And Then She Was Gone

Another great read by Greyson. Spoiler alert. This one starts with an old lady who a lanky junkie is trying to rob. The old lady's husbands much needed medication is in that purse and she's not letting go. There are onlookers but in the Hamilton Heights neighborhood its best to keep your head down and eyes closed. The most any of them will do is pull out a phone and record the robbery. The junkie breaks the strap on the purse and the old woman lands on the ground. The robber then takes off only to run straight into 6'6" and all two hundred and nighty pounds of Chandler. The robber bounced off but Chandler never moved an inch. The old woman begged someone to get her purse back. Of course Jack Stratton who was with Chandler takes off after the purse snatcher. Stratton catches up with the idiot only to have said idiot pull a knife on him. He gets cuts but manages to put the robber on the ground. The police show up and Jack ends up in trouble and the robber makes his escape. Once the cop hears the old lady and Chandlers story Jack is released. Of course the robber is long gone. Stacy Shaw has had her new job at H. T. Wells for three months. She's an analyst for the company and has found a few odd things. Her boss Leland Chambers is a real sleaze and tells her to never mind. Someone else will take care of it. Stacy's husband is on a business trip and Stacy has talked with him. She's found out she's pregnant and is on top of the world right now. She's one of the last people in the office and on her way out she speaks with Jeremy the janitor. Jeremy is a little slow but Stacy likes him and always takes the time to speak with him. Once outside she runs into Betty Robinson who's her supervisor. They discuss the oh so sleazy chambers and Betty and her husband Bruce who came to pick her up leave. Stacy heads out to her car only to find it won't start. She doesn't live to far away so decides to walk. Its a walk she will never complete. So begins another damned fine read and a good backstory for Jack Stratton. This one has Jack, Chandler, a Jack and Chandler who are enlisting once they graduate from high school, a jack Stratton who will put in six years and then head for the police academy, Betty, Makayla, Replacement, Aunt Haddie who ran the foster house Jack lived in until he was adopted by a good family, Detective Clark, Kelly a girl Jack goes out with, a Kelly who comes from a wealthy family, a wealthy family that frowns of those from Hamilton Heights, Ted Stratton his Father, Laura his mother, Detective Vargas, Michael Shaw, a Jack and Chandler who find the missing Stacy, a very dead Stacy, a Jack who puts his Army enlistment in jeopardy as he tries to solve the murder of Stacy Shaw, a Jack who can't get anyone to listen to him, a Ted Stratton who tries to reign Jack in and Jack Stratton taking the steps that will lead to he becoming the man he was meant to be, solve the crime, catch the murderer and stay alive. Five Stars.

I enjoyed Then She Was GONE. Greyson created a cast of likable characters, who I could connect with. The communities the characters belonged to were presented in a realistic way, allowing me to sink into the happenings going on in the story. There were plenty of twists to move the mystery and provide thrills along the way for sure. I recommend this book for fans of a good thriller-type of mystery with enough comedy thrown in to balance the heaviness of violence and murder. You will find it enjoyable. I will be joining Jack Stratton as he develops further in Greyson’s next book in the series.

And Then She Was Gone is an expository story for an entire series with a mystery thrown in for good measure. Read this & then enjoy the stories that follow. Using the exposition laid out here, he initiates the arc that is the story of Jack and Replacement that plays out in the other novels without getting in the way of those stories. While published after the start of the series, this story is the begining of the Jack Stratton stories. While the exposition of the book drags some what, stay with it. It lays a great deal of ground work that adds to the enjoyment of not only the rest of this book, but to the series as a whole. Published after other books in the series, it is first in the chronology of these characters. Also, judging from the writing, I have the feel that this was indeed written fist in order to create the world of this series. For this reason alone, it should be read first and is most worth reading. This book, like the rest of the series, are not great works of detective/cime fiction. However, they are very entertaining stories that are rather well crafted. I have read all of the Stratton stories now. I would rate the entire series as four star - solid, entertaining and most enjoyable. This may be the weakest of the series, but when joined with the others it adds to the reader's understanding of Jack and Replacement & the world in which they live. This book has another strength - it is not overly long. Frequently, when reading contemporary mystery fiction I ask myself why does this story have to spread out over more than 300 pages. Good crime fiction is tightly written - use that blue pencil and keep only that which is central to the story. For this alone, Mr Greyson deserves our appreciation. He avoids the flacid filler of so many writing in the genre currently. Just tell the story - in this there are many who should follw the example of Mr Greyson.

Have you ever had something get under your skin and you couldn't let it go? That is what happens to 18 year old Jack Stratton. He has a plan for his future and it is a good one. He will risk it all to make things right and bring justice for a woman he never met and to ensure that the bad people in her life pay for what they have done. A definite must read. Look into your heart as you read thus and ask yourself, what would I do in this situation.

did a very nice job on pace, kept me guessing till the last few chaptors, Clean, as in not swimming in foul language or porn, (actually there wasn't ANY of either ), their wasn't even any blaspheme. Has a real gritty in touch with reality backbeat on subjects like child abuse, teen bullying etc. Good interaction between the main character and supporting caste. How he deals with the girl friend issue, and dealing with folks he likes that have problems and dealing with folks he doesn't like was masterfully done. This book would be worth the read just for what you can learn from it. The great story line, and delivery, are just icing on the cake. I have already bought book two and three, book one was that good. and in a world where you cant get any warning on the trash you may have to slog through, or as I do, throw in the trash, It is wonderful to find a good writer that you can trust not to make you want to puke or circle file their work before you can finish it.

This book has a great storyline and characters. I can't wait to read the next book. Jack Stratton is a young lad who wants to become a detective. He had a rough start in life. His birth mother was a prostitute and couldn't look after him. When he was 7 he was taken in.by a foster mother whom is loved by everyone especially Jack. Just before Jack's 18th birthday a young woman was murdered and one of Jack's childhood friends is accused of killing her. Jack helps him out by looking into who actually killed her. By doing so he can jepodise his future of becoming a police officer. I highly recommended you read this book.

This was a good "young man who works out the crime before the police do" story. The main character was a little too gung-ho and not quite modern in his approach, but there was a great interweaving of the various threads and it all came to a satisfactory conclusion. An enjoyable read.

Brilliant suspenceThriller. Stacy Shaw was working late. Everybody had gone. Save for her creepy boss and a janitor. Her boss argued with her when she pointed out discrepancies in a client file she was working on. Stacy left the building to go home. Her car wouldn't start. She decided to walk home thru the park. She never got home. Young Jack Stratton notices stuff that doesn't sit right. He tries to investigate and opens a can of worms. Who is the killer of Stacy Shaw? Brilliant book from Christopher Grayson. Highly Recommended. In fact..... months later I just read it again. And ENJOYED IT AGAIN.

Halfway through the book one sees where this is going but still you wanna get it over with. Overall good read

This was an entertaining read. the characters were well developed and the book is written in a very easy style that lets you relate to each of them.