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.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of Long Time Gone by Charlie Donlea due to be published May 21, 2024.
Dr. Sloan Hastings submits her DNA for a research assignment knowing she is adopted and has never considered looking for her biological parents. She is shocked when she finds out she, along with her parents, mysteriously disappeared a long time ago. Sloan has to go back to where it started – Cedar Creek, Nevada – to see what she can discover about her past.
I have previously read five books by Charlie Donlea and loved all of them so I couldn’t wait to read this one. In addition, my son is adopted and did a search and found his biological mother (luckily, nothing as sinister as in this book) so I was extremely interested in the premise.
I read Long Time Gone in one sitting – it was that good. It was full of twists, murder, extortion and lots of bad family dynamics – everything that makes a thriller good.
I highly recommend this one and any others by Charlie Donlea!
#NetGalley #CharlieDonlea #KensingtonBooks #LongTimeGone

Long Time Gone by Charlie Donlea. Fast paced thriller with a focus on forensic genealogy and DNA. Parallel timelines with complicated multi-layered plot make this a compelling and enjoyable read. Sloan is a strong female protagonist. However, the narrative is disrupted by Sloan's repeated account of her cross-fit addiction.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

When Sloan Hastings, an ME resident focusing on forensic genealogy, submits her DNA for a project, she has no idea the repercussions soon to follow.

After receiving the results of her DNA, Sloan, who has always known she was adopted, learns she is actually Baby Charlotte, a baby who went missing thirty years earlier. Now Sloan finds herself embroiled in a search to find out what happened to her missing birth parents. The more she delves into her past, the more she puts herself at risk. Can she solve the mystery before it’s too late?

Charlie Donlea can always be counted on for a fast paced thriller. The time jumps help take the reader on a number of twists and turns as the secrets of the past unravel in present day.

Sloan as a protagonist is a bit too perfect (her biggest flaws are her cross fit addiction and love of diet soda.) and, as a result, she reads a bit boring, but the plot is solid enough to make up for it.

Some of the characters from Donlea’s other books make cameo appearances, which is pretty common for the author, but his books all read as standalone so this is more of a wink to his fans. It seems more than highly likely readers will be seeing more of Sloan in future books.

Overall this is another good read from Donlea and is sure to please his fans.

I really enjoyed the DNA approach to the mystery part of the storyline. I very much liked this book.

Charlie Donlea's LONG TIME GONE possesses exactly the roller coaster speed, twists, and upending revelations that i hope to discover in a psychological thriller. He definitely kept me guessing, pondering, and sometimes shouting, as I raced through this wildly engrossing page turner, from the champion reader's hook right on to the final revelation. I couldn't turn away.

Sloan Hastings has always known she’s adopted. But her origins have always been a mystery to her. While doing a DNA test for her Forensic Pathology fellowship, she discovers that she is Charlotte Margolis, who went missing along with her parents in 1995. This sets off a chain of events to uncover what happened to her family on Fourth of July 1995. This book was really entertaining, and definitely kept my interest. I think I just wanted a little more between Eric and Sloan. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.