A Reader's Opinion: THE GIRL WHO WAS TAKEN by Charlie Donlea
THE BOOK
A READER'S OPINION
In this well-written and fast-paced novel by Charlie Donlea, author of SUMMIT LAKE, Livia Cutty lives with a tremendous guilt—she didn't answer the phone. A rookie forensic pathologist, Livia sets out to discover the truth about her sister's abduction. She turns to the now best-selling book written by Megan McDonald, the other girl who was taken that night. When Livia catches her first break after a body is fished from a bay and brought to the morgue, Livia has to unravel the numerous clues, even at times putting her own career in jeopardy while discovering truths about her sister she hasn't known. THE GIRL WHO WAS TAKEN is full of twists and turns—though somewhat improbable—right up to the end.
I read SUMMIT LAKE the week before reading this book, and thought it was fantastic. I really like the author's writing style and the way he builds suspense. He creates well-developed characters that are easy to like, hate, relate to, or understand.
Content Note: There are some visual images that may be disturbing to some readers. Except, like his first book, the author does a good job of portraying them without going into detail.
Star Rating: 4 Stars | Content Rating: See note above | Reviewed by: Kaylie Morgan
BOOK SYNOPSIS
Nicole Cutty and Megan McDonald are both high school seniors in the small town of Emerson Bay, North Carolina. When they disappear from a beach party one warm summer night, police launch a massive search. No clues are found, and hope is almost lost until Megan miraculously surfaces after escaping from a bunker deep in the woods.
A year later, the bestselling account of her ordeal has turned Megan from local hero to national celebrity. It s a triumphant, inspiring story, except for one inconvenient detail: Nicole is still missing. Nicole's older sister Livia, a fellow in forensic pathology, expects that one day soon Nicole's body will be found, and it will be up to someone like Livia to analyze the evidence and finally determine her sister's fate. Instead, the first clue to Nicole s disappearance comes from another body that shows up in Livia's morgue that of a young man connected to Nicole's past. Livia reaches out to Megan for help, hoping to learn more about the night the two were taken. Other girls have gone missing too, and Livia is increasingly certain the cases are connected.
But Megan knows more than she revealed in her blockbuster book. Flashes of memory are coming together, pointing to something darker and more monstrous than her chilling memoir describes. And the deeper she and Livia dig, the more they realize that sometimes true terror lies in finding exactly what you've been looking for.
Print Length: 320 pages
Publisher: Kensington
Publication Date: April 25, 2017
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Format Read: E-Book | Source: Provided by the author or publisher.
