I am on the fence with this one. I did like it. My issues, it jumps around a lot and has a slow build befure any of your your questions are answered. We meet Kaitlyn, the kidnapper and how she just seems to know how to get into the house to kidnap little Ky, who she really seems to care for. Then we are at the court where FBI agent Max Carter and his partner lose a criminal at an arraignment, then we jump to a Foundation dinner where we meet Langdon and Jennifer Barltett , the parents, and Langdons brother Chase that seem like a bunch of rich spoiled people who harbor secrets. Then we jump back to Agent Carter's family with secrets of their own. Next we jump to Kaitlyn the kidnapper who we finally get background info almost half way thru the book. It was an easy read but this story was all over the place.. Wished for more of continuity and flow.

This book had twists I never seen coming. I couldn't put it down.
This shall be recommend to all my book friends
5***** for this author. AlreAdy looking forward to others by this author

I loved the book it was a book that happened that there were twists
As FBI Agent Max Carter invests child abductions
Landon and Jennifer Barlett have their newborn snatched from his cot
I had an ARC from Bookouture

A kidnapped baby, the Russian Mafia, a rogue agent and so many secrets and lies. A really good thriller which kept me glued to my seat. Packed with tension and suspense and a few surprises. A well deserved four stars and recommended.
Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for the ARC.

Gone in Seconds by Ed James is the author's second Max Carter book. Max Carter is part of the FBI's Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team. This guy goes the extra mile to find abducted children. In this story a six-week-old baby boy was kidnapped. The book has a complex plot with plenty of action to keep the reading turning the pages. It is well-written and realistic. I would suggest it would be beneficial to read the first book, Tell Me Lies because characters from the firrst book play a role in this storyline.

This ARC was provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book had it all...kidnapping, murder, the Russian mob, money laundering, secrets and lies; as well as a large cast of characters. Although it started off slow, I read it in one sitting wanting to see how it all tied together. I enjoyed it but think if there had been a little bit less going on it would've been better.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

Taut Action thriller. Murder, abduction, falsifications, extortion, money laundering, cat and mouse chases, secrets and the Russian mob - this book does has everything.
The story revolves around Special Agent Max Carter, a lead agent with the Child Abduction Rapid Deployment unit at the FBI. He and his team are on the case of a missing six-week-old baby boy, the son of one of Seattle's wealthiest families, the Bartletts. Landon and Jennifer Bartlett have everything money can buy, but their lives are turned upside down and inside out when their child is abducted.
The case throws suspicion onto members of the Bartlett family.
The family go to extreme lengths to keep their business dealings protected, but by hindering the case and refusing to cooperate fully with the FBI, finding the child is put in jeopardy.
I want to thank NetGalley, Bookouture and author Ed James for a pre-publication copy to review.

Gone in Seconds by Ed James is the second book following FBI Agent Max Carter. While I did not read the first book in the series, I didn't feel like it hindered my reading at all of this book. That being said, the first 60% of the book was extremely slow to me. While I felt the characters were well developed and written well, the story has been played out in too many books. An overall ok read if you can make it through the first half of the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the free digital ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. All opinions are my own.

This ARC was provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 6 week old baby Ky is abducted from his crib, while his parents are at a dinner and his nanny is watching TV. Each chapter in this book centers around a character and what they are doing during the abduction/investigation. The story is set in Washington state, and there are ferry rides back and forth between the mainland and islands. It takes a while to understand why the baby is abducted. The father and the uncle are rich, there is Russian mafia ties and a woman with ties to Syrian war. This is the second book in the Max Carter series, so about half of the storyline is follow-up/sequel to the first book, but I was not lost. The author did a good job explaining everything that was going on. I will say, Max Carter is not very likable. He is a gruff FBI agent that comes across as having no warmth. Since there is a bit of background to his story, it makes sense. I would really like to read the first and look forward to reading the next. Because there was so much going on and so many characters (not too many that you get lost), I was not bored.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for this arc I loved this book, it was really gripping and interested I love the characters and the suspense and I loved how every page left me wanting more and I finished this within a day what a great and immense book I would definitely recommend this book! 5 stars!!❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Intricately woven thriller with many threads. Varied and interesting characters with no real happy endings An engrossing read.

The kidnapping of a very young baby from a very wealthy couple goes horribly wrong when things get out of control. Everyone is looking for the kidnapper, who proves quite elusive, and the baby which becomes a pawn in a deadly game worth millions. The FBI is on the case but so is the Russian mob.

Where do I begin? We have murder, kidnapping, lies, betrayals, secrets, even bigger secrets, corruption, cat and mouse chases, money laundering, the Russian mob - this book has it all. And that was kind of the problem for me. I love a convoluted plot, a large cast of characters and a few twists as much as the next person but it was all a bit much and, well, messy. Don’t get me wrong, I turned the pages quickly enough and was keen to see how things ended. But towards the end it felt like twists were being thrown in willy-nilly for the sake of it without really adding much to the story. I thought it was a good story that could have been better with a bit more finesse..

Max Carter returns in Gone in Seconds which is another fast paced thriller from Ed James.

Carter specialises in child abduction cases and this time the son of a high profile couple has been taken from their house. What follows is a story with numerous twists and turns that keeps the reader guessing throughout and nicely sets up book three!!

Recommended

Took me a while to get into this as I found it slow paced! But... This book kept me up until early hours in the morning because once I was hooked I couldn't put it down!

Fantastic read overall! Can't wait to see what others the author has!

Thank You to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!!

Landon and Jennifer Bartlett have everything money, influence and a picture-perfect family. But it means nothing when their lives are torn apart the day someone breaks into their plush mansion and takes their newborn child Ky right from his cot.

FBI Agent Max Carter investigates child abduction cases. He has a reputation for working all hours to find every missing child on his watch after all, he was once one himself. As Carter delves deeper into the lives of the Bartletts, he finds a web of dubious business deals and lies

This was a fantastic read for me!! I just couldn't stop reading. and was waiting to reach the end to solve all the twists and mystery around the kidnapping. An amazing finish that just made me throw up my hands in frustration because I have to wait for next book in the series to know more!!!

I very much enjoyed this book, it did however take me a few chapters to work out who was who as there were a lot of characters in the book right at the start. It was a very enjoyable read, plenty going on to keep me interested, a.nd switching t,he narrativE from person to person made it interesting too. I will definitely read more books by this author. A solid 4 stars.

A Game of Cat and Mouse... The Chase in On 🧸

Gone In Seconds is part of the Special Agent Max Carter series, Carter works in child abductions. Whilst I haven't read the first in this series it does not affect your reading of the book, it could easily be a stand alone read.

Baby Ky Bartlett it abducted, it takes you through when it happened and then the chase to endeavor to locate the baby and get him back home. It's told via various perspectives, with lots going on, admissions coming to light from most characters. You are made aware very early on of who took the Bartletts baby and get their view of events throughout.

It took a while to get into, bit slower paced than I hoped for my preference, but an okay read.

Max Carter returns for a 2nd outing in this new series from the prolific Ed James.

Set in Seattle, USA, these stories are quite a departure from his usual Scottish based crime thrillers.

Max Carter is an FBI Agent who specialises in hunting down missing or kidnapped children so when the very young baby of a rich and famous couple is taken, Max is called in.

A real cat and mouse thriller ensues, though the story takes a little while to move it picks up in pace throughout.

A tale of money, secrets and lies, and family betrayal , this 2nd book in the series is an action packed thriller that reads like you could be watching a Hollywood movie. This series just has that vibe.

A very decent follow up to Tell Me Lies, it’s a gripping thriller, with plenty of twists and action to keep the pages turning quickly and I look forward to more from Ed James and Max Carter.

Great Stuff from a talented author.

4🔥🔥🔥🔥

Special Agent Max Carter is a man on a mission! Having suffered the trauma of being abducted by his father as a child he now dedicates his working life to finding those children in a similar situation as lead agent with the Child Abduction Rapid Deployment unit at the FBI. Thrown into the kidnapping of a six week old baby boy, the son of one of Seattle's richer inhabitants nothing seems to make sense. The parents aren't telling him everything and there is an animosity between them and the little boy's uncle which threatens to erupt into violence at any moment causing Carter to doubt everything he's hearing.

As sightings of the kidnapper are reported from various locations across the city the team find familiar faces involved in a second of their cases but as they get closer to their quarry another player emerges with devastating consequences.

This is the second in the excellent series featuring SA Max Carter and his team and I would definitely suggest reading them in order. The first book Tell Me Lies is still one of my top two books of the year so far and this is a very worthy follow up. The family dynamic in the Carter household took a slightly less vital role this time; I have a feeling that won't be the case in the third book!

This time the story revolves around the team doing everything they can to find the missing child and being thwarted at every turn. Max's frustration was palpable! There was also the opportunity to see one of the previous book's main antagonists in a slightly different light which I really enjoyed. Although this didn't quite hit the heights of the first book, which to be fair would have been very hard, it is still a great read and I can't wait for the next instalment.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone who has read the first book and wants to find out what happened next. It is clear Ed James has reached new levels with this series, and as he is already one of my favourites authors that is a very exciting prospect.

Brilliant book if you like thrillers this is for you. Keeps you on your toes from the beginning. Cant wait to read more by this author