Gone Before Goodbye

 

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Gone Before Goodbye by Reese Witherspoon

Reese Witherspoon? As an author? Originally, I thought she was just narrating the book…yes, another audiobook for me. I started it right after finishing Summer Island on a recent road trip. I’d pulled over for gas and decided to download something quickly so I could get back on the road.

Since my short time with Audible has taught me that a good narrator makes all the difference, I chose Gone Before Goodbye entirely because of Reese. I mean, her résumé is longer than the Nile: actress, Academy Award winner (that one deserves its own bullet point), producer, media mogul, book club founder…and now author/narrator. Did you know she has written several children’s books?  This, however, marks her first foray into adult fiction, co-written with bestselling thriller author Harlan Coben. I don’t usually read thrillers, so I wasn’t familiar with him.

The story follows disgraced army surgeon Maggie McCabe, who, after losing her medical license, agrees to a secretive, high-stakes job for a mysterious client. As soon as she boards a private jet bound for Russia, she becomes entangled in a violent conspiracy that exposes shocking secrets about her late husband and their missing friend.

The plot feels… a bit much. Some of the twists are so over-the-top that they border on unbelievable. I don’t mingle with the ultra-wealthy, but the opulence, greed, and almost worshipful reverence for money had me wondering…do people really live like this? I suppose in Russia and Dubai, maybe they do.

The story plunges into a rarefied world where ethics are optional and the desires of the rich outweigh things like, say, morality. While I appreciated the strong female lead and the emotional undercurrents in the storytelling, the overall plot felt far-fetched. There are plenty of twists, and I liked the themes of loss and love against the backdrop of cutting-edge medicine and AI…but for me, it dragged.

Ultimately, I can’t say I’d recommend it. Despite Reese’s excellent narration, the story felt unrealistic and overdone.

I sit here wondering that if I actually had purchased the book…would it have fallen into my DNF pile.