Gone Before Goodbye is a high-stakes medical conspiracy thriller with an incredibly unique storyline and tons of psychological suspense. It explores some very contemporary subjects like forbidden medicine (for the sake of medical breakthroughs) and AI technology in surgical advancements—but don’t be concerned that these will overwhelm the story or be difficult to understand—instead, all the medical jargon is seamlessly woven into the compelling, emotionally resonant narrative.

This book is the first collaboration between Reese Witherspoon and Harlan Coben—and if you’ve read Coben’s previous books, it’s evident that Reese gives the emotional core to this story, as the emotionally charged scenes hit differently from his typical thrillers and are a stark contrast to the suspense and intricate plot points.

The story follows Maggie McCabe, once a renowned army combat surgeon, who is still grieving over the death of her husband, Marc, and losing her license. When a former colleague offers her a chance to perform secretive surgeries for an ultra-wealthy client, under conditions of total discretion, Maggie accepts. But things go horribly wrong when her patient disappears after surgery, and Maggie is forced to understand what’s going on while fighting for her own survival.

Maggie is a strong, compelling character who’s not easy to figure out—it’s obvious she’s hiding secrets, which makes her somewhat of an unreliable narrator. While it’s easy to empathize with her because of her grief, readers will have to be patient to become fully invested in her outcome as her backstory unfolds slowly. Her grief over Marc, her struggle with shame, and the moral compromises she faces force her to grow. She speaks to the digital ghost version of Marc through a grief bot app, which is a surreal experience for her and for readers, but his presence is everywhere, and it fuels her to get to the truth. Porkchop (Marc’s father) is a great secondary character—he’s a motorcycle-riding, caring father-in-law who steps in to help Maggie when she needs him most. Their relationship and meaningful exchanges add warmth and emotional resonance to the story.

The book has an emotionally powerful opening, setting up for what seems to be an intense story. But then the pacing shifts into a slow burn for most of the first half, with character introductions, moral and emotional stakes building, and plot setup. Once Maggie performs the surgery for the ultra-rich client, the suspense ramps up ten-fold to a pulse-pounding level—betrayals, revelations, narrow escapes, and much more intricate storytelling all add tension and entertainment value, and readers will be furiously turning the pages to see how it all unfolds. The ending has a few twists, some of which are foreshadowed and easily predictable, and wraps up the main emotional arcs—but it also feels a bit abrupt after a buildup of such intricate plot threads. It may have been beneficial and more satisfying to have included an epilogue, with more character and plot resolution.

If you enjoy thrillers that have morally grey characters, emotional weight, questions about identity, technology (especially medical), and where characters are pushed beyond their limits, this is definitely one you’ll want to pick up!