigue in that?

The narrative is powerful yet surprisingly sensitive at times. Kidnapping children, whatever the reason, will always be an emotive topic and Hayder handles it imperiously – dark at times, Hayder approaches the book with a great deal of maturity and ensures the pace remains consistently strong throughout.

Pushing the boundaries further than most thriller writers, Hayder is on top form with Gone. Weighing in at over 550 pages, Gone isn’t for the fainthearted! It’ll keep you guessing and the twists and turns will surely delight – a wonderful guilty pleasure!

Accomplished, sharp and disturbing in parts, Gone is another “winner winner chicken dinner” – highly recommended. Get it now before it’s GONE!

Published by Bantam (Transworld) Gone is available now from Book Depository & Amazon