Taken is the second book in the Detective Kate Miles series by prize-winning Australian author, Dinuka McKenzie. After twelve weeks of maternity leave and six weeks of desk duty, Detective Sergeant Kate Miles is itching to get back to active duty, so when she hears a domestic violence call go out, she attends, and the first thing she’s confronted with is a gun. Still, her cool handling of the situation is sufficient for her CI to decide she’s psychologically well enough to be in charge when a kidnapping case comes up the next day.

The day after Elissa Ricci reports a possible prowler, she emerges from the shower to find her four-month-old daughter, Sienna missing from her cot. Attending with Kate is DS Josh Ellis who is immediately confident that the absent father is responsible. After a chat with Elissa’s mother, Kate fixates on Elissa’s violent drug-dealing ex-boyfriend.

Neither man has a convincing alibi for the relevant time period and, as Kate and Josh each direct their efforts in different directions, the idea of teamwork suffers. Aware of how devastated she would be if Amy went missing, Kate is determined to find baby Sienna, but long hours at work see her neglecting her own family.

The story races along at a fair clip, with plenty of action, more than one dramatic climax, and enough red herrings and twists to keep the reader guessing. Kate’s narrative is interspersed with an anonymous account that seems to be from the perpetrator’s perspective. The astute reader may pick up on certain clues to determine who is responsible early on, but Kate’s journey to the truth keeps the reader gripped and the pages turning.

Kate does seem to be juggling a lot of roles in this instalment: as well as keeping her PTSD/panic under control, she’s mothering baby Amy, trying to prove to the male hierarchy that she’s capable of doing her job well, dealing with her colleague Josh’s resentment at being sidelined, and she is concerned over the fallout, both financial and reputational, of the exposé on her father’s former lover. And while it does sometimes get results, her exasperating need to, sometimes unnecessarily, do everything herself does put her in danger and puts pressure on her marriage.

While this can be read as a stand-alone, the experience is enhanced for those who have read The Torrent and the short story prequel, Skin Deep. This is an outstanding follow-up to McKenzie’s brilliant debut. Highly recommended!
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Canelo Crime