Once Gone (a Riley Paige Mystery--Book #1)

This book reads like it was written by a self-absorbed, delusional 13 year-old girl. The attempt to portray our heroine (Riley) as the only person with any brains at the FBI (including her witless lapdog of a partner) and as having the sole authority to assault, arrest, and violate the rights of anyone she might FEEL to be guilty with impunity makes this more of a super-hero comic book than a legitimate novel for adult readers.Some years ago, I kept such reading material in the bathroom -- for inspiration. As an added bonus, the already-read pages could be torn out to serve another crucial need. But now with e-books, as I'm not into the idea of flushing my iPhone, I've had to stop reading such tripe,I did considered giving this author one more chance, because as bad as the book was, the storyline had potential. I read that book two in this series teams Riley up with a NEW partner, a female, and I considered that the two of them could perhaps hop aboard the tuna boat and ride it to a happier place where Riley could stop hating or abusing every male she ran into and get down to some actual honest detective work. But after reading reviews by those that enjoy police procedurals more than fairy tales, it seems that instead of getting better, book two is simply twice as bad.No thanks ,,,,,,,,,

The only thing worse than this book is learning that it's first in a series featuring Riley Paige. FBI agent Paige has an unconventional style of investigation. She "channels" the killer. Then she accosts and cuffs random men, none of whom are remotely involved in the crime. In between these madcap escapades, she lurches from pillar to post, achieving nothing, because she always "knows just who she needs to talk to." Including a pointless reunion with her estranged father. But, no problems because Paige, as we are constantly told, is the best there is...a scary thought. She is assisted, sort of, by her partner (and best friend) Bill, who sticks around because Riley is carrying his manhood in her purse. Bill's not much of an agent. He admits as much because there is only one star in Riley Paige's constellation. Bill's married, but that doesn't stop Paige from making a drunken, cringeworthy proposition to him. Bill finally takes his balls and goes home...maybe. Paige experienced torture at the hands of another serial killer, being caught by him when she foolishly confronted him without calling for back-up. Sooo she does it again! Because she's the best! And she cares! And in Virginia, apparently, it takes hours for help to arrive and she can't wait! Why does cruel fate keep putting her in this position?As you may have guessed, I thought this book to be unworthy of the one star I was forced to give it. Childish, unrealistic, illogical and just plain bad.

Our heroine constantly runs into danger without waiting for backup. She is on leave with PTSD since her last screwup almost killed her. Now she continues to rush off alone attacking innocent men that she "feels" are bad guys. Finally on the right track for the truly bad guy does she wait for her partner? She does not.Are we supposed to believe this is a super FBI agent? and when oh when will we read about an agent who has a home life without constant drama and angst?! when will we get a heroine or hero whose boss supports them and they are not constantly having to go off on their own to solve crimes? I was so disappointed with the female agent that I wanted to root for but wound up wanting to slap some sense into.

Do yourself a favor and do not purhase this book! I don’t know why I didn’t read more of the 1 star reviews before I decided to get it. (Actually wondering if the good reviews are faked somehow?) Definitely a waste of money and time. This book reminded me of watching a corny, terrible lifetime mystery movie. Like when things in the movie don’t add up or make any sense..Or when you are yelling at the TV and annoyed at how brain dead the main character is for going in the killers house alone. That is exactly how you will feel reading this book. The writing is also middle school level at best. Just Terrible. Find another mystery book with some depth.

Awful. Just awful. Reads like a 19 year-old girl's 300 level creative writing assignment - and it wouldn't earn an A. To say the characters are flat and weak would be an understatement. The male FBI agents are portrayed as completely incompetent and useless, and the main character makes dangerous assumptions at every turn, and fails to follow any sort of generally accepted procedure. It seems the only research the author did was to watch a couple of the weaker episodes of "Criminal Minds" (like literally two), and then made them worse. Along with abysmal character development, I am not convinced this was even proofread by anyone with a reading ability beyond 3rd grade. Who publishes a book with "should of" in the first few pages?! Read on though, and you'll be greeted with missing possessives. The only positive thing I have to say about this book is that the idea for the plot was good. It did leave me a little curious about the pebbles, but $0.00 was really too much to pay for this book. I don't care enough about those pebbles to subject myself to this torture again. Really the worst book I've read years.

While the story had promise, Riley is too stupid/impulsive/immature to have made it into the FBI. And then after she's been hit a few times with a crowbar (and lost a lot of blood according to her partner), instead of going to the hospital, she instead goes to a wrap-up meeting at work and then watches tv at home with her kid. Give me a break. Everything about Riley is totally unbelievable throughout the book. Won't be reading more in this series.

This book is full of stock characters: the supposedly brilliant but fragile female detective (Riley Page); her male partner, and possible love interest, whose marriage is on the rocks because he is married to the job; the incompetent boss whose sole purpose in life seems to be to block Riley from tracking down the bad guys; a rich and powerful self-obsessed senator (although possibly that is a fair description of all US senators); the neglected daughter that Riley struggles to relate to, etc. However, on the plus side, apart from the interludes of soul-searching angst by the heroine, the book is fast moving and delivered in neat sound bite-sized chapters that leave you wanting to find out what happens next as the FBI search for a deranged serial killer. In fact, I was initially going to award the book five stars, but as the book progressed I found the central character increasingly irritating. Her so-called brilliance is not based on ruthless Sherlock Holmes-type logic, but on emotionally-charged intuitive leaps of faith which cause her to recklessly draw her gun on innocent bystanders or charge into dangerous situations without waiting for backup. In my opinion her incompetent boss was probably right to suspend her as she is a bit of a loose canon and a danger not only to fellow officers but the public at large. The reason why she is so emotionally fragile, we are told, is that she recently escaped the clutches of a serial killer who held her captive, before blowing up his house. However, despite finding the charred remains of the killer, there is a suspicion that he may still be alive and stalking her. The question in my mind is: if the killer is still alive, who did she manage to kill in the explosion? Another totally innocent person perhaps? The book is a live read, but lacking the substance that would persuade me to read more in the series.

Riley Page, one of the FBI top minds is on leave after her last serial killer case. Essentially suffering from PTSD after being held captive. Another serial killer is on the loose and as much they are reluctant to bring her in on the case they do it regardless. Big mistake as throughout the book she constantly accuses almost everyman she comes across as being the killer. Her judgment has never been wrong? Until now and no man is safe from being accused and well attacked by Riley which becomes repetition and the constant mention of not having her gun and her badge. Which one mention is enough 🤔.I did start of really enjoying this book but yeah it just got too repetive in the dialogue and explanations of what was going on. The constant accusations of the wrong men and the constant mentions of how her judgement was no longer the same did get a bit tedious. I know she's suffering from ptsd, but would the FBI really take her back on, in such a time sensitive case as another serial killer without proper therapy and support?

Once Gone is the first novel in the series featuring FBI agent, Riley Pierce, and my first introduction to the character.A serial killer is on the loose, torturing and killing women, who are posed like dolls for the police and FBI to find. With three women killed and a fourth murder likely, the FBI needs Riley and her unique skills. Trouble is, she’s on sick leave, suffering post-traumatic stress disorder after being captured and tortured by another serial killer. Despite her own reservations and doubts, she’s drawn into the investigation.The stage is set for an intriguing thriller. It starts well with sharply drawn characters and an investigation that feels very real and tense when a fourth woman is captured by the killer. The stakes couldn’t be higher when a senator, who’s lost a daughter to this killer, starts throwing his weight around, undermining the existing investigation.An arrest soon follows, but have the FBI got the right man?The arrest pushes Riley into a downward spiral of deeper self-doubt. Soon she is floundering, her behaviour becoming more extreme as she loses her badge. Naturally, in the tradition of the maverick detective, she battles on, fighting her own demons as well as trying to track down the killer before a fifth victim is found.While the characterisation of Riley is sympathetic and for the most part believable, I felt her behaviour and actions became too far-fetched as the story hurtled towards a predictable climax. It took the edge off a well-written and enjoyable thriller with some otherwise incisive characterisation.

This book really bugged me. if you can excuse the poor grammar and numerous typos and errors (mixing up the name of the victim with the protagonist?! Really???!) than the 'amazing' Riley Page will no doubt quickly grate. She seems to be the only FBI agent with any ability to think, the rest spend their time watching and listening to her and her incredible insights 'in shock' at her prowess. Similarly the only one to ever take any action in endless, foolhardy, unbelievable ways. Once I start a book I'm reluctant to not finish it and will persevere, in the hope it will improve. In this case I really wish I hadn't bothered. Avoid.

With nearly 18k ratings on GoodReads, an average score of 3.93 and over 1000 reviews this book has certainly been around the block. I came across this read via BookBub and even though it was free (normally a bit of a warning sign) I’m glad I downloaded it.Told (quite unusually) from an FBI agents perspective you’re thrown immediately into the storyline as the most recent victim prepares to make her escape.I really enjoyed this book. It wasn’t terribly well written with some of the plot connections being a bit dubious. I also found them catching the wrong guy a bit repetitious. That said, it was interesting and thrilling (at times). I thought the lead character could be developed more as she has the potential to be as great as DI Kim Stone and DI Helen Grace. and I’d certainly pick up another in the series.