Taken Girls (Detective Amanda Steele Book 8)
by Carolyn Arnold
Pub Date: 20 Jun 2023
Bookouture
General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers
Rating: 5/5

Taken Girls, the eighth installment in Carolyn Arnold's Amanda Steel series, is an excellent read. The characters were engaging and the plot was intriguing. The writing was fluid and the twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat.

Synopsis:
Upon her niece Ava's call for help, detective Amanda Steele travels to a park. She discovers that Ava's best friend's sister (18-year-old Reese) is missing. Amanda and her partner Trent investigate what appears to be a typical teenage runaway, but it soon escalates into a brutal murder investigation. Meanwhile, Amanda's young niece Ava conducts her own investigation and draws the killer's attention. With Ava's involvement, the stakes are higher than ever before as Amanda and Trent struggle to find the killer before he strikes again. Can they stop him in time, or will the killer outwit them and take more innocent lives?

NetGalley and Bookouture were kind enough to share this gripping thriller with me. Taken Girls is definitely a barn burner of a book! I highly recommend it!

#TakenGirls #CarolynArnold #Bookouture #NetGalley

Taken Girls is an easy-to-read story, full of action that keeps you trying to understand the culprit's motives to commit crimes until the whole plot is opened at the end. Amanda continues to be a fierce fighter for her values and family and seems now to have found the stability she needs in her life. Another good addition to the series.
I thank Ms. Arnold, her publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.

Book #8 and this series continues to be awesome! Amanda’s niece approaches her for help when her best friends sister is missing. While Amanda doesn’t usually take on missing person cases, it quickly becomes apparent there is more going on than meets the eye.
Another solid addition to this series. While you don’t need to read the previous books, knowing the backstory helps to understand Amanda’s motivations.

This book is the eighth in the Amanda Steele series, and is another enjoyable installment. Amanda's niece Ava brings her the case of a missing friend, and the rest follows from there. Ava plays a big role and family is a focus beyond the mystery. I'm continuing to enjoy Amanda and she navigates her new roles in her life as a mother again and a girlfriend. The mystery was a pretty odd one to work out, and it had some really gruesome moments. Overall an entertaining read! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to provide my honest review.

Taken Girls (Detective Amanda Steele Book 8) by Carolyn Arnold is a gripping crime thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. When a murdered prom queen is discovered, Detective Amanda Steele's niece, Ava, implores her to find her missing school friend, Reese. As Amanda delves deeper into the case, she uncovers a web of secrets and a relentless killer willing to do anything to keep the truth hidden. The stakes escalate when Ava becomes a target, forcing Amanda to race against time to save her niece. With skillfully woven storylines, surprising twists, and thought-provoking themes of bullying and empathy, Taken Girls showcases Arnold's storytelling prowess and keeps readers guessing until the very end.

Arnold's attention to detail and authentic portrayal of police procedures immerses readers in the investigation. From the meticulous collection and analysis of evidence to strategic interviews with suspects and witnesses, every step is meticulously described, creating an engaging and believable experience. The vivid depiction of crime scenes adds to the sense of realism and enhances the overall immersion. The palpable suspense and relentless pacing throughout the book ensure that readers will be captivated and eagerly turning the pages to uncover the truth. The dynamic partnership between Amanda and Trent, as well as the inclusion of Ava's perspective, further enriches the narrative, hinting at a potential new generation of crime solvers. Whether new to the series or longtime fans, readers will find Taken Girls to be a thrilling and satisfying addition to the Detective Amanda Steele series.

Detective Amanda Steele’s latest case of a murdered prom queen hits close to home. The victim is her niece’s best friend’s sister. Between racing to find a killer before he or she strikes again and to keep her niece from trying to investigate on her own, Amanda has her hands full. This was another great book in this series by Carolyn Arnold, I recommend it if you like a good thriller. Thanks Netgalley for this arc.

This is the eighth in the Detective Amanda Steele series, one of my favorites. Although I have read quite a few of them, this would work as a standalone.

When her best friend’s older sister, Reese, goes missing, Ava contacts her aunt, Prince William County (Virginia) Detective Amanda Steele. Amanda drops everything to investigate and interrupts her partner, Trent’s, weekend for his assistance. It is the night of Reese’s prom and she was supposed to reign over it as Prom Queen. When her murdered body is discovered at the country club prom venue, the race is on to find the killer. Ava, who just can’t resist doing some of her own sleuthing, soon becomes a target for the killer. There are quite a few potential suspects, from the person Reese beat out for prom queen, to a questionable substitute teacher, to the staff at the country club….or could it be an unknown, someone Amanda and Trent haven’t yet considered?

Yet another of Arnold’s fast paced, engrossing police procedurals, I read it in one day, long into the night, because I could not put it down. Arnold knows how to capture and maintain her readers’ interest. I love the repeating characters, especially Amanda who, despite an earlier tragedy in her life, is a strong, capable, independent female and I enjoy the camaraderie between her and Trent.

Without going into the reason, because it would reveal a spoiler, the victimology and characters in this story gave me a lot to think about; it is still in my head. We have just too many mean girls, boys, and adults in this world.

I really enjoy this series! Thankyou to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Amanda Steele has come a long way since the death of her husband and daughter Lindsey. She is starting to clean out the garage where a lot of memories are stowed when she gets a call from her niece Ava. It seems the sister of Ava's best friend is missing. Reese has not been seen since a fight with her mom, but it's the night of the Prom and Reese was elected Prom Queen, no way she would miss that, right?

I enjoyed this being told from Ava' s POV at times, it seems we have another generation of cop in the making.
I am THRILLED that Malone is back! hope he stays healthy. Trent and Amanda make a good team when it comes to solving crimes. I appreciate Amanda trying to balance work and raising Zoe and building a relationship with Logan.
I look forward to the next book in this series.

Amanda Steele's niece, Ava, has a lot in common with her aunt.... a police detective. As Amanda is sorting through some difficult memories, Ava contacts her... her best friend's sister (Reese) has gone missing. Ava has taken it upon herself to start investigating Reese's disappearance. And unfortunately, Reese's body ends up at the prom - where Ava and her friend have snuck into. Ava notices the guests as her aunt does - with a suspicious eye... and she's quick to tell Aunt Amanda about a man who didn't seem to fit in. Whilst Amanda and her partner, Trent, chase down this mysterious man and try to find answers to Reese's death, Ava goes missing and Amanda is determined to find her before it's too late. Ms. Arnold has created such a fantastically deep and wonderful character in Amanda Steele - and surrounded her with an incredible supporting cast in Trent, Logan, Zoey, and the her superiors. This series will get you hook! It's been incredibly fast paced since book 1. Thank you to Bookouture for an advanced reader copy of this book. The opinions expressed are my own.

When this beauty landed in my TBR pile I honestly couldnt believe that this is now book #8 in the series! Which is a massive positive in my eyes because it means the series just keeps giving more and more!

Detective Amanda Steele receives an anguished phone call from her niece Ava. Her best friends sister, Reece, is missing and she needs her help finding her. Amanda doesn't work for the Missing Persons department but heads off go meet her niece who herself is a bit of a sleuth to find out what details she can pass over.

Reece has been voted prom queen and prom is tonight so she should be at home getting ready but noone has any idea where she can be.

Some things aren't sitting right with Detective Steele so after passing it by her boss she takes the case on, not expecting her mutilated posed body to turn up in the ladies toilets on prom night!

Steele and her partner Trent are left with the hard task of finding out just what happened to Reece and why. Questions are asked but it soon becomes apparent that there are many suspects but no leads... yet.

When her niece is then targeted by the killer it becomes even more prevalent that they find out just who they are and quickly.

Can she find the killer before she becomes a victim herself?

A fast paced, action packed, twisty story that was fraught with tension from start to finish.

Huge thanks to netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC.

Taken Girls – Carolyn Arnold

It’s a lazy Saturday morning in Prince William County and Detective Amanda Steele is bored. Both her boyfriend and adopted daughter have plans and are out of the house, and her much desired ‘alone time’ has her searching for anything to occupy her time – even cleaning the garage. As soon as she starts that task, the phone rings – it’s her niece, Ava, sounding very shaken, asking Amanda to meet her at a local park.

When Amanda arrives, she meets Ava and her friend Nadine, where she learns that Nadine’s older sister Reese, a high school senior and elected prom queen, has been missing for a few days. While at the park, the girls found Reese’s cell phone in the river, which Ava then hands to Amanda. Nadine explains that Reese and her Mom had a huge fight the night Reese went missing, which has happened before. But Reese has always answered texts or calls from her little sister – but this time she hasn’t… Amanda’s gut tells her that something is very wrong.

As the search for Reese begins, Amanda pulls in partner Trent to assist as she interviews family and friends, slowly getting a sense of a popular, but self-absorbed young woman, but no clues as to her disappearance. Then a gruesome discovery at the prom venue on prom night changes things from a missing person case to murder – and Amanda will stop at nothing to catch a killer…

I originally discovered this series thanks to Netgalley, and I absolutely LOVE these books! This latest installment is another home run, packed full with action and suspense, along with character growth – and perhaps some conflict. Amanda & Trent’s relationship seems…off a bit in this book, and I am still trying to warm up to Logan’s re-emergence in Amanda’s life as she continues to move forward after the loss of her family. Can easily be read as a standalone, but the series in order will give the reader more insight into these characters and how they came to be… Fabulous book, fabulous series!! Now the wait begins for the next title in the series…

I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley & Bookouture in exchange for an objective review. Do you love to read?? Visit netgalley.com and start reviewing books today!!

Personal blog will publish on 6/15/2023

(4.5)The prologue had me holding my breath and squinting my eyes in hopes of keeping the horrific words from leaping off the page at me. Thank goodness for the mini respite in chapter one then full steam ahead in this fast paced police procedural that has multiple layers. Steel is tying to put closure on the loss of her husband and her child and build a life with Logan and Zoe when Ava contacts her to help find a missing girl. There is bullying there is teenagers with tunnel vision walking into harm, talking about you Ava. Teenagers dealing with hurt feelings and magnitudes of hate without maturity to counter balance their decisions. Families dealing with the loss of loved ones. This hits on many levels. The one miss for me was no follow up with Zoe after Steele learns about what took place at the sleep over. This actually points out the one continuous thread in this series that is taking mini steps in fulfillment and that is Steeles full steam ahead, work is first and not really having balance or even a snippet of a life. I think its time to take bigger steps IMHO. Thank you for the arc! I freely volunteer my thoughts and opinions. #takengirls #detectiveamandasteele #carolynarnold #bookouture #netgalley

This is a very good series by the author and I would recommend reading from the beginning for background detail. I like the characterisation, very relatable, and the plotting , based around teenage bullying and it's consequences. it's a very good topical read and highly believable. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

I was sucked in from the prologue on! I couldn’t put this book down. I was drawn into the killer’s mind and it had me taking moments to collect my sanity.! Amanda was an amazing character and detective. She had me wanting to be her as I read. The author had me inside the mind of each character, feeling their thoughts as I read them. Brilliantly written!

This is my 2nd book in the Amanda Steele Detective series and it didn't disappoint. It continues the story of Amanda who is a detective and is very good at what she does. When her niece Ava begs her to look into her friends disappearance things soon take a bad turn. When her niece later on goes missing she has to be quick to try and find her before it's too late.
A very good book to keep you hooked. I will look forward to reading the authors next instalment of Amanda Steele.

Another great follow up in the series and it didn’t disappoint, this series just keeps getting better and better

This was my first book in this series but I feel like all of these books are similar and running together. The writing was good. I just thought there were too many messed up things in this book to enjoy it. I didn’t even finish the prologue before I didn’t care for it. Didn’t even finish it. Skipped ahead and figured out the killer and didn’t care to know much else.

Have enjoyed all the previous books in this series and this one hit the mark. Plenty of suspense throughout and likeable characters. Look forward to the next one. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

I couldn't put this book down! I am a huge lover of the prom night gone wrong trope (my Lifetime movie watch list can attest to this) because small town + lots of secrets + closed room event with dozens of suspects = a novel you can't put down. I will be suggesting this book for book club because we read Girl Forgotten which is what this book reminded me off but it was a million times better. I wanted to know who took Ava and how they found out she knew. When I read the descripton of the book I was automatically sure the suspect was someone Ava told or their phones were tapped which kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time a new character was introduced.

I will read every other book in the series after this one!

This was an awesome addition to the series. As always, the author hooked me from the start. Few twists and turns, one I didn't see coming. I always root for Amanda to make peace with her past and find happiness in her future. Was glad this book showed her doing just that while she found a killer and saved her niece. A must read!
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.