A fantastic read that pulls you in and won't let you put it down until you've finished. Three girls go into the woods even though local legend of the Bendy Man usually keeps children out and only one comes out. She has no memory of what happened. Her story captures national news but like all newsworthy stories the one of Taken Ones eventually dies down. In the summer of 2022 a cold case detective (Van Reed) and forensic scientist (Harry Steinbeck) are assigned to a case of a woman who was buried alive. The woman was found clutching a heart charm necklace that belonged to one of the mission girls. Both detectives have their own way of investigating and both have ties to this cold case. Follow along as the two figure out how the two cases are connected and who their killer is in the end.

Jess Lourey, the author of Quarry Girls, has knocked it out of the ballpark again with her new suspense novel, The Taken Ones!
Set in Leech Lake, Minnesota, a small burg west of Minneapolis, the action kicks off immediately with the riveting prologue—summer, 1980, three young girls enter the woods on their way to a swimming hole, and only one returns, in shock. Now, 40 years later, MBI cold case detective Evangeline “Van” Reed becomes involved as a gruesome new murder reveals a clue connected to one of the missing girls.
She and forensic scientist Harry Steinbeck collaborate to analyze past records and current evidence. Their crime-solving methods are dissimilar—Harry’s grounding in science versus Van’s reliance on dreams and intuition—but the two of them evolve into a strong investigative team.
While this is an excellent police procedural, it is also strongly character driven, with Van particularly fascinating, as her back story informs her commitment to the investigation. The descriptive writing is skillful and evocative—“the interior reeked of ghost cigarettes, a geologic layer of smell that had settled into the carpeting, wood-paneled walls, and the yellowed ceiling tiles” that I could see and smell the room!
The first person narration by Van makes the story compelling and more personal, while the occasional short chapters from the killer’s first person POV are suitably impactful and chilling.
The prose is dark and intense, and there are many references to child abduction, child abuse and cult behavior, but the story always circles back to the excellent criminal investigation.
I highly recommend this new thriller by Jess Lourey!

Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest review.

The story was a thrilling one set in Minnesota. The book had two cases - a cold case and a present case. Both of these cases were intertwined and I loved how it was written.

The disappearance of the two girls in 1980 itself sparked curiousity in me. Decades later, the death of a woman prompts the police to reopen the cold case. What then continued is the collection of evidences and revealing of truths. The book was able to perfectly incorporate myth and mystery. It filled me with dread and terror as the story progressed. The ending perfectly concluded this book.

I'm so thrilled to have read this one as it had a lot of suspenseful moments and a great storyline.

This was another very good thriller/mystery by Jess Lourey.

Steinbeck and Reed together are a force to be reckoned with. I absolutely adore Steinbeck. He sounds almost too perfect. Reed is broken but fixable and such a good detective. She takes her job seriously and does not shrink in the face of adversity.

This story has a lot going on but it's easy to follow. Three girls go into the woods but only two come out. Friends Amber and Rue along with Rue's little sister Lily. Rue comes out but Amber and Rue are missing. Rue does not remember what happened.

Many years go by and Reed takes this cold case The Taken Ones. It's about the missing girls. After a body was discovered buried alive and may be tied to the Taken Ones she wants to solve it. She lived in her own nightmare growing up. In a cult with an abusive leader, Frank.

You follow these two and a few more detectives and cops throughout this story looking for the Bendy Man and the missing children. You also hear about another case along the way. I can't tell you about it but I applaud Van Reed for her gift. She saved lives in this thrilling new book. It also references back to the previous book with these two in it. I can't imagine Van doing what she did.

I hope this continues with another soon. I can't wait for Harry's secret to be revealed and for more of he and Van. They are two of the good ones in a world of a few bad cops. Also a possible love story here.

Thank you #NetGalley, #JessLourey, #Thomas&Mercer for this ARC. This is my honest thoughts about this book.

Five big stars and a high recommendation for this one.

This is an honest review in exchanged for an arc from Net galley and Thomas and Mercer publishing company. Thank- you.

This book is a rollercoaster you won’t want to get off. 2 kids went missing and years later the case has never been solved. The townsfolk refer to the bendy man as having something to do with their disappearance but no one has any evidence to prove this is what has happened.

A woman is found buried alive.

Is there a connection to the missing girls from many years ago?

One woman (Van) who heads the cold case unit , a division of the Minnesota bureau of criminal apprehension gets called out she works closely with a small team she can trust to solve this case and tie it to the missing girls.

This is a fast paced story. The characters are well developed and you find yourself rooting for the case to be solved with a happy ending but it’s not always possible not to suffer a certain amount of loss in the process.

I can’t wait to read more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC copy of "The Taken Ones."

Jess Lourey creates a deliciously creepy novel that is both realistic and out of this world. As in many thriller novels, the heroine, Van, has secrets from the past that she is desperate to hide, thinking they might be infiltrating on the truth in the present. However, Van comes off as realistic as thriller heroines come. Lourey allows us to enter into Van's world and each flashback allows us to further understand just how Van's actions are correlated in the present.

The only complaint about this novel was the influx of characters and details. Some feel out of place, just a decoy to distract from what's going on, while others feel as though they are attempting to be foils but fail. In general, there was a lot going on, but knowing this is likely to be the first in a series makes much more sense when setting the scene.

I have been in such a reading slump and this book has helped bring me out. This is a dark, dark book. I love the way Jess Lourey isn’t afraid of going dark and messed up. Two of my favorite tropes. If you are experiencing a slump maybe you should give this a try.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest opinion. 3.5⭐️

Connecting a past case of disappearing girls to the present day disappearance of another, Van and Harry are on a quest to find the killer before they strike again. What a page turner this was! I really enjoyed the author's writing style and am hoping there's a sequel in the works. This was my first book by this author but won't be my last.

Another creepy Minnesota story about missing girls? Yes please. Jess Lourey is an expert in atmospheric mysteries. The Taken Ones continues her winning streak!

Van Reed is an interesting investigator with a traumatic history of her own. Maybe Harry Steinback also has more of a past than we know about so far?

Van Reed doesn’t have any real friends. Since her previous work partner died, she’s been working alone, while being shunned and then chased out from her old job where her partner’s reputation was what had kept her safe until he was gone.

At her new job with the BCA (Bureau of Criminal Apprehension—it’s a real thing), Van is attempting to re-investigate and hopefully solve cold cases. When a new murder victim is found, she’s soon tied to a cold case. It leaves Van working with one of her former co-workers that she was glad to get away from at the Minneapolis police department.

Luckily Van has a new ally in Harry Steinback. He’s a science guy—primarily there to solve cases based on provable facts, but he seems willing to trust some of Van’s hunches - at least far enough to investigate them.

This book was so good! The investigation of the current murder and concurrent review of the cold case worked really well together, since the cases were clearly linked. The side stories were also engaging and surprisingly connected. The non-top action and intrigue earned 5 stars out of 5, and a strong recommendation for the books to come in this new series about Reed and Steinback. Worth mentioning as well, though, that the original crime and Van’s background story was directly against children, in case that’s something a reader would rather avoid.

Thank you to @jesslourey for having me apart of your review crew and for this #gifted copy!

On one hot summer day, three little girls went into the woods to go swimming and only one came out…..

I was instantly sucked into these characters and their lives. Cold Case Detective Van Reed has her own past trauma and and secrets that help her solve these cases. The twisits and pacing just kept coming and I wasn’t able to figure out who was doing what. The creppy vibes are strong with this one, you just had the Eerie feeling as you read! I can’t wait for more Detective Reed and Detective Steinbeck, they’re more to know about them and I’m so curious!!
4.5

This book is hard to out down. Van is a strong female protagonist and I loved her fight. The story centers around a cold case where two girls went missing in the 1980’s. Evidence is found that reopens the case and Van is determined to solve it. We also get glimpses into Van’s childhood which gives more insight into her life. I hope this book is part of a series because I would love to read more about Van and Harry.

Two girls vanished. A woman buried alive. Between the two crimes lie decades of secrets yet to be unearthed.

It’s impossible not to be immediately hooked by The Taken Ones. Not only is the plot riveting, but we’re only just getting to know Van Reed and Harry Steinbeck, and I hope they have lots of cold cases in front of them to solve. Also, Van is a dog lover. So she’s clearly my people.

On July 23, 1980, three little girls walked into the woods and only one walked out. Rue, the surviving girl was found traumatized in the middle of the street. It was a hot day and the tar from the asphalt melted to the bottom of her feet. She had no recollection of what happened in those woods or what happened to the other girls.

Fast forward forty years to a crime scene involving a woman buried alive. A homeless man heard her cries, tried to dig her out…but he was too late. When examiners looked at the body, they noticed a necklace that was similar to the one that The Taken Ones was seen wearing when she disappeared.

Cold case detectives Van Reed and Harry Steinbeck are investigating this case when DNA results reveal that the woman buried alive is one of The Taken Ones. Reed follows her gut and decides to reopen the cold case of The Taken Ones.

I love that detective Van Reed’s own trauma helped her discover key clues into solving the cold case. Opening up an old case has placed a deadly target on her back. Can she solve the case before she’s taken or fired for going too far?

This is the first book in the series, and I love that the ending left off on a cliffhanger leaving readers wanting more of Van and Harry.

Read if you like:
Cold Case Mysteries
Stalkers
Detective Series
Dexter Vibes

I'm behind on reviews but thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. Talk about a jaw dropper. This is a must read! So many twists and turns that will keep you hooked from the beginning. I love dual timeline books so that made it an easy read for me!

Detective Van Reed and Forensic scientist Harry Steinbeck join forces and their investigation of a crime leads them to a woman buried alive 42 years ago! TTO is the best whodunnit mystery I’ve read this year for two reasons — I couldn’t guess who the killer was and the interesting way Van was able to solve the crime. I love a story that keeps me guessing till the end and is not obvious with the twists and character reveals, TTO passed with flying colours in this case. The unfolding path that leads to the truth behind the crimes was so addictive and thrilling to read. So glad to know that this is a start of Reed & Steinbeck investigative thriller, as I couldn’t get enough of their partnership! Jess’s books has never failed to grip me from the early chapters, and this was the same. Highly recommend 4.25/5

This was my second book by Jess Lourey ( I absolutely loved The Quarry Girls) and it did not disappoint! This was so so good! I love her unique style of writing. Chilling and entertaining. In the summer of 1980 two young girls go missing in a Minnesota forest. Fast forward to 2022…A cold case detective Van Reed and forensic scientist Harry Steinbeck investigate a homicide after finding a woman buried alive with evidence linking the case to the girls that went missing 42 years ago.

This was twisty, addicting, suspensful and creepy as hell. It had me guessing the entire time whodunnit?! I was so wrong. There were so many moving parts to this book and I was so invested I almost wish I had a individual book for each timeline. 👏🏻 I cannot wait for more Steinbeck and Reed!

I've really enjoyed my foray into crime thrillers, but this one fell a little flat for me. Thankfully, I had already read Lourey's short story CATCH HER IN A LIE; not necessary, but referred to quite a bit throughout the book that I would recommend it.

Told from the POV of Van Reed, her and her sort-of partner Harry Steinbeck are assigned a cold case to solve. I really like this subgenre, but I thought the author could've done more by using past notes and evidence that were collected from the original detectives or something. As a reader, we are just missing that something extra.

I feel sorry for the way Reed was brought up, but I feel like the flashbacks were few and far between; I wanted more. And I want a LOT more of Steinbeck, which is teased just a little bit but left me unsatiated. Am I hooked enough to read the next book in the series? Probably. But I'll need something really exciting to keep me going.

Side note: there are MANY trigger warnings that go along with this book. A few times I wanted to close my eyes because the words were so horrifying.

Side note #2: avoid reading this at night. Too spooky for my liking.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for my eARC in exchange for an honest review. Happy pub day Jess Lourey!

Likeable heroine with a cult backstory, working as a BCA agent on a cold case of two missing children. She has intuitions that come to her in dreams and give her additional ammunition to solve cases. Working with a newish to her partner, with his own secrets. An interesting pair, part of a series, but fine to read by itself, and an interesting case

Loved this book! I couldn't put it down! I loved the storyline and the characters! The twists were just right! I can't wait to read more about Steinbeck and Reed.