Dr Sloan Hastings is living her best life. Beginning a prestigious fellowship in forensic pathology with the highly-respected expert Dr Livia Cutty as her mentor, she embarks upon a project related to forensic genealogy as part of her specialisation.

As an adoptee herself, Sloan has always had a loving relationship with her adoptive parents and so feels comfortable using her own DNA to test the system and see what it throws up.

But the last thing she expects is a link to a decades old case of a missing child from a wealthy family. And once it is confirmed that Sloan is indeed "Baby Charlotte", who went missing with her parents after a strange incident involving an automobile accident which lead to the death of a man, all hell breaks loose in Sloan's life. Because it becomes increasingly apparent that someone in Sloan's birth family knows more about her parents' disappearance than they are admitting.

Secretly working with the local sheriff who has privately shared with her his desire to find out more about the suspicious death of his own father - sheriff at the time that Sloan and her birth parents went missing - she inches closer to the terrifying truth...

Some of the highlights of the book included the character of Nora, the story of Annabel's love of photography, and Eric's determination to clear his father's name, as well as the role played by Marvin Mann. Charlie Donlea has once again delivered an intriguing, intricately plotted story that leaves the reader feeling deeply satisfied.

Wow! I’ve only read one book by this author and I will definitely add the rest to my TBR. This novel had me on the edge of me the whole time. I loved the flashback between the past and present to build the suspense

Charlie Donlea is always a go to author for thrilling suspense-filled reads and "Long Time Gone" is another winner in my book.

Charlie Donlea, the master storyteller is back with another page turning mystery. I am a huge fan of this author, his books always have so much depth and feeling, while telling a cracking story. I raced through this book, with its short chapters and multiple timelines, each chapter leaving me needing more. As always, we have some characters from previous books appearing throughout, but this is absolutely a stand alone.

Sloan Hastings has always known that she was adopted. But never in a million years did she imagine that putting her DNA on a genealogy website would open up a 30 year old cold case of a missing family. The more she finds out, the wilder this case becomes, and she is right at the centre of it all.

Just brilliant! i had no idea how this was going to play out and ai loved being drip fed information from the past. This was one insane family story and I just loved it.

Thank you so much to Kensington Books for the chance to read this so early. Absolutely loved it

I usually love Charlie Donlea’s books, but this one just didn’t do it for me. It’s just okay. No spoilers, but portions of the ending (who took the photos?) we’re cringe-worthy.

This was a great story - the plot was very well developed and wrapped up nicely at the end. I enjoyed the switching between past/present of the story, the past gave very insightful clues which added to the story being told in the present. The characters were excellent as well - I especially enjoyed the Margolis family.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to get an ARC from NetGalley because I’ve read other books by this author! Twenty Years Later is still my favorite of his!

The whiplash this book gives you! Prepare for a lot of timeframe and POV changes. I usually love that but it was just a bit too much for me. This is a ‘whodunit’ that spans over three decades. I love that genealogy kick starts this story because I think it’s going to continue to happen in cold cases. I loved that so many stories were happening in parallel and loved to see how they were connected. The reason I didn’t rate this higher is the ending seemed a bit too far fetched to me. The way the characters were wrapped up at the end also felt rushed

This is worth the read though! I’ll always read new titles by Charlie Donlea

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5

I wonder if I’m the only person who completely fixates on a book I’m anxious to read to where I can’t focus on any other books until I read THAT book. Well that was THIS book for me. I was completely incorrigible to deal with (sorry family) until I got my hands on this book and sorry not sorry but the obsession was well worth. Charlie Donlea does it again and proves himself to be a master storyteller.

I love a missing child trope so this was right up my alley especially because it was coming from what I know is a very strong writer and a master storyteller.

Typically with Charlie Donlea’s books there is a good bit of build up and different characters and their backgrounds introduced before it starts to come together. It can require a little patience that is ALWAYS worth it. With LONG TIME GONE he dove in a little faster but it was still classic Charlie Donlea with a very masterful plot that slowly unraveled. The way he writes has you on the edge of your seat wondering where the next bread crumb is taking you.

The characters were STELLAR. Sloan was smart, strong, and the chapters told through her voice were riveting. Sheriff Eric…. Pretty sure he should have his own tv series. The Margolis family included a host of characters and all I can say is READ THIS BOOK!!!

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Publishing for this ARC!

Also a VERY special thank you to Vida at Kensington for getting this book to me and giving me the opportunity to read it early and review it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an ARC copy of Long Time Gone!

Overall, I really enjoyed this story, it felt like I was watching a really interesting episode of dateline. I was compelled to keep reading and learn all the details of what happened to baby Charlotte. I thought switching back and forth from present to past timeline was a really smart choice that helped keep up the pace of the story. My only complaint is that a few of the details revealed late in the story were so outlandish and improbable that it was distracting and took away from an otherwise really solid story.

4.5 stars, rounded down!

Donlea knocked this one right out of the park! Another non-stop, fast paced powerhouse of a crime thriller to add to his ever-growing collection of sensational reads. I was gripped from the very first page and the intensity didn't let up until the final chapter. I love how the author includes cameos and/or continuing storylines of some of the other characters from his previous novels in each of his new books. And I especially love that we finally learned what became of baby Charlotte and her missing parents. Donlea's writing is perfection, and I will read anything this man writes. And you should too! I highly recommend this novel and believe it will be one of the top thrillers of 2024. I could not put this one down!

Thank you to the author, Kensington Books, and NetGalley for granting me digital access in exchange for my honest review!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for review.

I LOVE Charlie Donlea. Do yourself a favor if you're a fan of mystery/suspense...read all of his books! I was so happy to see this new title. I read it quickly and it did not disappoint. Sloan is training to be a medical examiner/pathologist, and is assigned a research topic about how genetics can help forensics teams solve crimes. When she submits her DNA to a genealogy site, Sloan, who was adopted, discovers that she may be a missing baby from an old, world-famous crime.

This is fast-paced and features characters from Donlea's other books. There's a lot of carnage near the end so be warned.

Books by Charlie Donlea are always an automatic "yes" for me, and this one was no exception. We meet Sloan Hastings in this book, a young lady who has landed a coveted internship under top ME Dr Livia Cutty. Her major project during this time, apart from assisting with autopsies? Do a research paper on genealogy. However, when she submits her DNA to a DNA testing site as part of her project, she gets the shock of her life when her DNA is a match to "Baby Charlotte" who disappeared almost thirty years ago, together with her parents, Preston & Annabelle.

Sloan allows herself to be drawn into her biological family as she tries to solve the mystery of what really happened all those years ago and whether her parents are really alive. But someone is waiting in the shadows and watching, determined that the truth should never come to light.

Charlie Donlea’s new book Long Time Gone had me frantically flipping the pages and doing my best to predict the ending. As is his usual, this story involves an extremely clever timeline with multiple POVs coming together to tie up the mystery of the book.

Our main character Sloan is studying to become a pathologist and her research assignment is genealogy. Specifically how genealogy has been a driving force in solving cold cases (hello Golden State Killer.) Sloan was adopted as a baby and really has little interest in diving into her own personal DNA profile, family tree, etc. However, she wants to succeed in her fellowship and creates a profile anyways. The story quickly picks up as the results of the test shock her and her family. It is suspected that Sloan’s true identity is that of a famous missing baby from thirty years ago who disappeared mysteriously with her parents.

If you’re a thriller fan and haven’t read any books by this author, I highly recommend changing that! Long Time Gone is coming in as a close second as my favorite book by Charlie Donlea. My number one favorite remains as Twenty Years Later! Check that one out as we wait for Long Time Gone to release on May 21, 2024.

Thank you to NetGalley & Kensington books for the ARC!

As she starts the final years of her education, Sloan Hastings faces the toughest assignments on her way to her dream job. Forensic science has always been her goal, no matter the pressure to take over her parent's dental clinics. Her thesis assignment is to present evidence of how DNA/genealogy strides have improved the forensic sciences. Adopted at four months of age, Sloan decides to use her own history for basis. When she receives the results, she finds herself identified as baby Charlotte, the focus of a long cold case of missing persons.

Charlie Donlea has quickly become one of my "must read" authors. The stories are compelling, the clues elusive and the twists earthshaking. The plots are unique, he never recycles a story. Fast pacing action and some characters that seem far too real. I've given every one of his books 5 stars and recommended them to every reader I know. Treat yourself and join this fan club!!!

Thank you Kensington Books and Charlie Donlea for the advanced copy of Long Time Gone in exchange for my honest review.

Donlea is such a master storyteller, I completely inhaled this book. I could not put it down until every secret was revealed, and even though there will be parts of the story readers will see coming, how we get there is totally gripping.

I have read and loved every single thing Donlea has written and not only is he an auto-read author for me, but he has cemented himself as one of my all-time favorites. He does not get enough hype!

Get your pre-orders in for Long Time Gone, pub date May 21!

Charlie Donlea is one of my favorite thriller authors, so I was thrilled to read this one! When Sloan finds out through a genealogy website that she’s the missing “baby Charlotte” from 30 years ago, her whole world changes.. But what happened to her birth parents?

This was a quick one that will have you constantly turning the pages! A little more straightforward than some of his other books but with the same vibe. I would love to see this turned into a series with Dr. Sloan!

Absolutely freaking amazing. I adore this author and this book was perfect. It was gripping from the first page. I devoured this in one sitting. The characters felt like family. This story was woven with such realism you felt like a part of it. This story is more twisty than a path through some deep dark woods. The plot was so unique and so well done. This balances suspense and terror with a real family and real story. There are so many surprises. Hero’s and villains but you have no idea who is which until the very last page. I freaking adored this main character. I was sad to finish. This is a book I will probably reread.
This will likely be on my top 10 this year.
Must must read.
An unputdownable read!

Long Time Gone by new to me author C. Conlea, published by Kensington Books is a complex, complicated, nailbiting, literally unputdownable thriller.
I started reading and soon I couldn't put the book down anymore.
The story spans decades, many places through all of the US, jumps between past and present.
Sloan is about to start a fellowship for ME and gets sucked into a whirlwind of a case. A twisty story that had me guessing til the last page.
Blurb:
When DNA results reveal a disturbing connection to the mysterious disappearance of a famous baby nearly three decades ago, a forensic scientist is plunged into a dangerous search for answers in this engrossing, propulsive new novel from the internationally bestselling author of Twenty Years Later.

Thirty years ago, Baby Charlotte vanished. Today, she’s still in danger.

When Dr. Sloan Hastings submits her DNA to an online genealogy site for a research assignment, her goal is to better understand the treasure-trove of genetic information contained on ancestry websites. Brilliant and driven, Sloan is embarking on a fellowship in forensic pathology, training under the renowned Dr. Livia Cutty.

Sloan has one reservation about involving herself in the she’s adopted. Grateful for a loving home, she’s never considered tracking down her biological parents. The results of her search are shocking. Sloan’s DNA profile suggests her true identity is that of Charlotte Margolis, aka “Baby Charlotte”, who captured the nation’s attention when she mysteriously disappeared, along with her parents, in July 1995. Despite an exhaustive search, the family was never seen again, and no suspects were named in the case.

Ling Time Gone by Charlie Donlea has the exact twists and turns that I love in a book. It definitely kept me guessing as I kept reading his new psychological thriller and page turner. This is an addictive, entertaining read that has a strong female protagonist.

3.5 rounded up - Donlea is always a must read for me and this was no different - while it did start a bit slow for me, the pacing picked up and I was invested in the story. I love the cameos by previous characters. I do think the author tends to fixate on random details (drink preferences specifically) as a poor way of developing character, but it doesn’t take away from the story overall. The ending was a bit fantastical but given how this story feels much fresher than the over saturated thriller market these days, I can’t complain. I look forward to the next.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.