You Were Gone by Tim Weaver

You Were Gone by Tim Weaver
Published in: 2018
Reviewed by: Book Worm
Rating: [★★★]

This ARC was provided by Penguin UK (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis from Goodreads: Three days after Christmas, a woman walks into a police station. She has no phone and no ID, just a piece of paper with the name of investigator David Raker on it. She tells officers that Raker is her husband.

SHE SAYS SHE’S MY WIFE.

When he turns up at the station, Raker is stunned. The woman looks exactly like his wife. She knows all about their marriage, their history, even private conversations the two of them had. There’s just one problem: Raker’s wife has been dead for eight years.

MY WIFE DIED . . . DIDN’T SHE?

The woman tells the police that Raker had a breakdown. A respected doctor backs up her account. Items are missing that prove Raker’s side of the story – and, worst of all, he soon becomes the prime suspect in a disappearance.

SHE’S EITHER A LIAR – OR I AM.

Could Raker have imagined their whole marriage? Is he delusional? Is this really the woman he loved and grieved for? Hunted by the police, Raker will have to find out the truth before it costs him everything – his memories, his sanity, his life . . .

Book Worm’s Thoughts: When I requested this ARC I didn’t actually realise it was book 9 in an ongoing series I am normally completely anal and will only read a series in order however as I was already behind with my reviews I decided to take the plunge…

Personally I don’t feel that I missed out on anything major not having read the other books in the series, in fact in some ways it added to the suspense and the book can definitely be read as a stand alone. I think it was easier for me to question Raker’s state of mind having only read this book than it would have been if I already had a reader’s relationship with him.

As this is a thriller there is not much you can write in a review without giving away spoilers so here are my very basic thoughts – I really enjoyed the first half of the book, I loved the fact that the unreliable narrator was a man and that even he wasn’t sure if he was reliable or not, I also liked the fact that the police officer who deals with Raker is an intelligent woman who is prepared to cross certain lines to solve the case. When it comes to the second half and the resolution of the mystery I felt that things were way too unbelievable, there is a massive conspiracy and events for this book actually have their roots in the past I get that really this is the only way events could have played out but I just couldn’t suspend disbelief enough to just go with it.

Overall this was a fast paced read that did keep me guessing even if I ended up rolling my eyes a lot in the second half.

Who would like this? I would say anyone who has already read the rest of the series and anyone who likes Jonathan Kellerman thrillers as this has the same kind of feel to it. If you don’t mind your thrillers being on the wrong side of credulity this could also suit you.

We want to hear from you! Have you read this book? What did you think?