WOW! What a twist this book gives you! Very interesting book- in a good way! As i was reading this, points i forgot what i was reading about because we got so involved in the sisters life, and her job that i actually forgot for a few pages that this was about two missing girls, but other than that one point i found the book to be very intriging and thrilling. I kept having different theories run through my head as to who could have kidnapped these girls- when we finally do find out who the "monster" is- you will literally scream "WHAT?!" out loud! I was so shocked, because i never expected that person. That is the best kind of twist, the one you never see coming, and the ending while sad, also didn't expect but understood how it ended. You have to be paying attention to small details to understand the ending, but once you do its an amazing and empowering ending!!

The Girl Who Was Taken is a story told in a roundabout way. We go back and forth in time as the story unravels.

“We all know the harrowing story of Megan McDonald. The all-American girl, daughter of Emerson Bay’s sheriff, who was abducted in the summer of 2016. One year later, Megan is out now with her book, Missing, the true-story account of her abduction and courageous escape.”

But what about the other girl, Nicole, who also went missing that night? Megan and Nicole both disappeared after their end of summer party. Only Megan escapes and has written a book about her time while in captivity.

Livia who happens to be Nicole’s much older sister is a pathologist and through a discovery, she makes on an autopsy, she starts working out what happened the night the girls went missing.

Throughout the book, there were little clues to who might have abducted the girls and while some stuff seemed a little random and out of place at times. There was one thing - an action of sorts - that stood out to us and lead to figuring out who the abductor was. (A little side note - Kristin (KC) and I read this book together and spent time discussing each section of the book.) It’s nothing major but from the very beginning that noise, per se, stood out to Kristin. I won’t mention what it is that lead us to solving the mystery otherwise, when you read the story you’ll know early on who had done it.

The future was something taken for granted. It was always there, waiting to be lived.

The Girl Who Was Taken is a standalone set in North Carolina. The author plans to have more thrillers featuring Livia who will use forensic science to solve more mysteries.

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RELEASE DATE: April 25, 2017
Pre-order | order: http://amzn.to/2lUEhgW

STANDALONE

**Complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.**

This was suspenseful! It goes back and forth from the summer leading up to the disappearances and the aftermath. It was well-written and left me guessing until the very end. Livia has an interesting profession and I didn't find it too bogged down with the terminology that went along with it.

The Girl Who Was Taken by Charlie Donlea

This is the story of two teenage girls, High School Seniors, (Emerson Bay, North Carolina) erstwhile friends but now somewhat estranged. Megan McDonald is somewhat of a poster girl, doing everything right while Nicole Cutty has changed in many ways and now seeks all the attention. Then, on one night both girls disappear from a beach party. Despite a huge search they can find no sign of the girls. Two weeks elapse and then Megan manages to escape and returns to Emerson Bay. There is still no sign of Nicole.

Encouraged by everyone, including her therapist, Megan publishes an account of her ordeal and the book becomes a best seller and catapults Megan into centre stage, a position she hates. She suffers from survivor’s guilt; whilst she is lauded Nicole is forgotten. Meanwhile Nicole’s older sister, Livia pursues her career as a forensic pathologist and dreams of discovering what happened to her sister.

The story unfolds in two separate time frames, events before the abduction and events a year later switching between the two. This structure provides a tense mystery with each timeline adding more weight to the tension. As Megan strives to recover more memories of her incarceration her frustration is felt by the reader, but like Megan’s elusive memory the answer is also out of the readers’ reach, although I guessed, I guessed wrong.

Livia’s experiences as a student of forensic pathology provide an extra dimension to the plot without detracting from the mystery.

This is a chilling thriller which I thoroughly enjoyed and would readily recommend.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

I think I found a new favorite author for suspense stories! Last year I read Donlea's dubut novel, Summit Lake, which was very good. The Girl Who Was Taken is even better.

This is a solid mystery that I enjoyed even more than this author's debut novel [book:Summit Lake|25489185]. Told from different POV's and varying timelines, I found this writing style really helped to create a build up that made the last 100 pages a complete nail biter for me.

The main protagonist is Livia Cutty-a fellow in forensic pathology, fueled by the disappearance of her younger sister Nicole. It's been over a year since she disappeared from an end of summer beach party, along with a fellow classmate Megan McDonald. Nicole called her cell phone that night, and it's Livia's biggest regret that she ignored this call, not wanting to get involved in Nicole's late night drama.

When the body of a young man found floating in the water ends up on her table, Livia discovers a possible connection to her sister in the unlikeliest of ways. This is the spark that builds and pushes Livia to start digging for more answers on what happened the night her sister was taken. She reaches out for help from another unlikely source-Megan, who managed to escape after 2 weeks of captivity.

While I really liked Livia's character, I felt that she read like an established career woman already in her mid thirties, not someone in her mid twenties. She was too calm, too wise, and I felt a bit too emotionally detached to have been so successful in her detective work right from the start. Part of that could come from the ease in which she was given access to medical records or was able to get people to give up secrets so easily. This seemed to be a bit of a stretch for me.
There were a couple of other side plots I would have liked more information or closure on as well. <spoiler> I was waiting to hear more about the relationship between Casey and the Sheriff. How did they find each other? The sheriff didn't appear to recognize him at the final showdown, even though he was waiting in his car for his latest 'delivery', which indicated to me that this is what he often did when new girls were brought to him. I also would have liked a better understanding of why the Sheriff became this way.</spoiler>

Outside of this, I really found myself immersed in the mystery, trying different characters on for size as the antagonist, and was happy to have been mislead many times over. I felt the forensic research done to give Livia the credibility needed to lead this story was also well done. I am by no means an expert in this field, but the details felt credible. (Maybe a bit heavy handed with the smells of death throughout)

I highly recommend this to all mystery lovers, you won't be disappointed!

ARC provided by NetGalley

If you like intrigue and suspense, this book is a good one! Very interesting story line and the author keeps you engaged until the very end.

If you are looking for a'Can't Put it Down' thriller, then look no further.
This book has everything -missing girls, dead bodies, autopsies, weird happenings and enough red herrings thrown in to make you question every male character. I thought I had the kidnapper figured out a couple of times but was totally wrong.
The chapters alternate between present day and the past leading up to the abductions and really helps to build the story to a fast flowing end. I totally recommend it and give it 5*****

I read alot of books in the mystery/thriller genre and after awhile they all start sounding alike BUT finally a different storyline.This book was so great from start to finish. Love Livia and how see pieced together being a medical examiner the connection between Nicole and all the missing girls. The ending was perfect for a possible sequel?! Love the suspense and love Livia - a great character! Absolutely loved this book. Charlie Donlea is now on my list to read all his future books!

I just couldn't put this book down. The twists kept you wanting more.

I'd not read a book by Charlie Donlea before, so I went into this a bit blind. The synopsis appealed as I liked reading books which aren't at the 'married with kids' stage (I'm already living that so don't really need to read more about it), plus I've gotten into mystery/thrillers quite hard again. I won't let, I had pretty high expectations even though Charlie was a new author to me as this book (Combined with the cover) was ticking all my boxes.

I don't EVER give spoilers in my reviews so won't go into the story more than the synopsis. I will say this has some excellent twists, you will be guessing from the get go, trying to work out what happened, who is good, who is bad and even who can you trust. I love trying to work things out and Charlie (Author) really had me guessing and I hold my hands up, I did wonder if 'said person' was the 'baddie' and had them pegged earlier in the book but then changed my mind - so for that I'm impressed!

I didn't love Livia as a character. I couldn't relate to her and at times found the story slightly unbelievable namely as I don't see how she could have gotten as much information for her own person investigation into what did happen to her sister. I don't see people being that willing, especially in a professional capacity. She felt a bit 2 dimensional and I think without a romantic element (As there wasn't one and I know, this book isn't claiming to be a romantic mystery but you usually have 'something' even in general fiction), I just didn't really see her emotions as much as I'd liked. In fact I mainly just her guilt (That isn't a spoiler!!!). I know after seeing others reviews after I read The Girl Who Was Taken that many didn't like Nicole. I found her probably one of the most interesting characters in this book. I feel there was more we wasn't told with regards to why she was acting out, definitely a larger story there and I'd have liked that elaborated on. Megan plays a good victim in this book, she does tick all the boxes there although I did feel she was a little 'stereotypical' in that she also 'ticked all the boxes' if you know what I mean? Good, intelligent, valedictorian, sporty, etc.

The Girl Who Was Taken doesn't have that much of an imaginative title, but I don't see what else it could have been called without it being too cliche. For the cover whores out there, I felt this cover was perfect. There's mystery, but with the use of colours in the cooler palette there's also depth and intrigue.

As for the writing, Charlie got me from the get go. I felt like I was there without being bombarded with information. Enough for me to feel like I was in the places the book was set, I felt like I kind of new the characters and I liked the story he painted for me. I loved the guessing and the fact I could not put this down! So, in conclusion I guess I should add that if you do love a good mystery, then I would definitely give this a go. I was wondering if this book was a bit of a fluke for Charlie Donlea, so straight after reading it and before I wrote this review I then read Summit Lake which I believe is his first published work - not disappointed at all! In fact, I'll be posting my review of that one shortly and highly recommend it too! I give The Girl Who Was Taken 4 stars, it could have been a 5 if I'd have felt something for Livia, but there wasn't a huge connection there and I needed that.

This was a great, page turning read! The characters played out well in this story. I liked all the different POV's that were told throughout this story.

The ending was a total surprise, did not see that coming!

I would highly recommend this book to others!

Right up till the last chapters, Mr. Donlea had me guessing. Then it seemed so obvious, left me wondering how did I miss seeing that coming? Fast paced read and learned more about forensic science. Believe that Livia could be developed into a ongoing series character. Agree that it could have a more dynamic title. Will be reading Summit Lake in the near future.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

It's the most important party of the year,the last chance for the high school seniors to get together before they go their separate ways and move on to the next chapter of their lives.A night of fun and laughter with their friends that turns into a nightmare for Megan McDonald and Nicole Cutty when they both disappear.Police launch a massive search,no clues are found and hope begins to fade but then miraculously Megan resurfaces after escaping from a bunker deep in the woods.

A year later Megan`s best selling account of her ordeal has turned her into a national celebrity but unfortunately Nicole has never been found.Nicole`s older sister Livia,a fellow in forensic pathology reaches out for Megan`s help after a body turns up in Livia`s morgue of a young man who is connected to Nicole and Megan`s past.Other girls have gone missing and Livia is certain that there is a connection between those missing girls and Megan and Nicole`s case.

The deeper Megan and Livia dig the more they realise that sometimes what you are looking for is more terrifying than you could ever realise.

The chapters alternate between the present and the months leading up the abduction of Megan and Nicole,the full story of what happened that night is revealed towards the end of the book.The twists and red herrings make you suspect any male character in the story could be the kidnapper and although I thought I had worked out who it was a couple of times I was totally wrong,I really love it when that happens.I am a huge fan of CSI and love watching true crime shows but I think i prefer to watch autopsies and forensic procedures rather than read about them.To be honest during the scenes in the lab my mind did start to wonder and at one point I was tempted to not finish the book.

I enjoyed Megan's sessions with her therapist,the gradual reveal of what happened the night of the party and the totally unexpected identity of the kidnapper.

It's a Intreguing thriller,the characters are well developed and the twists and red herrings did keep me guessing.According to the author this is not the last that we have heard from Livia Cutty and I look forward to reading her next adventure.

4.5 stars

Having enjoyed Mr. Donlea’s first novel, Summit Lake, I was thrilled to get the opportunity to read an advanced copy of his second book, The Girl Who Was Taken. Readers who are sick of books with “Girl” in the title should take heed NOT to dismiss this novel because of its title. It’s a winner.

The story takes place in one of my favorite states, North Carolina. The protagonist is Livia Cutty, a fellow in pathology, studying to be a medical examiner. Great name for someone who does autopsies, don’t you think? Young women have disappeared, including Livia’s sister Nicole. Though Livia holds little hope that Nicole is still alive, she needs to know what happened to her sister for any sense of closure. The case is essentially cold so Livia starts a thoughtful investigation on her own when a homicide victim with potential ties to Nicole lands on her autopsy table.

WHAT I LIKED:

-I loved everything about Livia. She is smart, compassionate, dogged, independent and real. I hope Mr. Donlea considers developing a series for her.

-The story flips from one time frame to another. Some may think it’s too much, but I found it easy to follow and the story I think benefits from being told in this manner.

-Short snappy chapters keep the reader moving and prevent the reader from being away too long from each time period, thus minimizing the break in the flow.

-The storyline is terrific. There are lots of interesting characters involved and tons of fodder for Mr. Donlea to lead or mislead the reader. There is nail-biting suspense towards the finale and the ending is a crackerjack! I was blindsided although in retrospect the clues were there for me to figure it out. I just wasn’t smart enough. Kudos, Mr. Donlea!

-The very last sentence.

-Oh, and I loved the detail provided about the ins and outs of autopsies.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE SO MUCH (all minor issues that together lost the book ½ star):

-Like Kelsey, the investigative reporter in Summit Lake, Livia, the medical examiner in–training attained access to a lot of information that I’m not sure could have been accomplished in “real life.” I considered being outraged, but elected to simply suspend belief and enjoy the story.

-In the beginning, I was getting a bit tired of Nicole’s acting out. Yes, she had a good reason to be like that, and it was probably necessary for the setup, but I was getting restless for the story to move on.

-I wished the author had done a little more with the setting. North Carolina is one of the most beautiful states in the country what with its mountains and shorelines.

-The very last sentence. Yes, I liked it and I disliked it. I liked it as it may portend a sequel. I didn’t like it as it left me to think for myself what it meant, but if that is the case, I have since come to terms with it.

Do I recommend The Girl Who Was Taken? Oh yes, I certainly do. This book is for all fans of intrigue and a mind-bending plot. There should be a genre called “intrigue.” This book is full of intrigue. Go for it!

I would like to thank Kensington Books, Net Galley, and Mr. Charlie Donlea for an advanced copy of this novel. My opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

Nicole Cutty & Megan Macdonald disappear from a high school senior beach party one summers evening. Megan escapes from a bunker in the woods & goes on to later write a bestselling memoir about her two weeks in captivity.
Nicole is never found, leading the basis of the novel to be Where is Nicole Cuttty?
Nicole's sister Livia is a forensic pathologist who vows to find Nicole & discover from her autopsy what happened to her.
However Megan's memories of the time shackled to the dark walls of a basement, are coming back!
The novel is written so that the story is unfolded from a variety of angles. We learn of the weeks leading up to the abduction and her secret older lover Casey Develan. details from Livia's career added depth and we see her desperate need to find her sister and bring the body home.
The dynamic between Nicole & Megan is played out is a series of chapters set prior to the abduction. We leave that they had some kind of bitchy angst towards one another. The standard teenage vile name calling regarding sexual promiscuity etc. Neither girls come off very nice but it is fitting with teenage girls.
We learn Nicole hooked up with Megan's boyf and that she also had a cousin Julie who went missing when 9 yrs old.
At this point the novel had me gripped and freaked me out!
Then, it started to change direction. Livia goes to visit Casey's estranged mother and we learn he also had a brother that was abducted at 9 yrs old??? Strangely Livia never links the reference to not only Nicole but her cousin too Julie???
There's a chapter detailing Megan's therapy and this is such a pivotal moment, I decided to ignore my niggles and read on! until the Capture Club was mentioned and at this point I lost all hope!!!

I don't know if the author has attempted to bring the novel in line with the massively popular theme within this genre currently but this one failed for me! I loved the author's first novel Lake Summit and felt this was a real change in his writing style. That being said I would still read another novel from the author again. I just felt that the capture club, was a step too far in a novel that already had so much going on and lots of characters.
I wish the author much success with it's release and can see the huge appeal of the narrative.
I shall not blog or post via social media, as I discontinued the read at the halfway point.

Two high school seniors. Two girls gone missing. Only one returns. After reading Charlie Donlea’s Summit Lake featuring investigative reporter Kelsey Castle, I was excited to receive a copy of Donlea’s new book, The Girl Who Was Taken. The bad news is that Castle does not appear in this thriller. The good news is that this work is even better.

I was abducted and held captive by this tale of missing young women from the very first chapter. Even though one of the missing teens, Nicole Cutty, is rebellious and obnoxious in the way she seeks attention, I was hooked on learning what happened to her. Her classmate, Megan McDonald, was almost her polar opposite – popular, dedicated to helping others, respectful. She was the one who got away. She wrote a book, and with the help of a therapist, she was attempting to put her life back together. The contrast between the two girls personalities and their stories throughout the book was seductive. Once friends, they were estranged by the time they reached high school, and this conflict is just one of the tensions – at least on Nicole’s side – as the scene is set.

My favorite parts, though, were those involving Livia, Nicole’s older sister. She’s a forensic pathology fellow who becomes deeply enmeshed in the mystery of the girls’ abductions when a body turns up on her autopsy tabled that raises questions about her sister’s disappearance. Are other cases possibly related? Livia embarks on her own investigation and gains an unlikely ally – Megan McDonald. Does Livia find out what happened to Nicole? Could she possibly be alive?

The chapters featuring Livia were the ones I particularly liked – the autopsies and the ride-alongs lent authenticity to the character. I have a little background in medical terminology, but I won’t pretend to know what a real post-mortem is like. Still, there was enough information there that seemed authentic enough for me to know that Mr. Donlea did his research. I will say that the author stretched things a bit by having Dr. Cutty (Livia) do a bit too much on her own, not in a professional capacity and not going through proper channels. We also get to sit in on Megan’s therapy sessions. This had me feeling somewhat like a voyeur – and holding my breath at times as I waited to hear what she would reveal.

As the narrative zigs and zags from months before the abduction to the present and back and forth until we finally get to the abduction itself, the tension rises and falls, but I never felt bored. Nor did I feel impatient. There was a point where I was shocked to suddenly realize that I “knew” who the killer was. Then, in the very next chapter, I decided that it could possibly be someone else. Ultimately, I was wrong on both counts. I actually love when that happens! The real question is does Megan find the answers she needs so that she can move forward with her life? And what happened to Nicole?

The Girl Who Was Taken has its disturbing moments, to be sure. I might even suggest that it requires a little bit of suspended belief. It is fiction, after all. To those who, like me, are skeptical of books with “Girl” in the title, I would encourage you to avoid that voice in your head that whispers, “Don’t do it.” I say, “Do it.” You won’t be sorry. My thanks to NetGalley, Kensington Books, and the author. My opinion is my own.

4.5 stars

Pulse-pounding suspense thriller that grabbed hold, kept me engrossed and guessing throughout.

Dr. Livia Cutter, a medical examiner fellow in Raliegh, North Carolina, chose the specialty of forensic pathology because she wanted to be able to answer questions about how someone died. The job, she hoped, would help her come to terms with the disappearance of her younger sister, Nicole, who had vanished a year prior. On that same night, another girl was also taken -- Megan McDonald, daughter of the local Emerson Bay's sherriff -- who had escaped after 2 weeks in captivity and returned home. But, where was Nicole? Megan, a scholar and star student who gave up Duke University, was working with a therapist and trying to get her life back on track. Livia and Megan connect when the body of a young man is pulled from the Bay. Apparently he was a guy Nicole was dating before she vanished. Livia keeps digging and new information comes to light.

There's a lot going on in this story told in flashbacks to the time preceding the abduction and present day. Livia feels compelled to investigate the links, especially after she finds a commonality between Nicole, Megan, and the bodies of other missing girls. I liked the characters, the red herrings, and the twisty plot.

A worthy follow up to his first novel, Donlea is an author that I plan to watch. The rather abrupt ending made me wonder if there will be a sequel to this or if I am expected to come to my own conclusion! I definitely recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the e-book ARC to review.

High school seniors Megan and Nicole disappear from a party sending alarm bells through their small North Carolina town. Police and locals mount an exhaustive search but find no clues and have just about given up hope when Megan stumbles back into town after escaping from a bunker in the woods. A year later, Megan’s story is the subject of a bestselling book and she is lauded a hero. But Nicole has never been found. Nicole’s older sister, Livia, a pathologist is startled when a friend of Nicole’s show up dead and on her autopsy table. More girls have gone missing and Livia wants Megan to help her track down the killer, and hopefully the location of her missing sister. Megan’s memory, meanwhile, is returning, and it’s quite different from the account she gave to the police. Tense, atmospheric and just damn good