Saffy Morris is waiting for her turn at an interview. Her mobile pings suddenly with three WhatsApp messages from her best friend, Leona. They say,
“Can’t speak
Don’t text or call
Pls just come”.
By the time Saffy could even register what these messages could mean, they get deleted. Saffy leaves her interview in a state of panic and dashes towards Leona’s house in pouring London weather, only to find a bewildered Leona being querulous about Saffy’s untimely and unexpected arrival. At the time, Saffy finds Leona’s current husband, Ash who she despises and her daughter Rosie in the house. With much resignation and following Leona’s questionable assurance that everything is fine and unfaltering indignation about the messages, Saffy leaves her house and goes to pick up her son Fox and brings him home. Soon, within a few hours, two detective officers land up at Saffy’s house claiming that Leona, Ash and Rosie are missing and since Saffy was the last person they met, she had become a person of interest in the ongoing investigation.
From here begins an edge of the seat thriller that sees the troubled protagonist Saffy, battling her inner demons, her innate fears and worrying personality, taking upon herself to find Leona and Rosie. She finds innumerable setbacks as the police suspect all her intentions and regularly take her up for questioning. In the melee, there’s Saffy’s sister, Poppy who tries her best to help her, despite her constant scrutiny of Poppy’s life. There’s also Saffy’s ex-husband, Neil, who is more of an impediment than help in these trying times. As the events unfold at breakneck speed, Saffy and Poppy need to come to terms with a past trauma and Saffy, a secret, both of which threaten to disrupt their lives and Saffy’s relationship with everyone around her.
Message Deleted is a taut, crisp page turner that is engaging and suspenseful. K.L. Slater, a prolific psychological thriller novelist, has written an engrossing novel with fleshed out characters having skewed emotional arcs. The mystery and characters’ personal trajectories intermingle in a seamless way through the narrative. The climax, does have a jaw dropping moment but soon becomes a tad predictable. Nonetheless, Message Deleted, kept me hooked with its premise and comes highly recommended if you want a book to cozy up with for these chilly winter days.
~ JUST A GAY BOY. 🧐
the shiny diaries 