Gone Before Goodbye by Harlan Coben and Reese Witherspoon (Oct 14, 2025). Thank you, @grandcentralpub and @hachetteaudio for the gifted print and audio copies!
Maggie McCabe once had a flourishing career as a surgeon. First in the military, then helping in humanitarian crisis spots around the world. But when her world is upended, she finds herself without her medical license and in a financial bind. That’s when her former mentor and one of the world’s most respected plastic surgeons throws her a lifeline. An anonymous client in a foreign country needs discreet plastic surgery, and discretion is more important than a medical license. Which is how Maggie finds herself halfway across the world in a place of unimagined opulence and secrets. But then her patient goes missing immediately after surgery, and Maggie finds herself embroiled in something she never could have imagined.
This is one of those fun thrillers that takes you around the world, unraveling lots of secrets and connecting a ton of dots between the present and the past. Harlan Coben is one of my favorites for this genre, and I was excited to see what a collaboration with Reese would be like. Although I clocked several of the reveals early, it didn’t make the story any less enjoyable, and the final twist was one I fundamentally didn’t see coming.
🎧 Audiobook Thoughts: This was an entertaining, extremely well-done full-cast narration with Reese Witherspoon and Chris Pine at the top of the cast list. Chris Pine needs to narrate more because he’s excellent, as was Reese. The performance 100% elevated the total experience.
Book: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
🎧 Audio performance: 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫
Book Smart Kate 