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When She Was Gone
Was she taken ... or did she run?
The pulse-pounding new psychological thriller from the bestselling author of You Don't Know Me
Rose once walked away from her daughter. Now she may be the only one who can save her.
Former London police officer Rose Campbell has been estranged from her daughter, Lou, for almost a decade. But when Lou disappears from a remote beach in Western Australian--and the police suspect her of kidnapping the two young children in her care--Rose is asked to help bring Lou home.
This is the final case in DSS Mal Blackwood's illustrious career--and there's a lot riding on it. The missing children are heirs to the Fisher property empire, and while their multimillionaire grandfather is breathing down Blackwood's neck, the media storm is intensifying. Faced with a deluge of evidence and accusations, Blackwood doesn't know who he can trust.
Rose arrives in Australia intent on proving her daughter's innocence, but how can she be sure of that when she's no longer part of Lou's life? Meanwhile, as Blackwood begins to expose the Fishers' secrets, the investigation takes a dark turn. Shadows of the past gather around the Fishers, and Rose, and soon it's clear that every hour is critical. What has happened to Lou and the children? And can Rose and Blackwood find them in time?
The pulse-pounding new psychological thriller from the bestselling author of You Don't Know Me
Rose once walked away from her daughter. Now she may be the only one who can save her.
Former London police officer Rose Campbell has been estranged from her daughter, Lou, for almost a decade. But when Lou disappears from a remote beach in Western Australian--and the police suspect her of kidnapping the two young children in her care--Rose is asked to help bring Lou home.
This is the final case in DSS Mal Blackwood's illustrious career--and there's a lot riding on it. The missing children are heirs to the Fisher property empire, and while their multimillionaire grandfather is breathing down Blackwood's neck, the media storm is intensifying. Faced with a deluge of evidence and accusations, Blackwood doesn't know who he can trust.
Rose arrives in Australia intent on proving her daughter's innocence, but how can she be sure of that when she's no longer part of Lou's life? Meanwhile, as Blackwood begins to expose the Fishers' secrets, the investigation takes a dark turn. Shadows of the past gather around the Fishers, and Rose, and soon it's clear that every hour is critical. What has happened to Lou and the children? And can Rose and Blackwood find them in time?
320 pages, Hardcover
Published April 1, 2025
157 people are currently reading
20715 people want to read
About the author
Sara Foster
13 books709 followersSara Foster is a critically acclaimed, bestselling fiction author with a passion for psychological suspense and a keen interest in exploring zeitgeist issues and strong female characters in her nail-biting novels. Her latest, When She Was Gone (2025), begins when an au pair and two small children vanish from a remote Australian beach, and is a race-against-time thriller, exploring themes around misogyny, wealth, power and control.
Sara is also the author of dystopian thriller The Hush and seven more bestselling novels. Two of her books have been optioned for television, and You Don’t Know Me was adapted into a chart-topping podcast series by Listnr. Sara has a PhD in creative writing (studying maternal representations in fiction) and lives in Perth, WA, with her husband, two daughters, three cats, Luna the cavoodle and Sunny the bearded dragon.
Follow Sara on Substack at Story Matters (for readers) and The Resilient Author (for writers). Or visit her website: www.sarafoster.com.au
Sara is also the author of dystopian thriller The Hush and seven more bestselling novels. Two of her books have been optioned for television, and You Don’t Know Me was adapted into a chart-topping podcast series by Listnr. Sara has a PhD in creative writing (studying maternal representations in fiction) and lives in Perth, WA, with her husband, two daughters, three cats, Luna the cavoodle and Sunny the bearded dragon.
Follow Sara on Substack at Story Matters (for readers) and The Resilient Author (for writers). Or visit her website: www.sarafoster.com.au
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 242 reviews
September 4, 2025
This is my first Sara Foster thriller, and it certainly won’t be my last. I loved the excellent character development and the short, multi-character POV chapters—even more than the central mystery of what happened to the nanny and kids, or the dark secrets the Fisher family harbors, giving off Australian Corleone vibes!
From the blurb, I expected an eccentric, forced partnership between Rose Campbell, an estranged ex-police officer turned bestselling author and domestic abuse consultant, and Mal Blackwood, a sharp, workaholic detective taking his last case before retirement due to health issues. However, as I began reading, I realized they each conduct their own investigations, with Blackwood determined to keep Rose from crossing his authority. Still, their separate searches for the truth converge in unexpected ways, revealing secrets and well-executed twists.
Early on, we meet Lou, the nanny caring for the wealthy Australian couple Kyle and Frannie’s two children, Honey and Kai. She reflects on their escalating arguments and how their home has become far from peaceful. While at the remote beach by the Fisher’s house in Kardanup, Perth, West Australia, Lou sees something threatening on the rocks while searching for Honey’s toy. Soon after, both Lou and the children go missing, leaving the Fisher family devastated. The head of the family, Jock Fisher, takes control, organizing a press conference. DSS Mal Blackwood is called in, despite it being his anniversary, to work with his colleague Angie on the case. As he interviews the Fisher family, he quickly realizes they’re hiding many skeletons in their closets.
Adding to the intrigue, Lou’s father, Henry, contacts his ex-wife, Rose Campbell. Years ago, Henry had done everything in his power to drive a wedge between Lou and Rose, including taking custody while Rose recovered from a colleague’s shooting and hiding letters Rose sent to their daughter. With the help of his second wife, Henry fed Lou lies that estranged her from Rose. However, after his lies were exposed during his third marriage, Henry faced the consequences. Lou moved to Australia to live with her brother Charlie, found a babysitting job with a wealthy family, and cut ties with Henry. Now that she’s missing, possibly implicated in the children’s disappearance, Rose, with her law enforcement expertise, is the only one who can help.
Rose quickly flies to Australia to assist in the investigation, although she’s still unsure what kind of person her once-moody teenage daughter has become. Despite being kept in the dark by the authorities, Rose is determined to uncover the truth, even if it means crossing lines and conducting her own investigation.
Overall, the character development is fantastic, and all the pieces of the mystery fit together perfectly. The pacing is engaging and well-balanced. I’ll definitely be reading more of Sara Foster’s books, and I highly recommend this one to crime thriller lovers!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for providing me with a digital reviewer copy of this riveting thriller in exchange for my honest thoughts.
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From the blurb, I expected an eccentric, forced partnership between Rose Campbell, an estranged ex-police officer turned bestselling author and domestic abuse consultant, and Mal Blackwood, a sharp, workaholic detective taking his last case before retirement due to health issues. However, as I began reading, I realized they each conduct their own investigations, with Blackwood determined to keep Rose from crossing his authority. Still, their separate searches for the truth converge in unexpected ways, revealing secrets and well-executed twists.
Early on, we meet Lou, the nanny caring for the wealthy Australian couple Kyle and Frannie’s two children, Honey and Kai. She reflects on their escalating arguments and how their home has become far from peaceful. While at the remote beach by the Fisher’s house in Kardanup, Perth, West Australia, Lou sees something threatening on the rocks while searching for Honey’s toy. Soon after, both Lou and the children go missing, leaving the Fisher family devastated. The head of the family, Jock Fisher, takes control, organizing a press conference. DSS Mal Blackwood is called in, despite it being his anniversary, to work with his colleague Angie on the case. As he interviews the Fisher family, he quickly realizes they’re hiding many skeletons in their closets.
Adding to the intrigue, Lou’s father, Henry, contacts his ex-wife, Rose Campbell. Years ago, Henry had done everything in his power to drive a wedge between Lou and Rose, including taking custody while Rose recovered from a colleague’s shooting and hiding letters Rose sent to their daughter. With the help of his second wife, Henry fed Lou lies that estranged her from Rose. However, after his lies were exposed during his third marriage, Henry faced the consequences. Lou moved to Australia to live with her brother Charlie, found a babysitting job with a wealthy family, and cut ties with Henry. Now that she’s missing, possibly implicated in the children’s disappearance, Rose, with her law enforcement expertise, is the only one who can help.
Rose quickly flies to Australia to assist in the investigation, although she’s still unsure what kind of person her once-moody teenage daughter has become. Despite being kept in the dark by the authorities, Rose is determined to uncover the truth, even if it means crossing lines and conducting her own investigation.
Overall, the character development is fantastic, and all the pieces of the mystery fit together perfectly. The pacing is engaging and well-balanced. I’ll definitely be reading more of Sara Foster’s books, and I highly recommend this one to crime thriller lovers!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for providing me with a digital reviewer copy of this riveting thriller in exchange for my honest thoughts.
Follow me on medium.com to read my articles about books, movies, streaming series, astrology:
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January 18, 2025
3.5🌟🌟🌟💫
Lou is employed buy a wealthy family in Australia as a nanny for two young children. But a play date at the beach may have turned into something sinister when Lou and the children vanish.
Rose has been estranged from her daughter Lou since Lou was a baby. All attempts to be a part of her life were thwarted. But now, with Lou missing across the world, the gloves just came off as Rose jumps on the first plane to Australia. With a background in law enforcement and being a mama bear she’s laser-focused on finding her daughter.
Detective Mal Blackwood is coming off a medical leave and hoping to rekindle his marriage as he inches his way towards retirement. But when the chief requests that he head up the investigation into the disappearance of the nanny and kids he can’t refuse. Retirement and his wife will just have to wait. (Sorry honey💔).
What I enjoyed:
*Told from all three perspectives, including a couple additional voices along the way.
*A solid thriller that wasn’t too OTT
*The cover art is gorgeous.
What fell short:
* I was never completely vested in the characters.
* There was a lot of telling rather than showing.
Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing
Lou is employed buy a wealthy family in Australia as a nanny for two young children. But a play date at the beach may have turned into something sinister when Lou and the children vanish.
Rose has been estranged from her daughter Lou since Lou was a baby. All attempts to be a part of her life were thwarted. But now, with Lou missing across the world, the gloves just came off as Rose jumps on the first plane to Australia. With a background in law enforcement and being a mama bear she’s laser-focused on finding her daughter.
Detective Mal Blackwood is coming off a medical leave and hoping to rekindle his marriage as he inches his way towards retirement. But when the chief requests that he head up the investigation into the disappearance of the nanny and kids he can’t refuse. Retirement and his wife will just have to wait. (Sorry honey💔).
What I enjoyed:
*Told from all three perspectives, including a couple additional voices along the way.
*A solid thriller that wasn’t too OTT
*The cover art is gorgeous.
What fell short:
* I was never completely vested in the characters.
* There was a lot of telling rather than showing.
Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing
May 31, 2025
Pitch perfect and addictive, When She Was Gone introduced me to the masterful talent of Ms. Sara Foster. Spinning a tale filled with just as much deeply felt heart as unbridled suspense, I was riveted by the crime fiction premise as it steadily ratcheted towards an explosive climax and soul-satisfying conclusion. By merging multiple POVs into one perceptive whodunnit, I was overcome with delight thanks to the many well-developed personas who entertained with precision as they pulled me into the story. But it was the jaw-dropping, gasp-inducing twist that won me over hook, line, and sinker. Unguessable in the extreme, it had me shaking my head as I whispered “No f***ing way?!” with utter glee in my voice.
Despite a slam dunk storyline riddled with surprises, the dynamite cast of characters was the best piece of the puzzle. From Rose who was a force to be reckoned with to the compelling detective in charge, both had humanizing flaws alongside a strong core of steel, which made them stunningly real. Then there was the Fisher family. Perfectly dysfunctional in every meaning of the word, their dynamic was pure gold. Tucked in amongst these genuine individuals were some stellar love-to-hate personas as well as a few I rooted for right from the beginning. Altogether, they helped to round off a plot that kept me spellbound but good. After all, I love a good missing persons case mixed in with a wealthy family’s despicable deeds.
All said and done, this stunner presented a character-driven story filled with plenty of pulse-pounding action as the police procedural core mixed with a thriller last third. Throw in the Western Australian setting, and I was downright in love. You see, Foster’s words brought it all vividly to life in a way few books can manage. And with a focus on some serious topics such as domestic violence, trauma, and grief, there was no end to the depth of this novel as it blew me away from beginning to end. So if you love plot-charging drama, palpable tension, and evocative writing, this is one book you need to check out ASAP. After all, this novel is sure to keep you up all night long as you race through the pages. Rating of 4.5 stars.
SYNOPSIS:
Former London police officer Rose Campbell has been estranged from her daughter, Lou, for almost a decade. But when Lou disappears from a remote Western Australian beach, and the police suspect her of kidnapping the two young children in her care, Rose is asked to help bring Lou home. The police think Rose’s insights will lead them to Lou, but they don’t realise that Rose hardly knows her daughter any more.
This is the final case in DSS Mal Blackwood’s illustrious career, and there’s a lot riding on it. The missing children are heirs to the Fisher property empire, and while their multimillionaire grandfather is breathing down Blackwood’s neck for results, the media storm is intensifying. Faced with a deluge of evidence and accusations, Blackwood doesn’t know who he can trust.
Rose arrives in Australia intent on proving her daughter’s innocence, but how can she be sure of that when she’s no longer part of Lou’s life? Meanwhile, as Blackwood begins to expose the Fishers’ secrets, the investigation takes a much darker turn. Shadows of the past gather around the Fishers and Rose, and soon it’s clear that every hour is critical. What has happened to Lou and the children? And can Rose and Blackwood find them in time?
Thank you to Sara Foster and Blackstone Publishing for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
PUB DATE: April 1, 2025
Content warning: missing person, domestic abuse, knife violence, kidnapping, infidelity, heart attack, mention of: alcohol abuse
Despite a slam dunk storyline riddled with surprises, the dynamite cast of characters was the best piece of the puzzle. From Rose who was a force to be reckoned with to the compelling detective in charge, both had humanizing flaws alongside a strong core of steel, which made them stunningly real. Then there was the Fisher family. Perfectly dysfunctional in every meaning of the word, their dynamic was pure gold. Tucked in amongst these genuine individuals were some stellar love-to-hate personas as well as a few I rooted for right from the beginning. Altogether, they helped to round off a plot that kept me spellbound but good. After all, I love a good missing persons case mixed in with a wealthy family’s despicable deeds.
All said and done, this stunner presented a character-driven story filled with plenty of pulse-pounding action as the police procedural core mixed with a thriller last third. Throw in the Western Australian setting, and I was downright in love. You see, Foster’s words brought it all vividly to life in a way few books can manage. And with a focus on some serious topics such as domestic violence, trauma, and grief, there was no end to the depth of this novel as it blew me away from beginning to end. So if you love plot-charging drama, palpable tension, and evocative writing, this is one book you need to check out ASAP. After all, this novel is sure to keep you up all night long as you race through the pages. Rating of 4.5 stars.
SYNOPSIS:
Former London police officer Rose Campbell has been estranged from her daughter, Lou, for almost a decade. But when Lou disappears from a remote Western Australian beach, and the police suspect her of kidnapping the two young children in her care, Rose is asked to help bring Lou home. The police think Rose’s insights will lead them to Lou, but they don’t realise that Rose hardly knows her daughter any more.
This is the final case in DSS Mal Blackwood’s illustrious career, and there’s a lot riding on it. The missing children are heirs to the Fisher property empire, and while their multimillionaire grandfather is breathing down Blackwood’s neck for results, the media storm is intensifying. Faced with a deluge of evidence and accusations, Blackwood doesn’t know who he can trust.
Rose arrives in Australia intent on proving her daughter’s innocence, but how can she be sure of that when she’s no longer part of Lou’s life? Meanwhile, as Blackwood begins to expose the Fishers’ secrets, the investigation takes a much darker turn. Shadows of the past gather around the Fishers and Rose, and soon it’s clear that every hour is critical. What has happened to Lou and the children? And can Rose and Blackwood find them in time?
Thank you to Sara Foster and Blackstone Publishing for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
PUB DATE: April 1, 2025
Content warning: missing person, domestic abuse, knife violence, kidnapping, infidelity, heart attack, mention of: alcohol abuse
March 31, 2025
Wow! Wow! Wow! READ THIS BOOK!!! Add it to your TBR!!
To be published Tuesday 4/1
I was completely blown away by this surprise novel! As soon as I started it, I couldn’t put it down!!!
A nanny carrying for two small children of a very wealthy family has gone missing without a trace. No one knows what happened to them. Their last known whereabouts was along the beach and the poof…… nothing.
Rose is the estranged mother of the nanny, Louisa. She decides to fly to Australia to help find her daughter. Would Louisa just up and run off with the kids? Could someone have taken them? If so, could it be connected to the gawd awful parents?
This story hit the ground running and never let up!!! Her characterization is excellent! I was rooting for Rose and Lou the whole time! I absolutely loved it and can’t wait to see what Sara Foster has up her sleeve next!!!
Massive thanks of gratitude to Blackstone Publishing and Sara Foster for the gifted copy!!!!
5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
To be published Tuesday 4/1
I was completely blown away by this surprise novel! As soon as I started it, I couldn’t put it down!!!
A nanny carrying for two small children of a very wealthy family has gone missing without a trace. No one knows what happened to them. Their last known whereabouts was along the beach and the poof…… nothing.
Rose is the estranged mother of the nanny, Louisa. She decides to fly to Australia to help find her daughter. Would Louisa just up and run off with the kids? Could someone have taken them? If so, could it be connected to the gawd awful parents?
This story hit the ground running and never let up!!! Her characterization is excellent! I was rooting for Rose and Lou the whole time! I absolutely loved it and can’t wait to see what Sara Foster has up her sleeve next!!!
Massive thanks of gratitude to Blackstone Publishing and Sara Foster for the gifted copy!!!!
5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
May 22, 2025
EXCERPT: . . . (she) runs over to the steep pile of weathered granite stone, scampering up there as adept as a mountain goat and then disappearing over the top.
'Not so far!' Lou calls. 'You don't need to go -'
But the little girl has already gone.
Lou sighs, raising her eyebrows complicitly at Kai, who giggles as he sits on the blanket, only eleven months old but fully aware of his sister pushing the boundaries. She's hurrying over to the rocks when there's a high-pitched scream from the other side. Lou stiffens. This is exactly what she'd dreaded. It would be a disaster to go back to the holiday house with Honey wailing from a fall, no matter that cuts and scrapes are part of childhood. It doesn't take much to turn Frannie's polite charm to cold fury. She casts a nervous glance back at Kai, who is still sitting on the blanket, and decides that if he sets off at a crawl she could get back to him before he reaches the water. So she turns and breaks into a run towards the sound, calling, 'Honey? Are you okay? Did you fall?'
There's no answer.
She hesitates, envisaging telling Frannie and Kyle that one of their babies has been hurt on her watch. They would kill her. Literally. All that crushed, repressed rage would be released onto her. She wouldn't survive it.
She shudders and checks back again. Kai is still on the blanket, head turned towards her, watching, his expression solemn now, his back straight and alert in his little romper suit. She climbs the rocks, terrified of seeing Honey sprawled out and bleeding.
But when she gets to the top and looks down, it is much, much worse than that.
ABOUT 'WHEN SHE WAS GONE': Was she taken ... or did she run?
Rose was torn away from her daughter. Now, is she the only one who can save her?
Former London police officer Rose Campbell has been estranged from her daughter, Lou, for almost a decade. But when Lou disappears from a remote Western Australian beach, and the police suspect her of kidnapping the two young children in her care, Rose is asked to help bring Lou home. The police think Rose's insights will lead them to Lou, but they don't realise that Rose hardly knows her daughter anymore.
This is the final case in DSS Mal Blackwood's illustrious career, and there's a lot riding on it. The missing children are heirs to the Fisher property empire, and as their multimillionaire grandfather breathes down Blackwood's neck for results, the media storm is intensifying. Faced with a deluge of evidence and accusations, Blackwood doesn't know who he can trust.
Rose arrives in Australia intent on proving her daughter's innocence, but how can she be sure of that when she's no longer part of Lou's life? Meanwhile, as Blackwood begins to expose the Fishers' secrets, the investigation takes a much darker turn. Shadows of the past gather around the Fishers and Rose, and soon it's clear that every hour is critical. What has happened to Lou and the children? And can Rose and Blackwood find them in time?
MY THOUGHTS: When She Was Gone by Sara Foster is an engaging, well-paced mystery that ramps up the tension as the plot progresses.
Told from multiple POVs the pointing finger of suspicion moves from one character to another as family secrets are slowly revealed and the worms come out from the woodwork. There's no shortage of suspects or motives in this dysfunctional family - there are plenty of people who have been left disadvantaged and damaged by the Fishers' business practices - but would any of them really kidnap the nanny and two small children for revenge? Or perhaps it has been orchestrated by someone within the family itself, someone with an axe to grind, a point to prove. But whoever it is, the silence from the kidnappers is deafening . . .
When She Was Gone kept me on my toes, kept me guessing. I loved the opposing police presence. Rose is there only as Lou's mum, but she can see gaps in the investigation and follows through on them herself. This doesn't earn her any brownie points from DSS Blackwood or his 2IC, Angie. Rose considers herself lucky to have the support of her estranged brother-in-law, Charlie, to fall back on.
I loved the characters of Rose and Charlie, and even that of Blackwood who finds himself on his final case, stuck between a rock and a hard place with his boss breathing down his neck, wanting to keep on the good side of the influential Fisher family.
There are multiple twist and turns as heads butt and the case seems to go nowhere, but the final reveal is a doozy.
An extremely satisfying missing persons mystery set on Australia's beautiful west coast.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
#WhenSheWasGone #NetGalley
MEET THE AUTHOR: Sara is passionate about writing strong female characters and often incorporates contemporary cultural themes into her stories.
She lives in Perth, WA, with her husband, two daughters, three cats, Luna the cavoodle and Sunny the bearded dragon.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harper Collins Publishers Australia via NetGalley for providing an e-ARC of When She Was Gone by Sara Foster for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
'Not so far!' Lou calls. 'You don't need to go -'
But the little girl has already gone.
Lou sighs, raising her eyebrows complicitly at Kai, who giggles as he sits on the blanket, only eleven months old but fully aware of his sister pushing the boundaries. She's hurrying over to the rocks when there's a high-pitched scream from the other side. Lou stiffens. This is exactly what she'd dreaded. It would be a disaster to go back to the holiday house with Honey wailing from a fall, no matter that cuts and scrapes are part of childhood. It doesn't take much to turn Frannie's polite charm to cold fury. She casts a nervous glance back at Kai, who is still sitting on the blanket, and decides that if he sets off at a crawl she could get back to him before he reaches the water. So she turns and breaks into a run towards the sound, calling, 'Honey? Are you okay? Did you fall?'
There's no answer.
She hesitates, envisaging telling Frannie and Kyle that one of their babies has been hurt on her watch. They would kill her. Literally. All that crushed, repressed rage would be released onto her. She wouldn't survive it.
She shudders and checks back again. Kai is still on the blanket, head turned towards her, watching, his expression solemn now, his back straight and alert in his little romper suit. She climbs the rocks, terrified of seeing Honey sprawled out and bleeding.
But when she gets to the top and looks down, it is much, much worse than that.
ABOUT 'WHEN SHE WAS GONE': Was she taken ... or did she run?
Rose was torn away from her daughter. Now, is she the only one who can save her?
Former London police officer Rose Campbell has been estranged from her daughter, Lou, for almost a decade. But when Lou disappears from a remote Western Australian beach, and the police suspect her of kidnapping the two young children in her care, Rose is asked to help bring Lou home. The police think Rose's insights will lead them to Lou, but they don't realise that Rose hardly knows her daughter anymore.
This is the final case in DSS Mal Blackwood's illustrious career, and there's a lot riding on it. The missing children are heirs to the Fisher property empire, and as their multimillionaire grandfather breathes down Blackwood's neck for results, the media storm is intensifying. Faced with a deluge of evidence and accusations, Blackwood doesn't know who he can trust.
Rose arrives in Australia intent on proving her daughter's innocence, but how can she be sure of that when she's no longer part of Lou's life? Meanwhile, as Blackwood begins to expose the Fishers' secrets, the investigation takes a much darker turn. Shadows of the past gather around the Fishers and Rose, and soon it's clear that every hour is critical. What has happened to Lou and the children? And can Rose and Blackwood find them in time?
MY THOUGHTS: When She Was Gone by Sara Foster is an engaging, well-paced mystery that ramps up the tension as the plot progresses.
Told from multiple POVs the pointing finger of suspicion moves from one character to another as family secrets are slowly revealed and the worms come out from the woodwork. There's no shortage of suspects or motives in this dysfunctional family - there are plenty of people who have been left disadvantaged and damaged by the Fishers' business practices - but would any of them really kidnap the nanny and two small children for revenge? Or perhaps it has been orchestrated by someone within the family itself, someone with an axe to grind, a point to prove. But whoever it is, the silence from the kidnappers is deafening . . .
When She Was Gone kept me on my toes, kept me guessing. I loved the opposing police presence. Rose is there only as Lou's mum, but she can see gaps in the investigation and follows through on them herself. This doesn't earn her any brownie points from DSS Blackwood or his 2IC, Angie. Rose considers herself lucky to have the support of her estranged brother-in-law, Charlie, to fall back on.
I loved the characters of Rose and Charlie, and even that of Blackwood who finds himself on his final case, stuck between a rock and a hard place with his boss breathing down his neck, wanting to keep on the good side of the influential Fisher family.
There are multiple twist and turns as heads butt and the case seems to go nowhere, but the final reveal is a doozy.
An extremely satisfying missing persons mystery set on Australia's beautiful west coast.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
#WhenSheWasGone #NetGalley
MEET THE AUTHOR: Sara is passionate about writing strong female characters and often incorporates contemporary cultural themes into her stories.
She lives in Perth, WA, with her husband, two daughters, three cats, Luna the cavoodle and Sunny the bearded dragon.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harper Collins Publishers Australia via NetGalley for providing an e-ARC of When She Was Gone by Sara Foster for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
June 27, 2025
Another book I didn’t review straight away, always leaves my mind reaching for the finer details. Nanny and her charges go missing, her mother happens to be an ex British police officer suffering from her own trauma caused by a job gone wrong. Her husband was awful, unsupportive after a terrible on the job incident.
This led to the estrangement from her beloved daughter, and the ex having much to do with this. This dreadful man, claims to be too busy caring for his newborn twins with his new family, cannot commit to looking for Lou, imparting the information begrudgingly with attitude his ex wife needs to know in looking for their daughter.
Lou is a great nanny, caring for children whose own parents couldn’t care less, drinking by the pool with friends, self absorbed in their own worlds. Rose is her mother, scrambling from another continent to be the one liaising with police, and the seasoned detective Mal Blackwood with an interesting backstory of his own.
Rose’s experience in domestic violence allows her to use her skills in finding her daughter, and I enjoyed seeing her feisty attitude in overcoming the estrangement the more desperate the situation becomes. It was clear Lou did not take the children which was alluded to in the blurb, I did enjoy this book, my first of this author. Recommended.
I listened to this book via the BorrowBox app and my public library.
This led to the estrangement from her beloved daughter, and the ex having much to do with this. This dreadful man, claims to be too busy caring for his newborn twins with his new family, cannot commit to looking for Lou, imparting the information begrudgingly with attitude his ex wife needs to know in looking for their daughter.
Lou is a great nanny, caring for children whose own parents couldn’t care less, drinking by the pool with friends, self absorbed in their own worlds. Rose is her mother, scrambling from another continent to be the one liaising with police, and the seasoned detective Mal Blackwood with an interesting backstory of his own.
Rose’s experience in domestic violence allows her to use her skills in finding her daughter, and I enjoyed seeing her feisty attitude in overcoming the estrangement the more desperate the situation becomes. It was clear Lou did not take the children which was alluded to in the blurb, I did enjoy this book, my first of this author. Recommended.
I listened to this book via the BorrowBox app and my public library.
December 13, 2024
A new favourite book from Sara Foster! What an addictive read When She Was Gone is. My biggest regret is not reading it when I had time to sit down and binge it in one go, I could very easily have done that. It is dark, full of despicable characters that you will love to hate, and full of heart ❤️
When a young nanny goes missing from the beach in front of her rich and famous employers holiday house it is a race to find her. Not only is Lou missing, but the 2 youngest children in her care. Did she take them and disappear or did someone take her. Her estranged mother flies over from the UK, a former police detective herself, and throws herself into finding her daughter, much to the displeasure of the local authorities.
The story is told from multiple points of view which keeps you hanging on each one until you return to them. It is suspenseful, it is emotional and it is fantastic!! Get this on your TBRs, out in April 1st.
Thanks so much to Blackstone Publishing for the advanced copy to read.
When a young nanny goes missing from the beach in front of her rich and famous employers holiday house it is a race to find her. Not only is Lou missing, but the 2 youngest children in her care. Did she take them and disappear or did someone take her. Her estranged mother flies over from the UK, a former police detective herself, and throws herself into finding her daughter, much to the displeasure of the local authorities.
The story is told from multiple points of view which keeps you hanging on each one until you return to them. It is suspenseful, it is emotional and it is fantastic!! Get this on your TBRs, out in April 1st.
Thanks so much to Blackstone Publishing for the advanced copy to read.
May 4, 2025
I received an advance reader copy of this book to listen to in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.
***AUDIO BOOK VERSION***
When she was Gone was an easy to listen to and engaging story. We follow a dual POV; Detective Blackwood whos been assigned a case of a missing nanny and the two infants in her care, and Rose, the estranged mother of Lou (the nanny who's gone missing).
When Rose gets news of her daughter being missing, she jumps on a plane to Australia, determined to help find her daughter and be the mother she's never been allowed to be to her daughter Lou. With her background in law enforcement, she could become an asset or a hindrance to the investigation in the eyes of the detective on the case.
The family of the missing infants is super rich and super messed up, and none of the family are particularly likeable or humaine.
As time begins to run out, Rose catches a lead and runs with it, but will she be able to save her daughter and the young children and come out of this alive herself?
This was fast-paced and very well narrated, and I couldn't stop listening. I loved the setting in Australia and the final twist at the end was very well placed.
***AUDIO BOOK VERSION***
When she was Gone was an easy to listen to and engaging story. We follow a dual POV; Detective Blackwood whos been assigned a case of a missing nanny and the two infants in her care, and Rose, the estranged mother of Lou (the nanny who's gone missing).
When Rose gets news of her daughter being missing, she jumps on a plane to Australia, determined to help find her daughter and be the mother she's never been allowed to be to her daughter Lou. With her background in law enforcement, she could become an asset or a hindrance to the investigation in the eyes of the detective on the case.
The family of the missing infants is super rich and super messed up, and none of the family are particularly likeable or humaine.
As time begins to run out, Rose catches a lead and runs with it, but will she be able to save her daughter and the young children and come out of this alive herself?
This was fast-paced and very well narrated, and I couldn't stop listening. I loved the setting in Australia and the final twist at the end was very well placed.
May 21, 2025
Rose Campbell was an ex-police officer and high up in her career in London, when she heard from her ex-husband, Henry, to say their daughter, Louisa, who currently lived in Australia, was missing. She was a nanny to a well-to-do family in Western Australia, the Fishers, and she had taken the two children, three year old Honey, and baby Kai, to the private beach for their usual play. But they didn't return, and calling in top detective DSS Malcolm Blackwood, prior to his retirement, ensured the best and most qualified, along with his second in command, Angie.
With Rose on the quickest flight to Australia she could get, and the search underway along the shores of the WA coast, the Fisher matriarch, Jock, and his three adult children, plus the children's father Kyle, and mother, Frannie, were confined to their holiday home, with Blackwood and the team operating day and night. The media throng was intense, especially when Jock offered a big reward. Blackwood hoped he wouldn't lose control. And when Rose arrived, along with Louisa's uncle Charlie, the race was on; the clock ticking. Would they find Louisa and the children before it was too late?
When She Was Gone is an excellent psychological thriller by Aussie author Sara Foster which I really enjoyed. Well written characters - Rose had steel in her spine, her courage and determination stood out, while her daughter Lou was a gentle soul with the same steel in her spine. Charlie was a terrific support person, while the Fishers were self entitled twits with a multitude of secrets! Highly recommended.
With Rose on the quickest flight to Australia she could get, and the search underway along the shores of the WA coast, the Fisher matriarch, Jock, and his three adult children, plus the children's father Kyle, and mother, Frannie, were confined to their holiday home, with Blackwood and the team operating day and night. The media throng was intense, especially when Jock offered a big reward. Blackwood hoped he wouldn't lose control. And when Rose arrived, along with Louisa's uncle Charlie, the race was on; the clock ticking. Would they find Louisa and the children before it was too late?
When She Was Gone is an excellent psychological thriller by Aussie author Sara Foster which I really enjoyed. Well written characters - Rose had steel in her spine, her courage and determination stood out, while her daughter Lou was a gentle soul with the same steel in her spine. Charlie was a terrific support person, while the Fishers were self entitled twits with a multitude of secrets! Highly recommended.
June 30, 2025
A dark tale, that deftly weaves together psychological suspense and a high-stakes investigation, told from multiple perspectives.
Lou is working as an au pair for a rich couple, until the day she disappears from a remote beach in Western Australia, along with the two children she was caring for. It is uncertain whether she took them voluntarily?
I enjoyed the perspective of former police officer Rose Campbell, who is the estranged mother of Lou. When she is notified of the disappearance of her daughter, she flies over to assist in the race-against-time investigation.
This was a thrilling story featuring a wealthy family, plenty of nefarious dealings, family estrangement, police procedural elements and some strong female characters.
This audiobook is narrated well by Sophie Loughran, and she managed to distinguish the various characters, and the tense scenarios with skill.
With thanks to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley, for the listening review copy to listen to and provide an honest review.
Audio time: 10 hours, 30 minutes
Lou is working as an au pair for a rich couple, until the day she disappears from a remote beach in Western Australia, along with the two children she was caring for. It is uncertain whether she took them voluntarily?
I enjoyed the perspective of former police officer Rose Campbell, who is the estranged mother of Lou. When she is notified of the disappearance of her daughter, she flies over to assist in the race-against-time investigation.
This was a thrilling story featuring a wealthy family, plenty of nefarious dealings, family estrangement, police procedural elements and some strong female characters.
This audiobook is narrated well by Sophie Loughran, and she managed to distinguish the various characters, and the tense scenarios with skill.
With thanks to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley, for the listening review copy to listen to and provide an honest review.
Audio time: 10 hours, 30 minutes
November 17, 2024
KINDLE. Arc. Thanks, Blackstone Publishing.
This was an incredibly fast-paced read. I felt like I was perched on the edge of a boat during a swift-water rescue, watching events unfold before my eyes in quick succession.
There are plenty of flawed characters here and--hurrah for this--they all make choices that make sense!
Simple, unencumbered writing style. Nothing needless between the pages.
Forewarning: this is not a thriller in the strict sense of the genre, in that there is no real twisty twist. The bad people are outed midway through--not that it distracted from the very good story about the good guys trying to find them.
Also: some heavy themes, handled with exquisite touch.
Star down due to a too-tidy ending and questions left unanswered.
This was an incredibly fast-paced read. I felt like I was perched on the edge of a boat during a swift-water rescue, watching events unfold before my eyes in quick succession.
There are plenty of flawed characters here and--hurrah for this--they all make choices that make sense!
Simple, unencumbered writing style. Nothing needless between the pages.
Forewarning: this is not a thriller in the strict sense of the genre, in that there is no real twisty twist. The bad people are outed midway through--not that it distracted from the very good story about the good guys trying to find them.
Also: some heavy themes, handled with exquisite touch.
Star down due to a too-tidy ending and questions left unanswered.
April 2, 2025
I listened to the audiobook of this one and I liked the narrator a lot. I thought she did a great job bringing not only the narrator but all of the characters to life. I liked that this story was a bit different in that it’s about a mother whose young adult daughter goes missing, but they have been estranged the daughter’s whole life and have no relationship. Lou was working as a nanny in Australia for two young children when the three of them go missing and become international headlines. Rose can’t help but go to try to find her daughter despite not being able to have a relationship with her due to her ex-husband. I liked that this book also highlighted themes of domestic violence and the various forms it can take. This was a fast paced novel and I definitely enjoyed the ride even if it wasn’t full of insane twists and turns.
April 2, 2025
**4.5 stars**
**Thank you to HarperCollins Australia for sending me a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review; published 2 April 2025**
What a gripping tale, I thought this book was great. Young British nanny Lou has disappeared in Western Australia with the two small children in her care, who happen to be part of an ultra-rich family; the question is did she kidnap them or were they all taken? Lou's estranged mother Rose, a former London police officer, arrives to assist with the investigation which is being led by Blackwood who is about to retire. The story is told from alternating point-of-views which worked really well to keep the tension up for the reader. I thought the plot was very entertaining with a clever reveal ending.
Overall: highly recommend for anyone who enjoys a good mystery/suspense/thriller - this one is perfect to binge on.
**Thank you to HarperCollins Australia for sending me a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review; published 2 April 2025**
What a gripping tale, I thought this book was great. Young British nanny Lou has disappeared in Western Australia with the two small children in her care, who happen to be part of an ultra-rich family; the question is did she kidnap them or were they all taken? Lou's estranged mother Rose, a former London police officer, arrives to assist with the investigation which is being led by Blackwood who is about to retire. The story is told from alternating point-of-views which worked really well to keep the tension up for the reader. I thought the plot was very entertaining with a clever reveal ending.
Overall: highly recommend for anyone who enjoys a good mystery/suspense/thriller - this one is perfect to binge on.
May 27, 2025
Thank you Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the ALC of When She Was Gone by Sara Foster. I’ll start off first by saying the narrator was fantastic! I love an Australian accent in general but because ths story takes place in Australia it made it THAT much better. The story was intriguing from the very beginning and I couldn’t stop listening. I’m a sucker for a good mystery and this one didn’t disappoint. If you like books involving missing people, the rich behaving badly, lots of secrets then check this out.
April 28, 2025
A tiny bit disappointed in the ending… I was really interested but also something was keeping me from putting it down. I normally finish books pretty quickly, but I was too bored in the middle with this. I wanted to know what happened but didn’t at the same.
Then the ending was underwhelming for all that buildup.
Then the ending was underwhelming for all that buildup.
March 31, 2025
Rose Campbell is a former London police officer who travels to Australia after her estranged daughter disappears, along with the two young children who were in her care. The children are part of the wealthy Fisher family, about whom nobody seems to have a kind word. Mal Blackwood is the Australian police investigator who is assigned to the case. This is Blackwood’s final case before his retirement. (That is such a cliche that it immediately turned me off.)
Rose and Mal do not work together on this case. They engage in parallel investigations, which involve questioning a lot of people. There is a great deal of talking and explaining in this book, rather than showing us what happened. Ultimately, neither investigation solved the disappearance. The answer just dropped into the laps of Rose and Mal. The explanation of the crime was too much of a soap opera for me and the ending of the book was sappy. I did manage to finish the book, but it was just OK.
I received a free copy of this audiobook from the publisher. The narrator was adequate, although she did not differentiate voices.
Rose and Mal do not work together on this case. They engage in parallel investigations, which involve questioning a lot of people. There is a great deal of talking and explaining in this book, rather than showing us what happened. Ultimately, neither investigation solved the disappearance. The answer just dropped into the laps of Rose and Mal. The explanation of the crime was too much of a soap opera for me and the ending of the book was sappy. I did manage to finish the book, but it was just OK.
I received a free copy of this audiobook from the publisher. The narrator was adequate, although she did not differentiate voices.
April 11, 2025
This centres around the disappearance of two children from a wealthy family while in the care of their nanny. All three disappear from a beach leaving limited clues. The nanny had concerns about the parents' care of the children so there's a question of whether Louisa (a young English woman staying in Australia) took them herself. It's only when the body of her boyfriend washes up that the police fear more for their safety.
I enjoyed this though read it directly after another book featuring a very wealthy family with a similar legacy (Rachel Parish's See How They Fall so had to keep reminding myself who was who. I really liked Rose - our female lead - ex-cop now domestic violence warrior, despite the fact she could be a bit prickly. I appreciated the complexity Foster reflected here in her feelings toward Louisa given their estrangement - particularly that she didn't 'know' what sort of person her daughter was so couldn't be sure she hadn't taken the kids. I also liked the backstory Foster gives us for Rose, with the book opening in 2002 when she was a cop and attending a domestic violence scene which ended tragically.
I felt I should have liked DSS Malcolm Blackwood more than I did, but suspect his antipathy towards Rose's interference in the case annoyed me a little. I certainly liked his partner however.
The missing kids' parents seemed to be drawn a little inconsistently. We meet Louisa briefly before she disappears and get a glimpse of irresponsible parents who put partying ahead of their children, but they seem to be genuinely devastated at the kids' disappearance.
This goes in an unexpected direction but Foster feeds us backstory in a consistently well-paced way so we get clues as needed and I also liked that Foster's not afraid to give us nuanced characters who aren't all-good or all-bad.
I enjoyed this though read it directly after another book featuring a very wealthy family with a similar legacy (Rachel Parish's See How They Fall so had to keep reminding myself who was who. I really liked Rose - our female lead - ex-cop now domestic violence warrior, despite the fact she could be a bit prickly. I appreciated the complexity Foster reflected here in her feelings toward Louisa given their estrangement - particularly that she didn't 'know' what sort of person her daughter was so couldn't be sure she hadn't taken the kids. I also liked the backstory Foster gives us for Rose, with the book opening in 2002 when she was a cop and attending a domestic violence scene which ended tragically.
I felt I should have liked DSS Malcolm Blackwood more than I did, but suspect his antipathy towards Rose's interference in the case annoyed me a little. I certainly liked his partner however.
The missing kids' parents seemed to be drawn a little inconsistently. We meet Louisa briefly before she disappears and get a glimpse of irresponsible parents who put partying ahead of their children, but they seem to be genuinely devastated at the kids' disappearance.
This goes in an unexpected direction but Foster feeds us backstory in a consistently well-paced way so we get clues as needed and I also liked that Foster's not afraid to give us nuanced characters who aren't all-good or all-bad.
March 27, 2025
When She Was Gone by Sara Foster
𝗤𝗨𝗜𝗖𝗞 𝗣𝗟𝗢𝗧 𝗣𝗘𝗘𝗞
British mother and ex-police officer Rose Campbell races to Australia to find her missing daughter Lou - a nanny suspected of abducting two children from a powerful family. Leading the investigation is Detective Mal Blackwood who tries to manage this complex kidnapping as he approaches retirement.
𝗛𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗢𝗣𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗢𝗡
The audiobook narrator does a fantastic job with the accents, bringing the characters to life. However, I found it unusual that she didn’t deepen or alter her tone for Blackwood, the main male character.
The majority of the book alternates between Rose and Detective Blackwood.
Rose was a force - something she’d grown into after the trauma she’d experienced. Blackwood was pretty decent for a cop - they’re usually portrayed as useless in thrillers, but I respected his desire to improve and change.
I found the book very entertaining and exciting, eager to know what had really happened. When we got the truth, I was relieved it was good; although there’s no shocking twist, the reveals and ending more than made up for it.
𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗛 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗?
Despite its strong focus on domestic abuse, this isn’t a heavy read. With a balance of character development and plot, I both loved and highly recommend this book.
Thanks to @Netgalley and
@blackstonepublishing for access to this advanced readers copy
𝗤𝗨𝗜𝗖𝗞 𝗣𝗟𝗢𝗧 𝗣𝗘𝗘𝗞
British mother and ex-police officer Rose Campbell races to Australia to find her missing daughter Lou - a nanny suspected of abducting two children from a powerful family. Leading the investigation is Detective Mal Blackwood who tries to manage this complex kidnapping as he approaches retirement.
𝗛𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗢𝗣𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗢𝗡
The audiobook narrator does a fantastic job with the accents, bringing the characters to life. However, I found it unusual that she didn’t deepen or alter her tone for Blackwood, the main male character.
The majority of the book alternates between Rose and Detective Blackwood.
Rose was a force - something she’d grown into after the trauma she’d experienced. Blackwood was pretty decent for a cop - they’re usually portrayed as useless in thrillers, but I respected his desire to improve and change.
I found the book very entertaining and exciting, eager to know what had really happened. When we got the truth, I was relieved it was good; although there’s no shocking twist, the reveals and ending more than made up for it.
𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗛 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗?
Despite its strong focus on domestic abuse, this isn’t a heavy read. With a balance of character development and plot, I both loved and highly recommend this book.
Thanks to @Netgalley and
@blackstonepublishing for access to this advanced readers copy
April 27, 2025
Big thanks to Harper Collins for sending us a copy to read and review.
A disappearance, an estranged mother daughter relationship and a lot of intrigue set up a premise that had me excited.
The business magnate family desperate to get the grandchildren back push every boundary and examine all possibilities.
Rose got the call all parents dread, her daughter who was a Nanny has vanished with the kids she looked after.
Flying from the UK and with her police background starts to unravel the pieces with her Australian cohorts.
Rules and respect are not always followed when you have great wealth and social clout.
Secrets and deceit lurk in the crevices.
Family relationships come under the microscope and danger looms as the hunt ensues.
Although a well written and good story it fell flat for me about half way through.
None of the revelations were wow moments and I was just going through motions as I plodded to the end.
It’s probably the case I am so spoilt with the high standard of crime fiction that I felt this way.
A disappearance, an estranged mother daughter relationship and a lot of intrigue set up a premise that had me excited.
The business magnate family desperate to get the grandchildren back push every boundary and examine all possibilities.
Rose got the call all parents dread, her daughter who was a Nanny has vanished with the kids she looked after.
Flying from the UK and with her police background starts to unravel the pieces with her Australian cohorts.
Rules and respect are not always followed when you have great wealth and social clout.
Secrets and deceit lurk in the crevices.
Family relationships come under the microscope and danger looms as the hunt ensues.
Although a well written and good story it fell flat for me about half way through.
None of the revelations were wow moments and I was just going through motions as I plodded to the end.
It’s probably the case I am so spoilt with the high standard of crime fiction that I felt this way.
March 9, 2025
#ad many thanks for my advance copy @blackstonepublishing #partner
Entertaining AF! I couldn’t put this book down. Ahhhh it is just the perfect book, it pulled me in fast and didn’t let me go even after it was over.
In the world of the mega-rich and the nannies they hire to care for their children, life may seem mundane - until one of those nannies, Louisa, along with two babies, Kai Fisher - 11 months, and Honey Fisher, 3, go missing without a trace.
Did the nanny take the kids and run, or did something far more nefarious happen to them?
I loved all the characters, the likable and unlikeable. Rose, the estranged mother who grapples with past trauma and works in a domestic violence shelter - who has also worked in the police force - offers a glimpse of how far a mother will go for the daughter she’s always loved.
Blackwood, the detective who will soon retire, has marriage issues he’s working on trying to fix right as he’s pulled back into work to find Lou - the missing nanny and the two kids.
The Fisher’s are as dysfunctional as they come. Secrets and past scandals pour from the pages.
The suspense is palpable and the plot will keep you on your toes. This is the type of book TV dramas were made for and it begs to be adapted.
A missing persons case exasperated by the wealthy, pulls the media’s attention almost instantly. And while the other detectives are busy trying to figure out what is happening here, it’s Rose who really pushes this investigation forward. Much to the detectives pleas not too; but she will not be contained no matter how hard they might try to contain her.
The twists left my jaw on the floor! You won’t see them coming! And oof that ending! It’s fast-paced and bingeable! Expertly written, once you begin it’s impossible to think of anything else.
Couldn’t recommend more. Lovvvved it!
Entertaining AF! I couldn’t put this book down. Ahhhh it is just the perfect book, it pulled me in fast and didn’t let me go even after it was over.
In the world of the mega-rich and the nannies they hire to care for their children, life may seem mundane - until one of those nannies, Louisa, along with two babies, Kai Fisher - 11 months, and Honey Fisher, 3, go missing without a trace.
Did the nanny take the kids and run, or did something far more nefarious happen to them?
I loved all the characters, the likable and unlikeable. Rose, the estranged mother who grapples with past trauma and works in a domestic violence shelter - who has also worked in the police force - offers a glimpse of how far a mother will go for the daughter she’s always loved.
Blackwood, the detective who will soon retire, has marriage issues he’s working on trying to fix right as he’s pulled back into work to find Lou - the missing nanny and the two kids.
The Fisher’s are as dysfunctional as they come. Secrets and past scandals pour from the pages.
The suspense is palpable and the plot will keep you on your toes. This is the type of book TV dramas were made for and it begs to be adapted.
A missing persons case exasperated by the wealthy, pulls the media’s attention almost instantly. And while the other detectives are busy trying to figure out what is happening here, it’s Rose who really pushes this investigation forward. Much to the detectives pleas not too; but she will not be contained no matter how hard they might try to contain her.
The twists left my jaw on the floor! You won’t see them coming! And oof that ending! It’s fast-paced and bingeable! Expertly written, once you begin it’s impossible to think of anything else.
Couldn’t recommend more. Lovvvved it!
Read
April 2, 2025I had a rough start with this one. There are a lot of characters, multiple narrators, and a lot of backstory thrown at you right away.
There was a twist that I thought should have happened earlier.
But about halfway through, this book really started to come together for me, and I ended up enjoying it!
Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review!
Subscribe to my amazing newsletter HERE at JenRyland.com Let's be friends on Bookstagram!
There was a twist that I thought should have happened earlier.
But about halfway through, this book really started to come together for me, and I ended up enjoying it!
Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review!
Subscribe to my amazing newsletter HERE at JenRyland.com Let's be friends on Bookstagram!
March 27, 2025
When She Was Gone by Sara Foster. Thanks to @blackstonepub #blackstoneinsider for the gifted copy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Lou takes the children she watches to the family’s private beach as she usually does, but this time they never come back; vanished in thin air. Her estranged mother comes to Australia to help the investigation.
This is a solid mystery where you will turn the pages fast to find out what happened! You’ll just have to know. We get to know the missing nanny a bit before she disappears, which helps to grab us into the mystery. There’s some ‘wealthy people behaving badly’ moments in this one. You gain more info slowly as the investigation goes on, but the end is action packed.
When She Was Gone comes out 4/1.
Lou takes the children she watches to the family’s private beach as she usually does, but this time they never come back; vanished in thin air. Her estranged mother comes to Australia to help the investigation.
This is a solid mystery where you will turn the pages fast to find out what happened! You’ll just have to know. We get to know the missing nanny a bit before she disappears, which helps to grab us into the mystery. There’s some ‘wealthy people behaving badly’ moments in this one. You gain more info slowly as the investigation goes on, but the end is action packed.
When She Was Gone comes out 4/1.
April 10, 2025
What an utterly absorbing and addictive police procedural. Set against the richly rendered backdrop of Australia, this is a deeply character-driven narrative featuring flawed yet compelling personalities—and one of my all-time favorites: rich people behaving badly.
Both suspenseful and emotionally gripping, the plot grows increasingly dark and intricate with each layer that’s peeled back. Told through multiple perspectives, I particularly enjoyed the dual investigations—one official, led by Blackwood, and the other more covert, pursued by Rose.
Though it begins at a slower pace, the tension steadily builds, escalating into a pulse-pounding game of cat and mouse that grips you right through to the final page.
Both suspenseful and emotionally gripping, the plot grows increasingly dark and intricate with each layer that’s peeled back. Told through multiple perspectives, I particularly enjoyed the dual investigations—one official, led by Blackwood, and the other more covert, pursued by Rose.
Though it begins at a slower pace, the tension steadily builds, escalating into a pulse-pounding game of cat and mouse that grips you right through to the final page.
April 21, 2025
Thank you partner Bibliolifestyle and Blackstone Publishing for having me on this tour.
This was a little slow to start for me but once I got into it I was vested and could not stop listening, the audio was fantastic. This was very well done, full of unlikeable characters but I loved to hate them. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and cannot recommend it enough.
This was a little slow to start for me but once I got into it I was vested and could not stop listening, the audio was fantastic. This was very well done, full of unlikeable characters but I loved to hate them. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and cannot recommend it enough.
April 16, 2025
it's sad that the question of whether the nanny kidnapped the children in her care is an option, but here we are. it is fun to peak inside the life of the super rich, but sad to see how broken it is. Being missing in Australia, a world away from everything you know and with new predators of all sizes would be terrifying! Foster took all of these thoughts and wrote an engaging story about betrayal and love that captivated my brain. the broken relationship between the missing nanny and her mother made me so sad, particularly because it was her father's fault. I also loved seeing the character of the DCI adapting to become less of a work- automaton and realize that there is so much more to life.
thank you to NetGalley, Blackstone Publishing, and the author Sara Foster for my ARC of this book.
thank you to NetGalley, Blackstone Publishing, and the author Sara Foster for my ARC of this book.
April 1, 2025
Thank you so much Blackstone Publishing & Bibliolifestyle #partner for the #gifted copy and audiobook!
——
Louisa is a nanny for the ultra rich Fisher family in Kardanup, Australia but has now gone missing with Kyle Fisher’s two kids. Rose, an ex-cop from London, must now travel to Australia to find her missing daughter Louisa, whom she has been forcefully estranged with for decades, thanks to her ex-husband who now wants no part in finding Louisa.
DSS Mal Blackwood, who was about to retire, is now lured back into the missing Nanny case since it involves the high stakes Fisher family and Blackwood is the best in the police force.
The story is mostly divided into Rose’s and Blackwood’s chapters who run separate investigations in their own ways, Blackwood officially and Rose unofficially, and the two don’t really see eye to eye but respect each other just the same as they race against the clock to find the missing Louisa and kids.
In the process, we discover that the Fisher family members comes with a lot of enemies and skeletons in their closets while Louisa has her own little secret which makes for many suspicious characters that could have a role in the disappearances.
I found the first half to be a tad slow but the second half more than made up with the cat and mouse chase and I couldn’t help but turn the pages fast enough to see how it would end. This was one of those rare instances where the book was the winner but the audiobook didn’t quite captivate me. I highly recommend the book to my thriller friends!
——
Louisa is a nanny for the ultra rich Fisher family in Kardanup, Australia but has now gone missing with Kyle Fisher’s two kids. Rose, an ex-cop from London, must now travel to Australia to find her missing daughter Louisa, whom she has been forcefully estranged with for decades, thanks to her ex-husband who now wants no part in finding Louisa.
DSS Mal Blackwood, who was about to retire, is now lured back into the missing Nanny case since it involves the high stakes Fisher family and Blackwood is the best in the police force.
The story is mostly divided into Rose’s and Blackwood’s chapters who run separate investigations in their own ways, Blackwood officially and Rose unofficially, and the two don’t really see eye to eye but respect each other just the same as they race against the clock to find the missing Louisa and kids.
In the process, we discover that the Fisher family members comes with a lot of enemies and skeletons in their closets while Louisa has her own little secret which makes for many suspicious characters that could have a role in the disappearances.
I found the first half to be a tad slow but the second half more than made up with the cat and mouse chase and I couldn’t help but turn the pages fast enough to see how it would end. This was one of those rare instances where the book was the winner but the audiobook didn’t quite captivate me. I highly recommend the book to my thriller friends!
June 26, 2025
Yes, that’s not a lie, started and finished on the same day. Thanks, TGV. Told from varying Ps of V (experienced policeman on the cusp of retirement whose dedication to his career has jeopardised his marriage/our MC, Rose, former police now DV advocate and PTSD sufferer, also estranged from her daughter, and other, historical and relevant insights popping in here and there).
Louise, Rose’s daughter has gone missing with her two charges, young children from one of the wealthiest families in the state, if not the country. Did she take them (wealthy parents aren’t necessarily great ones), or was she taken for whatever reason? The final case before retirement proves tricky for DSS Blackwood, as Rose is quite strong minded and uses her different aspect to try and help solve the case before it’s too late. However, are her feelings clouding her judgement? Add to it the grandfather of the kids, an unlikeable character who is all business and no emotion, and a few other police, relatives, and accessory characters, not to mention the cast of Western Australian locations, this gradual unravelling of stories, red herrings, and long held grudges is a page-turning winner. Highly recommend.
‘Yes, it’s all adding to the bin-fire feeling I’ve got about this.’ Blackwood pauses, frowns. ‘We’re tackling an emergency situation that involves a hostage-expert mum turned bestselling author, along with multimillionaires, radio producers, DJs and investment bankers,’ Blackwood says, his mouth dry. ‘I’m not sure I’m the right person for all this.’
Louise, Rose’s daughter has gone missing with her two charges, young children from one of the wealthiest families in the state, if not the country. Did she take them (wealthy parents aren’t necessarily great ones), or was she taken for whatever reason? The final case before retirement proves tricky for DSS Blackwood, as Rose is quite strong minded and uses her different aspect to try and help solve the case before it’s too late. However, are her feelings clouding her judgement? Add to it the grandfather of the kids, an unlikeable character who is all business and no emotion, and a few other police, relatives, and accessory characters, not to mention the cast of Western Australian locations, this gradual unravelling of stories, red herrings, and long held grudges is a page-turning winner. Highly recommend.
‘Yes, it’s all adding to the bin-fire feeling I’ve got about this.’ Blackwood pauses, frowns. ‘We’re tackling an emergency situation that involves a hostage-expert mum turned bestselling author, along with multimillionaires, radio producers, DJs and investment bankers,’ Blackwood says, his mouth dry. ‘I’m not sure I’m the right person for all this.’
June 8, 2025
I enjoyed the story in When She Was Gone, I was invested fairly early into the story. Lou and the two young children she nanny’s for have disappeared. In a bit of a twist, Lou’s estranged former cop mother is heading out to Australia in the hope of helping find them.
The children come from a wealthy family with a chequered history that makes the investigation all the harder.
Triggers warnings apply for domestic violence, but the author has clearly put a lot of work into researching the subject and it was dealt with very well.
For me, unfortunately, the narration let this down a little bit, it’s a bug bear for me. I really wish narrators would just stick to one accent instead of attempting others when they can’t carry it, I couldn’t tell where the characters were from a lot of the time. They were supposed to be English, Irish, Australian and French, I appreciate it’s not an easy task.
My thanks to Blackstone Audiobooks via NetGalley for the opportunity to review this audiobook 🎧
The children come from a wealthy family with a chequered history that makes the investigation all the harder.
Triggers warnings apply for domestic violence, but the author has clearly put a lot of work into researching the subject and it was dealt with very well.
For me, unfortunately, the narration let this down a little bit, it’s a bug bear for me. I really wish narrators would just stick to one accent instead of attempting others when they can’t carry it, I couldn’t tell where the characters were from a lot of the time. They were supposed to be English, Irish, Australian and French, I appreciate it’s not an easy task.
My thanks to Blackstone Audiobooks via NetGalley for the opportunity to review this audiobook 🎧
April 14, 2025
This book is totally a police procedural, with interference lol. The narrative jumps, for the most part, between the investigator and the missing girl’s mother (who has police training). So you get the mundane and political part of the investigation, as well as the heart motivated and uninhibited aspect. It’s a good mix.
For me, the best part of the story was Rose’s perspective. She is the mother, an author, and former police officer. She isn’t letting anyone tell her to sit down and wait for the police to do their job. She performs her own investigation, going after the less obvious and asking all the right questions. She is an extremely flawed character, but incredibly redeemable. I loved her and the direction the story took her.
Over all this was a good thriller. A lot of different leads going in different directions, which kept you guessing.
For me, the best part of the story was Rose’s perspective. She is the mother, an author, and former police officer. She isn’t letting anyone tell her to sit down and wait for the police to do their job. She performs her own investigation, going after the less obvious and asking all the right questions. She is an extremely flawed character, but incredibly redeemable. I loved her and the direction the story took her.
Over all this was a good thriller. A lot of different leads going in different directions, which kept you guessing.
March 4, 2025
What a thrilling and heart pounding book. I wasn't sure if I would like this one as the previous book I read of Sara Foster I didn't really like. This one had me hooked and enthralled from the start and I loved it.
It is told in numerous voices by numerous people but the main characters told the full story and some of the others were there to fill in the blanks, so to speak. It was all rather exciting and edge of your seat reading and it really did keep me guessing as I never fully knew what had happened and wher it was going.
If you want a thrill ride then this is the book for you.
When She Was Gone
Sara Foster
HarperCollins
It is told in numerous voices by numerous people but the main characters told the full story and some of the others were there to fill in the blanks, so to speak. It was all rather exciting and edge of your seat reading and it really did keep me guessing as I never fully knew what had happened and wher it was going.
If you want a thrill ride then this is the book for you.
When She Was Gone
Sara Foster
HarperCollins
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