Gone by Morning

A Mystery Novel (Lake Travis Series, Book 1)

By: Linda Dennis

Narrated by: Justin Fife

A fierce storm is gathering in the distant hills and in the lives of the people living in the Lake Travis community in Austin, Texas. When two bodies are found wrapped in plastic and buried at the top of the hillside, the community goes on high alert. A neighborhood party brings everyone together on that raging, stormy night but when yet another body turns up, Neil Vienna, Jillian Martin, and Dr. Bill Jasmine find an incriminating spotlight shining directly on them.

Linda Dennis interweaves perspectives of unforgettable, enigmatic characters whose lives become permanently intertwined as they seek to peel back the layers of dark and sinister secrets, some of which speak from the grave.

Taking place in the heart of the famous Texas Hill Country, Gone by Morning is a tale of murder, broken trust, quiet obsession, and lives clouded by secrets.

©2016 Linda Dennis (P)2025 Linda Dennis

Thumbs Up

Lots of romance and drama putting reality TV to shame. Light humor and metaphors make the situations relatable. Linda Dennis does a good job with the who done it mystery. Excellent narration by Justin Fife, giving each character its own voice.

Intriguing and juicy subplots

In GONE BY MORNING, readers are given several intriguing and juicy subplots that will hold them captive until the last page. Author Linda Dennis nails the Lake Travis, Texas, setting and the affluent vibe of that area, and I couldn’t stop listening.

As someone quite familiar with the setting of GONE BY MORNING, I really enjoyed having a fictional peek into the lives of the wealthy and their gorgeous houses that most of us only get to see across the water. The author’s real-life realtor experience certainly contributed to the rich descriptions and decadence found in and around the characters’ homes. Mentions of actual Austin-area places, like The Driskill Hotel, The Oasis, and Zilker Park, bring a level of authenticity to the story.

ABOUT THE NARRATION: Justin Fife does an admirable job voicing all the characters, giving each something unique to help readers keep up with the ever-multiplying cast. Something odd happens around the last third of the book, and his pacing changes enough I needed to change my listening speed, and there are some oddly-long and oddly placed pauses. This mirrors a similar shift within the storyline, which suggests perhaps there were re-writes of the manuscript that necessitated some fixes to it, and created hiccups in the narration.
Upon finishing GONE BY MORNING, I had gone from being all-in to being confused; I even thought I’d missed a chapter because of a huge time jump. There is a huge, delicious reveal that pops out of nowhere, but sadly, it’s an info-dump that tells readers what happened instead of showing us. I’m left with more questions than answers and feel there are some big plot holes.

However, since I learned that the next book in the series, COLD BY NIGHTFALL, is already out, and the series finale, DIE BY MOONLIGHT, AND a prequel, FROM THE SHADOWS, are on the horizon, I’m going to give the author the benefit of the doubt. My guess is that if one commits to the full series, everything that’s murky as the waters on Lake Travis will eventually come to light. Stay tuned.

A great beginning, but...

A great beginning that trails off some as the story unfolds. Strong characterization is a strength in this story with several complex, memorable characters. Ultimately, I found the big reveal and resolution somewhat disappointing, but it was still an interesting story. The audiobook has a great narrator, who brings the characters to life in a way that really adds to the story. An interesting look into the lives of the wealthy of this part of Texas.