Dr. Sloan Hastings is ready to embark on her two year fellowship under Dr. Cutty. Her first year assignment is researching the advancement of geneology technology to solve cold cases. But how exactly do these geneology websites work?

What starts off as a simple research project, Sloan uploads her DNA to a website and quickly discovers that along with her birth parents, she disappeared 30 years ago. But how can that be? Her adoptive parents have ample proof that her adoption was legitimate.

While the FBI begin their own investigation, Sloan takes things into her own hands. With the help of Eric Stamos, the sheriff from the town she grew up in, Sloan travels across the country to meet her family. But the Margolis family isn’t your average family - they are well established and have their hands in everything - vineyards, political offices at the local and state levels, and one of the largest law firms in the country.

Every question they find an answer to takes them one step closer to finding out the truth about what happened to Sloan’s family but pushes them further and further into danger. Will Sloan ever discover what happened to her birth parents or will she go missing, this time forever?

Charlie Donlea has done it again! The unique main topics added such an interesting perspective to Donlea's storyline. The characters were likeable and smart and there were quite a few twists along the way.

Multiples time I led out a gasp at what I was reading! Who did what to whom? WHAAAT in the world!?

Thank you to NetGalley, Kensington, and Charlie Donlea for the advanced reader copy in exchange for a review. Publication day is 05/21 and of course, I have already pre-ordered a copy.

This is the second book I’ve read by this author and I loved it just as much as the first! It actually had some similar themes and topics such as the critique on media/true crime fans which I really enjoyed.

I loved the fast pace and the way it was told with flashbacks. Sloan was an amazing character - it was really interesting to follow a forensic pathologist and I lliked all the genealogy and scientific talk. I also loved Eric and Nora.

The mystery itself was very intriguing and I had so many theories about what happened. Honestly I could have read this book in one day because it was so gripping and a real page turner. The short chapters kept my attention and I just really wanted to know what was going on!

It got pretty intense towards the end and I loved the way everything was revealed. I felt quite emotional at the end - I cared about Sloan and her story was a sad one at times.

Overall it was another perfect thriller for me.

This was the first book I’ve read by Charlie Donlea and I’m certain it won’t be the last. What a thrilling ride! Great use of alternating time lines- past and present- with just enough revealed at each switch to keep you guessing. I admit that I did suspect part of the ending early on, but there was no way I would have been able to predict how everything went down. Great storyline with excellent character and plot development and a very satisfying ending. Can’t wait to dig through more of the author’s books!

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Kensington Books for the advance reader copy. This is my honest review. 4.5/5⭐️. Publication date May 21, 2024

Dr Sloan Hastings has been awarded a prestigious fellowship for a two year training program in forensic pathology in Raleigh, Nth Carolina. In her first year, she will assist in some autopsies as well as completing a research project before spending her second year full time on autopsies. The research project assigned to her is on how the advances in DNA technology and genealogy can benefit forensic science. Knowing little about DNA technology, she consults an expert and he suggests she submit her own DNA to an ancestry website to learn about the process and the what sort of information can be obtained.

Sloan has known since a young age that she was adopted through a private agency. After her happy childhood and upbringing with loving adoptive parents, she has never felt the need to look for her biological parents. But now she can’t help being curious and excited about whether the DNA test will find her biological relatives. However, she could never have anticipated the startling results that came back.

At first Sloan is shocked to find out that her DNA is connected to a thirty year old cold case of a missing baby, famously dubbed ‘Baby Charlotte’ by the media. However, she decides that searching for what happened to Baby Charlotte would make an excellent dissertation for her genealogy research project, so she arranges to go to the small town of Cedar Creek, in Harrison County, Nevada to meet Charlotte’s relatives, the Margolis family.

The Margolis’ family influence and power extends into every corner of Harrison County to such an extent that they can control the decisions made by the local police, medical examiners and prosecutors. Not all of the family are happy to meet Sloan and answer her questions. However, she finds an ally in one of Baby Charlotte’s aunts, Nora who married into the family, as well as in the local Sheriff, Eric Stamos who is also trying to find some answers to past events.

Told in dual time lines and moving along at a good pace as tension builds, this is a very addictive read, pulling the reader in to wanting to know what happened to Baby Charlotte and more importantly why. Sloan is a great protagonist, confident and fearless of uncovering secrets that may put herself in danger. Nora and Eric are also strong, likeable characters, both wanting the truth to finally come out, no matter who might get hurt in the process. It’s a clever plot, masterfully delivered by Donlea, with a brilliantly quirky final twist that might make you laugh (even if you don’t fully believe it).

I have been an avid reader of Charlie's books and this is one of the best I've ever read. If you like any kind of crime, then you must buy and read it. It kept me engaged and I didn't want to stop reading it.

I love Charlie Donlea’s books and this was no exception. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This book kept me on my toes from start to finish. It was different from any of Donlea's other books, and I wasn't ready for that, but still a good read.

Oh my goodness! This book is amazing! When I got about a third of the book I couldn’t put it down for very long without needing to resume reading it. So many twists. All the happenings are vividly portrayed and the scene descriptions are very good. The author does an extremely good job of describing the characters. The happenings are through the eyes of the main character. Sloan knows she was adopted as an infant but when she takes a DNA test her world explodes in ways she never imagined. Don’t miss this well researched book!!! I received an arc of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.

Hot Diggty Dang!! Charlie Donlea's latest thriller had me on the edge of my seat, with my fingers practically smoking as I raced through the pages. In this gripping tale, Donlea ingeniously utilizes DNA as a plot device to breathe fresh life into the tropes of missing children and toxic family dynamics. The disappearance of Baby Charlotte and her parents in 1995 takes center stage. When her identity is revealed through DNA testing, it opens a Pandora's box of mysteries surrounding their vanishing act.

The suspense in the story is consistently intense, urging me to click through the pages swiftly. Donlea expertly paces the narrative, gradually revealing twists and revelations, leading up to an exhilarating stand-off that had me on the edge of my seat. The final reveal stunned me, with a clever and entertaining resolution that still has me laughing. Donlea's storytelling and unexpected plot twists make for an exhilarating read from start to finish.

A Witches Words read with some of my favorite witches!!

LONG TIME GONE
BY: CHARLIE DONLEA

It has taken me approximately over a week after reading Charlie Donlea's latest mystery-thriller called, "Long Time Gone," to write my review because I have mixed feelings about this novel. I usually try to write my reviews immediately after I read a book while its content is still fresh in my mind. I keep going back and forth on this one pondering over how to rate it in a fair way. Also I have some mixed feelings about how much I enjoyed this and whether or not I would categorize this as a thriller as it is marketed. In all honesty, I didn't feel it was a thriller until reading the bombshell, explosive ending. It took me until reaching that ending to re-evaluate how I felt about this. Overall, when I read the final pages they were the catalyst that changed this from being a 3.5 star rating to round it up to a solid 4 star reading experience. The prologue was certainly thrilling and the ending was thrilling leaving the rest of the book to be a multilayered mystery combined with learning about how cutting edge science when used by law enforcement to solve crimes is definitely an ethical question to be thought provoking.

I have read every single novel this author has published and have liked some more than others. My favorite one is called, "Don't Believe it." I keep hoping that Charlie Donlea will write something as riveting and compelling as that one. I also enjoyed this author's first book called, "Summit Lake." I did appreciate this one a lot more after finishing it and seeing how the plot was expertly written. I keep wondering if this author is going to follow up with the likable main character Sloan Hastings in the next book that is written. I'm hoping that the next book features her again as the main female protagonist since her character development was so well done and interesting. A follow up book featuring her having finished her training to become a forensic pathologist in anthropology placing her working with either a homicide unit, or her taking the FBI's offer to work for them would present a fascinating premise. I'm not finished with her promising character and do hope to read at least one more book with her. The way this one ended left me craving to see her finished with her training and solving another multilayered investigation like this one.

Sloan Hasting is a brilliant, capable high achiever on her way to finish her training to become a forensic pathologist. She has been assigned to research how DNA combined with online genetic profiles solve cold cases. Sloan is adopted and has grown up with loving parents that have left her with no desire to track down her biological parents. This creates a quandary for Sloan when she submits her DNA and a genetic profile of herself is created. This was done to help Sloan better understand how this method is helping to solve crimes. After getting the results of her genetic profile that was submitted to an online ancestry site she learns that she is actually baby Charlotte Margolis who along with her biological parents Annabelle and Preston Margolis mysteriously went missing
almost thirty years ago in 1995. The case gained national attention with the media because the Margolis family is rich and powerful and highly connected in Cedar Creek, Nevada.

Sloan presents this mystery to her adoptive parents who have to report it to the police since they adopted Sloan in a private adoption from a mother with a completely different name. The FBI gets involved leading to an investigation into what happened to Annabelle and Preston. In Raleigh, North Carolina in the present time Sloan gets paid a visit by Sheriff Eric Stamos, from Cedar Creek. Eric tells Sloan that his father who was also a Sheriff running his own investigation back in 1995, into the disappearance believes his father was murdered. Eric urges Sloan to travel to Cedar Creek, hoping that she'll be able to assist him in finding out what really happened to her parents and his father by visiting her biological family. She has the perfect opportunity to learn more about the Margolis family made possible since her Aunt Nora Margolis and Sloan have been in touch since they have both learned of each other through their genetic link which both have uploaded their profiles to the online site.

I really thought that this mystery was riveting and really kept my interest since it was complex although the pacing was slow due to the repetition that occurs. I thought that both Sloan and Eric worked well together in unraveling what happened with both of them combining their expertise. I gained an insight into the step by step process of developing photography taken from film that was left in a 1995 camera that Sloan's Aunt Nora had given to Annabelle. I really appreciated learning about genealogy and how it can be traced through DNA submitted to online ancestry websites and forensics. It certainly raises the question of ethics with law enforcement using this process solving cold cases since 2017. I liked Sloan and Eric's CrossFit workouts which inspires me to incorporate them in my own workouts. I would have never guessed the identity of the murderer which combined with likable characters and all of the above elements made for an intriguing reading experience. I look forward to Charlie Donlea's next novel. Recommended!

Publication Date: May 21, 2024

Thank you to Net Galley, Charlie Donlea and Kensington Books for generously providing me with my eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#LongTimeGone #CharlieDonlea #KensingtonBooks #NetGalley
LONG TIME GONE
BY: CHARLIE DONLEA

It has taken me approximately over a week after reading Charlie Donlea's latest mystery-thriller called, "Long Time Gone," to write my review because I have mixed feelings about this novel. I usually try to write my reviews immediately after I read a book while its content is still fresh in my mind. I keep going back and forth on this one pondering over how to rate it in a fair way. Also I have some mixed feelings about how much I enjoyed this and whether or not I would categorize this as a thriller as it is marketed. In all honesty, I didn't feel it was a thriller until reading the bombshell, explosive ending. It took me until reaching that ending to re-evaluate how I felt about this. Overall, when I read the final pages they were the catalyst that changed this from being a 3.5 star rating to round it up to a solid 4 star reading experience. The prologue was certainly thrilling and the ending was thrilling leaving the rest of the book to be a multilayered mystery combined with learning about how cutting edge science when used by law enforcement to solve crimes is definitely an ethical question to be thought provoking.

I have read every single novel this author has published and have liked some more than others. My favorite one is called, "Don't Believe it." I keep hoping that Charlie Donlea will write something as riveting and compelling as that one. I also enjoyed this author's first book called, "Summit Lake." I did appreciate this one a lot more after finishing it and seeing how the plot was expertly written. I keep wondering if this author is going to follow up with the likable main character Sloan Hastings in the next book that is written. I'm hoping that the next book features her again as the main female protagonist since her character development was so well done and interesting. A follow up book featuring her having finished her training to become a forensic pathologist in anthropology placing her working with either a homicide unit, or her taking the FBI's offer to work for them would present a fascinating premise. I'm not finished with her promising character and do hope to read at least one more book with her. The way this one ended left me craving to see her finished with her training and solving another multilayered investigation like this one.

Sloan Hasting is a brilliant, capable high achiever on her way to finish her training to become a forensic pathologist. She has been assigned to research how DNA combined with online genetic profiles solve cold cases. Sloan is adopted and has grown up with loving parents that have left her with no desire to track down her biological parents. This creates a quandary for Sloan when she submits her DNA and a genetic profile of herself is created. This was done to help Sloan better understand how this method is helping to solve crimes. After getting the results of her genetic profile that was submitted to an online ancestry site she learns that she is actually baby Charlotte Margolis who along with her biological parents Annabelle and Preston Margolis mysteriously went missing
almost thirty years ago in 1995. The case gained national attention with the media because the Margolis family is rich and powerful and highly connected in Cedar Creek, Nevada.

Sloan presents this mystery to her adoptive parents who have to report it to the police since they adopted Sloan in a private adoption from a mother with a completely different name. The FBI gets involved leading to an investigation into what happened to Annabelle and Preston. In Raleigh, North Carolina in the present time Sloan gets paid a visit by Sheriff Eric Stamos, from Cedar Creek. Eric tells Sloan that his father who was also a Sheriff running his own investigation back in 1995, into the disappearance believes his father was murdered. Eric urges Sloan to travel to Cedar Creek, hoping that she'll be able to assist him in finding out what really happened to her parents and his father by visiting her biological family. She has the perfect opportunity to learn more about the Margolis family made possible since her Aunt Nora Margolis and Sloan have been in touch since they have both learned of each other through their genetic link which both have uploaded their profiles to the online site.

I really thought that this mystery was riveting and really kept my interest since it was complex although the pacing was slow due to the repetition that occurs. I thought that both Sloan and Eric worked well together in unraveling what happened with both of them combining their expertise. I gained an insight into the step by step process of developing photography taken from film that was left in a 1995 camera that Sloan's Aunt Nora had given to Annabelle. I really appreciated learning about genealogy and how it can be traced through DNA submitted to online ancestry websites and forensics. It certainly raises the question of ethics with law enforcement using this process solving cold cases since 2017. I liked Sloan and Eric's CrossFit workouts which inspires me to incorporate them in my own workouts. I would have never guessed the identity of the murderer which combined with likable characters and all of the above elements made for an intriguing reading experience. I look forward to Charlie Donlea's next novel. Recommended!

Publication Date: May 21, 2024

Thank you to Net Galley, Charlie Donlea and Kensington Books for generously providing me with my eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#LongTimeGone #CharlieDonlea #KensingtonBooks #NetGalley

I would first like to Thank Kensington Books and Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of Long Time Gone by my ALL TIME FAVORITE author Charlie Donlea!
Let me first start with the story. Sloan Hastings is a forensic anthropology fellow under none other than reoccurring Chalie Donalea character Dr. Livia Cutty. She is tasked with one research year and the chosen topic is to advance forensic genealogy in a meaningful way. Along the process she signs up to have her own DNA tested and discovers she is none other than baby Charlotte Margolis who disappeared almost 30 years ago along with her mother and father Preston and Annabelle Margolis. Along the way she begins to unravel the mystery of what happens to her family on the fateful day nearly 30 years earlier.
As a huge fan of Chalie's books this one definitely kept me reading into the late hours and even held my attention while I flew on a plane for 4 hours which given my anxiety when I fly is nearly impossible. I was only slightly disappointed this book didn't have your typical Chalie Donlea twist to it because as I became more engrossed in the story I found myself not wanting the twist at the end and I think as Chalie wrote the book maybe that was also the feel so I wasn't super disappointed actually. As always with Chalie's stories it will keep you on the edge of your seat almost til the very end while the truth is finally revealed! Another great book from an absolutely amazing author and I can't wait to read the next one!

I've been hearing a lot of buzz about this book and it definitely lives up to it's hype! Easily one of my favorite 2024 reads so far. I was glued to the pages from the beginning. The plot was intriguing and the story was fast paced. I ignored my co-workers and my job duties for half of the day so I could finish this. The story is full of twists and unpredictable turns. The suspense was next level. Do yourself a favor and make sure you do not miss reading this one!

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books, Kensington for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have enjoyed Charlie Donlea’s books in the past. I loved the premise of the book. Using dna banks like ancestry to solve old cold cases. We are all drawn to learning about our family history.

Sloan knew she was adopted but never really felt the need to track down her birth parents. She ends up submitting her DNA to an ancestry site for a project she’s working and finds out that her mom and dad vanished with her when she was a baby. She starts delving into the crime and uncovers a lot of secrets about the family and town she grew up in.


Over all I liked the plot of this book. For me there were a few parts that were predictable and repetitive. Some of the past and present chapters seemed to cover the same information. I definitely will continue to read his books although this one wasn’t my favorite.

While working on a project about DNA forensics and crime solving, a medical student uncovers that she is a child that went missing thirty years ago. This sets her off on a mission to uncover what really happened to her biological parents and solve the crime. The author's books are always well plotted and full of action and this one was no exception.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review-
I have loved every book this author has written and once again he writes a winner!
Sloan is doing a research assignment and must enter her DNA into a geology site. —never expecting the answers she discovers. She is baby Charlotte who disappeared with her parents 30 years ago, Wanting answers to where her parents are- alive or dead she goes to Cedar
creek and meets sheriff Eric. Together they begin digging for answers but someone is willing to kill to keep things quiet.

Fascinating high octane mystery! Sloan Hastings is in the final years of study to become a medical examiner when she is assigned forensic genealogy for her research, she submits her DNA to genealogy site. Sloan is adopted, and really didn't know what to expect, but she certainly didn't expect to learn that she was kidnapped as a baby!

Thus she sets off a series of events that include old secrets, violence and murder! Join Sloan as she tries to find out where she came from and how she got to where she is now!

Donlea has created a perfectly paced thriller filled with interesting facts, an incredibly likeable heroine and an exciting mystery. #kensingtonbooks #charliedonlea #longtimegone #crossfit

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

This starts when Sloan, a doctor training to become a medical examiner, takes a genealogy website DNA test as part of a research project and discovers she is Baby Charlotte, who went missing together with her parents decades ago. Sloan is approached by the sheriff whose father (also a sheriff) was the one who initially investigated the circumstances of the disappearances, but died himself in arguably mysterious circumstances.

This is told in differing timelines and from different perspectives, which results in a fair amount of repetition. Characters also explain things to one another a lot (e.g. how to develop film), and I hope the author got a kick back from Cross Fit, because there was a big focus on that too. The ending was fairly over the top in comparison with what had gone before. This book does not make the US justice system look particularly robust...

Ok, Donlea may be my new favorite crime author. This book literally had me on the edge of my seat THE WHOLE BOOK! I loved Twenty Years Later and I’m kicking myself for not reading this Arc sooner. It was so suspenseful and so just EVERYTHING! I loved every minute of this! I loved the short chapters and the different timelines. This was just so well done. I will definitely be reading everything this author writes from here on out. This is my new auto buy author!

Thank you so much NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Fast read with some holes

Sloan is studying to be a forensic pathologist. Each student is assigned a topic to research and present after their first year of the fellowship. Her topic is forensic and investigative genealogy. To learn a little about genealogy, she thinks that she should have her DNA tested and added to a database. That was the first head scratcher for me. Sloan is adopted and is concerned about registering, but feels like she needs to so she can learn how the process works. My mind just doesn’t follow that. She is learning how to do autopsies without being autopsied herself. I don’t think that she would have needed to register herself to thoroughly understand the process. Anyway, she matches to a woman who is very active in genealogy. But she isn’t really related to her by blood, so the woman must have registered her spouse. A little spoiler alert, but that also would not have happened. She finds that she is a child of a couple who disappeared almost 30 years ago. She teams up with the sheriff of the town where she went missing to find out what happened to her and her parents.

I read a pre-publication copy, so this may be corrected in the final version, but there was a big flaw that, as a former photography nut drove me crazy. Sloan learns how to print film photos from her aunt. The process was correct. But they find a roll of film in a camera and somehow magically print photos from that without developing the film. That needs to be corrected.

The story was good and I could see Sloan becoming a recurring character. I would gladly read more of her and her family.

This mystery is set in several locations from North Carolina to Nevada and Oregon with some alternating time periods. A Sheriff (Eric) is searching for answers about his father’s death. A bright graduate (Sloan) is beginning her fellowship program to be a medical examiner. Her area of interest will be in forensic pathologist and investigative genealogy. The two cross paths and soon find they have a common interest. Sloan uses her own DNA for her research project. Little does she know the revelation of her own genealogy will forever change her life. Her new family has fame, wealth, notoriety, mountains of lies and generations of skeletons. The characters came alive and kept me guessing. The author does a fabulous job in providing interesting, informative, detailed explanations. I particularly enjoyed the aunt who had been a photographer. The forgotten art of photography with an actual camera and film development. I still own my beloved 35mm Canon. The dark room process was compelling and brought back memories. There is a very complex plot with outcomes that surprised me. It was a great read that I finished quickly.
I’ve enjoyed previous books by Mr. Donlea and look forward to more. Thanks to NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy of “Long Time Gone” by Charlie Donlea, Kensington Publishing, expected publication 05/23/2024. These are all my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without compensation.