Gone (When Bad Things Happen #1) (2025)

This is the first in what is looking to be a phenomenal series. If you have any familiarity at all with Dr. Mitchell's other fiction books, you already know she has an excellent understanding of just how hard it is to parent a child on the autism spectrum, and how much harder it is when the unexpected comes to call. But this book takes it up a few extra notches. Action, suspense, emotion, compassion - and lack of compassion - it's a wild ride of a story.

I love this book. I haven't read anything like it. So much suspense, I actually felt I was in the story. Can't wait for the next book. Thank you Dr. Mitchell for writing a great story.

An intriguing book with plenty of breath holding excitement to keep you reading. You never expect what happens next. Ready for more.

Poorly written

Very little substance. Poorly written. Jumped around without letting you know who was speaking. This writer needs a lot of schooling to be any good. Sorry but true.

This book starts out good but I noticed the repetition early. When the two detectives get involved I felt like I was reading a Hardy Boy book. I will not be advancing in the trilogy.

Here is an abduction story with some classic elements, and some unexpected bits. It was familiar enough to easily follow along, and surprising enough to keep me turning the page.

I found the writing style interesting, and worth thinking about. It is omniscient third person, but the camera lens shifts so suddenly, and you find yourself in someone else's head for that portion of the story. And just when you think you're getting to know this particular character, switch! You're in someone else's head. There were a few sections I had to go back to reread, and rethink a couple of times, just to make sure I was following the crumb trail correctly.

Elizabeth, the protagonist, is an unexpected character. In many ways she is a classic 'spoiled rich girl', and in other ways she is the quintessential nurturer, and then at times she is intelligent and strategic and determined. There are multiple antagonists and I wasn't sure who the baddest guys were, and who was more loathesome.

Mitchell is featuring people groups who are often overlooked as story characters: people living with various physical, cognitive, and mental health challenges. Between some characters there are sharp moral divides, where this person's behaviour is governed by selfishness or lack of moral judgment, and another character's behaviour is governed by trauma and a twisted view of reality, while the behaviour of at least two others is linked to how they were raised. And the behaviours of one, at least, is well out of anyone's control. Practically.

Interesting! And thought provoking. It would make a good conversation over coffee.

This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and action with wonderful world building.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

This book has all the earmarks of the obstacles parents of a disabled child go through and when you are on your own it is even worse. But what do you do if your husband is trying to get out from under the "burden"? Would he do something like that?, you ask yourself. This book will make you laugh and make you cry but it is a look into some of the worries of every day life that may get thrown at any one of us.

Dr. Mitchell will take you from one end of the fear spectrum to the other and you will be so engrossed you won't know what's hit you.

I was given an ebook by the author and this is my voluntary, honest review.

This book was a total surprise to me with a few twists I didn’t expect, and multiple culprits. It’s a thriller centered around a faithful mom and an epileptic boy who may be autistic. When they’re kidnapped, will Elizabeth’s husband save her, or is there more to the story than meets the eye? Great book.
I was given a copy of the book courtesy of the author. This is my honest opinion of the book.

What a fantastic book! It held my interest the whole time. There were repetitions, but that was part of a character’s working through the dilemma she was facing; it was understandable. There were educational moments and there was excitement. You couldn’t help rooting for the dedicated parent. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I highly recommend it.

Gone

Very interesting and entertaining storyline about a woman raised in wealth who marries and has a medically fragile child that she has to pretty much single parent even with a husband who professes to love her and the child.

Good read

Highly recommend. I thought it keep my interest with every page. I look forward to reading more in this series

I’ve been eagerly awaiting Dr. Mitchell’s first psychological thriller after having read her very successful School Dayz series. I was not disappointed.
This book is not only a thriller about Elizabeth, a sheltered and privileged mother and Timothy, her young son, involved in a kidnapping with a twist. It is also informative on childhood seizure disorder and the delicate balancing act of a mother as she navigates through a full agenda of Doctor visits, specialist consultations, and medication adjustments. The book is written in colloquial language and explains much of the medical terminology and daily challenges that Elizabeth and Timothy face.
It is inspiring to see how throughout the ordeal, Elizabeth keeps her cool, and eventually comes into her own.

This one caught my attention with it also being the first time in reading this author. A mystery that has us scratching our heads and flipping the pages. Elizabeth is thrown onto a path that no one would want to go on. Time seems to be important in this. Danger also nips at the heels causing a sense of urgency. You will like the unpredictable that comes through. The heart can be felt beating of this parent with stirring our emotions. Great beginning of a series.

This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

Good story but I had to deduct a star because of how idiotic the characters act. Like, all of them. It was hard to see them as actual people because they acted so stupid. That being said, I liked it enough that I will continue to read the series.

Couldn't put the book down !!!

Quick read thriller.

I enjoyed this fast paced thriller. I do wish the author had included the changes that the mother would make as the ordeal forced her to grow.

A fast read

I I would call this a domestic thriller vs. a psychological thriller. And a very good one. I will be reading more from this author.

I received a free copy and was not sure I would like it. When I started reading this book I was unable to stop until the last page. I look forward to reading more from this author.

A page turner

This fast paced read had me caught up until the end. How quickly life can turn with a bad choice.

Excellent book have gone on to the next book in series

Fantastic.

This was an amazing read. I love the mystery, suspense, action and the different medical illnesses. Everything wS done very respectively

Good thriller

Good read, I loved reading this book. It has the characters and action to keep me on the edge of my seat.

What a struggle

I fast forwarded through this. There are too many books and too little time. Yawn! 😴😴😴😴 Sorry I wasted time on this one.

Rubbish, couldn't even finish fully I skim read the book, telescripted rubbish

A mother will do whatever it takes to protect her child. The child in this book has a form of atrium. He's not verbal but can repeat phrases from TV or one of his favored movies. He also has seizures, and at four is not potty trained but the mother never gives up hope. His mother is dedicated to him and right by his side. The father, a traveling sales man, is disappointed that his son is not the son he dreamed of. You know the one he could teach to fish, catch ball with - a chip off the old block.

The mother and son disappear while the father is on the road. They are actully kidnapped so to speak. The mother does what no one should ever do - she left her son in a running car while she went in to pay for gas! Just that quick she sees someone getting into her car - leaving he purse and everything behind, runs to the car and is able to jump into the back seat! (that's why I said kidnapped sort of). The police are suspicious because the father is not acting like he's distraught. One thing that works in the mother's favor is she's a creature of habit. Because of this they are able to piece together what happened to the mother and her son.
Well, you know it was more to it than this. Was the father involved? Exactly how did the police put the pieces together? Was the son on too much medication from his doctor?

This feels like its missing something It was an ok read pretty fast. It jumps from the mother Elizabeth and her life to random people that were set to kidnap her. Elizabeth has a son who has medical issues and is the home parent who keeps the house well maintained while her husband works as a "traveling salesman". SO while Elizabeth is doing her routine of doctors, groceries, and gasing up her car she notices someone enter her car while shes inside paying for gas. She freaks out as one does and runs to her car (the kicker is her son who doesnt talk is in the back sleeping). She hops in the car to protect her son and is told by the carjacker they can not leave now. The gas attendant pretends nothing happened and takes her purse she left behind to take what he finds useful later on. While this is happening some randoms are now angry and make calls to the husband, apparently they were hired to take her and leave the son but they cant find her and think the husband hired another person.

The husband isnt in his sons life so its strange to see him want the son unharmed and thinks hes going to live a new life with him when hes so annoyed by his medical conditions and seizures.

Adding mental-illness to the carjacker leaves Elizabeth wondering how she can get away safely.

Predictable with cliché characters. Housewife who needs everything in perfect order and evert to germs. Bored husband has an affair and need wife out of the picture so he can inherit her money. Doesn’t even bother to pretend her is distraught by her disappearance. Crazy guy who decided to kidnap said wife and her son and then realized it’s too much work so killing then would be easier.
Husband can’t stand to take care of the kid, has no idea of his medical issues and yet wants him alive so the mistress will raise him.
The author’s experience with autism seems ineffective given the way the boy is portrayed. Even mentioning it seemed a dread and the end of the world. Doctor said his mother was not ready to hear about it. He was four, how long more they would have to wait so he could have appropriate supports? The way it’s mentioned it was as if it was the end of the world.
And then the story ends abruptly when the police find them. Her toughts on finding her husband’s plans? The consequences of her kid not having his meds for several days? What happened to crazy guy? It feels the author got tired and reached the word limit and needed to finish asap. Not sure if will go to the next story.

I'll start by getting this out of the way: this book is predictable, stereotypical and rather slow as far as thrillers go. However, I still rate it 5 stars.

As someone who has worked in the mental health and children's health fields, I found the characters exceptionally well written. And this is what made the book for me. Personally knowing a boy who is on the spectrum, who is mostly non verbal and grew up with seizures, it was like I was reading a description of what he went through daily.

The mother may have appeared rather useless as I read in other reviews, but when you are so dependant on routine to keep some normalcy in your life, something as big as being kidnapped will definitely throw you off centre.

This book may not have been my favourite read of the year, but it was beautifully written and covered subjects carefully and tactfully. And for that I loved it.