Missing

Gone but Not Forgotten

By: Kathleen Walls

Narrated by: Lee Ann Howlett

Length: 4 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

Based on an actual abduction that has never been solved, filled with drugs, violence, and lies.

Missing - Gone but Not Forgotten is about the abduction of a little girl in a rural Florida community. Drugs, family feuds, underage sex, and lots of lies abound. Since this is a fictionalized version, my biggest challenge is to keep it exciting and still true to the real life case upon which the story is based.

Excerpt:

Jon unsnapped his gun from its holster but didn’t remove it. Clair reached toward the Colt Official Police Pistol strapped at small of her back and nodded at her partner to let him know she was ready and prepared for anything.

Jon rapped hard on the door, “Sheriff's Department responding to your call. Please open the door.”

When the trailer became silent and the door swung open, Clair's first thought was this was another child in the family. The person standing in the doorway was about five foot three or four, thin to the point of emaciated, with long brown hair straggling in her face. She was wearing a rumpled tee and a pair of skinny jeans and tennis shoes. Her large blue eyes with a totally blank expression gave the only hint that this was 17 year old Autumn Daily, the person reporting the missing child. She looked like she was stoned out of her mind on some strong chemicals.

Behind her loomed a man a bit over six foot in his mid-20s. He had dark short hair, a small mustache, and weighing about 160 with enough muscle to take on either detective. His knuckles were bloody as if he had been punching something, or someone. He clarified that by slamming his fist into the trailer's side. “It's about damn time you get here. Some fucker took my daughter! If I find ‘em, I'll kill 'em so you better get them first.”

“Calm down, Mr. Shatner. We're going to find whoever took your daughter but we need some background...."

©2020 Kathleen Walls (P)2020 Kathleen Walls

Interesting Take on True Crime Format

I enjoy true crime stories but sometimes find them bogged down with details that make them hard to follow. This format was reminiscent of Ann Rule’s style and and Kathleen Walls does a great job of making this read like a fiction story but it’s obviously based off of the Haleigh Cummings case. I’m surprised other reviewers missed that since it was such a high profile case. It clicked for me in the 3rd chapter. Overall, I enjoyed the narrator and the story kept me listening even though I am familiar with the case.

I received this audiobook for free in exchange for an honest review. I listened to this book in one sitting and in one evening. I definitely would listen to more stories by this author if done in the same vein as this one.

My book review

This was the first book I’ve read by this author.
based on a true unsolved case but written fictitiously.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

GREAT READ!

I really enjoyed it! This book was based on true events! The narration was great and kept me entertained! The author did a great job with the characters! This was my first book from this author but definitely not my last! I look forward to reading more books from this author! I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Abducted or Not

This is a very scary story of child abduction and or murder who are never found and a psychopathic family with drug and physical abuse. It is sad they never found Star and what really happened to her. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. Thank you

Amazing!

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

This was not a True Crime story but it was based on real life events. This book was very well written and keeps you hanging on. You wonder from the start....What happened to Star Shatner? The author takes you step by step through the events and the investigation. I was pulled into the book from the start and couldn't put it down.
The narrator was not one of my favorites but that was my own personal complaint. Overall, she was good and had great pacing and voice control.

Fictionalized unsolved mystery

This is a fictionalized account of an unsolved mystery, although speculation does offer some closure to this story. I guess I fail to see the point of
this book, though, since there are plenty of real true crime cases like this that could be written about.

Lee Ann Howlett's narration is excellent.

Note: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Pretty generic.

This was very, very loosely based on true events. The characters were stereotypical “white trash”, even their names were unoriginal. The only reason I gave it two stars, because at the end of the book, the author gives a short synopsis of actual abductions.


"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."