This book is hard to out down. Van is a strong female protagonist and I loved her fight. The story centers around a cold case where two girls went missing in the 1980’s. Evidence is found that reopens the case and Van is determined to solve it. We also get glimpses into Van’s childhood which gives more insight into her life. I hope this book is part of a series because I would love to read more about Van and Harry.

Two girls vanished. A woman buried alive. Between the two crimes lie decades of secrets yet to be unearthed.

It’s impossible not to be immediately hooked by The Taken Ones. Not only is the plot riveting, but we’re only just getting to know Van Reed and Harry Steinbeck, and I hope they have lots of cold cases in front of them to solve. Also, Van is a dog lover. So she’s clearly my people.

On July 23, 1980, three little girls walked into the woods and only one walked out. Rue, the surviving girl was found traumatized in the middle of the street. It was a hot day and the tar from the asphalt melted to the bottom of her feet. She had no recollection of what happened in those woods or what happened to the other girls.

Fast forward forty years to a crime scene involving a woman buried alive. A homeless man heard her cries, tried to dig her out…but he was too late. When examiners looked at the body, they noticed a necklace that was similar to the one that The Taken Ones was seen wearing when she disappeared.

Cold case detectives Van Reed and Harry Steinbeck are investigating this case when DNA results reveal that the woman buried alive is one of The Taken Ones. Reed follows her gut and decides to reopen the cold case of The Taken Ones.

I love that detective Van Reed’s own trauma helped her discover key clues into solving the cold case. Opening up an old case has placed a deadly target on her back. Can she solve the case before she’s taken or fired for going too far?

This is the first book in the series, and I love that the ending left off on a cliffhanger leaving readers wanting more of Van and Harry.

Read if you like:
Cold Case Mysteries
Stalkers
Detective Series
Dexter Vibes

I'm behind on reviews but thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. Talk about a jaw dropper. This is a must read! So many twists and turns that will keep you hooked from the beginning. I love dual timeline books so that made it an easy read for me!

Detective Van Reed and Forensic scientist Harry Steinbeck join forces and their investigation of a crime leads them to a woman buried alive 42 years ago! TTO is the best whodunnit mystery I’ve read this year for two reasons — I couldn’t guess who the killer was and the interesting way Van was able to solve the crime. I love a story that keeps me guessing till the end and is not obvious with the twists and character reveals, TTO passed with flying colours in this case. The unfolding path that leads to the truth behind the crimes was so addictive and thrilling to read. So glad to know that this is a start of Reed & Steinbeck investigative thriller, as I couldn’t get enough of their partnership! Jess’s books has never failed to grip me from the early chapters, and this was the same. Highly recommend 4.25/5

This was my second book by Jess Lourey ( I absolutely loved The Quarry Girls) and it did not disappoint! This was so so good! I love her unique style of writing. Chilling and entertaining. In the summer of 1980 two young girls go missing in a Minnesota forest. Fast forward to 2022…A cold case detective Van Reed and forensic scientist Harry Steinbeck investigate a homicide after finding a woman buried alive with evidence linking the case to the girls that went missing 42 years ago.

This was twisty, addicting, suspensful and creepy as hell. It had me guessing the entire time whodunnit?! I was so wrong. There were so many moving parts to this book and I was so invested I almost wish I had a individual book for each timeline. 👏🏻 I cannot wait for more Steinbeck and Reed!

I've really enjoyed my foray into crime thrillers, but this one fell a little flat for me. Thankfully, I had already read Lourey's short story CATCH HER IN A LIE; not necessary, but referred to quite a bit throughout the book that I would recommend it.

Told from the POV of Van Reed, her and her sort-of partner Harry Steinbeck are assigned a cold case to solve. I really like this subgenre, but I thought the author could've done more by using past notes and evidence that were collected from the original detectives or something. As a reader, we are just missing that something extra.

I feel sorry for the way Reed was brought up, but I feel like the flashbacks were few and far between; I wanted more. And I want a LOT more of Steinbeck, which is teased just a little bit but left me unsatiated. Am I hooked enough to read the next book in the series? Probably. But I'll need something really exciting to keep me going.

Side note: there are MANY trigger warnings that go along with this book. A few times I wanted to close my eyes because the words were so horrifying.

Side note #2: avoid reading this at night. Too spooky for my liking.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for my eARC in exchange for an honest review. Happy pub day Jess Lourey!

Likeable heroine with a cult backstory, working as a BCA agent on a cold case of two missing children. She has intuitions that come to her in dreams and give her additional ammunition to solve cases. Working with a newish to her partner, with his own secrets. An interesting pair, part of a series, but fine to read by itself, and an interesting case

Loved this book! I couldn't put it down! I loved the storyline and the characters! The twists were just right! I can't wait to read more about Steinbeck and Reed.

*CONTAINS SPOILERS*

I wish I had known this was a series before I started it because I don't do series! And then it ended with me wanting to know more about Harry... So now I have to read the next one! Anyway I love Lourey's writing and have enjoyed all of her previous books, particularly The Quarry Girls. The main reason I didn't *love* this one is because of Van's lucid dreams/visions (which I don't think are the same thing, I think what she had are visions and not lucid dreams, but the author used the term interchangeably). Visions are not something I think are real and therefore that aspect of the plot distracted me from the story. The twist that came early that she is actually a Dexter-style serial killer was an odd turn that wasn't developed too much, but made the book more interesting, and I hope is explored more in future books. I was also skeptical about how realistic the "Bendy Man" was but they explained it in a scientific way that made me believe it lol. I prefer plots where the villain ends up being someone you knew in the story so that was a bit of a disappointment as well. But despite all these minor gripes, it was a good read!!

This is the first book in a new police procedural series. The case concludes but the story goes on. (hence the need for a series)
Van Reed is a cold case detective and Harry Steinbeck the forensic scientist assigned to the case of the woman buried alive. She can be traced to 3 missing girls who went into the Minnesota Woods only to have one emerge with no memory and no trace of her friends.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for this e-arc.*

This has some very similar elements to other books by Jess Laurey, but still felt really fresh and completely engaging. I really enjoyed this and would definitely recommend!
*
In 1980, three young girls head into the woods to go swimming in the creek, and only one of them returns--in such shock that she can't remember what happened. In 2022, a cold case agent gets called in for a homicide that appears to have connections to the missing girls. 
*
I really liked so much about this. I loved learning about the agent Van's background, growing up on a compound, and how that affected her worldview, and some of the things she's done. I also really liked how well this book balanced out the case it covers and also sets up for a series to follow (and I'm really excited there's more to come!) The crime itself, and some other related crimes that come up, are all very dark and disturbing, and kept me completely engaged. 
*
I didn't quite get to 5 stars because the ending felt like it kind of came out of nowhere, and there were other parts of the investigation that I didn't quite see how Van made the connections she did. But this was still a fun read, and a great thriller!

THE TAKEN ONES was a quick and intriguing read with a compelling storyline. I really enjoyed the Van and Harry duo and was excited to learn there would be another book in the series, since the ending set the stage for more. The back quarter of the book dragged a bit, but I still enjoyed it and looking forward to the next one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read and review THE TAKEN ONES.

This book hooked me from page 1. The storyline was great! I will defintely read more of Jess Loureys books. The characters were well written and likeable. Defintely a 4.5 star read.

A homicide where a woman is buried alive leads to the reopening of a cold case from 1980.

This was a good start for a new detective series that I’m excited to read more of. I loved the ending and how it set it up for more character depth in the next books. There was a creepiness factor added to this one because of local legends. I would have loved if that was leaned into even more. I don’t typically love detective and investigative stories, but I enjoyed this one.

“Those closest to us are the most dangerous to us. It’s the risk of human relationships.”

The Taken Ones comes out 9/19.

I love a good police procedural book every now and then and this one checked all my boxes! I loved the story and found myself so invested in it and had a hard time putting it down. I loved the interactions between Steinbeck and Reed and can’t wait to see how their story and friendship grows. I had no idea who the perpetrator was until close to the end and found their story so unique from other books of this kind. I also liked how the story wrapped up almost completely and then left a big cliffhanger at the end. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series next year and need more Steinbeck and Reed adventures in my life asap! Somehow this was my first Jess Lourey book but I’m hooked and can’t wait to read some of her others.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the early digital copy for my honest thoughts and review.

The Taken Ones is one of the best thrillers I've read this year! I'm hoping this is a new series as Jess Lourey has created memorable characters that have been through so much in life that you grow to genuinely care about them. The Taken Ones is told in two timelines, 1980 and present day. In the summer of 1980, 3 girls went into the woods to go to the creek to swim, but only one came out. Two of the girls were 8 years old and one was the younger sister who was 5. The older sister, Rue, is the girl that made it out. She was found standing in the road near her home by a neighbor. Rue was barefoot in the road and it was a record breaking hot day. The tar on the road was bubbling and it melted the flesh off the bottom of Rue's feet. She didn't seem to notice and didn't speak for months after. When she did speak she had no memory of what happened in the woods.

In the summer of 2022, Van Reed was working cold cases with forensic specialist Harry Steinbeck and her partner, Kyle. Kyle was new and she was mentoring him. The team got a call about a disturbing case in which a homeless man heard a woman crying and calling out. As the man looked for her to help her, he couldn't see her. Then he realized that the sound was coming from below the dirt. The woman had been buried alive! The man started digging as fast as he could with his bare hands. Unfortunately, when he reached her body, he was at the wrong end. He had uncovered her feet. He then raced to the other end and began digging but the crying and calling out had stopped awhile ago. He finally got her uncovered and he felt for a pulse. There was no pulse despite his best efforts to help. As the police arrive and the EMS they block off the area to try to gain as much evidence as possible.

As test results come back and a necklace is found near the victim's hand things start to move quickly. Could this new case be linked to the cold case from 1980? Who is the woman that was buried alive? Who could do such a thing and why? Why is Rue so distraught when she reads about the woman in the newspaper? The necklace belonged to one of the girls who vanished in 1980. How did this woman get it? The person who buried the woman is furious that they found her and so quickly. He's hiding in plain sight and is almost caught watching the scene unfold. Who is this man and why did he bury this woman alive?

Van has secrets from her childhood that keep her from sleeping at night and wake her from nightmares quite often. When she works a case like this one it makes it even worse. No one knows about Van's past as she doesn't trust anyone. She left the Minneapolis Police Department when her former partner died. Van and her former partner knew everything about one another and it freed Van to know someone had her back. She doesn't have that now and it is a lot for her to carry alone. Harry also has secrets from his past and he hasn't told anyone either. Van and Harry like working together. Will they be able to trust each other enough to share what they've been through? Will they be able to solve the case and the cold case? Are they related?

I dare you to start this book and be able to put it down! When I was unable to read I was thinking about it and telling people I was with about it. This is a fantastic book that will keep you cheering on Van, Harry, Kyle, and the team as they search for the killer from 1980 and now. I rate The Taken Ones 5 stars with my highest recommendation. The Taken Ones comes out on September 19 so make time and read this book! I'd like to thank NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for an advanced copy of The Taken Ones in exchange for a fair review. #TheTakenOnes

First of all, I can’t wait for the next book in this series! It ends with a massive cliffhanger unrelated to the story and I am dying to find out all about Harry!

That being said, Jess Lourey has been an autoread for me since I read Unspeakable Things. I love how her books are set in the 80s in Minnesota and often with a young girl as the narrator or MC. In this case, we have dueling timelines and points of view.

Our main character is Van who is an agent with BCA. She is brought on to investigate the ties between a woman recently buried alive and a case of two missing girls from the 80s. Van grew up with her own trauma and appears to have some kind of special skill that helps her solve crimes. Her partner is Harry who is very handsome, charming, and mysterious. She has ties to the local police department and the local officer who is also assigned to the case. He has some kind of beef with her and is pressing her boss to get her off the case. Her boss sets a timeline to solve the case; will they solve it in time?

I really enjoyed this one. I am a sucker for a badass female detective main character with a difficult past, and Van does not disappoint. The mystery was creepy and not easy to figure out. I got a little confused and thrown off track by some of the red herrings. For some reason it was difficult for me to keep track of who was who among the suspects. That being said, the wrap up was satisfactory and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity.

you can read the synopsis online but to get it out of the way: In the summer of 1980 three young girls go into the woods and only one comes out. Nobody has a clue what happens and this eventually goes into a unsolved cold case. Fast forward to the present and we are introduced to Cold Case Investigators Van Reed and Harry Steinbeck. They are assigned to a brutal murder and there are connections to that crime and the two missing girls from 1980.

Ok, what follows is nothing but a solid crime thriller. But beside that we are introduced to two great characters in Van and Harry. Van suffers from dreams/nightmares and we learn she has a very troubled upbringing. She is a loner and suffers from a little social anxiety and prefers to spend her spare time caring for dogs at a local shelter.

The mindset of these characters and they try and solve this crime is incredible. There are some twists and one absolutely turns this story onto it's head towards the middle. It is a great "Holy Shit!" moment. Plus this books is just creepy and scary in places. In a good way.

I can't recommend this book enough and it leaves you with so many questions in the end...... There has to be a sequel. I have no idea how the future with Van and Harry will go on. I just need it too.

This was my first book by Jess Lourey. My first thought after reading it was I wish I had a buddy reader. I loved this book so much and just wanted to talk to someone about it. It is currently sitting at 4.35 on goodreads so I know there are plenty who agree with me.

You can read the synopsis online but to get it out of the way: In the summer of 1980 three young girls go into the woods and only one comes out. Nobody has a clue what happens and this eventually goes into a unsolved cold case. Fast forward to the present and we are introduced to Cold Case Investigators Van Reed and Harry Steinbeck. They are assigned to a brutal murder and there are connections to that crime and the two missing girls from 1980.

Ok, what follows is nothing but a solid crime thriller. But beside that we are introduced to two great characters in Van and Harry. Van suffers from dreams/nightmares and we learn she has a very troubled upbringing. She is a loner and suffers from a little social anxiety and prefers to spend her spare time caring for dogs at a local shelter.

The mindset of these characters and they try and solve this crime is incredible. There are some twists and one absolutely turns this story onto it's head towards the middle. It is a great "Holy Shit!" moment. Plus this books is just creepy and scary in places. In a good way.

I can't recommend this book enough and it leaves you with so many questions in the end...... There has to be a sequel. I have no idea how the future with Van and Harry will go on. I just need it too.

I really appreciate Thomas & Mercer for giving me the opportunity to read this book for free for a honest review and it has a publication date of September 19, 2023.