Book reviews by
Nothing can hit you right in the soul more than a good crime thriller novel. But, finding one that really hits the spot can be a bit tricky. So, you are right to be here, ready to find out if One Night Gone by Tara Laskowski is the next crime thriller book for you.
This book is a decent size for its genre, at 352 pages, and it is fairly new, only published in October 2019.
It is a great book for crime thriller readers who want to delve into a story that is a little bit different. There have been some mixed reviews on this book from readers so far, but those who like it find it really strikes fear into the heart.
So, let’s get into it. Is ‘One Night Gone The next book you should be picking up from the shelf?
“It was the perfect place to disappear…”
“One sultry summer, Maureen Haddaway arrived in the wealthy town of Opal Beach to start her life anew, and to achieve her destiny.
There, she finds herself being lured in by the promise of friendship, love, starry skies, and wild parties. But Maureen’s new life could be too good to be true, and before summer ends, she vanishes.”
“Decades pass, and when Allison Simpson is offered to house-sit in Opal Beach during the off-season, it does seem like the perfect chance for her to start fresh after having a messy divorce.
However, when she gets drawn into the mysterious disappearance of a girl thirty years prior, she realizes the beautiful homes of Opal Beach are writhing with dark secrets. And the truth of that long-ago summer is not even the most shocking part of it all”.
Right from the start, we find ourselves totally hooked by the suspense-filled writing and the eerie, and all-too-fitting atmosphere. Dual timelines can work really well when they are written the right way, and ‘One Night Gone’ certainly does this super well!
With this book, you get equally invested in both stories (both timelines) as both of these characters are brilliantly complex and similarly troubled.
It is ideal and well-developed how they both have their own issues, and this helps make it more worthwhile to invest the time into reading more and finding out even more about them.
If you want ominous vibes and an eerie feeling, ‘One Night Gone’ will bring you both of these in spades, as you cannot help but thirst to find out what truly happened to Maureen.
The author is also very talented at making you want to keep on reading too, as she sprinkled in clues at exactly the right moment to keep you hooked on each and every page, you just do not want to put this book down.
If you are anything like us, you love stories which are wriggling with secrets and include manipulation. If you want something that includes this, then you should be picking this book up right now as it is brimming with manipulation and shady secrets.
Nothing is what it seems, and there are surprises around every corner, which will undoubtedly leave you eager to keep on reading and highly disappointed when you are done with the book (gosh do we know that feeling!).
The stories that alternate between Allison and Maureen build closer and closer to truth, and the reader starts to feel as if pretty much everyone in Opal Beach is involved. All characters become a suspect to the reader very quickly. Everyone seems to be hiding something.
Laskowski keeps you guessing, non-stop, all the way to the very end, there are even a few red herrings thrown in there just to keep you on your toes.
The story is as binge-able as your favourite Netflix series, but the ending is what really takes the cake and makes you want to tell everyone all about it
This is one hell of a book for a debut thriller from Tara Laskowski, It is a brilliant start, and we are sure to be looking out for more of her work in the future. We hope she keeps up this spooky and suspenseful standard!
Honestly, if you want something that is intriguing, atmospheric and a suspenseful mystery, then One Night Gone is absolutely the story for you!
Before buying a book, especially one like this, it’s important to research the author and their background to know what to expect.
One Night Gone is written by Tara Laskowski. She is an award-winning author, of 2 short story collections; Bystanders, and Modern Manners for Your Inner Demons. The Guardian named Bystanders one of the best books of 2017 as well.
She has had stories published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine and the Mid-American Review. Additionally, she is the editor of SmokeLong Quarterly.
She got her BA in English from Susquehanna University and received her MFA from George Mason University.
Tara Laskowski currently resides in Virginia.
One Night Gone is the author’s debut novel and a real showstopper.
Sometimes you can get a better idea of how attractive a book is to read, its quality, and whether or not the plot is good from reviews (which is why you are here, right?) and from the opinions of other readers.
This is why it is always a good idea to seek out the view of other readers, be they magazine reviews, or reviews on sites such as Amazon.com, Goodreads.com, or otherwise.
Let’s take a look at a range of reviews and get an idea of how most readers feel about ‘One Night Gone’.
“The voices of the two narrators are very vibrant, as are the descriptions of Opal Beach. At the very heart of this intriguing thriller (If you like Thriller Books, check out the works of Jack Carr and how to read them) is a disturbing awareness of society’s inclination to view women as disposable. Laskowski is off to a very fine start!” – Publishers Weekly.
Overall, One Night Gone is a great book with lots of twists and turns, however, it is not for everyone. Some people do not like the plot and the way the stories mash together, but that is up to you to decide.
