The Girl Who Was Taken

By: Charlie Donlea

Narrated by: Nina Alvamar

Length: 10 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

Charlie Donlea, one of the most original new voices in suspense, returns with a haunting novel, laden with twists and high tension, about two abducted girls - one who returns, one who doesn't - and the forensics expert searching for answers.

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 best-selling 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.

©2017 Charlie Donlea (P)2017 Recorded Books

Ending made me sick

Loved the book until the very end
Very disappointed I almost wished the author would create an alternate ending that all of us could read
Fast pace lots of twists and surprises
Sorry I'm into happy endings so none of that means anything

Ends on a sad note

The story is good and the performance is great.

I do not care for books that flip back and forth between years.

The story ends on a sad note and according to reviews from author's other two books they all end that way. When there are options, I like a happy ending. It would not have changed the story in any way (except the ending) if author had modified the ending.

Story was great but has a frustrating ending for the reader

I understand leaving cliff hangers, but I was at least expecting a verbal message directly after the last line pointing to where the story continues (if it does at all).

What????

Is there going to ge a part 2
Was good until last chapter.
Not enough information to finish the story
But I would recommend this book .

Meh

Not enough of a plot twist to make it worth it. Very slow moving until the very end.

Good listen!

Good, easy listen. Intersting plot. Not a blow you out out the water book, but it was very enjoyable.

I have no idea how this story got 4.3 stars

It was inconsistent with how Police and ME work on cases. It felt all over the place, like grabbing ideas out of the air. Doesn’t seem like there was any fact checking. I can’t tell if the dialogue was written bad or if it was the narrator. It wasn’t horrible but it wasn’t great either.

Narrator

The narrator should stick to her own voice and not try to sound like other characters. Her gravely voice in other characters was very distracting. I did enjoy the story for the most part.

Hard to follow,

I didn’t like the ending! Need some more story! I jumped around from person to person it was hard to follow.

WOW

I loved it, twists and turns were not predictable. Characters were well rounded, totally believable
It was set in my ancestral home, NC, Georgia and Virginia. The narrator Nina Alvamar did an outstanding job of giving every character personality, their own distinctive voice. She is on par with Emily-Sutton Smith and Elizabeth Rogers. I had never listened to this author before and found the procedural writing and descriptions very on point but not too graphic. I didn't see it coming until the bitter end, had several suspects in mind. Can't wait for the next episode of Dr. Cuddly M.E. Wonderful job Charlie Donlea. I hope Livea finds her sister.
Great Work.