Thank you to Netgalley and the Red Door Publishing for providing me with a copy of this novel for an honest review . After two-year-old Jessica Preston goes missing while spending a day at the beach with her family, the police are convinced that she must of drowned. However, her mother does not agree and holds out hope that one day Jessica will find her. After another girl goes missing 20 years later, a novice journalist is determined to solve Jessica's case, hoping it might lead to a big break in her career. As she gets closer to the answer, lives become threatened, and she finds herself in serious danger. Instead of deterring her, it only makes her more determined to find the truth.

This book started off strong with the abduction right at the beginning and grabbed my attention. I will say that the next 30 percent of the book was a little slow for me. Once I hit that point, I could not put the book down! The action kept coming, and I was anxious to see how it was going to end! At one point, I thought I had figured out who Jessica was, but the author did a great job of a swaying me in a different direction! I would definitely read more books by Darren Young. If you like a mystery that keeps you hooked and throws you a twist, I think that you will enjoy this one!

Thank you for the opportunity to preview Child Taken by Darren Young.
A child is taken and presumed dead, but her mother doesn't believe she died. Fast forward 20 years, and another child is missing. There are similarities in the case and a journalist is trying to decifer what happened then, and what is happening now.
Good Read. This reminded me the the Starz series - The Missing. Abduction books are not my style, although this one was good.
Quick read.

It happened not very often to me, but it happens from time to time. I can’t give a book that I read almost in one sitting not more than 3 stars, and I can’t even reasonably explain why.

There are some possible reasons:


In spite of a fast-paced suspense I can’t say I enjoyed the writing style, it was not bad, but not convincingly good.

I found the characters a little too annoying to care for. Yes, I mean in the first place the goodies.

I DISLIKE the ending. I understand that the author wanted to create a different kind of disappeared without a trace story, but trying to achieve it, she somehow disregard the elementary rules of logic. As result -the surprise succeeded, but the ending lacked credibility and conviction.



Nevertheless it was a quick read and a felicitous debut. Even if I didn’t find it particularly good, I could not stop reading.

I would like to thank Red Door Publishing and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Child Taken’ by Darren Young in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
On a hot summer’s day on a North Devon beach a two-year-old girl, Jessica Preston, disappears and although everyone thinks she drowned her mother Sandra is convinced she’s still alive. Twenty years later junior reporter Laura Grainger reads the newspaper reports and decides to contact Sandra Preston to investigate what happened to her missing daughter. Laura writes an article about Jessica for a local newspaper which is read by Danni who’s convinced that her parents are keeping a secret and that she is, in fact, Jessica. But someone is following Laura. Will she be able to find out what really happened before the lives of both herself and Danni are put at risk?
I enjoyed this novel which was well written with an interesting plot. The start was very promising but as I continued reading I thought it was a bit drawn-out and wanted it to move on a bit faster. It had an unexpected ending and although it wasn’t the best novel I’ve read it was certainly worth reading.

My first read of 2018 and it was a good one!

2 year old Jessica Preston went missing 20 years ago. Her mother never stopped believing that she was still alive
... But she is the only one.... until youmg journalist Laura hears the story and is determined to get to the bottom of it..at any cost.

Thank you to Netgalley and and Red Door Publishing for approving my request for this book and allowing me to read and express my honest opinions

A missing child psychological thriller. I would agree with this description. The twists throughout the novel kept me hooked and reading.

She's not my little girl any more.
She's no one's little girl any more.


4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Wow, what a thrilling, quick and atmospheric winter read!

It was the perfect time to pick up this story that happens in Britain, with the promise of snow heavy in the air and a dark force waiting to strike. I've been on a thriller kick lately and I'm happy to report Child Taken did not disappoint.

Another NetGalley pick, Child Taken drew me in with the striking cover and intriguing description and only took 3 days or so to read (I'm a slow reader so this is great for me). We're thrown into the story of two women, one who's just lost a mother, and the other, who is a struggling journalist trying to make a name for herself. The opportunity arrives when she least expects it to, in the form of a story about a missing girl, a cold case that has been left unopened for twenty years.

What follows is a fast-paced, thrilling ride that will leave you guessing until the very last moment. I figured out the twist beforehand but it didn't stop me from enjoying this book at all.

A great thriller to read in the wintertime and comes with a seal of approval from yours truly!

Would recommend for: fans of British thrillers and domestic noir. This is my first 'missing child' novel but I think it would be suitable both for complete newbies as well as fans of the genre.

Was drawn to this book initially by the cover. i read the description and just had to try it. It was a great plot. Well written and full of twists and turns. It was a fantastic book to read

Thank you to Netgalley and RedDoor Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I found this book refreshingly different from other books I have read about children going missing.or taken. The story starts with the viewpoint of the childs "father" and the childs "real mother", and then is mainly continued by the characters Laura and Danni.
It took me a little while to get into the swing of each character and the "past" and "present", but once I did I was hooked in.
I did guess where the plot was probably going, but that was also the point where things got eerie and rather chilling and had me totally absorbed. I read the second half of the book in super quick time because I was having to read a chapter in every spare minute I had.
I loved this book so it is five stars from me.

*thank you to Netgalley and RedDoor Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

3 stars.
While this was good, I didn't really care much for it. It was different from most 'missing children/kidnapping' crime stories and while that is neither a positive or a negative, It just wasn't for me. I personally prefer the ones involving police and/or detectives. This story included a journalist instead. I could easily give or take this. It was good to read once, but it's not one I will be adding to my 're-read' list. It was told from numerous narrators and was easy to follow each person's side of the story. This also had a 'huge' twist to it. I know it was meant to be huge, but for me I was actually disappointed with it. The surprise factor was there a little but I feel it actually ruined the story. I didn't really want that as the ending. Some things felt unanswered as well. I probably wouldn't recommend it but if others want to read it, then sure, give it a go. Hopefully you will enjoy it more than I did.

This story is about a young girl who was abducted and how each family dealt with the consequences. It is told from the perspective of the kidnappers, the mother who lost her daughter, a reporter who is investigating the cold case, and a woman who believes she may be the abducted child.

The book begins with a rookie reporter, Laura, fresh out of college who is given the chance to investigate a possible missing child's case, which could help skyrocket her career. During her investigation, she pulls up an old cold case of a missing child and wants to do a spotlight feature on that story. When her current story leads nowhere, she can't seem to let go of the cold case, especially when she meets the mother who lost her daughter and then receives a phone call from someone who believes that they may be the missing child. She believes that she is onto something, and begins risking her career to find out if she can crack this case.

We are introduced to Danni, a young girl who believes that her parents have been keeping a secret from her for her whole life. She is determined to find out what that secret is, and after seeing an old missing child's poster hidden in a drawer at her house, she believes that maybe she could be that missing child. Working alongside Laura, she is determined to help solve the case, even if it shatters her whole world apart.

We also experience the POV of both the missing child's mother and the husband of the kidnapper. It sounds like it could be complicated, but it was refreshing to hear what they experienced through all of these years and also what had happened to them because of this tragedy. The book alternated between telling the story from their POV in the past and throughout the years until the present day, and then Laura & Danni trying to solve the case in the present day.

I was really hooked on this book from the beginning. I wanted to know what happened to Jessica, and the story line was engaging and well-written. There were a lot of twists and turns that I enjoyed, nothing seemed too far-fetched, and I felt for the characters and what they were going through.

This, however, all changed at the end. I did not like the ending of this book at all. I actually got mad when I finished it. How convenient that it ended up that way? What would be the chances of that happening? And the husband of the abductor's POV made no sense once it was revealed who he was.  Maybe I am missing something, but that whole RUSHED ending didn't tie up in a nice little bow for me. It made me go back and try to make sense of some things, but alas, I could not. Which is why I gave this book a 3-star rating. Had the ending been different, I would have really loved this book.

I read that this was Darren Young's first novel, and I do believe he is a great writer and would check out more of his books in the future. If I get another ending like that one though, I won't be able to continue giving his books a chance.

I would like to thank Darren Young, NetGalley, and RedDoor Publishing for the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

Thank you NetGalley for the copy of this book.
I thought it was an extremely well written story from start to finish.
I loved the writing style.
I couldn’t believe that this was the author’s 1st book.
I highly recommend it to anyone who likes a suspenseful thiller.

A very well told story. I'd thought it might be predictable but I was pleasantly surprised. I will recommend.

An excellent book. Highly recommended. A brilliant thriller with many twists in the plot. Can not wait for more books from this author. 5 stars from me.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Darren Young for the copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

I would like to thank Netgalley and RedDoor Publishing for allowing me to read this debut novel by Darren Young in return for my honest review. The author addresses some raw emotions when a child disappears from a crowded beach and how the family deal with the trauma both short term and long term. The initial abduction took place 20 years ago where news coverage was not as global or intense as it is now.

The story centres around Laura, a junior journalist, who wants to make the big time and jumps at the chance to go to a shopping centre when a child has been abducted. Although this child is found Laura has started reviewing and investigating previous abductions and this leads her to meet Sandra, the mother who lost her daughter 20 years ago.

The story develops as Laura appears to be the only one who believes Sandra when she says that Jessica is still alive. Danni has recently lost her mother and when she reads the story she believes she is Jessica.
Laura and Danni continue to follow leads and the plot follows many twists and turns with a powerful, unexpected conclusion. well written and highly entertaining. Thoroughly recommended.

Really good book took me on a roller coaster ride from start to finish, you think you’ve worked out what is happening but then there’s another twist. Will definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a great read.

Brilliantly written story of family, secrets and lies. With a twisted conclusion too.

Woow what a brilliant story and what a twist you will Want to keep reading to see how the story goes well written and struggled to put down very heart pulling as well highly recommend

A brilliant debut novel that captures both the psychological as well as the chilling side of a child gone missing. I am really looking forward to Darren Youngs next novel.

A parent’s worst nightmare comes true for Sandra Preston when her two-year old daughter vanishes from the beach she was playing on. Sandra believes her child was taken, but the police are convinced that little Jessica drowned, and years go by with no sign of the little girl. Twenty years later, Sandra gets a visit from Laura, a journalist, when another child disappears, raising questions yet again about what really happened to Jessica. Someone knows the truth and when Laura’s research uncovers a secret that could answer all their questions, Sandra may at long last have the answers she’s been searching for, if she lives long enough. This is an intricately plotted novel, told from four different POVs. Two of the voices belong to Sandra and Laura, but can’t name the other two without giving away too much of the plot line. This is a good solid thriller, even more respectable considering this is Young’s first novel