A thrilling mystery book that feels familiar yet has its own twists and turns as you continue on through the story. The two main characters, Max Caplan and Alice Vega have somewhat cliche characterizations and a romance that feels forced, but it didn't make them unlikable. Max reads very "Harry Bosch" to me. The unraveling at the end was a bit slow for me, but I think it wasn't as predictable as I was assuming it would be.

4.5 Stars! After starting this read, I knew immediately that I wanted to stop and get the audiobook because I was immediately engrossed and drawn in to the story. I am an auditory learner, so when a book has a lot of interesting details, I can pick up more when I listen. I was so excited to see that Tavia Gilbert was the narrator- I LOVED her narration of Flat Out Celeste! Gilbert did an amazing job with Two Girls Down- she has such a great expressive voice. I am addicted to the character of Alice Vega- she's such a badass and I hope hope hope that Luna gives her another story. Her partnership was Cap was fabulous- what a great pair. Luna crafted such a layered story with so many plot twists. I also enjoyed Cap's relationship with his teenage daughter- it was so realistic and believable. It's hard to believe this is a debut novel, it's so well done. I am looking forward to reading more from Luna.

Cap, single father and private detective, and Alice Vega, a mysterious woman from the other side of the country who just happens to be very successful in tracking down missing persons, are called on to join forces when two young sisters disappear. At odds with local law enforcement, they initially experience resistance as the girls' mother desperately tries to think of anyone who would want to kidnap her children. The connection between Cap and Vega deepens as they get closer to finding the answer and discover that two prior disappearances may be connected. Deadbeat dads and drug dealers pale in comparison to the real perpetrators and to their reasons for these young girls, all connected by dance class. A disturbing realization but fascinating read.

This character based procedural mystery introduces us to some well rounded protagonists who approach the case, and the story, from different procedures and perspectives. Vega is hardened and a bit enigmatic, a bounty hunter who is no nonsense and almost obsessive when pursuing the missing girls. Cap is a bit more sensitive and empathy driven, which is emphasized by the choice he made to resign from the force to protect a cop who did wrong but had a family to support. It was kind of neat to see the usually so gendered personality traits switch between these two, and I liked following them. That said, the mystery itself was pretty generic and middle of the road for me. While I certainly wanted to know what happened to the girls, I was much more fascinated with Vega and Cap.

This was not a page-turner for me, but I enjoyed the character development and the mystery was fairly interesting. Luna does a good job of balancing many different characters' points of view and giving the subcharacters enough life to be believable. There were some turns to the plot that I did not see coming, but the author was also not overly preoccupied with adding in plot twists, so overall it was a nicely developed mystery.

So, maybe Jamie won’t be getting the “Mother of the Year” award but she’s not a bad mom. Really, she’ll tell you that. A quick run into Kmart to grab a gift so she could drop her two girls off at a birthday party, and then she can have herself a break from being a single parent. That’s where Jamie makes the biggest mistake – she’s too tired to deal with the hassle of bringing Kylie 10, and Bailey 8, into the store. It will be so much quicker to just have them wait in the car for the 5 minutes it will take to run in and out by herself.

When Jamie comes out, the car is empty – both girls are gone!

Jamie’s family seems to know the police in their town aren’t doing a crack investigation, so they hire Alice Vega, a controversial P.I. who gets results. Vega is a tough, enigmatic investigator who doesn’t pull punches. She needs help while working this case, and the person she wants is disgraced former police officer Max “Cap” Caplan. Cap’s been running his own P.I. service, but following cheating spouses around doesn’t seem to be quite fulfilling enough, no matter how much he tries to convince himself. As they search for the two girls, there is plenty of twists and turns to leave you guessing until the end.

The characters were well developed, and kept fairly realistic. I appreciate that the author didn’t have a “romance” between Vega and Cap, yet also included some bits of emotional connection between them.

I received an ARC from NetGalley, in exchange I am providing my personal opinion about the book.

This is a new book that hit shelves last week telling the story of two girls who go missing after their mom runs into the store for a quick errand. The author spins a tale that makes you wonder how big of a situation this is and how many people are involved. You mainly are following Alice Vega, a PI who specializes in missing people and her enlisted partner, Caplan. The characters were very well developed and the story kept you guessing right up until the end. I found the beginning to be a little slow to suck me in, but once it did I barely put the book down. Let me know what your thoughts are on this one below.

Absolutely amazing ! High praise to the author for a wonderfully written novel. Excellent plot twist and turns that kept me reading the whole night thru

A couple hours ago I saw that I'd read 88 percent of Two Girls Down by Louisa Luna, and I thought, Oh crap. It will be over soon. I wanted the story to go on forever. It seemed too short because it is so good.

This is a book populated by believable characters--as earthy and honest as Vera Stanhope, as fearless as lisbeth Salander. Alice Vega is my Wonder Woman. Her sidekick Cap isn't bad either. His daughter Nell is the best. These are good people with lots of baggage. Vega is a slow reveal, delicious in her secrecy, and strong. Interwoven in the story is the underlying theme of institutionalized misogyny--never over done--and Vega's fight against it as she struggles to stay alive and find the missing girls. There are no guarantees for anyone.

This is simply a great read. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

In their small Pennsylvania town Jamie believes her children are safe. When she goes in to shop at the strip mall and they disappear she believes differently. This book had me on the edge of my seat from the first page until the last.
Characters were wonderful and each had perfect qualities to bring into the story. Thank you Doubleday and NetGalley for an advanced copy for an honest review.

A crime whodunit that does keep you guessing until the last minute. While I really did enjoy the twist and turns, parts of it (including the main detective, Alex Vega) just seemed to unbelievable. With that said, I am curious to read any more crime thrillers that Louisa Luna puts out.

I received an advanced reader's copy of this, and really enjoyed it. The first couple of pages were a bit scattered, but once I started reading, I had trouble doing anything else but read the book.

Interesting story line, lots of plot twists, interesting characters. And I loved that it took place in Pennsylvania. Would definitely recommend to friends to read.

If you're looking for a thrill ride, you've found it. The beginning seemed a little slow to me, although it still had a lot going on besides the character building that's needed as the novel progresses. For me, once I got to the halfway point, I couldn't put the book down. I was too invested. I really liked the way that Vega and Cap played off of each other and I hope the author decides to turn this into a series. I'd love to see more of them. That all being said, this is an author known for young adult works who is branching out into adult literature. This is definitely an adult book, not young adult. There's a decent amount of swearing throughout, some fairly graphic (but not gross-out, just clinical gore) violence, and while there's no actual sex scenes, there are a few times where sexual things are discussed, including sexual abuse and pedophilia. Those can be really hard for some people, even though they are not described in any detail on the book, only discussed. So while the relationships between characters and the movement of the plot does feel a bit like a young adult novel, this is definitely an adult one. In my opinion, it did work out pretty well and I definitely enjoyed the read.

I would like to thank the publisher, author, and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked the characters, This is what makes this book stand out from others. Simply superb in every way. Can't wait for the next book by this author!

She left her daughters in the car to pick up a present on the way to a birthday party. Now Jamie's daughters are missing, gone. Two people are on the case, Max Caplin, and Alice Vega. With their combined backgrounds they make a very strong team for this book. Many leads and lots of suspects have to be sorted through. In strong British style, this isn't an instant who-done-it. Instead, it's a complexed and thorough examination, right up to solving the crime. It has plenty of action, and so much more. I would very much like to read more of this series.

My copy came from Net Galley. My review, thoughts, and opinions are my own and have been left of my own free will.

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

I LOVED the premise of this book. Missing children, a bad ass bounty hunter- I really thought I would be singing it’s praises to every person.

However, it was just ok for me. I didn’t find myself getting sucked in like I had anticipated.

I felt that parts were way too slow for a thriller type book- I want to be flipping pages as fast as I can, not thinking “ho-hum…”

But it just did not all pan out- except for Alice Vega. Now she was a character that I really enjoyed.

Bottom line: Alice Vega was the saving grace for this book for me. It’s def in the just ok pile (for me).



*This book was sent to Traveling With T for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.*

I absolutely loved Two Girls Down and could not stop reading it! At 5% into the book, I had already empathized with Jamie and laughed out loud because of Nell. I thought the writing was spot-on, and I thorouly enjoyed the story.

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House-Doubleday, and the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

Two Girls Down is a complicated yet compelling story. At times, it is hard to follow some of the links between characters and storylines but - if you can stick with it - the ending is a twisty surprise. The book begins by introducing Jamie Brandt, a single mom struggling to make life work. Before the end of the first chapter, her two daughters Kylie and Bailey are kidnapped and the race is on to find them. Author Louisa Luna creates very interesting characters - Max Caplan is a former police officer who left in the wake of scandal, Alice Vega is a private investigator of sorts with a history of successfully finding missing kids but who uses nontraditional methods along the way and has an interesting past. Vega and Cap team up to help find the Brandt girls yet find themselves in the middle of several crisis all at once - the missing sisters, drug dealers, cold cases, police turf wars and more. The book has lots of characters and though almost all eventually make sense, it is hard at times to keep track of the connections and the impact each has on the overall plot and the subplots. However, the pacing of the book is good and the outcomes - though twisted - make sense for readers. Perhaps the author has a series in mind? Cap and Vega make a very interesting team and would be an engaging match - personally and professionally.

Two Girls Down is the first book I read from Louisa Luna. It’s about a private investigator, Alice Vega and a former cop. Max Caplan, who are hired to try to find two missing girls in a small town. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. Some of the material is a bit on the strong side, but it’s definitely worth the read. This was a riveting read and the story was fast paced. The characters were well-developed and backstories behind each character was interesting. I especially loved the chemistry between Vega and Caplan- they make an awesome pair. I was a bit disappointed that Vega and Caplan didn’t take their relationship to the next notch, but I hope the author makes another book with these two characters. The motivation behind the missing girls took me completely by surprise and was extremely deep. I would highly recommend this novel to anyone who is a fan of mystery or crime thrillers.