Customer Reviews

And Then She Was Gone

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Susan McBride has done a tremendous work with her debut mystery. I say this for two reasons: one being, it's a good mystery, and two, her superb handling of a sensitive subject matter.

In the mystery, Ellen and her daughter Carrie go to the park. Suddenly Carrie disappears. Litchfield is a small town in Texas and nothing like this has happened before. Maggie Ryan and her partner are put on the case, volunteers help out, and the dogs are brought in. Ellen, her husband, and her son, each have their own way of dealing with the tragedy. In life I have found tragedy to be the key to Pandora's box, exposing unspoken or unwanted truths that we would have never faced, and in this case, it proves true for all those involved in Carrie's disappearance. While reading, I felt emotional from time to time because as we all know in this day and age that no one goes untouched when it comes to child abuse or abductions, but Maggie Ryan's feelings -- her words for the situation were so true and honest that they seem to speak for me as well; I found this comforting.

If you are thinking of turning away from this one because of the subject matter, DON'T. You have to experience the gift this writer has in conveying human emotions, her talent in building strong characters, and presenting us with a gripping, suspenseful story. AND THEN SHE WAS GONE is the beginning of a mystery series I recommend readers follow.

AND SHE WAS GONE Susan McBride Mayhaven Publishing - 1999 ISBN: 1878044613 - Trade paperback Mystery/Police

The Spencers, Tom, Ellen, Jake and Carrie live in the small town of Litchfield, Texas, just a few miles north of Dallas. Crime is not supposed to happen in small towns, but Ellen finds out otherwise, when she takes her 4-year-old daughter, Carrie, to the park on a Saturday afternoon.

Ellen is sitting on a bench, speaking to her neighbor, Barb Vincente. When Ellen looks back a few minutes later, Carrie, is gone. Ellen is distraught she looks everywhere for her daughter. Ellen wonders how a child can disappear in broad daylight at a park filled with families, and soccer games going on.

Maggie Ryan and her partner John Phillips catch the case of the missing child. Maggie gets a visit from the sheriff of Pecan Creek, a small rural town about an hour away from Litchfield, that a 6-year-old blond haired, blue-eyed little boy went missing from his front yard. His name was Kenny Wayne. Could the cases be connected? There are many questions to answer. What is the reason for brother Jakes anger and lack of concern for his sister's disappearance?

Maggie Ryan is a very fascinating character. Susan McBride grabbed my attention in the first few sentences and kept me hanging on until the end. AND THEN SHE WAS GONE really tugs at your heartstrings.

The author is able to capture and express the feelings of helplessness and terror that a parent feels when a child goes missing, a terror that we all hope that we will never have to feel.

Kudos to Susan McBride

This author is loaded with story-telling talent and has the fictional skills to match. She knows how to unfold a plot. AND THEN SHE WAS GONE is a well-crafted, one-sitting read. But can she repeat? I'd buy her next book just to see. Dr. Bryson, Chattanooga, TN

One moment four-year-old Carrie Spencer is playing happily in Litchfield Park while her mother is chatting with a neighbor, the next moment Carrie is no longer in sight. And with that disappearance, suspicion, fear and indiscriminate accusations spread through the middle class suburb where crime had seemed so remote, something that could only happen elsewhere.

Susan McBride in AND THEN SHE WAS GONE tells a frightening story of a lost child and Detective Maggie Ryan's desperate attempts to find her, as she battles to find herself and to solve the nightmares of her own childhood. Even after the child's body is found in a dumpster and the police have arrested and charged a suspect, Ryan's own memories force her to continue the search for the one she feels must have been Carrie's murderer.

Detective Ryan's relentless investigation finds lightly stitched up seams in the town's façade. Pets have been mutilated and killed, a man with a long record of child molestation is a coach at the local Y, and Carrie's own father has left his previous occupation under a cloud. In addition, Ryan has to contend with Carrie's older brother, who not only refuses to help the police but is openly hostile and almost expresses relief at Carrie's death.

AND THEN SHE WAS GONE is Susan McBride's first novel, yet it reveals a writer in the best storytelling tradition. It is a masterful piece of suspense writing that includes the underlying and crucial theme of Maggie Ryan's self-examination, whereby she discovers the killer and in the process discovers much about herself. The reader will not only share in the grief of the mother whose child has been killed, but also in the poignant unraveling of Margaret Ryan's inner secrets.

John A. Broussard, PhD for The Charlotte Austin Review charlotteaustinreview.com

This book is so well written, I had no trouble keeping characters and events clear in my mind. I feel the content is very up to date with society today. I would not hesitate to let my teenager read this book, because the material was presented tastefully. Maggie Ryan is a woman with lots to tell us--I look forward to hearing more about her in the very near future. I highly recommend this book to all types of readers, even those of us who can't devote as much time to this hobby as we want--it reads very quickly.

Unlike many first books this one is a polished, mistake free work, tightly written and without any cutesy, undisciplined characters. Susan McBride has an appealing, interesting character in policewoman Maggie Ryan, who leaves a lot unsaid without shutting us out. Not a cozy and not a violence-filled mystery, a lot of readers will find this book a good choice. It shouldn't be wasted on a beach but instead should be saved for late night leisure. We'll all be seeing more of Maggie Ryan in years to come.

When 4 year old Carrie Spencer is reported missing, the entire community is shocked that something like that could happen. It is soon found out that another child in a nearby community has also been abducted. Are the two cases connected? Detective Maggie Ryan must sort out all of the facts and finds that there are many secrets in the small community, including her own abuse as a child.

The author writes a gripping story about the kidnapping and murder of a small child. The Ryan character filters her perception of the events through her own history of child abuse and is a very sympathetic character. The author packs alot into a short novel.

Susan McBride really delivers the goods in AND THEN SHE WAS GONE: an absorbing mystery, three-dimensional characters and words that flow so that you won't want to stop at any chapter's end. There's an emotional depth to the writing that you don't often see with first novels, and I think that frightens off some readers. But don't let it stop you from buying this fine book.

McBride's book is a thoughtful and adeptly written mystery that hits readers in the heart with modern-day issues and an absorbing story that seems all too real. Detective Maggie Ryan is a well-drawn character whose life experiences and seven years on the job have made her re-think what she's doing. The character is hardly cliche. Neither is that of her partner, John Phillips. Lifetime would be lucky to make a movie of this book. First rate and highly recommended.

Child molestation and child abduction are not subjects we like to think about. However, with a deft hand, Susan McBride has created a riveting mystery that must be read in one sitting. With red herrings everywhere, and with skeletons in many closets, the story is gripping. Ms. McBride shows how complex people are and how they may not be as they appear. We have a new and terrific protagonist to add to the list of female sleuths with Maggie Ryan. This is a first novel and I am eagerly awaiting the second.