Gone in the Night by Mary-Jane Riley

I have been trying to finish reading all the NetGalley ARCs before the end of this year so that I can start afresh come January. 😀

Alex is invited to the Riders’ party by David. But it looks David wants more from the ‘relationship’. After a tiff, Alex decides to walk back home. On her way, she sees a car crash. As she rushes to help the victim, he pushes a piece of paper into her palm. Two men come over and promise to take the victim to the hospital right away.

Meanwhile, Cora is searching for her brother Rick. He’s an army veteran and homeless. It’s been days since Rick’s gone missing. It so happens that Rick was the accident victim who Alex found. The two women meet and they start a search for Rick. Along with Rick, a couple of homeless people go missing. Is there a sinister reason behind this? Or, is this a coincidence?

I have mixed opinions about this book. I liked the plot but I cannot say the same about the story development or the characters. I really do not like it when the characters choose to ignore their gut instincts and make a blunder. Especially if the instincts are strong and yet they pooh-pooh it as ‘imagination’.

The story was quite predictable. More like an inverted mystery. The perp(s) were right there – money and power play a major role here. Cora and Alex share quite a bond – not something like I appreciate. Cora is moody. As much as she wants Alex to help her in finding her brother, she doesn’t like it when Alex asks questions. Plus, it is very clear that Cora is hiding something. Alex knows it too and still decides to help Cora.

I liked the story. But I wouldn’t call it an engaging or enjoyable thriller. The ending seemed a tad hurried up. Also, it was not the kind of ending that I was expecting – nothing great, you see.

I have given this book a 3 on Goodreads and NetGalley.

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