When She Was Gone

Was she taken ... or did she run?

The pulse-pounding new psychological thriller from the bestselling author of You Don't Know Me

Rose once walked away from her daughter. Now she may be the only one who can save her.

Former London police officer Rose Campbell has been estranged from her daughter, Lou, for almost a decade. But when Lou disappears from a remote beach in Western Australia--and the police suspect her of kidnapping the two young children in her care--Rose is asked to help bring Lou home.

This is the final case in DSS Mal Blackwood's illustrious career--and there's a lot riding on it. The missing children are heirs to the Fisher property empire, and while their multimillionaire grandfather is breathing down Blackwood's neck, the media storm is intensifying. Faced with a deluge of evidence and accusations, Blackwood doesn't know who he can trust.

Rose arrives in Australia intent on proving her daughter's innocence, but how can she be sure of that when she's no longer part of Lou's life? Meanwhile, as Blackwood begins to expose the Fishers' secrets, the investigation takes a dark turn. Shadows of the past gather around the Fishers, and Rose, and soon it's clear that every hour is critical. What has happened to Lou and the children? And can Rose and Blackwood find them in time?

This discussion guide was provided by the publisher, Blackstone.

Book club questions for When She Was Gone by Sara Foster

Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.

Rose is a character who’s had to negotiate a lot of trauma. How do you feel about the impact Joseph Burns has had on Rose’s life? How do you think this affects her decision-making?

An overarching social theme of the book is the different way that toxic masculinity shows up in people’s lives. How does the author expose this, and in which scenes and plotlines can you see its influence?

We hear a little of how Mal Blackwood’s priorities have changed in recent years. What do they say about his character? Do you think they made him a more or less effective police officer? Do you think they made him happier? Can he be both happy and effective?

How do you feel about Rose’s estrangement from Louisa? Do you think they could have tried anything else to reconnect over the years?

Another theme of the book is how money and power interfere with procedure, control, and decision-making. How did you see this showing up in the story?

What do you think about the choices Rose makes to try to find Lou and the children? How much of these decisions do you feel were made from her own professional life and experiences, and how much from a mother’s instinct to save her child?

Discuss the different depictions of family in the story, and what the idea of family means to each of the main characters.

Blackwood mentions how much policing has changed over his working life. The public, the internet, and the media all have a substantial impact on the investigation and Blackwood obviously sees this as mostly negative. Do you agree?

What do you make of the relationship between Charlie and Rose? Do they have a future?

Which character did you warm to the most? Are there any who are irredeemable? Which characters did you feel emotionally drawn to as the situation progressed? And did you change your mind about any of the characters during the course of the story?

What do you think will happen to the main characters over the next year? Who will go back to their old lives, and who has changed?

Who is most responsible for what happened to Lou and the children? And who else’s actions led to their situation?

When She Was Gone Book Club Questions PDF

Click here for a printable PDF of the When She Was Gone discussion questions