I enjoyed this story and the cover really caught my attention.

This is the first book in a new series, it was a good introduction to the characters and I did enjoy the plot, it was a different take on the standard abduction plots that I normally see and the twist made it standout for me..

The pace was good but I did feel as though it slowed a little in the middle but it did pick up again towards the end and made for an entertaining read.

3.5 stars from me rounded up to 4 stars for Goodreads and Amazon – looking forward to the next book in the series!

Arriving at a new posting in Canterbury, DI Edina ‘Ed’ Ogborne is thrust straight into the middle of a big case - a young woman has gone missing. It’s quickly apparent that the case bears similarities to a similar one from four years ago, and Ed must try to integrate with a new team which resent her arrival and try to solve the case before a tragedy occurs.

The villain in The Taken Girls is an interesting character, one who experiences no sexual desire for his victims, just an obsession with having children. The young women taken are kept in captivity, never see their captor’s face, but are well treated for several weeks until their release. Soon after, they discover they are pregnant, which is a unique twist in this sort of crime novel I hadn’t heard of before. Because of the nature of the crime, I had my suspicions from early on about who the perpetrator was which were proved correct, though the author did plant lots of red herrings to try and keep the reader guessing until the very last minute.

As a protagonist, Ed is fascinating but it’s hard to feel empathy for her, mainly because for a supposedly smart woman she shows absolutely deplorable judgement when it comes to her personal life and particularly the men in it. Forced out of the Met because of an affair with a married man, which I have to admit made me dislike her immediately (I despise adultery) she promptly gets involved with another sleazebag without even making an effort to discover if he’s married or not. I wanted to shake some sense into her, I’m afraid.

There were some pretty toxic tropes surrounding the villain as well, with him blaming his mother and sister for everything he’d become. Fortunately he wasn’t the only character in the book behaving badly, with a network of wealthy and influential men proving to be doing some pretty terribly things too; this was the part that most disappointed me, that Ed didn’t get the chance to roll up this old boys’ network as a side benefit of her investigations.

There’s a lot of repetition and since the book is set in 2012, it seems a little ‘dated’ in regards to technology usage, particularly CCTV. I’m a little surprised the editorial team didn’t get the author to update it as well as tighten up the prose and rewrite Ed as somewhat more relatable.

All in all, an interesting story let down by poor characterization and a lack of editing. Three stars.

Well, I for one thoroughly enjoyed this book, and thought for a debut novel it was well written and kept me wanting more.

I also liked the characters, Ed was shoved out of the Met because of her liaison with a married copper, still a very male orientated world, don’t see why they couldn’t shove him out. The new team resent her, her boss is up her own backside and things are tough.

Girls are going missing but when they are returned they are pregnant having been looked after well and not harmed.

It takes a while for the team to get a lead, and as Ed has had a relationship with one of the suspects things get a bit tricky.

It all sorts itself out in the end and I think this could be a good series if the author wrote more.

My thanks to the author and Netgalley for the ARC.

I found this to be a gripping read. The plot was well thought out and held my interest and paired with interesting characters makes me eager to read more.

The Taken Girls, the first novel in the DI Edina "Ed" Ogborne series set in Canterbury, is a tale of duplicity and secrets, but I'm afraid it fell flat for me. The premise sounded unique and interesting and could've equated to a compelling read, however, there was a real lack of tension, and I never found myself all that bothered about following the investigation or finding out what had happened and who the perpetrator was. What would've helped significantly in making the story exciting and compulsively readable is if it had been edited and shortened as it felt as though it dragged rather a lot and that had an affect on the ability to create suspense. There were also a lot of times when it became annoyingly repetitive.

That said, it was well-written it just could've done with a large number of pages removed. One of the biggest issues was that I wasn't particularly fond of Ed Ogborne as a character as her private life indicated that she merely stumbled from one calamity to another. She's an astute and tenacious investigator though but appears to exhibit classic narcissistic traits. There were also quite a few sexual encounters that I found completely out of place and gratuitous. The characters really need to be more fleshed out, and I hope that learning more about Ed in future books will change my opinion of her.

Many thanks to Avon for an ARC.

The Taken Girls
An absolutely gripping crime thriller full of mystery and suspense
by G D Sanders
Avon Books UK
Avon
General Fiction (Adult) , Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date 13 Dec 2018
I am reviewing a copy of The Taken Girls through Avon Books UK and Netgalley:
When a teenager girl comes back after going missing unharmed but pregnant Di Edna Ogborne the newest recruit of the Canterbury Police, But she has her hands full with a team that doesn't want her as well as an ex who doesn't give up and the terrible guilt over a secret from the past.
As Ed investigates the case, she discovers Canterbury has seen this crime not once but a few times before. When Ed and her team of detectives encounter missing historic police files, as well as falsified school records, and Ed's new lover as a prime suspect. It becomes clear they are dealing with a system that has been corrupted.
Will Ed be able to find the person behind these depraved crimes before they strike again?
I give The Taken Girls five out of five stars!
Happy Reading!

Mystery, intrigue and suspense keep you in the edge of you seat waiting for the final clue to fall into place. Good characters, charming setting and great story. Must read if you enjoy mystery thrillers!

A great tense read! Full of gripping moments and twists and turns.
The story was exciting to read and the characters were fleshed out well.

I struggled with this book. The concept was excellent but not delivered. A missing girl turns up unharmed but pregnant. DI Edina Ogbourne is new to the team and their new superior.
As they investigate they realise that other teenage girls have disappeared only to turn up pregnant. As Edina builds her relationships with her team she hunts a ruthless kidnapper.
I found this book slow going and halfway through gave up to read another book. I did finally finish the book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Avon books for an ARC
#NetGalley #TheTakenGirls

Great female protagonist and brilliant plot. I loved the reasoning behind the abductors motives. However, at some level I wasn’t totally engaged. I’m not too sure why? If this is to be a series then I would definitely read the next book.

My thanks to Net Galley and Avon Books UK for my advance copy. This is a very good debut novel featuring DI Ogborne of Canterbury police. Teenage girls are being abducted but returned apparently unharmed a few weeks later. The novel is quite long and, at times, slow paced. I felt the book could have been edited a bit more and shortened by a few chapters. That aside, it was a good police procedural, with an interesting plot but I felt the lead character was just a bit unconvincing. It is a 3* read. Reviews on Goodreads and Facebook with Amazon to follow.

A good psychological thriller which I read in a couple of days. An unusual storyline where 3 girls are abducted over a 10 year period then returned home unharmed.

Netgallery # The taken girls
Wow what a cracker of a book, it’s definitely kept me entertained would have only been one night but ended up being two. I actually fell asleep reading I genuinely didn’t want to put it down. I must admit Ed was really up against it all with her team and ex besides having to solve this and older cases that where simila, now those that know me I don’t give spoiler. On a personal basis I find it can or even stop me reading a book. I really really would love this once to include a spoiler the books that good. However I just can’t bring myself to do it. I will say this is one book you SHOULD DEFINITELY READ. It really is a cracker of a book just beginning to be read by all of us mystery crime thriller books. I know you will definitely not be disappointed far from it. In one word excellent

A great thrilling read. Full of twists and turns. Ed Ogborne might have had no choice about her transfer away from the Met. She got involved with a married with another officer and they all stood by him, she should have known better. She knows that things aren't going to be easy for her in Canterbury as their DI is moving on as she was given his position. Can she make a good impression when she meets the new team? Ed just wants to do a good job yes she is very ambitious but she has awful taste in men. The team isn't welcoming at all they that their boss has been treated badly. She will need to win them over. They have a new case of a missing girl that just disappeared into thin air. Can they find her before it is too late?
Ed is now in charge and she has to make sure that she makes a good impression and that her team can trust her. She worries that they might not find all the answers that they need. They are working on a suspect list when the girl is found but they are no closer to find the kidnapper. The more Ed digs she finds that records have gone missing and not much was done to find the suspect all those years ago. This isn't his first victims. Unfortunately Ed has gotten herself in an awkward position with another man again and she will need to go against she believes in to save her career but will this have any bearing on the case? Another young girl is taken and they now know that they are taken and that they are only returned once they are pregnant. Can Ed & her team find her before her life is changed forever?
A good interesting read. I hope that Ed really learns her lesson as she won't have a long career with the Met if she carries on down this path. I was lucky enough to receive a copy via Netgalley & the publishing house in exchange for my honest review.

very disappointed with this debut novel, sounded very good when I read the excerpt but could not get myself interested in the storyline

This story had me gripped the whole way through. The characters were interesting and the reason behind the abductions is unusual. This plot is totally different from anything else I have read. It is refreshing to read something different. I would definitely recommend this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Talented and ambitious detective Edina Ogborne (known as Ed) is transferred from the Met to Canterbury Police Station as a slight slap on the wrist, but with the promise that the doors will be open for her return in the future when the dust settles. The silver lining is her promised promotion to Detective Inspector, but the bad news, that she only finds out about when she arrives, is that she is replacing another D I, already resident. His team give her a frosty welcome. He is clearly very popular and highly respected, but he too is being transferred. This she could do without. She will need to work hard to build up her team’s trust when the current D I. moves away.
Even before her official first day on duty she is called in to work from her hotel room. A teenage girl has gone missing and the investigation will be led by her and her team, so, without a chance to catch her breath or build bridges with her team, she steps up to the task. Clues are few and far between and by the time the teenager returns unhurt and weeks later the investigation is about to take an unforeseen turn. The girl and her mother request a private meeting with Ed to reveal that she is pregnant. Not only that but it turns out that an historic crime with a very similar pattern of events has occurred in the same area and the files have been ‘buried’. Then another girl disappears. Ed is going to have her work cut out to solve the case and there is pressure on her from ‘the very top’.
This is an absolutely cracker of a police procedural crime story – the author’s debut novel in this genre. With well paced and fluid storytelling, the investigation reaches new highs. Driven by superbly diverse and interesting characters, other potentially linked investigations are initiated. I can definitely see this series becoming very popular with Edina Ogborne becoming an iconic figure if this is turned into a series. I loved her character most of all. She was extremely savvy with police procedure, yet able to think ‘outside the box’ and laterally. Most of all I loved that she was flawed and had secrets of her own. Her team certainly worked hard and tirelessly under her command and learned to respect her.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel from publisher Avon through my membership of NetGalley. These are my own honest opinions without any outside influences. I thought this novel was very good indeed. The plot was interesting, complex and unique. The writing was very strong and this author really understands what the reader wants from a novel within this genre. There were thrills and spills, shocks and treats and all at an excellent pace. I loved the mystery of the abductor’s motive best of all. Although there were several suspects, the author kept a tight veil over the identity of the perpetrator so the identity was a total mystery. I’m both impressed and excited about this new talent.

What a debut book. I was hooked from the first page. Someone is abducting teenage girls. The reason is chilling. It is upto D I Ed Ogbourne who has been transferred from the Met to her new post in Canterbury after an indiscretion with a senior colleague. This is her first case being in charge and she is determined to solve it. This is a great police procedural, plenty of suspects and the clock is ticking. This is a real page turner with a really good storyline. I had no idea who the abducter was until they were revealed and as for his reasons, they were unbelievable. I am very impressed with this author and i will definitely read more of their work. Highly recommended.
I would like to thank the author G D Sanders,Avon Books UK and Net.galley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for giving an honest review.

This may be a police procedural but there are interesting characters and a well-described location. There are also a number of back stories which draw you in. This is quite a page-turner. As this is the first novel from G D Sanders is there the possibility of more about Ed the new DCI? Recommended.

This was a very good book thank you net galley and the publisher for letting me have the chance to read this book I recommend this book it had me glue from the first chapter