To start with, this book really confused me. I found myself a little lost while trying to follow the start of the story. I wondered if it was to do with the fact that I haven't read any of the other books in the series - but it all started to come together around chapter 5 - so if you find yourself a little lost, don't give up! Once you power through and get a little further in it starts to make a bit more sense.

In fact, I found I didn't really need to have read the other 3 books in the series in order to understand what was going on, although I will admit I think it would be worth tackling them first in order to fully understand the main character.

This book is a great mix of mystery, thriller and suspense, with the ending hitting again and again and again in such dramatic ways.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions in this review are all my own.

"Gone in the Night" is book four in the 'Alex Devlin' series but not having read books 1-3, I read this as a stand-alone without feeling that I was missing anything.

Set in Norwich, this super thriller was told in chapters, day by day, from each of the characters' perspectives. I loved this as it gave me the opportunity to see all sides of the same story.

The author, Mary-Jane Riley, had drawn an excellent character in Alex who I found to be very driven, focused and independent. I was totally gripped by this twisty, immersive and tragic thriller.

I can thoroughly recommend this those who are fond of a highly emotive psychological thriller.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from Harper Impulse Killer Reads via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Although the 4th in the series, I read this comfortably as a standalone. I enjoyed the structure of the novel which followed different characters and gives us what they are doing concurrently, with parallel chapters. There are some serious issues beneath the plot. You see how easy it is for people to disappear when they are homeless and jobless. They become invisible to society. As an ex-serviceman, Rick has struggled to adjust to life back home after a traumatic experience.

There are some ruthless characters portrayed and you really admire Alex's tenacity and her courage in investigating just what is going on. This is a well-paced novel which leads you at just the right speed through the story and which keeps you turning those pages. Rick, Cora and Alex all contrast each other and there is a great variety in their respective chapters as you see their different motivations. This is a very accessible read, with great characters and some surprises along the way.

In short: Suspense is threaded throughout this well structured read.
Thanks to the author for a copy of the book.

A fantastic read and I loved all the little twists that this story held. Definitely a page-turner and very fast paced. You won't realise you have read the end of the book until you turn that last page.

With thanks to Netgalley and Killer Reads for this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.

Journalist Alex Devlin was walking home from a charity party when she came across a car accident on a country road. A Land Rover had crashed into a tree and inside was a severely injured man. Alex dialled for an ambulance, and the man gave her the telephone number for Cora his sister. Shortly afterwards two men drove by and said they would give drive him to hospital.

Worried Alex rang all her local hospitals and told no crash victims had been admitted. Alex rang her friend DI Sam Slater to check for the crashed vehicle but it had disappeared. Sensing a story Alex rang Cora, Cora explained that her brother Rick had gone missing weeks earlier and she was trying to find him. Rick had been deployed to Afghanistan where he suffered PTSD after a bomb. When he returned to the UK he became homeless after breaking up with his wife.

Alex found out that a number of homeless people had gone missing from Norwich in recent months. She visited a charity called Fight for the Homeless who ran a drop in centre. The owner David claimed not to know where Rick had gone but he was lying.

Can Alex fight police corruption and the establishment to find Rick?

This is 2nd book I have read in the Alex Devlin series. Although this is book 4 it was quite easy to catch up with the characters again.

The plot was interesting, with short chapters to entice me to read just one more.

I liked Alex who stood by her sister when she was unwell. Alex is a good friend and cares about the people she writes about. However she is not above putting herself in danger to get to the truth.

Rick`s story in Afghanistan as a soldier was sad. A lot of ex soldiers come back to the UK suffering from PTSD. The scenes where Rick was running across country to escape his captors, was so vivid it actually left me exhausted.

Gone in the Night was a fairly decent read. I will make sure I will read Dark Waters to find out what happened in Alex`s last job.

This is the fourth book featuring the journalist, Alex Devlin, who is the proverbial dog with a bone when she begins a new investigative story. I love her character and read the second book in the series first, then went back and found the first after I read that there was , indeed, a series. You can read them singularly or in sequence , it doesn’t matter as each book is fully realized.. Homelessness is the spine of this one and how we really don’t see the ‘other’ even though we all know the throwaway line that the only difference between ‘us’ and ‘them’ is a lost paycheck or two. It’s a great read with interesting and believable characters and a gripping thriller through the very last page.

A superb thriller with an interesting and absorbing plot.
The characters deepen throughout the book and are likeable and believable. This is an entertaining page turner.
The ending could have been better but nevertheless it’s an enjoyable read

A well written and captivating psychological thriller just the way I like them.
The kind you want to keep reading to find out more.
Fast paced, keeps you turning the pages until the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book. This is my honest review. All opinions are my own.

This is the fourth book featuring Alex Devlin, a freelance journalist and a stand alone novel. Alex looking for her next story , decides to write about the homeless in her home town of Norwich. Whilst investigating she meets Cora, a nurse whose brother gone missing and discovers there is a massive cover up when other homeless people vanish from the streets, Together she and Cora
chase up clues and investigate why these homeless people are going missing. They soon ruffle a few feathers and battle to stay alive. The story is told like a daily diary and the characters are interesting.
This is my first book featuring Alex Devlin and I like her character. I will be looking the for earlier books featuring Alex Devlin as I want to know her story. I thoroughly recommend!!

I have been a fan of Mary-Jane Riley since the moment I picked up the first book to feature Alex Devlin called ‘The Bad Things’. It was released in 2015. Since then Mary-Jane Riley has gone on to release another three books in the series, the latest of which is called ‘Gone In The Night’ and it was released on 3rd May 2019. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy. Well ladies and gents, I did get my hands on a copy and I can confirm that it really is a fantastic read. I loved it but more about that in a bit.
What can I say about Alex Devlin? For starters, she is a journalist who has a knack for solving complicated mysteries. She gets the answers that others can only dream of getting. She is smart, tenacious, stubborn, nosy, determined and she is like a dog with a bone in the sense that once she has decided on a course of action then she won’t be dissuaded. She will not hesitate to investigate an incident or mystery until she has found the answer or until her curiosity has been satisfied. On occasion she has become far too involved in cases and she often finds herself in some sort of danger. I couldn’t help but take to Alex from the start but then I have liked her all the way through the series. In fact by the time I got through a couple of chapters of the book, I began to think of her as a very good friend and naturally I felt very defensive and protective of her. If I could have jumped inside the pages of the book to sort out whoever was upsetting her or to just help her with her latest investigation, then I would have done.
Oh my goodness, ‘Gone In The Night’ has to be my favourite book of the series so far. The Alex Devlin series just gets better and better. I became addicted to reading this book by the time I got to the bottom of the first page. I was constantly like an addict in need of my next fix. If I had to put the book down for any length of time, then I would immediately look forward to the moment I could pick the book back up again. In fact I found every excuse in the book to avoid having to put the book down, which didn’t go down well with my two Labradors who had the nerve to want a walk or for me to play with them! Whilst I was reading ‘Gone In The Night’, I noticed neither the speed with which the time was passing nor the speed with which the pages were turning. In fact the world could have ended and I wouldn’t have known anything about it.
As with Mary-Jane’s other books, ‘Gone In The Night’ is brilliantly written. The author has one of those writing styles that is easy to get used to and easy to get along with. The author certainly knows how to grab your attention from the start and she dangles enough bait to encourage you to read on and on. Mary-Jane Riley uses such realistic and powerful descriptions that I really felt as though I was part of the story myself and that the characters were just as real as you or I. I became far too involved in this book and I even began to interact with it in the sense that I would randomly talk out loud to the book as if I thought the characters could hear me.
Reading ‘Gone In The Night’ was much like being on a tense, dramatic, scary and unpredictable rollercoaster ride with several twists and turns along the way. I smugly thought that I had worked out who was doing what and why only to be thrown a curveball and I was sent down another path entirely.
In short, Mary-Jane Riley has done it again and she has written a book that is sure to soar in the bestsellers chart. The series featuring Alex Devlin goes from strength to strength. I can’t wait to read what Mary-Jane Riley comes up with next. Here’s hoping that we don’t have too long to wait. I definitely recommend that you pick up one of her books as I can guarantee that you won’t be disappointed. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

I really liked this book and series featuring Alex Devlin. It was fast paced and a good thriller well worth your time
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book

Gone in the Night by Mary-Jane Riley is the fourth book in a series centred on journalist Alex Devlin. In my opinion, this latest offering more than holds its own as a stand-alone, and is quite a compelling read.

When journalist Alex Devlin finds a man injured in the road, she is naturally inclined to offer help. But as the man is assisted by two 'good samaritans' who insist on rushing him off to hospital themselves, Alex's journalistic sensibilities alert her to the fact that something is not right. Soon Alex is caught up in a conspiracy that has far reaching effects, particularly for some of the community's most vulnerable.

This is a fast-paced, solid thriller that held my interest throughout. I was especially drawn to the character of Alex Devlin, and am curious enough to want to delve deeper into her backstory. I will be seeking out the first three novels of this series.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Impulse and Killer Reads for this ARC.

I struggled to get through the first third of this book. It was confusing to switch characters, as well as days/times. Not having read the previous 3 books, I wasn't invested in the Alex Devlin character for most of the story. I considered giving up on the book, but pushed through, and I"m glad because this was a decent suspense novel. Though it was pretty easy to figure out what was going on by the 50% mark, it was interesting to see how the author tied together the various strands of the mystery.

I think this would make a great TV series. The story reminded me a little of the Fiona Barton novels involving journalist Kate Waters. This book had a lot more profanity, which I didn't like, and the subject matter was quite dark.

Though this can be read as a standalone, I recommend reading them in order so that the minor details of the story make sense. I liked Gone in the Night enough to read books #1-3 in the series at some point.

This is the fourth book in the Alex Devlin series, and let me tell you Alex Devlin is a character you would want on your side should you really want the truth. A little unusually for a crime fiction series, Alex is a journalist and someone who has investigated the painful truth about the deaths of her niece and nephew. This fact means the reader can be sure that nobody nor anything will stop her pursuing the leads to find the truth...
This is just as well because when Alex is given a proposal for a story she believes it is going to be relatively straightforward, oh Alex, how wrong can you be? Cora's brother Rick has gone missing and she believes the fact that he slept rough will result in a lack of interest by the police. Alex was already casting her net in search of a story to write for the local East Anglian paper, and when she finds out that more of the homeless appear to have disappeared she follows the trail.
This is a bang-on contemporary story which avoids the pitfalls that I find some author's fall into . This storyline doesn't feel forced, I didn't ever feel that the issue came first and then repeatedly shouted from the rooftops. Nevertheless the book necessarily shines a light on those members of society that are often invisible because we do not wish to see them. Fortunately Mary-Jane Riley does what all good authors do, she made me want to find out the truth alongside Alex (and others who she persuades to assist her) so that I became invested in the storyline too.
One of the reasons why I fell in love with this series, is the characters; Alex Devlin has the qualities I admire but this is an author who is able to create both obvious baddies and villains of the more subtle variety too. Boney in this book was one of the obvious variety but believably so - I know we are always told that criminals don't have their trade stamped across their forehead but that doesn't mean that there are those out there that most of us would instinctively give a wide berth to! This creation of a wide range of characters right across the spectrum and ensuring a large percentage have depth means that the whole book is given a backdrop of realism to play out the at times most gripping of scenes.
If you haven't read any of the Alex Devlin series, I do urge you to start at the beginning because although each one will read most satisfactorily as a standalone, I know you will want more and all good bibliophile's know that you really should read a series in order if you are going to read them all!
Previous Books in the Alex Devlin Crime Fiction Series
The Bad Things
After She Fell
Dark Waters
I want to finish by stating just how delighted I was to be asked to take part in this blog tour; a huge thank you Mary-Jane for ensuring I was included despite my absence from the blogosphere and of course to Dampebbles for putting me at the end of the tour as requested so that I could fit in a wedding and read the book and remember how to write a review...
First Published UK: 3 May 2019
Publisher: Killer Reads
No of Pages: 330
Genre: Crime Fiction - Series
Amazon UK
Amazon US

I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I went into it not knowing anything about the book or the author. In fact, I had no idea this was even a part of a series until after I finished the book! I enjoyed the story so much I went looking for more and found out this is the fourth book in the Alex Delvin series.

This book was a fast read. It was so easy to just keep telling myself "just one more chapter", then when that chapter was finished I would say "OK, just one more". I will say that it was not the most mind blowing read. In fact when the big revel at the end happens there was very little I did not see coming. Typically that would be annoying, but I found myself in a very interesting situation. Even though little was actually a surprise I was still left with the feeling of shock.

What really pushed this book from a 3 star book to a 4 star is really the subject matter. This deals with the problem of homelessness. This book takes place in London, but it very well could be here. People tend to pass by the homeless as they go on with their lives barely noticing them. If someone goes missing no one, not even the police take it seriously. It is just another homeless person that has moved on. If I were to go missing my friends and family would notice. My boss would call my husband who would promptly call the police and there would be people out looking for me. But what makes me any better or more deserving than the many, many, many people that do not have the privilege of having a home? Nothing.

This was in no way the BEST book ever written, but few books ever are. What this book does well is putting a spotlight on a very real problem that exists worldwide while still being entertaining. If that does not make for a 4 star book I don't know what does.

This was a pretty good book that had great characterizations. The story is pretty good and really shows that it's going to work well as this author has such a talent.

I took advantage of a few days off work to relax and immerse myself in some great stories and one of them was GONE IN THE NIGHT, the fourth novel in the Alex Devlin series created by Mary-Jane Riley. I’d like to thank Emma Welton for inviting me to join the blog tour and for providing me with a copy of this thrilling novel.

Although I had heard of this series and the character of Alex Devlin before, I never had the pleasure to read any of the novels, but I am definetely going to catch up now because I loved the characters who I found well-developed and realistic, I liked the suspenseful atmosphere, and I was captivated by the author’s beautiful writing style and her carefully-plotted story that keeps the reader completely glued to the page.

Alex Devlin is a journalist. Following the publication of her book, she is looking for her next big story, so she finds herself mixed-up with a powerful and wealthy family who is clearly hiding something and with a nurse looking for her missing brother. While Alex chases clues, she interviews people, and she tries not to get herself killed, we also get a glimpse into her personal life, with a son away at college who she barely sees and a sister with a troubled past.

Mary-Jane Riley writes in a way that makes the readers feel like they are inside the story. I could imagine most of the scenes and the settings she describes in detail and I could feel the tension rise page after page as Alex digs deeper and deeper into the case of the disappearance of homeless people. The dark atmosphere, the different perspectives, a thought-provoking and gripping plot, likable characters, and a dramatic and twisty ending are the elements that make GONE IN THE NIGHT an absolute page-turner!

The author wrote a thriller that started with a bang and just kept going! The twists kept coming, so I couldn't put it down. I cannot wait to read more from this author!

#4 In The Alex Devin series but can easily be read as a stand-alone.

Set in Norwich and Cora is searching for her brother, Rick…..he lives on the streets, but he’s missing and no-one has seen him since he talked to two men about a job….

There are also other missing homeless people, but the police believe they have just moved on…

Alex Devlin, a journalist, is at an event hosted by the Rider family, when after a ‘disagreement ‘ with her companion, David, decides to walk home….

She comes across a car accident and the wounded victim passes her a pieces of paper, as another car pulls up and the two men say they will take him to hospital….!

Alex tries to find the injured man, but no hospital has any record of him, so she calls the person on the piece of paper…..Cora !

Told in chapters day by day from each of the characters perspectives, which give the reader a great way to get all sides of the same story…it also shows how the homeless are invisible to society and the lack of support for those that need it….tragic and emotive.

Alex is certainly driven, she has a need for the truth and will not just let it lie….a great character, a strong, independent woman….I found myself totally gripped by this twisty, immersive thriller…..just what was the job Rick had been given? Why did he have to escape? Why don’t the police link the disappearances to the bodies being found ?

I can thoroughly recommend this for lovers of a psychological thriller with an emotional heart…

Thank you to The author, the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this and for a free copy of the ebook. This is my honest, unbiased review.

I read the first two of the Alex Devlin books a couple of years ago and throughly enjoyed them (I really must go back and read Dark Waters). So I was thrilled to be heading back to East Anglia and being re-immersed into Alex’s world.

Alex has got herself into a right pickle (again) looking for a missing man. Is he a man who wants to be found or is he a man who others want to disappear? Her friendly police detective Sam Slater desperately wants to help but the obvious right constraints of the stretched police force prevents his full help.

As Jamie Rider states, Alex is tenacious. Once something is on her radar, she won’t let go until shes satisfied it’s sorted. This invariably gets her in the firing line. I love her as a character and it’s a refreshing change to have what is a kind of police procedural crime thriller headed up by someone who is not really connected to the police force.

Mary-Jane Riley picks social topics as her backdrop and easily interweaves them into her stories. In this book, she introduces the plight of discharged armed forces personnel particularly the struggle to reinsert themselves into society but with a twist.

Gone In The Night, despite being part of a series, can be read as a stand alone story; saying that I would recommend reading The Bad Things, the first Alex Devlin book to get a full appreciation of some of the background. I really enjoyed following Alex on her latest crusade and hope to be returning to her part of East Anglia before long!