This book begins with a mystery and ends with a cliff hanger!

This is the second book in the Whitecliff Bay Series and readers will recognize many of the same characters from the first book. When Millie was seventeen she found her then best friend, Nicola, tied to a tree, her hair cut off and one of her shoes strung up. Nicola does not remember anything and begs Millie not to bring up what happened to her again.

It has been fifteen years since Millie and Nicola have spoken but someone strung up her missing shoe in her garden. Is the person who strung her up all those years ago trying to send her a message?

As Millie begins to investigate what happened to her former friend, she realizes that she and her friend Nicola are not the only ones with secrets and that someone knows something. Small towns know how to keep secrets, they seldom forget them, and everyone tends to know your business (Millie knows this better than anyone). Who has a secret in Whitecliff, that they want to keep buried? Will the truth come out? Who harmed Nicola all those years ago? Who can be trusted?

This was a great mystery that kept me on my toes. I enjoyed getting to know some of the characters better in this book. There are quite a few twists, turns and secrets along the way. With that cliff hanger, I am looking forward to diving into the next book in the series.

The One Who Was Taken is book 2 in the Whitecliff Bay Mystery series. I found it to be another quick read with likeable characters which we find out more about in this instalment. Again, like the first book, I really enjoyed this and am looking forward to reading the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC.

The second in the Whitecliff Bay Mysteries and although a stand alone story, the backstory of Millie continues to be revealed so I would highly recommend reading The One Who Fell first to have continuity and full enjoyment of this promising series. This mystery is set several months after the first book and sees Millie reconnecting with her best friend Nicola after fifteen years of silence between them. Nicola is extremely concerned by a frightening reminder of a strange event only she and Millie ever knew about and that had happened when they were teenagers. She therefore contacted her out of the blue and intrigued Millie tentatively re-established their friendship and attempted to help with her new problem. This book also delves into the world of squatters amid the topic of nationwide housing problems. It also continues her father figure relationship with Guy who helps her discover answers. Her friends Jack and Rishi make further appearances as does her young son, Eric. All completely individual characters who combined make this series one that will make you want to keep reading.

We get some answers in this one. I have to say I think my favorite aspect of this one is loving to hate Alex and Rachel! Millie is such an intriguing character and I'm completely invested in her. The individual mysteries of the book are almost inconsequential to me as I find the characters and their lives so gripping. The ending has me heading directly to the next book.

The second in Kerry Wilkinson's new cosy Whitecliff Bay mystery series, THE ONE WHO WAS TAKEN follows on some six months or so after the first one "The One Who Fell" . You can read the book as a standalone but I do recommend reading them as a series as you get to see the character growth and their relationships develop...or dwindle.

In this second book, a mystery which took place some two decades ago comes back to haunt Millie. A mystery which only two people knew about. Now she receives a phone call from an unknown number but upon answering she hears the familiar "Mills..." and knows at once who is on the other end of the line. Millie hasn't heard from Nicola in fifteen years - not since their falling out - but now she is pleading with Millie to come quickly.

As 17 year olds, Millie and Nicola were inseparable. But in the final year of school and on the cusp of adulthood, the world outside beckoned as plans were made for university, travelling or the like. Things were changing for their group of friends and in one night, everything changed for these two. After walking home together, Nicola decided to head back to the park in the hope of catching boyfriend Charlie while Millie went home. The following morning, Millie received a vague text message from Nicola which lead her to the woods and thus finding her best friend handcuffed to a tree in a field. Her coveted purple converse and Nokia phone with the pink case were missing. Her hair had been cut off in chunks and was strewn about her. Nicola had no recollection of what happened to her...only waking up tied to the tree. She was unmolested but swears Millie to silence and the two friends hatch a plan to cover the sudden haircut, then go about their lives until other events six years later tears them apart.

Now fifteen years after cutting Nicola from her life, her old friend has reached out to her again. She is so distraught she is barely able to talk. So instead she shows Millie. Outside on the clothesline...hangs Nicola's distinct purple converse. The very same shoes that disappeared the same night Nicola had. And now they have reappeared again two decades later. Why? Who wants to taunt Nicola after all these years? Millie has no idea how she can help her friend. But she knows someone who may be able to. And so she calls on Guy and confides everything in him. Who knows? Maybe Guy can sift through his archives and find something that will help piece this puzzle together. And then Nicola can finally put the past to bed forever.

And then the old Nokia phone with the pink case is pushed through Nicola's mailslot one morning...

Meanwhile, the continuing backstory with her ex-husband (the snake), his new girlfriend-now-fiance, her relationship with her son Eric...all continues to be a big jumbled mess as only broken marriages with kids involved can be. Alex and Rachel are both snakes and their behaviour leaves a lot to be desired. I cannot believe some of the things that came out of their mouths at Eric's birthday party! I just wish Millie would reveal Alex's secret to the way-too-smug Rachel and wipe that smug smile off her face! Even an anonymous note would do. Anything. Alex cannot be made out to be the good guy here with sole custody because of her affair! How can he not feel guilty? And how can she not tell him what she knows? And how can he threaten her relationship with her son if she dare to make waves? Honestly, Alex and Rachel make my blood boil. And I can't wait to see them fall from their high horses...preferably on black ice.

As an aside to the main story and the continuing theme of her broken marriage, is the sit-in/live-in protest of a squat in which someone from Millie's old group of friends is involved. In part, I agree with their stance - that being that this is their town and rich folk come swanning in with their millions, buying up properties, knocking down the old and building their new McMansions with a view and thus sending up prices throughout town that locals can barely afford. These people who are only their seasonally. Whitecliff is home to many locals who can't afford the rents these rich folk incur. So I do agree with what they are saying...but the whole protest thing is not my thing. I didn't like Will one bit. He dangled a bit of information he'd garnered from another old friend in front of Millie with the threat of exposure. But what does he really know? If anything?

The book hints a little more about Millie's parent's suicide but not much more, leaving us wondering if there is something more to uncovered about it. From what we know about Millie thus far, it doesn't seem as if she would have had anything to do with it. But then the most unlikely answers are often the correct ones in the world of mystery fiction. But as yet, we are still none the wiser as to what really happened with her parents beyond their suicides. We don't even know why...yet.

And yet Millie herself is a woman of mystery. She is a bit of an enigma. So what do we know about Millie? One, she had an affair that ended her marriage and cost her the custody of her son. Two, the reason why she had the affair is known only to her and the reader. Why? Three, she moved home with her parents who did nothing to hide their disappointment in her and yet she remained in her childhood home. Four, her parents then die in a suicide pact afterwhich rumours are rife and continue to be so a year later that she killed them. Five, she has very few friends - Jack (and his partner Rishi) and now Guy (and his dog Barry). Six, her relationship with her ex is acrimonious at best and her relationship with her son is based on alternate weekend access. Seven, she reveals nothing on the subject of her parents' deaths leading readers to speculate wildly as to why. What really happened to her parents? And why?

THE ONE WHO WAS TAKEN holds something of a different mystery which thus presents with an interesting and unusual solution. I did guess it by my own process of elimination as it was the only one to make sense...even though in the end it didn't. On the whole, the story was an interesting stroll down memory lane...and thus building a broader picture of Millie. I also love the relationship and camaraderie between Millie and Guy.

I enjoyed this book and thought it was marginally better than the first due to the previous one's slow start. And after the cliffhanger this one provides, I'm keen to dive into the third one "The Ones who are Buried". The question is...do I start now or wait till morning? lol

I would like to thank #KerryWilkinson, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheOneWhoWasTaken in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

Firstly I do recommend you start with The One Who Fell. If you haven't already read that, or if you haven't read my review of it, I will repeat...
Warning! This publisher is renown for back filling books with ads etc. The copy I read ended VERY early. So you don't get caught out, I would really recommend that you find out where the story ends in the version you are reading before you start!
Also, this author has a passion for cliffhangers. I hate them, I see them as nothing but unnecessary blackmail and totally avoidable. But I also like his books so I guess I have to suck it up!
Right, that's that done.
The ongoing exploits of Millie. The peril of book one hasn't put her off, she has now got the detecting bug. Or should I say, the detecting bug has got her! Being as this is a continuation of a story from her childhood. One where her best friend Nicola was taken one night. Returned with her hair hacked off and missing her shoes. Now, many years later, one of the shoes has turned up... Meanwhile, Millie and Nicola had a falling out... Is this the thing that rekindles their friendship, or will it break them once and for all when the truth comes out?
So... Millie, I'm warming to her. He predicament with the affair, her ex-husbands part in that, he relationship with her son. All slowly all being explained. And her partnership with reporter Guy is coming on nicely. And we still have the issue regarding her parents' deaths.
And the main story being told herein. This time I guessed the "what really happened" far too early. But then again this genre is my bread and butter - so probably nothing the author did wrong. And anyway, I've been wrong before so...
It was a nice easy read though, one that wasn't too taxing. Continuing the cosy theme of the opener. Onward to book three...
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Whitecliff Bay Mystery Book 2

In the darkness, the girl slumps against the rough tree bark. Her eyes are closed, her wrists are tied. As consciousness fades, her last thought is of her best friend, and how much she regrets what she did...

Seventeen-year-old best friends Nicola and Millie were supposed to have a summer night of fun and freedom at the local park. But when dawn comes Millie realises Nicola is missing. Distraught, she searches for her alone: and finds Nicola tied to a tree, her purple Converse shoes missing, her long hair cut and scattered on the ground. With no memory of what happened, terrified Nicola begs Millie never to speak of this again....

Fifteen-years-later. With countless secrets and hurt between them, Millie and Nicola have not spoken in over a decade. But now Nicola has found her old purple Converse strung up in the garden. Is her attacker sending her a message? Why now, after all this time?

Millie and Nicola had been the best of friends, so what had happened to make them fall out for over a decade? But when incidents start happening to Nicola, she turns to Millie for help. somebody knows Nicola's secret. The pace is steady in this book with two plotlines. It deals with relationships and how keeping secrets can rip them apart. There is also a house full of squatters refusing to leave even though they have been served with an eviction notice. I did enjoy this book more than I did the first one, I think mainly because the pace was a lot quicker. The story also ended with a cliffhanger. Thankfully I'm just away to dive into The Ones Who Are Buried, the third book in the Whitecliff Bay Mysteries.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #Bookouture and the author #KerryWilkinson for my ARC of #TheOneWhoWasTaken in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book in the series and we do get to know a bit more about Millie and her friends. However, I didn’t think it was quite as gripping as the first one, but I loved it all the same.

It was great to engage with Guy again and to have some expansion with the former characters in the book, but I thought that Millie was weak where her son was concerned, and she allowed Alex and Rachel to walk all over her. I think I would have punched Rachel, she was so supercilious. However, saying that Millie is a decent person and would be a wonderful friend, and she’s well liked within her circle. I just wish she’d stick up for herself a bit more.

This story goes back over 15 years when her friend Nicola was kidnapped, and in the present day someone has left her trainers in her garden, but who could have done this, and why? As the tale unfolds, all is not as it seems. Nicola and Millie haven’t really spoken in years, and it takes goodwill on both parts for them to become friends again. What follows is a twisted tale of friends and their lives, with another climatic conclusion, leaving the reader to rush straight onto book 3!

My thanks to Kerry, the publishers and Netgalley for the ARC.

Millie and Nicola haven’t spoken in fifteen years but when a pair of shoes show up on Nicolas washing line, she calls Millie for help. Millie gets down to business with the help of guy, who really seems like a great person.

Millie’s ex husband Alex really annoys me. Millie’s ex husband seems to love having the power to decide when she’s allowed to see her son/when she can speak to him. I’m hoping that changes in the future. I’m interested to see what they do with him in the next book.


Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture and Kerry Wilkinson for the ARC!

The One Who Was Taken by Kerry Wilkinson

Published: April 17, 2023
Bookouture
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 317
KKECReads Rating: 4/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Kerry Wilkinson is originally from the county of Somerset; Kerry spent way too long living in the north of England, picking up words like 'barm' and 'ginnel.' When he's short of ideas, he rides his bike, hikes up something, or bakes cakes. When he's not, he writes it all down.

“Sometimes you have to be ruthless in letting go of things… or in trying to keep hold of what you have.”

Millie gets a phone call from someone she hasn’t spoken to in 15 years, leading her to take a trip down memory lane. Now, she has to try and sort out why the past is suddenly crashing into the present while trying to maintain a civil temper with her ex for the sake of her son.

I like how easy this book was to read. The pacing and timeline move swiftly. There is just enough happening to keep you engaged, but nothing so chaotic that you feel like you need a break.

I like Millie. I hope she turns out to be a good person because she has had a lot of rotten luck. We get to know Guy more in this book, and I like him. He is one of this wise older people, who has seen and heard a lot of things, so his perspective is solid.

We met some old friends from the past, and it was interesting how they were woven into the story. We got a bit more Jack, who was lovely.

The ending of this book will make you scream.

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The One Who Was Taken, the second in the Whitecliff Bay Mystery series written by Kerry Wilkinson, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Twenty years ago Millie was celebrating the end of her school days when her best friend Nicola was taken away and later found attached to a tree in the woods by a pair of pink fluffy handcuffs having had her hair cut off. Although they haven’t spoken for many years Nicola phones Millie for help as the shoes she was wearing that night have materialised and been left hanging on her washing line.

‘The One Who Was Taken’ is the second in the series and is just as exciting as ‘The One Who Fell’. With each book we’re learning more about Millie and her friends Gus, Jack and Rishi whose characters are perfectly described and come over as genuinely nice people. Millie also has to contend with her ex-husband Alex and his partner Rachel who are trying to stop her eight-year-old son Eric from speaking to her in the evenings. The plot isn’t earth-shattering but is a gentle and involving mystery that I haven’t been able to stop reading. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this book which I’ve read in less than twenty-four hours and am so looking forward to the third in the series.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for a copy of "The One Who Was Taken" in exchange for my honest review.

This is book 2 in the Whitecliff Bay Mystery series. This story takes place roughly 6 months after the previous book "The One Who Fell". Once again Millie and Guy are the main characters, Jack and Rishi are also back as are Millie's son Eric and her ex-husband Alex who has now set a wedding date to Rachel.

Nicola used to be Millie's best friend and she disappeared one night and was found the next day by Millie. Now items from that time are being sent to Nicola and she asks for Millie's help even though they have barely spoke in the past 15 years. This book features more of the group that used to hang around as teens.

Again this book is different from the usual books by this author. There isn't the suspense and grab the reader on the first page feel to it. The pace of the book is much slower than his other books and it takes a bit to get into it.

I started this as soon as I finished book 1, and I was not disappointed. Again I read it in one sitting.

We find out more about Millie and her story in this book as an old friend contacts her out of the blue. Guy once more helps out with her investigation. Nothing is as it first appears however, and as the story goes on we find out that people will go to extraordinary lengths to hide the truth.

Loved this book and can’t wait to get to book 3!

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy.

Setting the Scene: Fifteen years ago, 17 year old Millie finds her best friend, Nicola, handcuffed to a tree in a field, her distinct purple converse and pink Nokia phone missing. Her hair is cut off in chunks, but Nic is otherwise unmolested and has no memory of how she got there. She swears Millie to silence, and the two go on with their lives until other events tear them apart. Now, Nic reaches out to Millie when the purple converse suddenly show up on her clothes line. Millie is the only other person who knows about the incident and the only person who can help her old friend. Millie has no idea how her decision to help Nic find out who is responsible, will change her life.

What I Thought: This is a very well written book, with several mysteries to be solved, but I struggled with it. It paints a dreary picture, and Millie is such a pathetic creature. Her life is in shambles, as it was in the first book. Although she made very poor choices that led to many of her problems, she certainly is not the only culprit in her story. Yet, in this second book she still is doing nothing to defend herself or mitigate her problems, particularly where her son is concerned. While her reunion with Nicola has mixed results perhaps it will lead to a more positive outcome in the next book. I do plan to read Book 3, in part because i received a copy from NetGalley, and also because the optimist in me holds out hope that Millie will overcome.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC of The One Who Was Taken by Kerry Wilkinson in exchange for my honest review.
This is the second book in the Whitecliff Bay Mystery series and continues on from the first, I’m really enjoying getting to know the characters and can’t wait to find out more about them in future books. The story line and plots are well written keeping you intrigued enough to keep you reading, can’t wait to read the next instalment.

Another brilliant mystery in this fabulous, character led series. I just love the setting, the characters and the plot. This series is a must read. I can’t wait for the next one.

This was another great read in the Whitecliff Bay mystery series by Kerry Wilkinson.

When Millie and Nicola were teenagers, Nicola went missing after a night out. Millie finally found her handcuffed to a tree with her hair cut and her shoes and phone missing. Years after they had a falling out. Fifteen years later, Nicola finds her missing shoes hung in her back garden and reaches out to Millie for help. Millie investigates and you won’t believe what she finds out!

I loved that this story expands on the characters a bit more and it kept me interested until the end. I can’t wait for the next one!

Another great read from Kerry Wilkinson.
I think I enjoyed this a bit more than book one as this book expanded on the characters that we met in the first book.
Millie is contacted out of the blue by a friend she’s not seen in fifteen years. Something happened back then and someone is trying to remind them of that night.
Millie asks Guy for help and together they try and work out what’s going on.
This book ends on a cliffhanger so I’m looking forward to reading the next book.
Another great mystery thriller.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This was a great read which I finished in one day and enjoyed all the more because I came to it straight from the first in the series, The One Who Fell.
On one level this is a quick read that presents us with two plots, both centring around past friends of Millie’s interspersed with the author’s brilliant irreverent observational humour. The culprit of main mystery you definitely won’t guess. On a second level it’s a close look at emotions, relationships, couples and how secrets can tear them apart. I’m now totally invested in Millie, Guy, Barry et al.
It’s also not gone unnoticed that we still don’t know if Millie did or she didn’t…..to number three I go with excitement

The One Who Was Taken is book two in A Whitecliff Bay Mystery series by Kerry Wilkinson and this was a fun little mystery I had the pleasure of reading.
Kerry Wilkinson is one of my ‘go to’ authors.
And she has written a fast-paced, suspense-filled novel, that kept me flipping those pages to find out what happens next.
The characters were excellent and did well telling the story and having you gripped from the beginning.
If you’re looking for a story that will hook you and have you wanting more…. This is it.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Bookouture for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!