Do you like to read books that may take a short time to warm up, but then when they do, things take off at a breathtaking pace? Or how about books that are intricately plotted with a cast of well drawn, realistic characters? What about books that skim the boundaries of genre labels and just do their own thing? If you found yourself nodding along while reading that, then I have the book for you!

Stories that focus on the aftermath following an abduction are always quick to draw my attention and though this started off a tiny bit slow, I was still hooked rather quickly. The beginning focuses on Livia as she’s completing her residency in pathology and there is quite a bit of medical jargon used, but that type of thing interests me and Livia’s POV was a new one for me. It uses an alternating timeline from the weeks leading up to the abduction and then over a year after Megan escapes and Nicole is still missing. The chapters are short and extremely fast paced and as things flip back and forth, you slowly but surely find out what happened. Nicole’s flashbacks have crossover appeal as they had a YA feel to them, adding to the realistic writing throughout.

There were a lot of hints dropped that mislead me and in no way did I have it all figured out, Donlea didn’t take the easy way out by going with the obvious answers, he executed some killer twists that left me gasping. I think this is one that will fool even the craftiest of readers, multiple times. At times it was dark as it explored some sick, odd obsessions but that made it all the more of a compulsive read for me. I also really liked the chapters where Megan was doing hypnotherapy sessions as it’s a subject that intrigues me. This was a fantastic, solid mystery that delivered on all levels.

This was an interesting read. It held my attention and kept me guessing til the end. I did not care for that ending at all. One more sentence could have given this a complete ending.

Having really enjoyed Charlie Donlea's debut novel Summit Lake last year, I was looking forward to his new thriller. It didn't disappoint. Even if you've sworn off any more "Girl"-titled novels this one is a well-written and original mystery that is worthwhile adding.
The main character, Livia Cutty, is training as a medical examiner. A career aspiration attributable to the loss of her younger sister, Nicole, whose disappearance over a year ago has since turned into a cold case. When Livia finds out that a body on her autopsy table had links with her missing sister, Livia starts investigating on her own.
The story switches back and forth between the present day and the time leading up to Nicole's disappearance. In addition, there are several points of view. On the same night Nicole disappeared, one of her classmates, Megan McDonald, was abducted, but she made it back home a couple of weeks later.
I thought the alternating timeframes and perspectives worked well and were straightforward to follow. The shortish chapters kept the momentum going and I was pretty much gripped the entire way through. I enjoyed reading about Livia's work as a forensic pathologist. She was an interesting and strong character.
Mr Donlea threw plenty of red herrings and I'm afraid I fell for all the 'clues'. The finale was an exciting surprise. In the end, there were a couple of things I would have liked more information on, e.g. [ the relationship between Megan's dad and Casey wasn't fully explained (hide spoiler)].
Overall, a solid mystery with a very intriguing plot and well-developed characters.
I received an ARC via NetGalley.

I enjoyed reading Charlie Donlea’s debut novel, SUMMIT LAKE, last year, and I’m thrilled to say that his second book, THE GIRL WHO WAS TAKEN, exceeded my expectations. It’s suspenseful, twisty, and chilling, which all together make for a riveting read.

Two young women were abducted the summer after their high school graduation. Megan escapes after two weeks, but Nicole is still missing a year later. What became of Nicole? Her older sister Livia is haunted by that question daily. While completing her fellowship to become a forensic pathologist, Livia wonders if a clue to her sister’s disappearance will end up on her exam table – and then suddenly, one appears.

I was fascinated by Livia’s job as a medical examiner, though I had to cringe several times! Yep, the autopsy descriptions could be gruesome, but clearly forensic pathology was well researched for this book.

The story jumps around in time, and is told from different POVs. What does Megan know about her time in captivity that her mind has repressed? There’s something dark and terrible in there that’s trying to get out. This was a puzzling and well constructed mystery that tripped me up more than once. The pace got faster as the story progressed, and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough as the pieces were coming together toward the end. Speaking of the ending, I thought it was perfect and haunting and fitting for this harrowing tale.

Second novels can be tricky, but Charlie Donlea knocked this one out of the park. Five big stars!

I have mixed feelings about this book. I really enjoyed the main character Livia, a medical examiner in training, and her quest for answers about her missing sister. Unfortunately a lot of the book is told in flashbacks from the perspective of her missing sister Nicole who is a character I found grating. I enjoy thrillers and missing person novels but this one was too dark for my taste. I prefer a book to focus on the investigation and spend less time on the perpetrator. For me this book had too many scenes from the bad guy's perspective. It also had a lot of harrowing accounts from the victims. Thankfully not of any abuse. I'm also torn about the ending, I know a lot of reviewers prefer a book to be wrapped up by the end and this one might not be. That being said I would be interested in reading another book with Livia. I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Posted on: https://readingbetweenthepagesblog.wordpress.com/
Date: 5/12/2017

It’s been a year since Megan and Nicole disappeared from a beach party. Megan returned just two weeks afterwards, but Nicole is still missing. Nicole’s older sister Livia is completing her fellowship in pathology. One day an unexpected body shows up in the morgue where she works. Once this body is identified as a man from Nicole’s past, she is left wondering if there could be a connection between him and her missing sister. Livia, driven by guilt and unanswered questions, becomes determined to find out what happened to her sister.

This book grabbed my attention right away; it is slow to evolve, but it works. The story goes back and forth between the time period before the disappearance of the two girls and one year after Megan’s return. The time period before the disappearance gets steadily closer and closer to the day of the disappearance, building the suspense. During the year before the girls went missing, the story is primarily told from the perspective of Nicole. After Megan’s return, the story is told from the perspective of Megan and Livia. I thought this was a terrific way to tell the story.

“People don’t really know me. Some people know the girl from before the abduction. Because of the book, lots of people know the girl from the interviews and on the pages. But I’m not really either of those people.” – Megan

The autopsy descriptions were a bit graphic for me. Other than that I found this book to be a well-written suspense novel that keeps you on your toes and guessing “who done it” throughout. This is my first book by Charlie Donlea and it certainly won’t be my last.

Thank you NetGalley, Kensington Publishing Corporation, and Charlie Donlea for an opportunity to read and give my honest opinion about this book.

Fantastic, fast paced thriller which I couldn't put down. Have since learned that the author has written a previous book which I now cannot wait to read. A new favourite author, love it!

This is the second book I have read by Charles Donlea and one I was looking forward to greatly. Mr Donlea did not disappoint.

This is a book which starts out slowly and increases in tension as it progresses. Donlea's characterisation and understanding of family and friendship dynamics is superb. I'm sure we have all known a girl like Nicole at some point in our lives.

The Girl Who Was Taken is told over several different time lines and from several different points of view, but without any confusion. Mr Donlea has done a sterling job with this.

So why only 4 stars? <spoiler> I have issues with the identity of the person who held Megan captive. At some point during her confinement, he must have spoken to Megan and so surely she would have recognized his voice. </spoiler>

But this one little niggle aside, I enjoyed The Girl Who Was Taken and look forward to more from Mr Donlea.

Thank you to Kensington Publishers via Netgalley for providing a digital copy of The Girl Who Was Taken by Charles Donlea for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

I'm not going to even bother going over the synopsis of this book for you - I'm just going to tell you to read it. Go now. Pick up this book, make sure you have a few hours to spare, sit your ass down and READ THIS. Love twisty mysteries? Love crime and suspense? Love thinking you know where the book is going and then having the end slap you in the face so hard your jaw not only drops, it falls off your face entirely? I would be beyond surprised if you did NOT like this, that's how strongly I feel about it.

I was even talking about this to my non-bookish friends... one of which, before I could even get past the title, says "Taken? Like as in Liam Neeson Taken?" Haha. Well, no. Though had he been on this case, I'm sure it would have made for a MUCH different read.

What's compelling to me is seeing an abduction survivor's story AFTER the escape and in the present - not just in flashbacks, know what I mean? I don't believe I've read (m)any that went in this direction. While we see through a few POVs, the main characters are easy to gain empathy for and the author does a fantastic job of building their story lines. Staying mostly in the present, with snippets of the past leading up to the abduction(s), Charlie Donlea weaves this story in a way that methodically brings the conclusion to light.

What you may not like about this book (because let's face it, reviews are just opinions right?):
1. Admittedly, it did take me a few chapters to really get into the nitty gritty of the storyline. There's a lot of medical/pathology terminology thrown in that made me wonder for a short stint if it was going to be over saturated to the point of making me yawn (even though I am utterly enthralled about this type of work)... But right about a quarter of the way in, it took off for me and that was it. Screw the rest of the world, my priority is now set to figuring out what the hell is happening.
2. You may notice a few things that feel a bit haphazardly thrown in, hinting at the prospect of where the narrative is supposedly going, but then it just kind of falls off and while some might wonder about it, the rest of the story line worked well enough and pulled me in so hard, that meh - who cares?

But to these two points above, let me put it in New York terms, fuggedaboutit!

I really enjoyed The Girl Who Was Taken . While The Girl Who Was Taken moves at a slow pace in the beginning, the tension grows and evolves into a fast-paced, thrilling read with a surprising twist that I didn’t see coming!

This is a story about two girls who are abducted in Emerson, North Carolina. High school seniors, Nic Cutty and Megan McDonald have been abducted. Megan escapes her captors and becomes a national hero, while Nic’s case goes unresolved. Nic’s sister Liv, a forensic pathology fellow, uses her skills to slowly begin to unravel the clues that leads her to discover the twisted details behind the girls’ abductions.

Similar to Summit Lake, the narrative switches between alternating POV’s and timelines.
I was surprised by the reveal, as I got taken in by some of the “clues.” The ending left me hanging, but hopefully will be resolved in the next book. Can’t wait to see what happens next!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Great book! You can read my full review at www.cedarhollowhorrorreviews.com!

I have to say I had a hard time getting through the first few pages, but once I got to the first chapter from the older sister Livia's point of view, I was hooked and read almost the whole book in one sitting. The author does a good job of balancing the plot points they let you figure out, with the twists you don't see coming. Also, I found each characters perspective felt truly different from one another, which can be hard to do. While I found the story quite riveting, if you are looking for a book that leaves you with a happy feeling, this is not the book.

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

My review will be published tomorrow as part of the blog tour created by the publisher. Go to www.nebulaofbooks.com tomorrow for the review.

Great book!

The truth is only half the story...

Feel like a suspense mystery with a twist or two in its tale? Buckle up, because Charlie Donlea’s The Girl Who Was Taken is going to take you on a tale full of blind corners, unexpected twists, red herring detours and an ending that you won’t see coming.
Just when you think you have the answers to this suspense mystery, Charlie Donlea leads you down another twisted forest path that veers you off the road. 
This is a story about a girl who was taken and her sister who cannot move on with her life without getting answers to her questions. But this is only the surface of a story that will keep on leading you down dark, twisted pathways never knowing when you’ll finally find your way out of this maze of mystery. This is also a story about how dangerous curiosity can be when taken too far. 
I thoroughly enjoyed The Girl Who Was Taken. I adore mysteries that are true mysteries, the ones that keep you guessing and wondering if the bread crumb the author just dropped is a clue or a red herring. Charlie Donlea successfully keeps up the mystery in this taughtly crafted suspense. The characters in this story are multi-layered and the story told through multiple view points and two parallel timelines keeps you guessing in a well plotted maze of an arc that will surprise you with its sharp curtain-drop ending.
The premise of this story is more than just a missing persons case. This is a story about how well you know, or think you know those around you whether it is your sibling, your child, your parent, your friend or your co-worker. It is a story about secrets. The secrets we keep from ourselves, the secrets we keep from others and the secrets that threaten our very foundations. This is a story that anyone can relate to. How far would you go to find a missing loved one? What questions would you be willing to ask? What answers are you willing to face? 
If you like your mysteries spiced with more than a few red herrings, and you love a good maze then The Girl Who Was Taken will be the book that will lead you down twisted paths deeper and deeper into the heart of a story that will keep you turning the pages wondering if you even have the right map. 
Charlie Donlea surprised me with his strong debut but he has delighted me with The Girl Who Was Taken. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.
The Girl Who Was Taken has all the right ingredients and just enough surprising spices in a well crafted mystery suspense to get a solid 5 star rating from me.
[I would like to thank Netgalley, the Publisher and the Author for this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.]

This is written from the Medical POV within the Police force which makes this read outstanding.

From this authors book last year which I thoroughly enjoyed I made a note to watch for any subsequent books he may write this year of 2017.

This book has simply ingrained in me that I need to follow this author. The writing is superb.
It made me turn page after page working along to discover more and more about this plot.

I'm going to hold back rigidly in not portraying to anyone any more than what other reviewers have written or what's in the blurb because, quite simply, this is a book you need to pick up and devour yourself.

The fast pace this takes never dips. For me there was always something new being discovered.

For those who love this genre (and maybe for those that just enjoy a " good book") will love this authors style.

It wasn't until the very last chapter a light bulb went on in my head as to who the villain was, the one responsible.

I got to know Megan well, at first she was a complete stranger, but, when she started to recall things I endeared to her maturity in coping with what she learnt through hypnosis and at one time I thought the therapist wouldn't be able to bring her back to the preset time. That was unnerving.

I was so in a slump of reading before reading this book, it's really been a turning point for me.

An author to keep your eye on for sure.

My thanks to Kensington books via Net Galley for my copy

Not a bad book but just something not gelling with it for me. I don't want to give any of the plot away as I know lots of people will read the book but the premise that the whole story rests on, that the second girl missing was more or less ignored, just makes no sense. More questions would have been asked of Megan and the area they were kept was obviously near the home town yet was never searched... sorry just not believable to me.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this but it is much to graphic for my reading taste. Yes, I am a wimpy reader.

After seeing glowing reviews for this book everywhere I turned, I immediately moved it to the top of my reading list, and if I do say so myself, it was one of the smartest decision I’ve made all week!

I don’t think I need to ramble on about my love of all things forensic, so I’ll get right to it – Livia is a fellow in forensic pathology, and I loved the insight into forensics, this gave a great angle to the plot as not only was the missing persons case being investigated by the misper’s sister but also from the perspective of forensic pathology, collecting clues from the dead. Who’d have thought descriptions of autopsies could be so gripping! I was hooked to this thrilling plot, willing Livia on the whole time!

As Livia tries to solve the mystery of what happened to her sister, we also get the narrative of Megan – the media frenzy sourrounding Megan and what she can remember from the abduction was crazy, so much so, the media no longer appeared to care about the still missing Nicole. Throughout Megan’s account, you are hoping she remembers because she may hold the clue to where Nicole is. I found Nicole to be an unlikeable character but I liked Livia so much, I wanted Nicole to be found safe and sound for her sister’s sake if nothing else.

And, wow, I must commend Donlea on his ability to misdirect the reader, if you love a book filled with red herrings, read this one! My brain hurt from trying to figure out who the culprit was, I don’t even know why I bothered [because as per usual, I was wrong!] I liked the ending of this one and thought it was extremely well thought out; I can’t expose my tiny frustration with this one without spoiling it so I will say, I needed one more sentence – Donlea how could you do that to me! If you’ve read this book, you’ll understand that instantly, if not, don’t worry, it’s not a negative thing, it’s a mark of an author that knows how to plot a story and leave you wanting more!

I highly recommend The Girl Who Was Taken, it’s not extremely fast-paced but the thrill came in the detail, Donlea’s ability to suck you into this mystery and have you desperate to know what happened.

Yay, finally I got my first 5 star review for 2017! I began to ask myself if I choose the wrong books or if I became over-critical. I read a lot of books which everybody was raving about and I felt like “meh, what’s that fuss about”. I really feared that I would not like this book as well. But it was quite the contrary. I really enjoyed this one.

The story is about two young girls who disappeared a year ago during a beach party. Megan was found two weeks later. She has almost no memory of the time she was held captive in a bunker because of heavy drugging. Nicole, the other girl, is still missing. Megan wrote a book and became a little bit of a celebrity. But nobody speaks about Nicole.

Nicole’s sister Livia is a forensic intern. She fears the day her sister may show up on her table. But instead the body of a young man comes onto her table. His case is a bit complicated. And it gets even more complicated when she learns that he knew her sister. Livia starts her own investigation and slowly she begins to unravel the mystery about the abductions.

I don’t want to say too much about the story. At first it was a bit slow but you can see how thoroughly the author builds his story and the characters. With every page it gets more fascinating and unputdownable. It is a dark and disturbing story. There are a lot of strong characters. The author does a terrific job developing the complex story and bringing in a lot of details and information. I liked the insight of the forensics; that was quite interesting. I also liked the ending, as sad and sudden as it is.

This was my second book from Charlie Donlea but certainly not my last one. I liked “Summit Lake” but I loved this one. It’s a terrific and mind-bending read and would highly recommend it

I’d like to thank Kensington Books and NetGalley for giving me an advanced ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Girl Who Was Taken is one of those books where you think you know "Who did it" then you read a bit more and think, "no wait this person did it not the other one". Then, when you get to the last chapter or two you are a little shocked at what you are reading. It wasn't any of the people you thought it was.
I think Charlie Donlea wrote a good story although it took a bit for me to really get into this book. I was a little disappointed by the very last page wishing you would learn if in fact one of the characters was a live or dead.