Already Gone

May 22, 2012 Julia rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a terrific thriller that pulls you in quickly and holds your attention throughout. It's a read-in-one-sitting kind of book with a twisty turny plot that keeps taking turns you don't expect. This the second book I've read by John Rector and he's fast becoming one of my favourites. As the cover art suggests, the story will appeal to fans of Linwood Barclay and Harlan Coben, but the writing style is tauter: more like Neil Cross.

The story is narrated by Jake, a college professor with a shady...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 05, 2012 Angela Berg added it

This book is an excellent introduction for young adolescents into a more mature mystery novel since the main characters are adults. It centers on the wrong side of the law and gives a clear picture of how negative actions can come back to haunt someone. Though the main character has a daunting past, the crime suspense will leave the readers with a clear outlook of how hard and truly unrewarding a life of crime can really be.

For the student reader this novel is a wonderful introduction into the...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 12, 2012 Michael rated it 3 of 5 stars

If I hadn't known the name on the cover, I would have guessed that Harlan Coben wrote this one. I mean that as a compliment. This has all the hallmarks of Coben's surburban standalone thrillers paired with Rector's clean, simple writing.

The start of the book drops us into the life of a seemingly normal newly wed college prof that gets brutally jumped in a bar parking lot. From there, secrets and past lives slowly start to seep up to the surface and shatter any mirage of normalcy.

It was the first...more

like · see review

Feb 05, 2012 Rick Taubold rated it 5 of 5 stars

John Rector's masterfully crafted novel opens in the middle of something bad that we know will only get worse. Jake Reese's past has caught up to him, or so he believes, but even then what's happening to him makes no sense. As the novel progresses, Jake does some rather stupid things and compounds his stupidity. This makes him a rather unsympathetic character. Yet, in spite of this, I did care about him (even if I wanted to smack some sense into him). Rector takes the reader deeper and deeper in...more

1 like · like · see review

Jan 21, 2012 Webbweaver Reviews rated it 4 of 5 stars

Walking into a restaurant parking lot to get his car and having two thugs jump him and cut off his ring finger is not Jake Reese’s idea of a good night. Having his quiet life escalate out of control and his wife disappear is not his idea of fun either…but then, what could a former bad guy expect to come from his not-so-distant past. What do these people want from him and why are they doing this? Questions Jake needs to find the answers to and he’ll do whatever it takes to find them. Even if it m...more

like · see review

Dec 16, 2011 Jerome Parisse rated it 4 of 5 stars

Jake Reese, a University professor, is attacked by two thugs who cut one of his fingers, and then apologise. A few days later, his finger turns up in the post. You don’t need to be psychic to know that not everything is right. The police is dragging their feet, and then his wife disappears before turning dead in mysterious circumstances. Jake decides to turn to a childhood acquaintance, Gabby, to find out what is happening. Jake knew he shouldn’t do that – and his wife had told him so before dis...more

1 like · like · see review

Dec 15, 2011 Elizabeth Noah rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

2 likes · like · see review

Oct 27, 2011 Jason (FNORDinc) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, reviewed, reviewed-on-fnordinc

John Rector has brought a very strong novel to the table and put it down in front of you. You should be picking up what he is putting down.

Before picking up this novel, grab an industrial fan and place it in front of you facing away. When the novelized shit hits it, you will minimize the blow-back you experience.

Within five pages of the opening, the ring finger of Jake Reese has been forcibly removed by a pressure instrument that is not intended to be used for surgery. Bolt cutters, normally tas...more

2 likes · like · see review

Feb 12, 2012 Judi rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Chuck Barksdale

Recommended to Judi by: Guy Savage

Shelves: read-in-2012

"I put up a good fight.

But once they get me on the ground, facedown, with the big guy holding my arms and pressing his weight into my back, there isn't much I can do. I call them every name I can think of, but they don't say a word. I tell them they can take my wallet, my car, anything they want, if they just get the fuck off me.

Still nothing."

These are the opening lines to this book. Full of action and mystery. They don't take his wallet or car. They snip off Jake's ring finger and take it and...more "I put up a good fight.

But once they get me on the ground, facedown, with the big guy holding my arms and pressing his weight into my back, there isn't much I can do. I call them every name I can think of, but they don't say a word. I tell them they can take my wallet, my car, anything they want, if they just get the fuck off me.

Still nothing."

These are the opening lines to this book. Full of action and mystery. They don't take his wallet or car. They snip off Jake's ring finger and take it and his new wedding ring. The question is why.

Jake Reese is a writing teacher at the local university. He is the author of one book, one that is based on his life with his criminal father. He met Diane at one of the book readings, in which she professed that the book changed her life. Jake and Diane have only been married 4 months when this trouble starts. Diane thinks it could be something from Jake's sordid past, but he shrugs this off since he's never seen either of the two thugs before. Then the finger and ring are delivered to their house, still the assigned detective is less than useful in his investigations. Jake thinks he should contact Gabby, a loyal friend to his father who took him in after his father went to jail. But he knows if he calls on Gabby, he can't "uncall" him. Diane thinks he should wait and "don't do anything stupid." She leaves for a business trip to Phoenix and stays on for a few extra days to see Sedona. Jake thinks Diane may have changed her mind about the marriage, but she returns. Shortly after, Jake sees the thugs sitting on a bench outside of the classroom. By the time he calls the police detective, the thugs are gone. And so is his wife when he gets home. Detective Nolan says nothing can be reported unless she is missing for 48 hours. The next time he sees Detective Nolan, it is to learn that his wife died in automobile accident.

It is time to bring Gabby in for help.

Although Jake knows Gabby well, and seeing Gabby again is like going home: "As much as Gabby terrified me, there were worse things out there for a kid. At least with him, I knew I was safe. Now almost fifteen years later, I wonder if much has changed. The cot and the wool blanket are gone, but as far as I can tell, that's about it. I reach over and turn off the light."

He may be terrified of Gabby, but he still has a hard time taking Gabby's advice. Instead of laying low and letting Gabby sort things out, he feels compelled to find out more about Diane and her trip to Sedona where she apparently saw a psychic; uncharacteristic for Diane who is as pragmatic as they come. Events get quickly out of control and Gabby has to get Jake out of town -- and thus he does end up in Sedona, where the truth becomes more tangled than ever.

The story is told from the first point of view, which immediately alerts one to the fact that the story will have blind sides if not outright self-delusion. It also keeps the story in the here and now as we follow the action/events/twists/violence/more twists. Although Jake is frustrating in his inability to take advice from Diane (although he keeps his promises while she alive), his best friend Doug and Gabby, it is just this about him that moves the story in directions that we don't expect.

It is a decent page-turner right up to the last page.(less)

like · see review

Oct 07, 2011 Ellie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime

Jake is minding his own business after a night in a bar when two men grab him and cut off his ring finger. Jake's just a normal guy and believes that it's just a random act of violence but the police aren't so sure. When his wife goes missing, he must start digging up the past and throw himself into a world of violence.

It's a dramatic start and the plot is fairly fast paced but after a while I just didn't care whether or not the main characters died or not. It's much more action based than intro...more

3 likes · like · see review

Dec 01, 2011 Sue G rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The opening is gripping – quite literally – as Jake is mysteriously attacked outside a bar and the assailants cut off his finger with bolt cutters. They give him no clue why they have done this, and he’s unable (or unwilling) to think of a reason for the assault. But Jake is no innocent – he has a violent past that he has worked hard to put behind him, in fact he’s recently married and is about to take up a new position as a university lecturer.

The attack affects the relationship between Jake an...more

like · see review

Mar 29, 2013 Stephanie Reiner rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Now this is what I call a good Blood and Gore type of book!

From page one you are thrown into a scene where Jake Reese is being attacked by two heavily accented gangsters who did not want to rob him but pulled out a pair of bolt cutters, yes bolt cutters, and proceed to cut off his ring finger with his wedding ring still on it. However, do not get to upset. He will get it back. They send it to him in a jar with the ring still in tacked on his finger.
This attack will leave Jake confused and abou...more

like · see review

Oct 25, 2012 Leynette rated it 4 of 5 stars

It was an okay book for me. I liked how the plot kept moving constantly and had a investigative feel to it. I always was left wondering what was going to happen next. When I first started to read it I thought it was just going to be another book were the main character was going to be depressed for the rest of the book. However, when things started to unfold, it definitely took me by surprise. I love how every page I read there was something new happening that I was not expecting. The ending was...more

like · see review

Nov 01, 2011 Randy rated it 5 of 5 stars

When Jake Reese, a college professor is attacked in a parking lot, he thinks it's just a mugging. But when he sees the bolt cutters lop off his ring finger, he knows it's something worse. He wonders if his unsavory youth has come back to haunt him.

The police seem to be dragging their feet, asking him questions. He knows if he asks Gabby for help, it will be over quickly. But his wife Diane doesn't want him returning to those long ago roots.

Then the package arrives a few days later and inside, pa...more

1 like · like · see review

Oct 25, 2011 Meag McKeron rated it 3 of 5 stars

Per my review at http://baltimorereads.wordpress.com/2...

Nebraska-born author John Rector already has two bestselling novels under his belt (The Grove and The Cold Kiss) and is set to have a third with the October 25th release of Already Gone. If you enjoy a book filled with mysterious deaths, ruthless villains, and countless plot twists and turns, read on.

Readers can tell right from the beginning that Jake Reese is not the most fortunate of men. He finds himself face down in the parking lot of...more Per my review at http://baltimorereads.wordpress.com/2...

Nebraska-born author John Rector already has two bestselling novels under his belt (The Grove and The Cold Kiss) and is set to have a third with the October 25th release of Already Gone. If you enjoy a book filled with mysterious deaths, ruthless villains, and countless plot twists and turns, read on.

Readers can tell right from the beginning that Jake Reese is not the most fortunate of men. He finds himself face down in the parking lot of bar, at the mercy of two mysterious men (one of which is holding a bolt cutter to Jake’s ring finger). Questions surrounding Jake’s troubled past begin to surface as the police investigate this seemingly random act of violence, straining the relationship between Jake and his wife Diane and making Jake wonder if he should do some digging around himself. He refrains from interfering at the request of Diane, but when she goes missing, he doesn’t hesitate to step back into his former life in order to find and save the woman he loves.

Rector brings some really impressive writing and strong characters into a genre that is often teeming with contrived, cringe-worthy dialogue and flat, unoriginal characters. The main character, Jake Reese, has an interesting back story that constantly has the reader wondering what is going to happen next and who is behind the awful things that are occurring. With a mother who took her own life when he was young and a father who was constantly in jail, Jake found himself living under the guidance of a mobster of sorts, Gabby Meyers. Before long, Jake was getting into trouble of his own – it took the friendship of Doug, a tutor who met Jake while he was in juvenile detention, to set Jake on the right path. Now a college professor and the author of his own memoir, Jake is far removed from the mistakes of his youth. Readers can’t help but feel sorry for a man who is still suffering from his past despite finding a way to make something of himself.

Reese is surrounded by people that bring out his true personality throughout the novel. He has a soft spot for Diane, his new wife who has accepted him, past and all. However, her fear of what Jake’s past actions is bringing to the present sends her on a “business trip” for an extended period of time. Jake can see the current violence is chasing Diane away, which sends him to the bottle. Readers also get the chance to meet Jake’s father figure, Gabby, when Jake hits rock bottom. Gabby claims to be retired from his illegal and ruthless ways, but is willing to pull some strings to help out Jake. Jake’s respect for this man as a stand-in father is obvious, even though Gabby is partly responsible for the life Jake led as a boy.

My only complaint about Already Gone would be the ending (don’t worry, I won’t give it away!). Throughout the story, Rector kept throwing curveballs that had me constantly changing my mind on who I thought the “bad guy” really was. Everyone seemed suspicious except Jake (thanks to first-person narration), and when certain characters were revealed for their true colors, I absolutely loved that I had never even suspected them in the first place. It is rare to find a suspense novel in which the author is actually able to hide the true culprit until he deems it fit to reveal them. And yet the end seemed a little too neat for me. It wasn’t horrible, it just fell a little flat compared to the rest of the novel.

When all is said and done, though, Rector’s Already Gone lives up to the hype that his previous novels have set. His novel Cold Kiss is being made into a movie, and I could easily see Already Gone making it to the big screen as well.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Jul 12, 2012 Krista rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book had me at "bolt cutters" and even when I had to put it down for a few days of travel, the story nagged at me to get back in it and find out what was happening with Jake. So I'd pull it up on my phone and read a few pages.

Definitely a quick read because I couldn't stop flipping the pages until 1AM this morning when I came to the end of this tense, twisting and seedy tale. Or was it the end? I smell a sequel. If Jake comes back in a future novel, I hope he has learned from his past mist...more

like · see review

May 01, 2012 Greg Rouse rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. I would give it a full five stars except that the main character's behavior seemed a little unrealistic to me. As a youngster he was a bit of a trouble maker, enough so, that he ended up with a pretty long, fairly serious list of criminal offenses on his police record. But as an adult he comes off completely naive or even oblivious as to how he should respond to those he knows best. He came off as kind of a weakling, who couldn't take care of his self in the midst of...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 30, 2012 Jessica Crow rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: middle-school-book-list

This book is an excellent introduction for young adolescents into a more mature mystery novel since the main characters are adults. It centers on the wrong side of the law and gives a clear picture of how negative actions can come back to haunt someone. Though the main character has a daunting past, the crime suspense will leave the readers with a clear outlook of how hard and truly unrewarding a life of crime can really be.

For the student reader this novel is a wonderful introduction into the m...more

like · see review

Dec 16, 2011 Brian Jarrett rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really enjoyed Rector's prior novel "The Grove". In many ways, "Already Gone" is even better.

I've said before that I enjoy Rector's tight writing style. He maintains this style in "Already Gone", cutting to the chase very quickly and maintaining a solid pace throughout. The characters are well-developed and believable. The plot is relatively complex, but it's delivered in such a clear and concise fashion that it's never really hard to follow. That said, I don't feel it was predictable, not eve...more

like · see review

Dec 31, 2012 Robert rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

ALREADY GONE felt like a study in how not to conduct your marriage. Sure, it may all work out for you in the end, but you’re liable to meet up with some really bad dudes, lose a finger and your wedding band, get punched enough that you’ll be sucking grapefruit juice through a straw, question your sanity, have Gabby, a man you’ve known most of your life, question your sanity, and spend most of the novel running from said bad dudes, most of whom sound worse than rabid Dobermans. Needless to say, b...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jan 03, 2013 Michael rated it 3 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed the first half of this novel a lot, but found that in the later half that it lacked the intriguing mystery that made the beginning so great. There were a few to many times in the second half that a significant event would occur and a character would react with something very foolish or do something completely, well, out of character, like (view spoiler) While I liked reading about most of t...more

like · see review

Aug 20, 2012 Shaz rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book frustrated me. It was a very easy book to read, due to the way it was written, the length, and also being intrigued as to what was going to happen. However, about a third of the way through, maybe half way, I felt like the story fizzled and was unsure of where it was going. I'm sure Rector had intended the plot to take that course, but it felt largely like it was lacking direction. The other thing that I found frustrating with this book was the main character. A likeable fellow and an...more

1 like · like · see review

Oct 03, 2012 July rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, audiobooks, ebook, tbr-pile-challenge, thriller, whispersync-voice

Liked:
* Throughout the whole novel, I genuinely had no idea how things were going to go or who should be trusted.
* The action is paced well and the plot has lots of twists and turns.

Liked Less:
* The main character makes some genuinely stupid decisions. That being said, I can't say how I would act in a similar situation so the dumb decisions weren't infuriating. Merely made me ask "Now why would you do that?"

Audiobook Notes: The narrator did a good job. My only problem was with sound engineering...more

like · see review

Dec 20, 2011 Donald rated it 3 of 5 stars

The book starts off with a bang--or should I say chop--when Jake, the lead character and narrator, is violently attacked by two men who cut off his ring finger. Who attacked him and why? Is his rough past finally catching up to him, now that he's settled down with a new wife and a respectable teaching job at the local college? The term "page turner" gets thrown around a lot, but in this case it's accurate, for several reasons. One, the action kicks in right away and doesn't slow down much; two,...more

like · see review

Dec 09, 2011 Maggie Rocca rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

The story opens with a shocker, then moves quickly but even with splashes of gore and violence, there is a curious detachment to the proceedings. Eventually, things move into the realm of totally unbelievable. Eventually I stopped caring and finished it only to see how the author would wrap it up. Left me scratching my head.

I'd say this is a fast read for someone who likes action and violence with little regard to plot and character development. The one female character in the book is shallow an...more

like · see review

Feb 04, 2012 Sabrina Ogden rated it 5 of 5 stars

In college I was dating this really great guy named Justin... or was it Jake? Hmmm - could have been a Jason. Anyway, I thought he was the man of my dreams, the man I would marry. Then one day I borrowed his car to run some errands and noticed I was being followed by some guys in an unmarked patrol car. When I stopped at the little convenient store to pick up a snack... they approached me, showed me some identification, told me it would be in my best interest to return the car to my boyfriend as...more In college I was dating this really great guy named Justin... or was it Jake? Hmmm - could have been a Jason. Anyway, I thought he was the man of my dreams, the man I would marry. Then one day I borrowed his car to run some errands and noticed I was being followed by some guys in an unmarked patrol car. When I stopped at the little convenient store to pick up a snack... they approached me, showed me some identification, told me it would be in my best interest to return the car to my boyfriend as soon as possible, and return to my own apartment. I think I was home a little more than two hours when I learned that Justin, Jake, or Jason was busted for selling drugs on campus, and that I had been running errands in a car with a few pounds of marijuana in it, some drug money... and "other" things. Well, those were the rumors, anyway.

Unfortunately, this wasn't the first time I made the wrong decision with regards to the dating seen. Shortly after high school I dated this guy named... it doesn't matter what his name was. What does matter is he set up a plan to steal a cool fifty grand from another drug guy in town... and to cover it up he had an individual claim to find it in a paper bag in the middle of the road. His idea was to turn it into the police and wait- knowing that after it sat for a certain amount of time "unclaimed" he would get it back. According to the rumors, he did. And when we broke up shortly after this "incident" some people made it perfectly clear what would happen to me if I said anything.

A few slashed tires later... I found myself moving back home to Oregon where I prepared for that lovely eighteen month mission I served in Vegas. Good times... good times. But I've always wondered if Sh... that guy I dated after high school was ever ratted on. Did his group of drug dealing friends turn him over to the other guy 'cause they didn't get their "share" of the funds? I wonder how long the money lasted? Did he buy something cool, or did he use it to purchase more drugs in order to turn a profit? Better yet... I wonder if he ever worries about his past biting him in the butt now that he's older? Is he even still alive? Hmmm...

I guess what I'm trying to tell you is that we all have a past. And you just never know when your past, or the past of someone you know... will make an appearance in your life.

Such is the case with Jake Reese, a handsome university professor that left his gangster-living past behind and made a new life with his beautiful, art dealing wife, Diane, in Already Gone by John Rector. Life seems pretty much perfect for Jake until two guys attack him outside a bar, rough him up, and chop off his ring finger. Devastated by the loss of his wedding ring, Jake spends some serious time contemplating his past and the person, or persons that might be out seeking revenge. Then, just when Jake is about to write this all off as a random act of violence, his finger, with the wedding ring still attached, shows up in the mail... with a message attached? A few days later his wife goes missing, and Jake finds himself identifying her body in the morgue after she's been mysteriously killed in a "car accident." Still not sure what part of his past is sneaking up on him, and wanting answers that he's unable to find on his own, Jake enlists the help of his father-figure, mobster-friend, Gabby.

In this story you'll read about Jake's past, his father's past, Gabby's past, and the jaw-dropping past of Jake's wife, Diane. I'm just happy to report that the Jake in this story isn't the Jake, Justin, or Jason I remember from my past. Yeah, the past doesn't just bite a few butts in this page turning novel- it riddles most of them with bullet holes, and leaves one lonely soul... drifting out to sea.(less)

like · see review

Nov 15, 2011 Johnny rated it 4 of 5 stars

John Rector's got some serious chops. His terse and fluid prose creates a momentum that drives the story forward at an insane clip. When I started reading, I was convinced that the first-person present tense narration would bug me, but it worked. The story is short and the read is quick.

If I have any fault with ALREADY GONE, it's that the story feels really familiar and relies a little heavily on genre conventions. That's not necessarily a bad thing. This is very much a genre work and it embrace...more

1 like · like · see review

Oct 11, 2012 Alan rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Noir? Crime? Pulp Fiction? Call it what you will this novel does capture the you in many ways. But, I found the convoluted plot a bit overdrawn on the plausibility meter and the ending not particularly satisfactory. Perhaps if one looks at novels that tie up loose ends this one might be too pat. I prefer darker novels that give you something to think about at the end. The protagonist leaves a lot to be desired on the "what were your thinking" front and none of the other characters make a lot of...more

like · see review

Jan 09, 2012 Lisa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-suspense

I decided to read this book after reading the synopsis and I must admit I was not disappointed. I normally shy away from novels that start with violent acts, such as finger removal, but I had to find out what happened next. This novel reminded me of some of the best 50's film noir movies.

I really enjoyed the twists and turns in the plot, but I found Jack Reese a bit to naive to be completely believable. For a man raised in the criminal underworld, I would have expected him to anticipate the act...more

like · see review

Dec 14, 2011 Julimar Castro rated it 3 of 5 stars

The novel is hard to put away, I won't deny that. It is pretty much fast-paced and the plot is initially very intriguing. As a matter of personal taste, though, the ending disappoints, and reading the book progressively felt as when you watch a horror movie in frustration over the stupidity of the characters. I'm not saying they are stupid, just the feeling I started getting. The story ended up with so many sudden twists that I couldn't quite enjoy them, and eventually I felt like I didn't know...more

like · see review

title link	preview: Already Gone
avg rating	preview: Already Gone Goodreads rating: 3.30 (905 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://gr-assets.com/book/show/11405641-already-gone?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347435357l/11405641.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://gr-assets.com/book/show/11405641-already-gone?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Already Gone by John Rector[/url]

Already Gone

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (8)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About John Rector

Books by John Rector

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Already Gone