A gripping thriller that magnificently intertwines the past and present. The plot is well placed with twists and turns that keep suspense throughout. I loved the exploration of forensic genealogy and thought it added an intriguing aspect to the mystery.
Many thanks to Kensington and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Enrolled in two-years  forensic pathology fellowship, Sloan is assigned to forensic and investigative genealogy as an area of interest.

The DNA result is linked to Preston and Annabelle Margolis and their two month old baby Charlotte , who all disappeared back in 1995. Sloan was adopted by Hastings couple about four months after baby Charlotte was declared missing.
Go into the mystery of how baby Charlotte ended up as Sloan Hastings.
The investigation leads into past murders that happened thirty years back at Nevada Creek. It gets more unputdownable once Sloan goes into the Margolis family to investigate the disappearance of her biological parents.

This book has full suspense with unexpected twists and clever ending. Even though I can predict the culprit, I still highly recommend this book for all thriller fans because I can say it's amazingly well-plotted.

After taking a DNA test for her doctoral program Sloan has more questions than she has answers. Is she the missing baby who vanished in 1995? Someone doesn’t want the answers to come out.
A highly engaging page turner with a twisted plot, this one should be on your read immediately!
Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for my ARC.

Charlie Donlea has become a favorite recently and this one didn't disappoint. The subject of DNA and genealogy was a fun, topical hook, as it's been included in recent real-life cases, and it was also nice for Dr. Livia Cutty, who has appeared in another of Donlea's novels, to reappear. I read this one in one day and was bummed when it was over, because I'd been looking forward to a new book from Donlea.

This book was amazing! It was so well written, and it definitely kept my attention. I loved how the chapters went back-and-forth from the past to the present and you saw the story unfold from both perspectives. This is a must read!

A good thriller!

Dr. Sloan Hastings is starting her forensic pathology fellowship. As part of her fellowship, she needs to do research. She decides to center hers on DNA. Due to this, she decides to submit her own DNA to an ancestor website. Sloan knows she is adopted and even though she had never wanted to meet her biological parents, this could bring insight into her planned research.

No one is more shocked than Sloan when her DNA comes back proving that Sloan is none other than Charlotte Margolis, "baby Charlotte", who went missing with her parents back in 1995. The Margolis family has power and connections everywhere but what do they know about her disappearance?

After making the discovery, Sloan is approached by Sheriff Eric Stamos. His father was the Sheriff in 1995 investigating a hit-and-run case where her mother was a suspect. Just a few days after her parents disappeared, the Sheriff died from an overdose. Eric believes his father was murdered and he needs Sloan's help to prove it.

Quite a compelling plotline with remarkable characters. The suspense was just right.

I'm looking forward to reading another book by this author.

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Kensington Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A favourite author, Charlie Donlea, delivers a female-driven thriller with "Long Time Gone".
Dr. Sloan Hastings begins a genealogy study in which she has to submit her DNA for testing. The reported results are shocking. Could Sloan be a baby that went missing 30 years ago?
What follows is a dangerous web of corruption, power and lies.
An engrossing, entertaining thriller from beginning to end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Donlea has done it again. Fantastic plot and characters. A DNA result leads to the discovery that Sloan was a missing child and that her biological parents are missing. Eric helps her solve what happened to her. Fast paced and well written.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review. Loved it so much I had to have my own copy.

Amazing writing. I was drawn into the action from the very first page.. The whole premise is compelling and the book is hard to put down. Fans of thrillers and DNA stories will enjoy this book.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

Dr. Livia Cutty knows she was adopted. Her parents are loving, successful, good people but when Livia takes a DNA test for her research to become a medical examiner, she realizes she has been a missing child since she was 1 months old! And, the plot thickens when she's told that her biological parents mysteriously disappeared at the same time as her!

How did Livia end up with her family and what happened to her father, a lawyer from a prominent, influential family in Nevada and her mother??!! What did the Sherriff of the small town uncover that led to his demise??!!

This story time hops from days before "Baby Charlotte's" disappearance to current events and will engage you from the first page!! Donlea is a great builder of suspense and Long Time Gone is no different!!

Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Books for this E-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

4.4⭐️
An interesting “ripped from the headlines” style of fiction.

“And I’ll give you a little bit of advice my mentor gave me: Procrastination is the devil’s way of stealing your time. Avoid it at all costs. Get busy and stay busy.”

While training for a career in Genealogy DNA, Sloan Hastings discover’s that she and her birth parents are missing persons from a very wealthy family, the Margolis’.

10 days prior to disappearance 30 years ago, her birth mother’s car was found at the scene of a hit and run that caused the death of her husband’s partner-at-law. This town is run by the tight-knit and powerful Margolis family, and getting too close to the truth will get you killed.

“To hold another’s secrets brought people together more powerfully than even unconditional love.”

🐢🐇 This started off a bit slow for me, but once Sloan went to meet her birth family, I was sucked in. It was very clear that everyone in this story wanted something - a good scoop, vindication, a free conscious, quiet,… It felt a little disjointed at times when it would swap to another character’s POV, and they weren’t a big part of the story.

💀 The overall “who dunnit” wasn’t a huge surprise but the way it all went down had me cracking up 😂 And a really sweet ending 🦅

Thanks to NetGalley, Kensington Books, and Charlie Donlea for providing me with a complimentary ARC to review!

In this compulsively readable thriller, Charlie Donlea focuses on the ripped-from-the-headlines topic of forensic and investigative genealogy, which has recently been used to solve cold cases. Toggling back and forth between 1995 and 2024, the story follows Sloan Hastings, who submits her DNA to a genealogy website as part of her fellowship in forensic pathology. Sloan grew up knowing she was adopted, but she was surprised to learn that her DNA proved that she was the missing “Baby Charlotte,” whose disappearance had captivated the nation in 1995. Donlea strikes the perfect balance between explaining the science and usage of forensic genealogy with a clever and captivating mystery and well-developed characters. Chapters frequently end on cliffhangers, which kept me turning the pages and wondering who was at fault and why.

This book had more twists and turns than a hidden drive. I loved every minute of it. A family drama full of lies, deceit, and photography! Knowing the premise of the book before reading, I still had so many jaw-drop moments I never saw coming. This was a thrill for the ages. I am a huge Charlie Donlea fan and this book did not disappoint. I hope to see these characters make cameos in future books, as I feel vested in their future and want to hear more!

The mystery was intriguing and kept me tuned in. However, on multiple occasions I felt that the writing was explaining things too much - CrossFit, genealogy sites, printing photographs, etc. and it made up a significant portion of the novel. That being said, I really was thrown for a loop at the end so it kept me on my toes at least!

Sloan Hastings is on a fellowship in forensic pathology and receives an assignment to understand the role that genetic information on ancestry sites has in solving cold cases. To better understand the process, Sloan submits her own DNA — with hesitation as she is adopted and this could potentially lead her to her birth family.

It turns out that Sloan is actually ‘Baby Charlotte,’ a baby who mysteriously disappeared thirty years ago along with her parents. Long Time Gone follows Sloan as she looks to uncover the secrets of her and her birth family’s past.

Charlie Donlea has written two of my fav psychological thrillers (TWENTY YEARS LATER and THOSE EMPTY EYES) and I’m overall a huge fan of his writing style. In true Charlie Donlea fashion, the chapters are very short, and alternate between past/present to unravel the twisted story. I also realllly enjoyed the concept of the story and using genealogy and ancestry sites to solve cold cases.

I knocked off a star because there were some loose ends and a few details that felt a bit too unrealistic. Overall, this is a perfect not-too-scary thriller that layers several storylines to create a binge-worthy psychological thriller.

A good modern take on forensic studies with the personal connection of a case to the main character. It was pretty predictable except for the twist at the very end but overall a decent thriller with a lot of action! Some really cheesy/inaccurate depictions of investigations that just didn't totally captivate me.

As a longtime Charlie Donlea fan, I was so excited when I found out about this book. I love true crime and the idea that DNA is doing fantastic things to solve old cold cases. If you have no idea what that means, this is the book for you.

Dr. Sloan Hastings is starting a 2 year study in forensic pathology, and she's given a subject to focus on - how genealogy websites (think 23 and Me) can help to solve cold cases. At first Sloan is nervous about submitting her own DNA because she's adopted, but when she does, it opens a Pandora's Box.

I loved this story. I loved seeing what happened when Sloan finds out that she's actually the missing child of a well to do family, and that when she disappeared, so did her parents. Sloan decides to head to Cedar Creek to meet her blood relatives, but what she doesn't know is that the Margolis family has a lot of secrets, and they'll do anything to keep those secrets hidden.

This novel is a fast read and it keeps you guessing. I kept thinking maybe I knew what was going on, but then something would happen and I was at square one again. I found Sloan to be a really interesting, well written character and I wanted her to be able to find some sort of resolution in this new part of her life that she discovered.

I was definitely surprised with the ending, but it all fit into place well. This is the perfect book to read on a dark and stormy night.

PhD candidate, Sloane, is studying to be a forensic pathologist and receives her assigned fellowship. She'll be studying forensic genealogy, noting the recent arrest of the Golden State killer who was found and located using well known genealogy sites.
To fully understand the process of how genealogy websites work, she agrees to send off her own DNA. Having been adopted as a baby, Sloane discusses this with her parents before sending her sample off. Being the supportive parents they've always been, they agree stating they too are curious about her past.
The results of her DNA come back with startling revelations. Her DNA matches that of a baby who disappeared with her parents in July of 1995 from Cedar Creek, Nevada. Apparently her birth name was Charlotte Margolis and her disappearance made news at the national level.
Looking for answers, Sloane is taken off guard when sheriff Eric Stamos from Harrison County in Nevada shows up on her doorstep. He, too, is looking for answers regarding his father's death which occurred while his father was investigating the disappearance of Mr. and Mrs. Margolis along with their baby girl, Charlotte. Sloane and Eric quickly realize the power and influence the Margolis family have. When they agree to work together, they know their search could be dangerous, if not deadly.
Will they get the answers they seek? Or should they have left the past behind?
This book hooked me immediately and the action and suspense didn't let up! This was thrilling and engaging reminding me of just how brilliant Donlea is. I'm anxious to see what enthralling, twisty tale he creates next for readers!
This was definitely a 5 star read and one I would recommend to fellow mystery and thriller lovers! I had the privilege of both reading and listening to the book - both are available so make sure to go grab your copy!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Once again, Donlea writes characters the reader cares about and a plot that keeps the reader engaged the whole time. The attention to detail is one of Charlie Donlea’s greatest talents as a writer!

Dr. Sloan Hastings, who lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, just finished a clinical pathology residency and is entering a two-year program to become a medical examiner. During the first year of her training Sloan will be required to assist with autopsies and complete a research project. Sloan's project, assigned by program director Dr. Livia Cutty, is forensic and investigative genealogy.

Forensic and investigative genealogy works something like this: law enforcement officials send the DNA of an unknown perp (perhaps from a rape kit) to a national DNA database; if there's a hit, that person is related to the perp. This technique was used to catch the notorious Golden State Killer.

Twenty-nine-year-old Sloan has always known she was adopted, but never considered sending her DNA to a site like Ancestry.com to find her biological parents. As part of her research project, though, Sloan decides to send in her DNA, and the results are shocking. Sloan is actually Charlotte Margolis, who disappeared nearly three decades ago.

Sloan learns that her biological parents are Preston and Annabelle Margolis, who - along with their baby Charlotte - vanished from Cedar Creek, Nevada in 1995. Preston was the scion of Cedar Creek's VERY rich and powerful Margolis family, and the disappearance led to an extensive search and national publicity. However, no trace of the trio was found.....until now.

Once word gets out that Sloan is actually 'baby Charlotte', the press descends on Raleigh in droves. Someone else comes as well: Sheriff Eric Stamos of Cedar Creek, Nevada. The sheriff tells Sloan that the disappearance of her biological parents might be related to the (supposedly accidental) death of his father, Sandy Stamos, who was once sheriff of Cedar Creek. In 1995, Sheriff Sandy Stamos was investigating the hit-and-run death of Baker Jauncey, a partner in the Margolis Law Firm. A car belonging to Annabelle Margolis (Sloan's biological mother) was found near Baker's body, but Annabelle insists she was home that night. As it turns out, the circumstances of Baker's death are NOT what they seem, and Eric thinks his dad learned something that led to his murder.

To cut to the chase, Eric convinces Sloan to 'go west' to meet her Margolis family in Cedar Creek, Nevada. Once Sloan is accepted into the clan, she can do an undercover investigation into the disappearance of her biological parents AND the death of Sheriff Sandy Stamos. Sloan agrees, and takes a plane to Cedar Creek.

When Sloan arrives in Nevada, her biological grandparents and aunts and uncles make a 'welcome Charlotte' party, and Sloan is provided with a comfortable guest cottage for her visit. Sloan makes it her business to snoop around, and also secretly meets with Sheriff Eric Stamos, to further their joint inquiries.

The story alternates back and forth between the 1995 and the present, and surprising secrets are revealed in both timelines. I enjoyed this edge-of-your-seat suspense novel, which is well-plotted and well-written. Highly recommended to fans of thrillers.

Thanks to Netgalley, Charlie Donlea, and Kensington for a copy of the book.