Once Gone (a Riley Paige Mystery--Book #1)

Blake Pierce

Oct 2018 · A Riley Paige Mystery Book 1 · Blake Pierce

About this audiobook

“A dynamic story line that grips from the first chapter and doesn't let go.”--Midwest Book Review, Diane Donovan (regarding Once Gone)

“A masterpiece of thriller and mystery! The author did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side that is so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. The plot is very intelligent and will keep you entertained throughout the book. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page.”--Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone)

Women are turning up dead in the rural outskirts of Virginia, killed in grotesque ways, and when the FBI is called in, they are stumped. A serial killer is out there, his frequency increasing, and they know there is only one agent good enough to crack this case: Special Agent Riley Paige.

Riley is on paid leave herself, recovering from her encounter with her last serial killer, and, fragile as she is, the FBI is reluctant to tap her brilliant mind. Yet Riley, needing to battle her own demons, comes on board, and her hunt leads her through the disturbing subculture of doll collectors, into the homes of broken families, and into the darkest canals of the killer’s mind. As Riley peels back the layers, she realizes she is up against a killer more twisted than she could have imagined. In a frantic race against time, she finds herself pushed to her limit, her job on the line, her own family in danger, and her fragile psyche collapsing.

Yet once Riley Paige takes on a case, she will not quit. It obsesses her, leading her to the darkest corners of her own mind, blurring the lines between hunter and hunted. After a series of unexpected twists, her instincts lead her to a shocking climax that even Riley could not have imagined.

A dark psychological thriller with heart-pounding suspense, ONCE GONE marks the debut of a riveting new series—and a beloved new character—that will leave you turning pages late into the night.

Book #2 in the Riley Paige series is now available!

Ratings and reviews

Don't do it to yourself. It's brutal! The narration is terrible. Emphasis is often off, voice acting is porno movie terrible, although the book is set in Virginia the characters all have terrible cockney English accents. The story is full of infuriating, terrible police work and many obvious policy breaches. There are so many unexplored threads and omissions that any half competent investigator would have followed up on. Perhaps worst of all is the myriad of filler. Some during the climax.

This was close to being a good book. Why did the author choose a British narrator! It made no sense. It pulled me out of the story all of the time. This is an FBl agent on the East Coast not any character was from England. The book takes place in America with the FBI, and the main character is an American. I didn't feel her plight or necessity to run into danger constantly. It's annoying that she has flashbacks throughout, but yet goes and does it again on her own without backup. Plot holes!!

Honestly the books are ok but they're also all pretty much the same. Male killer, female victims, only Riley can figure out each case because even though everyone else is smart she is smarter. Also from book 9-13 I think it is they change narrators for some reason and the new lady is terrible. She takes massive pauses, makes gross noise with her mouth (constantly swallowing), she can't stick to one accent and says words like "idea" as "idear". Just wish it wasn't the same thing every time.