About The Book
Book: Message Deleted
Author: K. L. Slater
Standalone or Series: Standalone
Publisher: Penguin
Publication Date (UK): 18th July 2024
My Review
Last month, I made a whirlwind visit to the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival (more about that here). I usually attend with friends, but they couldn’t make it this time, and I had already booked conflicting plans for the rest of the weekend. Still, I couldn’t resist heading over for the awards on Thursday night, and my husband kindly joined me – despite it being far from his usual scene. He’s more into music biographies or David Thorne’s books, and while he’ll watch true crime documentaries with me, crime fiction isn’t really his thing. So, it was quite amusing when he returned from the bar in the Masham tent, excitedly telling me he’d just met K. L. Slater!
K L. Slater’s first psychological thriller was published back in 2016 and since then she has sold over 3 million copies of her books worldwide. Message Deleted is the second of her books I’ve read, following The Girlfriend, which I listened to as an audiobook. I owe a special thanks to both Slater and the narrator, Clare Corbett, because although I love reading, I usually struggle with audiobooks. They often feel overwhelming and harder to follow, so I typically prefer short podcasts. However, The Girlfriend kept me hooked, which is a testament to both the story and the narration! But now, let’s talk about Message Deleted…
In Message Deleted, we meet Saffy, a woman who’s had more than her share of hardships. After losing her mother as a teenager, she was left to care for her younger sister, Poppy. Saffy eventually found happiness with her husband Neil, and together they had a son, Fox. But tragedy struck when Poppy was violently attacked – a trauma we learn more about as the story unfolds. This event sent Saffy into a spiral of depression and obsessive behavior over safety, which ultimately led to her divorce and Neil gaining sole custody of Fox.
The book opens with Saffy slowly piecing her life back together as she waits for a job interview. She’s five minutes early when three WhatsApp notifications from her best friend Leona flash on her screen: “Can’t speak,” followed by “Don’t text or call,” and finally, “Pls just come.” But as Saffy tries to process these cryptic messages, they suddenly disappear, replaced by “This message was deleted.”
Unable to shake what she’s just seen, Saffy abandons the interview and rushes to Leona’s house. When Leona answers the door, she completely denies sending the messages. Confused but with no choice, Saffy leaves to pick up her son from school – Neil has recently been allowing her more time with him.
Later that night, there’s a knock at the door. The police inform Saffy that Leona, her husband, and their daughter are all missing. Since Saffy was the last person known to have seen them, she falls under suspicion. Desperate to find her friend, Saffy begins her own search.
Message Deleted is packed with twists, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact, I was so engrossed that I read the entire book in one sitting! I can’t remember the last time I did that – if ever!
A thank you to K. L. Slater for this gifted copy of Message Deleted which I won in an Instagram giveaway. You can follow her here.
Beth Reads Crime 
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