Thank you to NetGalley, Charlie Donlea and Kensington Books for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Once again Donlea grabs me right from the first chapter and holds onto me until the very ending. This was so unique and the storyline was masterfully written. Loved how twisted and action picked the ending was!

crime novel set in two different time periods, Long Time Gone (2024) by Charlie Donlea is a riveting mystery. First set in the present day, Sloan Hastings begins her forensic pathologist qualification traineeship, tasked with producing a genealogy investigation thesis. Little does she realise that her own past and two historic crimes in 1995, a hit-and-run accident and the disappearance of a young family, will turn her world upside down. The narrative is in two alternating sections, like different stories but seamlessly woven together in a delightfully engaging crime mystery. A fine standalone must-read classic detective tale that has a five stars rating. With thanks to Kensington Books and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without inducement.

Dr. Sloan Hastings is pursuing a forensic pathology career, and her fellowship research project requires her to submit her DNA to an online genealogy site. She does so a little apprehensively because she is adopted and has never tried to find her biological parents. Her DNA results reveal a disturbing connection to a decades old cold case, the mysterious disappearance of a baby and her parents.

I really enjoyed Long Time Gone! I loved how it kicked off with a crime fiction type storyline involving forensic pathology and genetic genealogy. I was immediately hooked by the plot, sucked into mystery of Baby Charlotte, and intrigued by Margolis family's hold on the small town of Cedar Lake. The dual timelines and short chapters propelled the story forward at a perfect simmering medium pace. Donlea writes characters that really stick with you, I was rooting for Sloan and Eric to find the truth and heal from their traumatic pasts. You do have to suspend disbelief a tiny bit at the end, but overall I thought it was an incredible story!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Kensington books for the opportunity to read this ARC.

3.5/5

Thank you @kensingtonbooks and @netgalley for this eARC.

I have mixed feelings about Long Time Gone. On one hand, it certainly had you turning the pages and it was well paced. On the other hand however, there were too many times when things were conveniently in place, whether it be the character/s or location. But by main disappointment, was when the killer's motive was revealed. I will try not to give spoilers here... considering what the actual motive was - which was very short (couple sentences only), you would have expected there to have been clues and hints throughout the book. Instead the felt like it came out of no where (not in a good way), unless I missed something, I don't recall any clues or hints alluding to the motive happening in any part of the book.

Wow! Can this author write a bad book?? So far absolutely not. This is my third book of this new to me author and I am completely addicted! His books are highly captivating .

This one revolves around a 30 year old cold case and how genealogy helped cracked the case wide open. But the plot goes much deeper than that and before you know it, there’s so many questions needing answers ,making it hard to put this book down. I love this author’s story telling and have added the rest of his stuff to my reading list! Obviously highly recommend to all mystery and thriller readers!

What a thrill ride! I found myself racing through the book but having to put it down for a bit while my heart calmed down. And then I could not stay away from the pull of the novel for very long. The characters were fully formed and believable. The dual timeline of past and present day provided enough back story to propel the story forward. I did not see the twist that was coming. Knowing who-done-it did not in any way take away from the suspense of rest of the novel. This was my first Charlie Donlea book, and now I have to read the others. Highly recommended.

I always look forward to a new Charlie Donlea book. Long Time Gone is the newest book and it does not disappoint! I really really enjoy how the author has created his own book world and there are recurring characters in his novels. This book deals with genetic genealogy and its role in solving cold cases. This is a very popular topic nowadays and I thoroughly devoured this book. It was fast paced and the author explains everything so well on top of having interesting characters. Make sure you read this book and if you haven’t read his previous books, I highly recommend all of them. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book. I was instantly drawn in, and wanted to know what happened to baby Charolette! I love that we got to see past characters again in this book. I did not see the many twists at the end coming! Highly recommend

First let me say when I saw the name Livia Cutty I thought I was reading a book I read before. I had to go back and look to see where I saw that name. It clicked! The book was The Girl Who Was Taken
I love books where people work out their family history through DNA. I have done this myself looking for a family member and learning about other family members and their journeys.
Sloan Hastings, she had a normal life, she knew she was adopted. She had loving parents. Instead of going into the dental field Sloan went into the medical field to be a forensic pathology. This is where Dr. Livia Cutty comes in. She is renowned in that field and Sloan is under her training.
Once Sloan submitted her DNA to help with her understand how DNA helps with cold cases and in the forensic field. When the results came back, alarms kind of went off. Sloan matched DNA to a missing baby from 30 yrs prior. There is the mystery! She wasn't sure what she should do and how to go about taking the right steps in trying to contact this "NEW" family.
Little did Sloan know that her NEW family had a dark secret, that had many questions still needing answers. The biggest one is "Where are her parents?" "What happened?"
Sloan meets up with Sheriff Eric Stamos, who is the son of the Sherriff who was investigating the disappearance of her parents and a few other things that were kept on the down low.
So not only was Baby Charlotte a mystery in it's own, the ordeal with Sheriff Stamos and other small incidents that now clicked together.
I like the fact that Charlie has brought other characters from his books together, and working together to help solve things. I mean Ryder Hillier she could have gone about her approach to Sloan differently. That didn't work out how she wanted, yet she didn't leave empty handed. She did get a story out of it all just not Sloan's.
I devoured this book, took me 2 days only because of real life getting in the way. If you are a fan of Charlie already, you will like this book as well.

I was obsessed with reading this book. It was compelling, realistic, suspenseful, thrilling, and overall, a great read! Sloane Hastings is starting a fellowship in forensic pathology and when Dr. Cutty assigns her research project around genealogy, Sloane submits her DNA and gets way more than she bargained for. She's always known she was adopted but finds out her biological parents mysteriously disappeared almost 30 years ago. Her discovery leads her to the influential and prestigious Margolis family in Cedar Creek, Nevada with some dark secrets of their own.

I loved how the timeline went from Present as Sloane investigates what happened to her and her parents, and the Past, as Sheriff Sandy Stamos investigates crimes that occurred shortly before the disappearance. Charlie Donlea weaves together the past and present seamlessly, pulling the reader in as things are slowly revealed. It was a unique plot with some great twists. A fabulous new thriller!

I read this in one sitting on a train ride. Beyond the small things that had me saying “yeah right” I think this book was so incredible, couldn’t put it down. I was so invested the entire time and I didn’t guess anything about it. This was my 3rd Donlea book and definitely will not be my last. He’s becoming an auto-buy author for me.

Many thanks to @kensingtonbooks and @netgalley for my #gifted (free) copy. Pub date 5/21/24.

WOW, let me catch my breath after reading this one! This gripped me from the first page all the way to the last, the action never let up! The alternating timelines by different POVs were done brilliantly, and I had a hard time putting this book down. This is actually my first book by this author, and I'm already a huge fan!

Dr. Sloan Hastings was adopted by her loving parents when she was just a baby. Sloan is embarking on a fellowship in forensic pathology, and for a research assignment, she has to submit her DNA to an online genealogy site. What she learns about her results is shocking. She is actually Charlotte Margolis. Charlotte and her parents disappeared thiry years ago, never to be seen or heard from, and the news swept the nation. Sloan's life is about to change drastically!

This is a wonderful thriller that shows how DNA can be used to solve crimes. Sloan is assigned a forensic genealogy project and uncovers quite a surprise in her DNA! This leads to a search for answers in a 30 year old crime. The trail leads to danger for Sloan and several others! Reading this book was truly a thrilling ride!

I have read all of Charlie Donlea’s books, and they are all very good! This one is just as great! I was originally excited when the book begins with the topic of forensic genealogy. It is a fascinating subject. The book did tilt into a whole new direction, but it was equally exciting! Charlie has a knack for reeling you in with no hope of rest until the book is finished. He researches the topics very well and is a great writer! I’ll admit to hoping there was a little more romance, but it didn’t deter from the book at all. The mystery is complex and he does a great job of informing us at the right times so we don’t get lost. The complexities is what makes his books so good! I’m thrilled to have received this ARC front NetGalley. I’d been waiting on anticipation for this book to come out! The wait was worth it!

In Charlie Donlea’s newest novel, “Long Time Gone” follows his newest character Sloan , a first year fellow embarking on her journey to become a forensic pathologist, as she unravels secrets from her past that she encountered by accident. Taking place between present and past with varying point of views, we learn the truth of what really happened to “Baby Charlotte” and her parents during that fateful Fourth of July night. the story picks up quite fast making it a quick enjoyable read that has you on the edge of your seat.

I loved this book! do rate this about a 4.75⭐️ based on the big plot twist. This book was a great read that left me guessing what happened for about 50% of the book! Really enjoy Donlea’s reading universe with his Easter eggs from past novels; I loved noticing all the past characters as they appeared. The short chapters in the book made it such an easy read that it never felt like the story was dragging out. Overall, a solid story that can almost be expected when it comes to Donlea.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I am a huge fan of Charlie Donlea and this installment does not disappoint! This continues along with the medical examiner series but this time its a different student, Dr Sloan Hastings. Sloan has been accepted into the 2 year training program for forensic pathology under Dr Liv Cutty. Sloan is given the project of forensic genealogy as her project. Sloan proceeds to take a DNA test as the starting point of her project and the results reveal she is the long lost Baby Charlotte who was kidnapped 29 years ago.

This is such a well written story with likeable and believable characters. The story alternates between now and 29 years in the past which helps fully develop the characters and the story. The author expertly reveals twists and turns keeping the story consistently intense, urging me to read on late into the night! The final reveal stunned me!

Looking forward to publication day!! Highly recommend!!!

This was exciting, and fast-paced, and with alternating POVs and timelines, it was a really engaging thriller!
*
Quick synopsis: After submitting her DNA to an online genealogy site, she discovers she's actually Baby Charlotte, who disappeared with her parents thirty years earlier. She goes to meet her new-found family, and hopefully unravel the mystery of what happened to her birth parents, who are still missing.
*
The set-up is slightly clunky, but after that, this was completely engaging and compelling. I really liked Sloan as a character, and I couldn't read this fast enough. I thought I knew where it was going, and I was close, but still didn't have it completely right.
*
Just a couple things kept me from 5 stars... I don't quite understand why there was such a media flurry about a family that looked like they just cut ties and moved away. And the way they discovered what actually happened is pretty unrealistic. But those are minor points, overall this was a really fun read!

Ohhhh WOW! This was SO addicting and perfectly done. I flew through this one in a day.

Long Time Gone follows Dr. Sloan Hastings who submits her DNA to find her ancestry for a research project and finds way more than she bargained for.

The way the story flipped from past to present and from character to character made the book fly by. The short chapters truly had me unable to put the book down. The plot was so unique and was executed perfectly. This is my first book by Charlie Donlea and I cannot wait to read his entire back list.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

Charlie Donlea has done it again. Donlea is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors and I love the mix between thrill & science.

We follow Sloan Hastings who is starting her fellowship as a medical examiner. Part of her fellowship requires her to stay a specific part of a research assignment and ends up submitting her DNA to an online genealogy site and discovers some pretty interesting information about herself and her adoptive family, that she is actually a missing person from 1995.

This book goes through multiple timelines and POV's between Sloan and a Detective back in 1995 trying to figure out everything that is going on.

I loved the nod to Donlea's other books and character including Dr. Livia Cutty & Avery Mason.

This is a must read if you love mystery, suspense, and the beauty of DNA!

To hold another's secrets brought people together more powerfully than even unconditional love.

I love Charlie Donlea gift of writing. He always start with a powerful punch, builds a plot thru strong characters and twists. Sloan Hastings is one such character. She is studying to be a forensic scientist and is under a well known doctor/teacher. Her main study is genealogy and how genealogy is used to solve cold cases. To see how it works, she decides to set up her own "page". She is anxious about this endeavor because she is adopted. After discussing her next step with her parents, she goes for it and discovers that she is the baby that disappeared with her parents 30 years ago. No one knows what happened to the baby or her parents. They had disappeared from Nevada without a trace. When her story hits the FBI and the sheriff's office in Cedar Creek Nevada, she is visited by the son of the sheriff that was handling a case that involved her parents. Sloan becomes more intrigued by her past and feels a connection to her parents to know what happened.

The narration is done two fold. Current events as Sloan undercovers what happened to her parents while meeting the rest of her family in Cedar Creek. A powerful political family that has held power for over 30 years. The past is also narrated in respect to the current events. This helps you know the characters and their thought process in real time.

Donlea also writes leaving clues for the reader to be engaged and solve the crime as well. Let's just say, I was on the right track but had a little bit of shock at the end. A great read!

A special thank you to Kensington Books and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review