I thoroughly enjoyed this novel that was part mystery, part thriller, and all parts relevant! As a 911 dispatcher, Laurie get a call that all parents fear: her sixteen-year-old daughter, Jojo awakens in a strange bed and suspects she's been roofied and raped. Police chief father, Omid responds and Jojo is found but there's a dead man in the room next to her and it's later discovered that her best friend Harper (who was with her that night) is missing. So many unanswered questions, made even more complicated by the fact that Jojo, of course, lied about where she was going that night and now remembers very little of what happened. Adding to the suspense are the secret meetings she and Harper were attending in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. The plot is based on the author's real life experience as a dispatcher, and so while the events seem wild, they also appear realistic as they expose corruption and prejudice in society.

Stolen Things by R.H Herron is a story that is inspired by true events from the author's stint as a 911 dispatch operator. While I do have some minor quibbles with a small portion of the dialogue, overall this is a good, solid read.

Laurie is working her shift as a 911 dispatcher when a call comes in that is nothing short of her worst nightmare. On the line is her sixteen year old daughter, Jojo, and she is in trouble. She is alone, not sure where she is, and has possibly been roofied and raped. As a former police officer herself, and married to the acting chief, Laurie does not hesitate to take action, and races to find her daughter. But a grisly discovery at the scene takes the case to another level. When Jojo's best friend is discovered missing, dark secrets begin to emerge that no one, least of all Laurie herself, could have predicted.

This is a novel that will keep you engaged, with just the right amount of shock and revelation thrown in to keep you turning the pages.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for this ARC.

This was my first read by R.H Herron and I really enjoyed it! I thought they characters were very well developed and it kept me guessing right up until the end of the book. Great read!

Laurie is an ex-cop turned 911 dispatcher, and she gets the worst call imaginable one day - her daughter, who doesn’t know where she is, calling 911 for help. After JoJo is found, events quickly spiral as more information about the night JoJo went missing is uncovered. The girl JoJo was with, Harper is still missing. The plot twists and turns as the investigation into what happened to JoJo and where Harper is continues.

Stolen Things was a definitely a page turner! I didn’t want to put it down! It is written in alternating perspectives, from both JoJo and Laurie. The characters were diverse and engaging. I also loved reading the author’s notes at the end of the book! Her background is very interesting. One of the twists (about mid book) would have been nice to have a bit of warning about; possibly it could be alluded to in the description - I could imagine some readers being turned off by the level of graphic detail.

Stolen Things was a great page turner, and I would definitely recommend it to anybody that enjoys thrillers! Thank you to Dutton Penguin Random House for the advanced copy!

A 911 dispatcher gets a call on her shift and immediately recognizes the voice as her daughter Jojo. She doesn't know where she is, has no memory of how she got there, but feels groggy and in pain. After tracking her down along with her police chief husband, they discover her at the home of 22 year-old pro football player Kevin, a Colin Kaepernick-like figure in town and a friend of Jojo's.

What unfolds next is a series of twists and turns as mother and daughter desperately search for clues as to what happened to Jojo, where her friend Harper is, and what happened to the man in the next room. There are a lot of mistakes made, incorrect assumptions, and frankly idiotic decisions along the way to finding the truth.

It was an overall enjoyable book and it did seem like the author had a certain familiarity with law enforcement (which is later confirmed in the author's note at the end). However I did have a couple issues. First, a minor one, but the writing style... from chapter to chapter, it'd somewhat alternate perspectives between mom Laurie and daughter Jojo, except it would always be in the third person so the only thing that would change is how to the other person was referred to (i.e in Jojo's chapters, Laurie would be referred to as Mom). This felt like an unnecessary choice and I just found it a bit odd.

The other thing that slightly bothered me was the author admits at the end that she takes certain liberties with her characterization of the police force. I think she went too far. I don't want to say too much, but if you're a die-hard Blue Lives Matter person, you'll likely get frustrated with the extent and the degree to which she pushes the narrative in one direction. 3.5 stars, but deserves a round up.

Action packed, edge of your seat suspense that covers several modern day issues weaved into the storyline. Twists and turns abound and will keep you guessing throughout. Great read!

I was just granted a wish to read this book 7 hours ago and I read it in one setting! This is most definitely a 5 star read. This book was superb! Action packed from the very first page with scenes that knock you out of your seat. You'll feel as if you're at the movies while reading this. I simply couldn't put this book down. I kept wanting to know who had hurt Laurie's 16 year old daughter, JoJo, and who had kidnapped JoJo's best friend, Harper? All of the mystery surrounding the could be crooked/bad cops that Laurie and her husband Omid worked with kept me intrigued and turning the page. And not to mention JoJo's secret life and the activist group, CapB, she's been involved with. I haven't read a book this fast in ages. Everytime I thought I had the perpetrator figured out, another clue would be thrown in and I'll have to go right back to the drawing board to figure things out. Towards the end I did have a very good inkling as to who was behind all of the crimes and drama. It turns out that I had pegged one of the perpetrators right all along. This book discusses race, homosexuality, current political views involving racial police brutality, teenage love, rape, murder and so much more. There are some pretty graphic scenes involved. This has been the absolutely best thriller I've read all year and I'll definitely be recommending this book to others. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this amazing and literary satisfying story. Kudos to the author for creating this masterpiece.

The pacing was good, the plot was twisted, and I am still really unsettled by the whole thing! I like the author’s writing style, though the content ended up being a bit freaky for me.