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.

*CONTAINS SPOILERS*

I wish I had known this was a series before I started it because I don't do series! And then it ended with me wanting to know more about Harry... So now I have to read the next one! Anyway I love Lourey's writing and have enjoyed all of her previous books, particularly The Quarry Girls. The main reason I didn't *love* this one is because of Van's lucid dreams/visions (which I don't think are the same thing, I think what she had are visions and not lucid dreams, but the author used the term interchangeably). Visions are not something I think are real and therefore that aspect of the plot distracted me from the story. The twist that came early that she is actually a Dexter-style serial killer was an odd turn that wasn't developed too much, but made the book more interesting, and I hope is explored more in future books. I was also skeptical about how realistic the "Bendy Man" was but they explained it in a scientific way that made me believe it lol. I prefer plots where the villain ends up being someone you knew in the story so that was a bit of a disappointment as well. But despite all these minor gripes, it was a good read!!

This is the first book in a new police procedural series. The case concludes but the story goes on. (hence the need for a series)
Van Reed is a cold case detective and Harry Steinbeck the forensic scientist assigned to the case of the woman buried alive. She can be traced to 3 missing girls who went into the Minnesota Woods only to have one emerge with no memory and no trace of her friends.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for this e-arc.*

This has some very similar elements to other books by Jess Laurey, but still felt really fresh and completely engaging. I really enjoyed this and would definitely recommend!
*
In 1980, three young girls head into the woods to go swimming in the creek, and only one of them returns--in such shock that she can't remember what happened. In 2022, a cold case agent gets called in for a homicide that appears to have connections to the missing girls. 
*
I really liked so much about this. I loved learning about the agent Van's background, growing up on a compound, and how that affected her worldview, and some of the things she's done. I also really liked how well this book balanced out the case it covers and also sets up for a series to follow (and I'm really excited there's more to come!) The crime itself, and some other related crimes that come up, are all very dark and disturbing, and kept me completely engaged. 
*
I didn't quite get to 5 stars because the ending felt like it kind of came out of nowhere, and there were other parts of the investigation that I didn't quite see how Van made the connections she did. But this was still a fun read, and a great thriller!

THE TAKEN ONES was a quick and intriguing read with a compelling storyline. I really enjoyed the Van and Harry duo and was excited to learn there would be another book in the series, since the ending set the stage for more. The back quarter of the book dragged a bit, but I still enjoyed it and looking forward to the next one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read and review THE TAKEN ONES.

This book hooked me from page 1. The storyline was great! I will defintely read more of Jess Loureys books. The characters were well written and likeable. Defintely a 4.5 star read.