• •In the opening scene of the novel, a bomb is detonated at a military ball. At first, who did you think was responsible? Did your suspicions evolve as the novel progressed?
• •At the beginning of the novel, Bloom and Jameson are recovering from the traumatic events that occurred in the first book in this series, Gone. To what extent do you think their relationship has been damaged by their difficult past?
• • ‘No one has a good enough memory to be a successful liar.’
• This is the epigraph at the beginning of the novel. In what ways is it relevant?
• •Augusta Bloom is a very private person, and shares very little of her private life with those around her. But at the beginning of Lost, we meet Karene, one of Augusta’s oldest friends. What do you learn about Augusta through this relationship?
• •Leona Deakin, the author of Lost, employs flashbacks regularly throughout the novel. How does this movement between past and present affect the reading experience? In what ways does this technique build suspense and tension?
• •Many of the characters are struggling with guilt or anger about things that have happened in previous years. How do concerns about the past affect these characters’ actions and decisions in the present – thinking about Harry Peterson in particular?
• •‘You’re quite similar, aren’t you?’
• ‘Karene and I? Not really. I mean, we’re both psychologists—’
• What are the main similarities and differences between Augusta and Karene? They are both psychologists, but do you think they work in similar ways?
• •Towards the end of the novel, we realize that there is a very tangled web of allies and enemies in this story. Did any of these relationships surprise you?
• •Lost unfolds in a number of international locations. What do the different locales add to the plot?
• •‘I always imagined life would be easier with a bit of power and influence but, you know what, it’s just dinner with sycophants and self-centred bores.’
• The theme of power is constantly at play in this book. Which characters are motivated by power? Do they achieve it?

Read More

DR AUGUSTA BLOOM RETURNS IN THE SENSATIONAL NEW THRILLER FROM LEONA DEAKIN

Sometimes the only way to catch a killer is to become the prey . . .

The Foreign Secretary is being held under the Terrorism Act. He will answer the police’s questions on one condition – they let him speak to Dr Augusta Bloom.

He asks Bloom to track down his niece, Scarlett, who hasn’t spoken to her family for ten years. The last they heard, Scarlett was getting involved with Artemis – an organisation dedicated to women’s rights and the feminist movement, led by the charismatic Paula Kunis.

But as Bloom learns more about Artemis, she’s torn. Is this organisation everything it claims to be, or do they have a secret side and an alternative agenda? And if so, what has become of Scarlett?