Thankyou to NetGalley, Head of Zeus and the author, Glenn Cooper, for the opportunity to read The Taken Girls in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
I was excited to receive a copy of this book. I have enjoyed Mr Cooper's previous novels so I couldn't wait to see what this novel held in store. Then, I read the book and my excitement ended.
Unfortunately, I had a lot of trouble getting into the plot. It was hard to maintain interest enough to finish. Not the calibre of work I have come to expect from this author.
Not a book for me.

This is the first book by Glenn Cooper which I have read and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed it!
The storyline was full of mystery although it had a completely different twist! The range of characters was fantastic! There were no loose ends and by the end of the book I wasn't left with any questions.
The book was written in an excellent style and Glenn Cooper didn't leave out any important details. I would definitely purchase some of Glenn's other books!
Thank you to Glenn Cooper, NetGalley and Head of Zeus for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Slow Burn, Intriguing Suspense….
What is behind the disappearance of a family and the return of the daughters four years later? More mysteriously, the daughters return the same age as they left. Marcus Handler, ex CIA, is called in to investigate. Slow burn suspense which picks up pace as the storyline progresses and things become clearer or, perhaps, even more mystifying….

3-4 stars! I almost gave up on this, but ended up enjoying. It had a slower, unrealistic beginning, or even more, but after that it did work out to be a good book! Was definitely original, fast paced, and twisty, especially after the first half. I did find some good twists, thrills, chills, and shocks! Would recommend to those who don’t mind a lot or suspended believes!

Normally, I love all of Glenn Cooper's books.. but, this one just didn't thrill me the way his earlier books did. The story is okay, but not really of the caliber that I've come to expect. Not sure what's changed...

I was excited to read this book after reading the synopsis, and it was clever in the way the plot unfolded.
There are many twists and the way the characters weave together is well written.
I did not enjoy the book as much as I had hoped, as I found the style of writing just wasn't for me, I found the characters unlikeable and at times the plot became a little convoluted, I wanted to skip forward and had to stop myself out of fairness to the author.
The book is clever and complex though, the author has thought the plot through well.

Thank you NetGalley, author Glenn Cooper, and Head of Zeus publishing for giving me a free arc in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
3.5 stars
What happen to an entire family that went missing and then four years later, the twin daughters reappear looking like no time as past and yet sick with the same strain of cancer? Who really took the family and where are the parents.
This book is told mainly from the pov of a retired CIA officer Marcus Handler, who is hired by the children’s grandfather to find out what happened to the family after they were taken. Without sharing too much, this book had an interesting premise that led to an ending I did not expect, but wrapped up everything nicely. The story had a lot of moving parts and minor characters, which at times left me confused, but I was able to keep up the major events of the story. Overall, this was an unique mystery/thriller that will make you question what is possible. This was my first book by author Glenn Cooper and it will not me my last. I would recommend this book for those who are fans of sci-fi and medical thrillers. I look forward to more books by this author in the future.

The synopsis looked intriguing and I have persevered for a while but I just cannot get into this book at all. I'm not sure if it is all the characters who were all introduced very quickly which was a little confusing initially, or the fact that the main investigator, Marcus Handler, just didn't hold any appeal. It's not often I cannot finish a book, but I have admitted defeat with this one.

I almost stopped reading this book as I felt the plot was far fetched, but I am pleased I pesevered as I enjoyed the last third of the book. The unravelling concepts were intriguing and made me wonder if experiments such as those in the book happen to people who randomly disappear... Although I didn't personally enjoy the alien invasion theory through the initial parts of the book, the book was well written, easy to read and follow, and made me want to continue reading. I'm sure many others will thoroughly enjoy this book!

This was a very different book from the popular missing child books. I enjoyed the book and especially how original it felt. I thought it was well written with lots of twists and intrigue, I would read more by this author!

This was a unique thriller with a lot of twists and turns. An entire family goes missing from an Italian villa one night with no signs of foul play, then the 2 young girls show back up 4 years later having not aged at all. The story is primarily narrated from the POV of Marcus, who is a former CIA agent and security operative for the wealthy grandfather of the missing girls. There are also some chapters told from the POV of other characters who play key roles in the story.

Without giving away any spoilers, the premise of the book was surprising to me, but the author did a great job of tying it all together in a way that did not lead me to suspend my disbelief. Things that didn't initially make sense were thoroughly explained and the loose ends were all tied up nicely, even though there were a lot of moving parts. The book did not end the way I expected, but it worked. I did sometimes get lost between the many characters and who they all were and how they fit together, but was still able to follow the story.

Overall, fun and unique read- more of a thriller than a mystery, though there is a pretty significant mystery to be solved. I'd recommend it to those that are looking for something a little different in a crowded genre and like a fast-paced and sometimes violent thriller. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Lots of twists in this unusual thriller. Victoria and Elizabeth, along with their parents, disappeared from their holiday villa in Italy four years ago- but now they are back and they haven't aged a day. And they can't explain it. Marcus Handler is hired by their grandfather and finds himself spiraling into creepy medical stuff. Who is Dr Ferrol Gayton? No spoilers from me and frankly, this is one where it's best to let the reader learn the plot as it unfolds. Thanks to Netgalley for the ArC. A good read.

Two girls are taken. Years later, they return...and are the same age as when they were taken.

Retired CIA agent Marcus Handler is the only person who can solve this mystery. Handler is the kind of character that I was hire to solve any mystery....because he has to find out what happened. He does not quit.

This isn't what I expected.....and that's a good thing. This went above and beyond what the blurb led me to believe.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A very good thriller with a different premise and the initial part of the narrative was quite captivating. The second part slowed down but picked up in the third part. A different line of medical thriller.

*4.5 Stars*

Copy kindly received via NetGalley for an honest review.

I found this to be a really interesting read and I found the characters themselves interesting as well. Enjoyed this one, and whilst the ending was good it was also a little disappointing. Overall a strong book and I enjoyed it.

Great thriller, not at all what I expected, but awesome read.
A wealthy family has just refurbished a vacation home in Italy. One night, the family goes to sleep and suddenly the next morning they have all disappeared without a trace. The search is long and vigorous, but produces no results. Four years later the two daughters reappear with no clear sign that they have aged at all since they were taken. They tell all who question them that they were help in a spaceship in space where aliens conducted research on them.
There are lots of twists and turns and connections in this book that all come together nicely at the end. Kept me turning the page all night.
I received an advance copy of this story in exchange for my honest review.

Disappeared family and the two daughters reappear 4 years later, unchanged in appearance. How come? Alien abduction seems to be the answer - lots of memories of white lights, grey faces and so on. Enter a psychic to compound these ideas. Grandfather hires ex CIA to investigate alongside the Italian police. Twisting story and you're never sure where it's heading. Well-written and keeps the reader engaged. The truth does out but not always as one might have imagined. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Head of Zeus, for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Wow wow wow!! I loved this book!! What a heart pounder!! This book was very thrilling !! Lots of action, suspense, drama with plenty of twists and turns! Wow I did not expect this book to be like it was! I highly recommend reading this one! Its so worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Wow. Right off the bat this book grabbed me by the collar and pulled me in. Two little girls are snatched from their home, they return four years later looking exactly the same as when they disappeared and telling tales of gray woman and gray man with large black eyes. Their parents are still missing. Where have these girls been? Where are their parents? Don't even try to guess.

The characters in the book are really compelling. Though I kind of hate having characters who are all very flawed I have to admit that the flaws made the characters pop. Even when you're reading and you think "I don't like that guy" you can still feel empathy for them. Having the focus of the story switch among the characters gives you a glimpse into each of their lives, revealing them as monsters while, to varying degrees, humanizing them at the same time.

Some authors try too hard to make a plot unpredictable or unbelievable but Cooper manages to keep the reader on their toes from beginning to end, springing surprises on us right and left, never taking things too far to be credible. That's a fine balance to achieve, particularly when incorporating some of the highly scientific subject matter, all while keeping the story from bogging down.

If you enjoy thrillers, if you enjoy police procedurals, if you enjoy paranormals, basically if you just like to read in general, you'll probably enjoy this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

I really enjoyed The Taken Girls. It was not at all what I expected but it was a fast paced, page turner with plenty of twists and turns that kept me guessing..

Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for my ARC.