Synopsis
He’s killed your child and kidnapped your wife. What would YOU do?
There’s evil and then there’s Patrick Sullivan. A drug dealer, pimp and murderer, there are no depths to which Patrick would not sink, and Detective Inspector Matthew Adams has found this out in the most devastating way imaginable.
When Patrick’s brother is shot dead in a drug bust gone wrong, the bitter battle between the two men intensifies, and Matthew finds it increasingly difficult to hold the moral high ground. All he wants is to make the pimping scum suffer the way he did … the way Lily did.
But being at war with such a depraved individual means that it’s not just Matthew who’s in danger. Patrick has taken a lot from Matthew, but he hasn’t taken everything – and now he wants everything.
Book 1 – Detective Inspector Matthew Adams series. Book 2 – Sins of the Father. Book 3 – Deadly Intent.
Sheryl Browne
Sheryl Browne brings you edgy, sexy contemporary fiction and psychological thriller. A member of the Crime Writers’ Association, Romantic Novelists’ Association and awarded a Red Ribbon by The Wishing Shelf Book Awards, Sheryl has several books published and two short stories in Birmingham City University anthologies, where she completed her MA in Creative Writing.
Sheryl lives in Worcestershire with her husband, son and a variety of disabled dogs. According to readers of her thrillers, she also apparently makes an excellent psychopath.
After She’s Gone in the first book in Sheryl’s Detective Inspector Matthew Adams series. Book 2 – Sins of the Father. Book 3 – Deadly Intent.
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From the very start, the plot drew me in and it was easy to read. The fascinating characters were described in depth – but not to a boring extreme. Matthew is loyal to his family and a conscientious, honest policeman, I had great sympathy for him and his wife Rebecca. The villain was truly horrifying and met a satisfactory end. At one time I had to take a break from reading, the action was so exciting that I almost forgot to breathe. Everything is here to excite the reader, the plot is believable and gathered speed towards a very satisfactory end. I haven’t counted the bodies, there were a lot.
This is the first in the series of books about DI Matthew Adams and a different style of writing compared to the previous books I have read by Sheryl Browne, however I’m pleased to say I wasn’t disappointed. Matthew has had a long running feud with Patrick Sullivan since childhood when he was bullied by him. Their paths have gone in very different directions with Matthew becoming a respected Police Detective Inspector and Patrick becoming a drug-dealing pimp out for revenge for when his Brother was killed during a drugs bust. The revenge he takes involves killing Matthew and his wife Becky’s much loved young Daughter but that’s not enough for Patrick, he wants to see Matthew suffer more, much more, than he already has and this involves Becky and his Niece Ashley, who the couple have recently taken in from a Care Home, where she has lived since her Mum (Matthew’s Sister) became an alcoholic. I won’t say more than that so as to not spoil the story for readers but what I will guarantee is that this is a fast paced thriller which had me holding my breath at times and is well worth reading.
…The book is fast paced, we fire in to some disturbing scenes and history between the two main characters. Both have a very negative affect on each other and we see the characters spiral down a dark path. Patrick is a psychopath, as the story goes on we see just how cracked and depraved one person can be and how a balanced individual can destruct when pushed to the limit. The story covers many topics, family, loss, grief, death of a child, abuse, sexual depravity, murder, drugs and prostitution to name just a few. Not for the feint hearted, a good start to a new series, if you haven’t read Browne before this is a great place to start.
Reviewed by Lainy at Always Reading.net
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…This a quite fantastic read – with tension cranked up to an almost unbearable level. It’s gritty, graphic and violent – totally outside my reading experience and comfort zone – and I have to say that I absolutely loved it. “Unputdownable” is probably a bit overused when talking about thrillers, but I can’t think of a better word for this one – I read it all afternoon and evening, then into the early hours, then again when I woke in the night (nightmare from reading it, maybe?!) and just had to finish it in the morning.
Reviewed by Anne at Being Anne.com
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…I would highly recommend After She’s Gone for any reader at all, but particularly for those who love a good Thriller, Mystery tale. You will be drawn into the story, very much like seeing a wreck that you cannot take your eyes off of – you need to understand why and see evil get what it deserves. It’s a gripping, bloody, terrifying journey into a fight with a mad man, and getting out alive isn’t guaranteed.
Reviewed by Marsha at Keeper Bookshelf
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…I got so involved in this book right from the off, I needed to read it, I needed to carry on reading at every opportunity. I was holding my breath wondering what the hell was going to happen next.
Reviewed by Victoria from I Love Reading
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…After She’s Gone grabbed me from the very first page and didn’t let me go until I finished the story. Sheryl Browne is an experienced and skillful writer and she has written another brilliant story that I highly recommend.
Reviewed by Anniek from With Love for Books.
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…After She’s Gone is a book you shouldn’t read at night, it’s that scary. Sheryl Browne gives her reader the chance to look inside the bad guy’s mind as well as the good guy’s. I think that’s an interesting angle. Patrick Sullivan is a creep who’s seriously messed up. It was interesting to see what his motivations were and how his twisted mind worked. It kept me on the edge of my seat. If you’re looking for a gripping, disturbing thriller, get this book, it’s fantastic.
Reviewed by Suze from With Love for Books
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