I was in the mood for a good thriller and was curious about Catherine and her mother, Ruth Sterling. I needed to know what secrets Ruth was hiding. Gone Tonight by Sarah Pekkanen was a slow-building suspenseful mystery thriller that built until it became unputdownable. Grab an iced coffee and check out my thoughts….
by Sarah Pekkanen
Narrator: Kate Mara
Length: 10 hours and 9 minutes
Genres: Thriller
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible *affiliate
Narration: 4 cups Speed: 1.5x
New from the #1 bestselling co-author of The Golden Couple and The Wife Between Us!
"I'm a huge fan of Sarah Pekkanen's books, and GONE TONIGHT is her best yet." —Colleen Hoover
Catherine Sterling thinks she knows her mother. Ruth Sterling is quiet, hardworking, and lives for her daughter. All her life, it's been just the two of them against the world. But now, Catherine is ready to spread her wings, move from home, and begin a new career. And Ruth Sterling will do anything to prevent that from happening.
Ruth Sterling thinks she knows her daughter. Catherine would never rebel, would never question anything about her mother's past or background. But when Ruth's desperate quest to keep her daughter by her side begins to reveal cracks in Ruth's carefully-constructed world, both mother and daughter begin a dance of deception.
The story that unfolds takes place in both the present and also takes us back to when Ruth was in high school living in a home with an alcoholic mother. Catherine works in the memory ward of a retirement home and lives with her mother, Ruth. Ruth is a single mom and server. She is a dedicated mother and recently has had some struggles with memory loss.
We learn about Ruth’s childhood, the mean girls at school, her abusive mother, loving father and the brother she tries desperately to protect. At the same time, we are in the present experiencing Catherine’s concerns over her mother and her protectiveness. When things don’t add up, she investigates her mother’s past and soon opens the door to danger.
I love the buildup, the unreliable narration of Ruth, that slowly revealed all as we read chapters from the past. The story had a great flow as it built towards a harrowing climax.
The story touches on inherent evil with plenty of twists and advances in technology and social media. Fans of thrillers and mother and daughter relationships will want to add this to their bookshelf.
Narrated by Kate Mara, I quickly devoured this suspenseful tale. Kate did a great job of capturing both Catherine and Ruth’s personalities & emotions. I highly recommend choosing the audio format.
Narrated by Kate Mara Gone Tonight by Sarah Pekkanen delivered a suspenseful thriller. #audiobook #NewRelease #audiobookreview Share on XAbout Sarah Pekkanen
Sarah Pekkanen is born in New York City, arriving so quickly that doctors have no time to give her mother painkillers. This is the last time Sarah ever arrives for anything earlier than expected. Her mother still harbors a slight grudge. Sarah’s family moves to Maryland, where Sarah begins writing books, including one entitled “Miscellaneous Tales and Poems.” Shockingly, publishers do not pounce upon this literary masterpiece. Sarah sends a sternly-worded letter to publishers asking them to respond to the manuscript. Sarah no longer favors Raggedy Ann stationery, although she is sure it impressed top New York publishers.
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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram
Katherine
I’ve read another book by this author and really enjoyed it but I think this is the first I’ve seen by just her. Sounds like a super twisty read!
Kimberly
It was. I need to try more books by her. 🙂
Ethan
I’m looking forward to this one, though I haven’t yet carved out the time to read it. I’ve enjoyed Pekkanen’s co-authored thrillers, so I have high expectations for this one.
Kimberly
Happy reading Ethan. I look forward to your review 🙂
Rachel @Waves of Fiction
We’re review twins today! So happy to see you enjoyed it as I did, too!
Kimberly
Yay. I am glad to hear this!
Sophia Rose
The unreliable narrator and being in the same family bumps up the thrill factor for me.
Kimberly
Agreed!
Anne - Books of My Heart
I’m still debating about reading this one. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Kimberly
Thanks for stopping by Anne.
Aymee
This was a really good book! Glad to see you enjoyed it, too.
Kimberly
Glad to hear you did as well.
DEBBIE HAUPT
I have this one waiting in my play library and it just went up a rung. Thanks for the super review!
Kimberly
Yay…enjoy! I look forward to your thoughts.