And Then You Were Gone

A Novel

By: R. J. Jacobs

Narrated by: Amy McFadden

For fans of B. A. Paris and Mary Kubica comes a propulsive, twisting psychological thriller that asks, How can you save someone else if you can't save yourself?

After years of learning how to manage her bipolar disorder, Emily Firestone finally has it under control. Even better, her life is coming together: she's got a great job, her own place, and a boyfriend, Paolo, who adores her. So when Paolo suggests a weekend sailing trip, Emily agrees - wine, water, and the man she loves? What could be better? But when Emily wakes the morning after they set sail, the boat is still adrift ... and Paolo is gone.

A strong swimmer, there's no way Paolo drowned, but Emily is at a loss for any other explanation. Where else could he have gone? And why? As the hours and days pass by, each moment marking Paolo's disappearance, Emily's hard-won stability begins to slip.

But when Emily uncovers evidence suggesting Paolo was murdered, the investigation throws her mania into overdrive, even as she becomes a person of interest in her own personal tragedy. To clear her name, Emily must find the truth - but can she hold onto her own sanity in the process?

©2019 R. J. Jacobs (P)2019 Blackstone Publishing

A richly-textured mystery, probed from the ragged edge of sanity

Thoroughly enjoyable — a smart, modern mystery thriller driven by the emotional resonance and compelling immediacy of the jarring disappearance (murder?) of a loved one, vividly presented through the eyes of an all-too-relatable protagonist whose quest to navigate already-dangerous waters is cast into even greater jeopardy by her desperate, moment-by-moment battle just to retain mastery over her own mind...

Intricately drawn inside and out, the reader finds oneself transported to settings rendered strikingly familiar, yet convincingly experienced from a perspective uncomfortably close to losing its grasp on the distinction between what’s real and imagined, possible and delusional.

Jacobs’ penetrating grasp of human nature at its unbalanced extremes is delicately woven into a fresh, engrossing drama that will reward you not just with its brilliant imagery and compelling narrative (beautifully read to life by a truly talented performer, who effortlessly imbues each phrase with buoyancy and verve), but a startlingly-real glimpse into a mind on the edge.

Highly recommended — 5 stars all across!

Not too capturing

Struggled to finish it because the story was very slow. The final 3 chapters were pretty good but most chapters prior to didn't really keep me interested.

Great book and narration!

Listening to this book made so much sense to me, as I have BP2 just like Emily. The suspense was awesome, and I didn’t see the end coming. The narrator does a pretty good Southern accent. Overall this book was 5 stars all around!

Plot twist

The fact that there was so many plot twist was the best part. Absolutely love the ending.

Um no

Just don’t waste your credit. Sorry but, I’m so over being underwhelmed by the crop of Thrillers lately. I have less than an hour left and am forcing myself to finish it.

If