Taken Girls is the 8th Detective Amanda Steele book and it brings the crime a bit too close to home for Amanda's liking. She is enjoying time at home when she gets a call from her niece, Ava. Ava's BFF's sister is missing and they want Amanda to help. Amanda heads to see her niece, hoping things will work out and Reese will come home. That night, Reese shows up at the prom, dead. She is dressed in an old prom dress and tiara and placed on her throne, in the washroom. Amanda and her partner, Trent Stenson are on the case. The problem is that Ava is a want to be cop, and she does her own snooping around, but this puts her in the killer's path. Can Amanda and Trent find the murderer before another girl ends up dead.

This is one of my favourite Police Procedural/Crime Thriller series. They grab you from the first page, where the crime is committed and keep you hooked until the end. This is a fast paced story, that kept me guessing throughout. Amanda is well respected by those she works with, including her Sargent. The way she and Trent put the pieces together, and use their intuition to solve the cases works so well, that they get my heart racing as the chase is on. With someone Amanda loves in danger, I watched her get a bit reckless, but fortunately, Trent is there to keep her in check. The final twists as the culprit is revealed answered a few of my questions I had while reading, yet still surprised me. Another great addition to this series that I recommend.

This is the eighth book in the series featuring Detective Amanda Steele and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Amanda receives a distressed call from her niece Ava. Reece, the sister of her best friend Nadine, has been missing for three days after having an argument with her mother. What’s setting Ava and Nadine is that they ave just found Reece’s phone abandoned in the river and they are convinced that something must have happened to her as they knew she would never have disappeared as she was the Prom Queen at the high Schol prom which is taking place that night. But as Amanda and her partner start investigating the body of Reece is discovered by Ava and Nadine who have sneaked into the prom and found Reece’s body in the toilets, dressed and posed with her lips sealed. When another victim is discovered Amanda realises that they have a serial killer on their hands. When Ava then goes missing, things turn desperate for Amanda as she realises that time is running out to uncover the identity of the killer and rescue Ava. This was another book in this series full of suspense and tension and one that had me totally gripped. I look forward to the next book in the series.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Book number 8 in the series . If you havent read the others, thats ok, this can be read as a standalone. This book started off slow but then I couldnt put it down.

Detective Amanda Steele's niece Ava calls her to help locate a friend's sister. But Reese's body is found murdered and mutilated on prom night. Can Amanda catch the killer before he strikes again?
Taken Girls is the 8th book to feature Amanda Steele. There are mentions of old cases but no spoilers. The plot threads about Amanda's personal life have developed over the series.
Reese has run away several times before but always come home. She is due to be prom queen and has never ignored calls from her younger sister Nadine. So Nadine is sure that something bad has happened and asks Ava to get her aunt Amanda involved. Amanda doesn't usually investigate missing person cases but due to the young age she agrees to take on the case. But she returns to her usual homicide role when Reese's body is discovered.
The book is written mostly from Amanda and the police investigation perspective. However there are some chapters which show the viewpoint of the killer. I did feel some sympathy for the trauma in this person's past but the hideous and grisly treatment of the victims is unpleasant and inexcusable.
The writing is fast paced as the chapters are short. There are plenty of twists and turns in the plot as the investigation progresses. We see another personal dimension to Amanda in this book through her family dynamic with her sister and niece.
Taken Girls is a chilling and tense detective thriller.

Thanks to netgalley for providing this advanced copy for the purpose of review.

I have read all the books in the series and thoroughly enjoyed them so I was eagerly looking forward to this. It did not disappoint and had an engrossing storyline and great further development of the characters. I highly recommend the series

A prom queen is missing on the day of prom. What was first suspected to be a teen runaway incident, quickly turned into a missing persons case which further escalated to murder. The posing of the victim’s body and her age was shocking. The more evidence that was uncovered, the darker the case became. This case quickly became personal for Amanda and it indeed got very tense when the killer targeted her niece, Ava.

I continue to enjoy this series and the development of Amanda’s character. Both her personal and professional lives have always interested and I enjoy seeing how she balances both. Her team is also enjoyable. I like Trent and was happy to see Sergeant Malone back.

This installment was enthralling, thought-provoking, and kept me on the edge of my seat. I can’t wait to find out what is next for Amanda and Trent.

This is the 8th installment of the Detective Amanda Steele series. When a prom queen goes missing and then gets murdered, the search is on for the killer.
Amanda Steele and Trent Stinson are investigating the murder when a prom queen is found murdered at the prom.

You don't have to read from the beginning of the series. The relationship between Amanda and Trent is still progressing but more subtle than the past books in the series. The investigation kept me on my toes. Amanda's niece is going to be a good investigator when she grows up, it is in her blood after all.

Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture.

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A absolutely fantastic addition to this series, which can be read as a stand-alone. Amanda’s family are involved and the twists and turns will keep you guessing, I loved it.

Detective Amanda Steele is contacted by her niece Ava asking her to look for her best friend’s missing sister, Reese. Reese, eighteen-years-old stormed out of her home three days before after a fight with her mother. Ava and her friend are worried about Reese as tonight is prom night and Reese is prom queen. They know Reese would be there if she could.

On prom night a body is found posed in the bathroom. The body is that of Ava’s best friend’s sister, Reese. What happened to her? Who would do something like this? Ava like her aunt likes to solve crimes. Without anyone’s permission or knowledge, Ava starts her own investigation into her friend's death which catches the eye of someone unknown who starts to follow her around.

Soon there are a lot of suspects, girls that Reese beat for prom queen plus a few more. Just as the tension and the heat start to amp up another body turns up. Can Amanda and or Ava find the killer before anyone else is murdered maybe even Ava herself?

Taken Girls is the eighth book in Detective Amanda Steele’s series. Taken Girls kept me on the edge of my seat as Amanda and Ava searched for the killer. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough on many occasions. There were many times I found myself choking up waiting to see what was going to happen next.

There was this one twist that had me in tears. I say a twists as I did sort of see it coming but it did take me by surprise all the same. At this point in the story, there was no way I could lay it down until I knew how it all turned out. I had to know who the killer was and how it all would end.

As with any book written by Carolyn Arnold, I highly recommend Taken Girls. Each book in Detective Amanda Steele’s series can be read as a standalone but I highly recommend that you read them all.

SUPERIOR police procedural thriller, well written with lots of suspense & great characterization. RECOMMEND highly along with the entire series for some terrific reading. Thanks to #NetGalley#Boolkouture for #TakenGirls in return for my honest review.

I absolutely adored this wonderfully tense and gripping book. Have loved every book in this series, each as addictive and brilliant as the last. This series just gets better and better. Love this book and cannot wait for the next.

This is my first book by Carolyn Arnold. I really enjoyed the way that she made Amanda relatable. She wasn’t t just a brilliant detective, she was human and flawed. I found myself cheering for her through the book. The storyline was great. Similar to another book I read while ago, but different.

I enjoyed this book, I’m a huge fan of the Amanda Steele series having read from the first book but this could definitely work as a standalone book if you haven’t read the others. I wouldn’t say this is my favourite book of the series, I thought the main storyline was great, it was also interesting to see Amanda’s niece getting involved. I feel like Amanda’s personal life which was always such a draw for me with this series has hit a bit of a wall though, perhaps that’s just me being biased because I’m a Trent shipper though. I’ll still be waiting eagerly for the next installment as this is one of my favourite series.

Thank you to Carolyn Arnold and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review Taken Girls.

A kidnapping and murder become personal for Det. Amanda Steele in this exciting mystery. Ava has contacted her aunt, Amanda, because her best friend's sister has been missing for several days. Reece is supposed to be the next Prom Queen and everyone is anxious about where she is. Although Amanda and her partner, Trent, are homicide detectives, they begin the search. When Reece's body is found at the Senior Prom, the case becomes a murder!

Although she is a teenager, Ava feels that she has to investigate, as well. The action becomes even more personal when Ava is kidnapped.

I thoroughly enjoyed this police procedural and look forward to future Carolyn Arnold mysteries.

A absolutely fantastic addition to this series, which can be read as a stand-alone. Amanda’s family are involved and the twists and turns will keep you guessing, I loved it.

Yikes, the stakes were high in this one!

Amanda Steele is tasked with solving the mystery of Reece Thompson's disappearance and when Reece's little sister Nadine (who happens to be Amanda's niece's best friend) tells Amanda she has no idea where Reece could be, it prompts Ava to get a little bit too involved in the case.

There are twists and turns and I had no idea who the "baddie" was in this book but my heart was in my mouth for most of it, thanks to Ava's involvement!

4.5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.

Taken Girls by Carolyn Arnold is Amanda Steele at her best. Her niece, Ava, calls her because the sister of her best friend has disappeared. Amanda and her partner, Trent, normally work homicide but the sergeant gave his OK. Sadly, it turned into a homicide quickly enough. A murdered high school girl; she was to be prom queen that evening. They found her in the restroom. Dressed in a vintage prom dress, made up with vintage makeup, and staged in the bathroom. It was ghastly, even for the professionals. It did trigger an investigation, with no stops pulled out. They discovered another body: the employee from whom the murder had stolen the key to the facility. Then, the worst happened. Kristen called to say Amanda’s niece, Ava, had not come home from school and was not answering her phone. It was now a race against time; a race to save Ava.

Amanda has had a difficult past few years: a car accident took her husband and her daughter, as well as her unborn child. It had been tough coming back from that, but she was and she was almost there. Her dad had been the police chief; she had no such aspirations. She was happy has a detective. She worried how her job would affect her relationship with Logan. It had once. But she was powering forward. She had a great partner in Trent; they had figured out early there was no chemistry and so were able to work together knowing that. He was a good guy. A great partner. Amanda has shown huge personal growth in the time I’ve been reading these books. That is almost as interesting as the crimes she solves. This was a scary one. It is amazing how much damage can be done to a young person and how it can affect their behavior as adults. Something we should all be aware of.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Taken Girls by Bookoutre, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Bookoutre #CarolynArnold #TakenGirls

I’ve enjoyed and had the best time reading every single Amanda Steele story.
They keep getting better and better.
Taken Girls is book 8 in the Detective Amanda Steele series by Carolyn Arnold.
And she has created another phenomenal crime thriller.

Arnold has put together another story of intriguing characters and complicated events that grabs the reader's attention and pulls them into it's world.
Well written with great characters & lots of suspense throughout amidst a great story line.
The pace of the story never lets. It's a brilliant police procedural packed with lots of action and tense scenes.
Arnold's writing is descriptive, and pulls the reader into the story.
The plot moves quickly and there are twists to keep you guessing.
This is yet another wonderful, interesting and very well-written police procedural from Caroline Arnold.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Bookouture for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Ava’s school friend is missing and she asks her Aunt to investigate, but sadly it’s too late and the body of Reese is found at the school prom. Soon things will get worse and Detective Amanda Steele will have to work quickly as things turn personal.

I love the main character's strength and determination in this, with great side characters and lots of twists and a narrative to keep your heart pumping; I could not put this down.

I haven’t read all of this series but felt that I could easily pick this book up and not feel like I have missed out. But it does make me want to read more; I will be looking out for the next novel in the series.

Taken Girls is the eighth book in the Amanda Steele series. This is a fantastic series. This book can be a stand-alone read, but you will miss out on all the previous books. There is so much history and character development that adds to each one.

Detective Amanda Steele receives a distressed call from her niece, Ava, she heads over to see what is bothering her. Ava explains her best friend's sister is missing and asks her to look for her. Reece left home three nights ago after fighting with her mother and hasn’t been heard from since. Amanda finds the Reese's body at the prom venue,

Amanda takes the death personal and begins to chase down leads in the case. A potential key witness is strangled. Ava mentions she saw someone acting strangely at the prom venue that night, and she thinks they might be following her, Amanda becomes alarmed that her family might also be in danger.

In this book we see the relationships between Amanda and her family, as well as Logan and Zoe more closely. I really like this series. The characters are well written and likeable. The plots are fully developed and believable. This was a riveting and very intense page turner. I couldn't wait for the rewarding conclusion.