Unfortunately I DNF'd this one. Did not like the pacing of the book. Lost interest halfway through, found the plot predictable and characters unengaging.

This is a dark psychological thriller. The narrative is told from multiple perspectives. The plot is captivating and intriguing. This book is dark and disturbing in places.

I enjoyed this book. I had a generally good time, and would recommend as a solid, basic thriller.

However, i feel like i have read this basic premise in ither books and enjoyed it more.

I’m not generally into Thrillers but the description of this book brought me in. The fact that the story becomes so entangled drew me in quickly and I couldn’t stop reading.
Grab a copy today to be shocked by the twists and turns that will leave you guessing!

Thank you Head of Zeus and Netgalley - why didn't I read this sooner.
Kept me guessing, edge of my seat, totally gripping, twisty, unpredictable, what a book.
You have to read.

This is a dark psychological thriller interweaving the lives of a mother and her child, a model, and an investigative reporter, all united by a perplexing missing person's case.

In tranquil Norway, Liv and her son Adrian, a nine-year-old boy who is neurodivergent and often subjected to bullying, share a serene existence. For Adrian, airplanes and his mother are sources of joy and security until he becomes a witness to the harrowing kidnapping of his mother. Selma, an investigative reporter in Norway, embarks on her own quest for truth. Anastasia, a promising model on the cusp of stardom, resides in Milan.

The narrative unfolds through the perspectives of Adrian, Liv, Anastasia, and Selma, each voice distinct and compelling. Among them, Adrian's chapters resonate deeply, as Dahl skillfully captures his innocence, fear, and boundless love for his mother. He emerges as a heartwarming character.

These multiple narratives converge to craft a spellbinding and enigmatic storyline. The book commences with a dramatic, emotionally charged, and relentlessly tense tone that will leave you gripped from the start. It's a rollercoaster ride, with an evocative sense of place that seamlessly matches the frigidity of Norway with the chilling events unfolding, while the focus shifts to the heat of Italy as the plot intensifies.

A series of eerie and unsettling events take shape, enshrouding certain characters in mystery and sending shivers down your spine. The peril escalates with an aura of incredible cruelty, featuring characters bereft of humanity or moral compass.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this one, great book. This chilling thriller crafts an atmosphere of unease that permeates every page, making it impossible to escape its clutches.

Anastasia is a budding star on the rise. She enters the glamorous world of modelling, but quickly realizes all that glitters is far from gold. Everything from the sea of drugs and alcohol to the all-too-powerful men start to make her question her career choice...and long for her past. But now that she's embroiled in this life, is there an easy path out?

Selma is a journalist looking for answers. After being pulled from a story about the Dark Side of Modelling, she ends up investigating the disappearance of a certain young woman...a woman with a young son...but where will her investigation lead...and will she live to talk about it?

Great character and book

A great story with twists and turns, spanning a decade and the countries of Norway and Italy.
Liv is a single mother, living a quiet life in a small Norwegian town with her son Adrian. Selma is a journalist who has written a story of fame, money, drugs, prostitution and trafficking in the glamorously dark world of modelling.
I did predict a lot of the story but it was a good read anyway. It is dark and gritty and should come with some trigger warnings.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of After She'd Gone by Alex Dahl.

Ooof, this is a serious thriller, and trigger warning, it's got some grit!

When a mother and son go missing, it sparks the interest of a local journalist who has been desperately trying to publish a story about modeling scandals in Norway. And while this mother/son duo might not seem like anything special, this journalist is about the uncover secrets that will expose everything.

It took me a hot second to get into this one, but once it hooked me, I was in. But like I said, not for the faint of heart, it has some pretty graphic violence towards women, and had I known how bad it was, I can't say I would have willingly picked it up, so please approach with caution.

Whoa, this just got real.....

After She'd Gone, is one of the darkest books I have ever read. This is not a bad thing. I love when a book is so well done and accurate that it has you thinking long after concluding. This is exactly what I had experienced after finishing.

This is a book you do not rush. Take your time, go slow, absorb all the details.

The build up was executed with perfection. Once I started to near the end and put everything together I was completely caught off guard and literally said out loud "Whoa!" .

This is a book that needs to be read by all.

Teaser:

Unsettling, gripping and darkly glamorous, After She'd Gone is a timely psychological thriller about the danger of beauty, the lure of power, and the fierce love of a mother for her son.

Liv loves her son, Adrian. That's why she keeps a low profile in Sandefjord, Norway: just another tired single mother, trying to make ends meet. She has never told her son about the secrets she carries or the life she lived before he was born. She will do anything to keep him safe.

Anastasia's life is transformed when she moves from Russia to Milan and starts modelling. Suddenly, she's rich. She's desired. But then she begins to see the dark side of her new life: the high-pressure catwalk shows; the glamorous, drink-fuelled after-parties; the sun-baked Italian palazzos owned by powerful men. She will do anything to escape.

Selma is a feature journalist in Oslo. She's horrified to uncover an unsavoury and dangerous underworld when she writes an article looking into the modelling industry. Then, a woman goes missing in Sandefjord...

I really enjoy Alex Dahl's writing. it flows and the story is very descriptive.
This was a quick read and it was not disappointing. I like the story and would recommend this one

A gripping physcological thriller that I loved! I was literally gasping for air. It's equal parts dark, mysterious and utterly addictive.

This book was brilliant. It had me engaged from the very first page till the last page. It was well written and I will be definately checking out his backlist.

Unfortunately, I have been locked out of my netgalley account for a few months and was not able to see which books I had on my list or even know to check if they downloaded properly, in order to properly read and review. I do apologize and am doing a 3 for neutral. Will update once I’m able to obtain a copy and read!

After She'd Gone is a gripping, twisty thriller that will keep readers hooked from start to finish. The plot is fast-paced and will leave readers breathless. The characters are well-developed. Highly recommended! Be sure to check out After She'd Gone today.

This was different storyline than what I usually read and did start off a little slow, or maybe I just wasn't quite in the mood as I had just finished a really good book. Once I got into it though, WOW! Great storytelling, atmosphere and characterization! The story is told from four POV's and all are compelling. I was tearing through pages to get to what is connecting Liv, a single Mom to Anastasia, a runway model. I definitely think this is the authors' best work.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Alex Dahl and Head of Zeus for this ARC!

A fast-paced story that kept me interested, but I picked this up and put it down a few times before finally finishing. Not sure why. I didn’t love the use of the kid as the narrator but I did like the multiple viewpoints and all the twists.

Peripatetic Norwegian-American author Alex Dahl delivers a riveting psychological thriller centered on three women: frazzled single Mom Liv, who’s trying to make ends meet and keep her past a secret while living a quiet life in Sandefjord, Norway, with her neurodivergent son Adrian; up-and-coming international model Anastasia who’s traded a humble home in Yekaterinburg, Russia for the catwalks of Milan and Paris; and tenacious Oslo journalist Selma whose bosses are stymieing a story she’s been working on about the darker sides of the modelling industry.

Then Selma scents a new story: a woman and her son have gone missing in Sandefjord. Digging into the disappearance, Selma uncovers links to something far bigger, entwined with money, power, and influence. Meanwhile Anastasia is discovering the ugly realities of the modelling world, where young women’s bodies are commodities to be used for the profit and pleasure of others, and Liv and Adrian are trying to survive the unsettling new circumstances thrust upon them.

Dahl canvasses several tough themes in this slick, page-whirring thriller, from sex-trafficking and drugs to the abuse of women in the fashion world. A disturbing and tense tale, well-written and riveting even as its talented author takes readers into some pretty uncomfortable places.

[This is an extract from a longer review written for Mystery Scene magazine]

This is not the kind of book I usually read, focused on organized crime and drug trafficking in the dark underbelly of the modeling world, but I really enjoyed it. The POVs alternate between 4 voices: Liv, who lives a reclusive life to protect her son from something the reader doesn’t know about; her son Adrian; Anastasia, a model who gets in too deep with dangerous men; and Selma, a reporter determined to find out what happened when the first 2 narrators disappear.

I thought the book moved at a very fast clip and the switch of voices from character to character kept me reading one more chapter. The book is dark and there is some violence that is not for the feint of heart, but the story is well thought out and the author does a fantastic job of weaving together the storylines into a cohesive picture as the book continues. I liked all the main characters and couldn’t fault any of the decisions they made. There were a couple twists throughout, and I felt myself connecting the dots along with the characters at some points. The ending was a bit abrupt after such a long lead up, but I did feel satisfied about how it all worked out.

Overall, good book that I’m really glad I picked up. I’d recommend it to those who like thrillers. I am going to check out more books by this author. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.