When a DNA project leads Sloan to discover she's a missing child, her world is rocked. And not just any missing child, she's Baby Charlotte - - a high profile case from thirty years ago. Charlotte Margolis and her parents disappeared and haven't been seen since. Now Sloan who was adopted as an infant finds that she had initially been kidnapped and her birth parents are still missing.

Sloan is quickly pulled into the orbit of the Margolis family as they are wealthy and powerful. Also, the press finds out her identity and begin following her mercilessly. Meanwhile, Sloan is working with others in an attempt to understand how she vanished and where her birth parents might be. As she is pulled back to the town she's initially from, other mysteries begin to surface. She meets the sheriff who is the son of the previous sheriff who died mysteriously. And that's just the beginning of the strange circumstances that they begin to uncover.

Charlie Donlea has such a knack for writing great mystery thrillers so I was thrilled when I had the opportunity to read this one early. Then I also received an early copy of the audiobook and my world was truly complete. LOL. Maybe a slight exaggeration, but I was pretty darned excited.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: The audio was absolutely wonderful. The narration was really spot on and fit the characters. I enjoyed listening to it immensely. 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for early copies of both the ebook and audiobook.

Loved it. It was fast paced and kept my interest. The characters were well written and I loved Sloane. I loved that it was a time jumper. There were no lingering plot holes or questions left unanswered.

Reading Between the Wines book review #41/130 for 2024:
Rating: 4 🍷 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book: Long Time Gone
Author: Charlie Donlea
Available now!

Sipping thoughts: I love it when books can reflect things that are happening or have recently happened like DNA solved mysteries. I love how Donlea writes and every book that I have read by him makes me wish it was a series. I could see Dr. Livia Cutty as a Chief Medical Officer in future books. There were not many characters in this book so it seems as if the reader will guess the guilty party. While this may be true, there are so many elements to the reveal and what happens after. I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait for his next release.

Cheers and thank you to @KensingtonBooks and @Netgalley for an advanced copy of @LongTimeGone.

#LongTimeGone #CharlieDonlea #KensingtonBooks #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

This is my fifth Charlie Donlea book and it did not disappoint! I love that he has dual timelines, always helps tell a great story. Highly recommend!

I got This a few days ago and sped through it. Always a sign of a good book in my opinion!

Sloan Hasting is starting a special fellowship program with Dr. Livia Cutty, Chief Medical Officer where she will realize her goal of being a forensic pathologist in 2 years. Her assignment for her dissertation project is DNA in criminal investigations and pathology. Because she is not familiar with the area, she submits her DNA to a genealogy website for analysis. To her surprise, she comes up as "Baby Charlotte" the child of a wealthy couple who went missing 30 years ago.
This book grabbed me from the start. I have studied my ancestry, and come up with my own family secrets - although nothing like Sloan discovered. This case brought her down roads which she never dreamed existed and the author wove a tale which was believable and sad.
When Sloan decided to go to the town where the Margolis family lived, she intended to meet her aunt, but along the way managed to meet her family and become involved in another cold case and all the media attention surrounding her own case.
The plot was well developed. The twist was unexpected, but realistic. The characters were realistic, some helpful, others admittedly guilty, some resentful of her intrusion. The media involvement was so contemporary - camping out near her rental property, hounding her for an interview, speculating what happened...
This is the first book that I have read by this author but I will certainly look for more. I highly recommend it for an imaginative, up to the minute story. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Kensington Press and am expressing my opinions voluntarily.

Can Charlie Donlea write a bad book? The answer is no. Every book I’ve read has been fantastic. And this is his best one yet! Hooked, absolutely hooked, from the very beginning and I binged the last 60% of this book. I had to know what was happening! I did end up guessing part of it, but it didn’t take away from the experience at all. I love the multiple points of view, short chapters and past/present perspective. I also love how Charlie Donlea sprinkles in characters from previous work into his writing. It’s fun to recognize a name and piece it together.

If you haven’t read this one yet, add it to your TBR immediately. This will be one of my top books this year. Loved it!

Thank you NetGalley, Charlie Donlea, and Kensington Books for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

** I received this book as an arc through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

Sloan Hastings, an elite fellow under Chief Medical Officer Dr. Livia Cutty, embarks on a forensic genealogy research project and submits her DNA to an online genealogy site. Raised by adoptive parents, Sloan is shocked to discover she is Charlotte Margolis, a child who vanished with her parents in 1995. As she investigates her past, she travels to Cedar Creek, Nevada, where the Margolis family holds significant power and influence. Sloan's search uncovers deeply buried family secrets, and she realizes someone is determined to keep the truth hidden at any cost.

Overall rating: 4.6/5

Ratings:
1. **Plot and Storytelling:** 5/5 I found this book to be very well-plotted and excellently told. I enjoyed it from the very beginning, and it was richly detailed enough to draw me into the world without being overwhelming.

2. **Characterization:** 4/5 The characters were mostly believable. Although the female main character didn’t show a lot of growth, her imperfections made her more relatable. The book was more plot-driven than character-driven.

3. **Writing Style:** 5/5 I love Charlie Donlea’s writing style. Each of his books seems to get better. He tells an excellent story with good twists and excellent pacing, without any major plot holes.

4. **Originality:** 4/5 While the themes of a missing child and a secretive rich family are common in the thriller genre, this book felt unique compared to anything I’ve read before.

5. **Emotional Impact and Resolution:** 5/5 This book had me hooked from the very beginning. It resonated emotionally, kept me intrigued, and on the edge of my seat. The resolution wrapped up well and even left room for a potential sequel without detracting from this book.

What I love about Charlie Donlea's books is his use of forensics! I've read three books by him and this is my favorite so far. This book had me on the edge of my seat and that ending! Wild!

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart


Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

4.5 hearts

I loved the setup of the main character, her career and family. The world building was handled well. Sloan is an only, adopted child of two dentists. She has gone into medicine focusing on forensic pathology. She has qualified for a prestigious 2 year training program. In addition to autopsies, all the students are given a project for the first year. Sloan's project is about DNA in criminal investigations and pathology. To learn more about DNA, she submits her own DNA and finds out about her biological family.

Sloan is smart and capable. She is also lucky that the first family member to reach out to her is Nora, who would be her aunt in law. Nora, like Sloan's mother, married into the family and was kind to her mother. Now she is supportive of Sloan getting to know her and the family.

It becomes clear that after 30 years, it is likely something bad happened to her parents. The local sheriff, Eric, gets her input because his father died about the same time as her parents disappeared. His grandfather always believed he was murdered. As evidence is collected, Eric and Sloan get closer to the truth. Sloan's skills help her to read autopsy reports and she gets fresh opinions from the head of her program.

Everyone from that time who knew anything seems to be dead, so you would think Eric and Sloan would be more keenly aware of the danger of digging into the cases. Eric knows it is dangerous around the family but doesn't really think his father was murdered. Sloan learns the downsides quickly and escapes with the family to avoid the press.

It's a wild and dangerous place to examine the past. I loved how Sloan dug for the truth, no matter the consequences. I hope we haven't seen the last of Sloan. We got a peek of Avery Mason (from another book) who interviewed Sloan. Long Time Gone is a stand alone. I enjoyed the science aspects and how the mystery unraveled. There were a few flashbacks to the time when her parents and Eric's father died.

Charlie Donlea has been a hit or miss author for me, and this book has both as the first half gripped me by the throat but I felt the second half fell rather flat. We are introduced to Sloan who studies to be a pathologist and for one of her assignments, she submits her DNA to an ancestry website, which is the start of a frenetic search for the truth about what happened to her biological parents. This part of the story was riveting, original and engaging. The dual timeline worked perfectly to give us insights of what happened when Sloan was a baby and how the actions of thirty years ago still had repercussions today. It also was a perfect setting for some escapism. Who wouldn't want to find out that their birth family are a dynasty with their own vineyard, right?

But halfway, the characters and their observations and feelings make way for an action packed thrill ride, complete with a somersault over the top ending. Sloan, who is a doctor already, suddenly needs things explained to her as if she were a five years old, and the descriptions of her working out become repetitive. I could most certainly see this book become a good movie, as it has that visual narrative about it.

Will I read the next book by this author? Absolutely, because he has proven over and over again that he is a great storyteller. I just hope that he will take the time to finish it with as much gusto as some of his previous books.

Thank you NetGalley, Kensington Books and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review, it is much appreciated !

Wow this was so good!! It kept me guessing and everytime I thought I had it figured out I was wrong. This was so full of twists, I couldn’t help but devour it!

Long Time Gone is an engaging and captivating story about family secrets. It was intense and gripping from the start. I enjoy the writing style and the dual timeline (which involves more character in the case). The story took an unexpected turn, and although it was quite obvious who's the responsible one, it didn't take away my enjoyment.

I previously enjoyed Those Empty Eyes so I was really excited for this one and I ended up really enjoying it. The different POVs/timelines were interesting and I liked how pieces of the story were revealed and how it all came together in the end! It was fast-paced, especially with the short chapters, and I did not want to put it down!

"Long Time Gone proved to be an engaging and captivating read that kept me glued to its pages until the very end. In a single sitting, I devoured Sloan Hastings' journey as she embarks on her path to becoming a forensics pathologist. The story takes an unexpected turn when Sloan decides to submit her DNA for a project, only to discover that she is a long-lost child, separated from her parents thirty years ago. The suspense and intricately woven plot twists in this book are not to be missed. I highly recommend adding it to your must-read list!"

Thank you to Net Galley and Kensington Books for an advanced copy for me to read and review.

This was an excellent audiobook with a great narrator. It had really good pacing.

Donlea does a really nice job of weaving a story together and keeping me interested from start to finish. The pacing was spot on.

The characters were so fun to root for and the villains were just so…villainy.

I also enjoy how there are real life references to true crime in his books. In this particular book he talks about the Golden State Killer and the advances in DNA that led to his arrest and conviction.

Another thing you can count on with this author is people getting what they deserve. That’s why the conclusions to his books are so satisfying.

Just like his prior books, this one would make a great movie.

This was my 3rd book by this author, and I can’t wait to read more in the future, his writing is consistently good. Def achieved auto-buy status for me.

This was my first Charlie Donlea book, and I enjoyed the story, but it wasn't till the end that I really felt any tension. Sloan/Charlotte was an interesting character, and her story was definitely original. The ending had aspects that were a bit much to swallow, however. All in all it was an entertaining story.

I received an ARC for free and gave my honest opinion voluntarily.

Sloan Hasting, studying forensics pathology has a research assignment focusing on online genealogy. When submitting her own DNA she is shocked to find out she’s baby Charlotte who went missing 30 years prior. Though she always knew she adopted she could not imagine she had disappeared along with her parents in 1995. This brings about an investigation into what happened to Sloan and her parents so many years ago.

As a fan of some of @charliedonlea previous work this book did not disappoint!! I enjoyed his writing style and how the story was told from present and past perspectives as the story unfolds. The book was very detailed with the DNA and genealogy terminology which seemed to drag at times. However, I was intrigued at least 80% of the book. I did have some idea of the plot but the way it was revealed was enjoyable. The only disappointment was to discover how and what happened to Sloans birth mother. Like lady why couldn’t you just follow directions for one more hour 😒🫠

Pub date was May21st so if you enjoy a good slow burn thriller this is a good one!! Thank you @netgalley and @kensingtonbooks for the an ARC of this book!

This is my second Charlie Donlea novel and the premise was just as riveting as the first book I read. I like the idea of cold cases and past and present timelines as the reader races through the chapters to put the pieces together. The author is a master of suspense and builds anticipation incredibly well without giving away any leads. I will say that when the big reveal occurs though, the air comes out of the balloon incredibly quickly. Literally both books I read the twist and ending happen in a handful of pages.

Sloan Hastings has always known she was adopted and decides to submit her DNA on a genealogy website. What she doesn’t anticipate is her DNA links her to a thirty-year-old cold case. Not only has it never been solved but she is the missing key in possibly finding the perpetrator.

When the local Sheriff requests her help, Sloan returns to her familial home and is seemingly embraced by lost family members. But this family is powerful and may have some very dark secrets to hide. Sloan finds herself in a precarious situation as she races to solve the disappearance of her parents and also avoid the press who are trying to exploit her story. Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for allowing me to read this novel in exchange for my honest review.

crime-thriller, multiple-perspectives, psychological, suspense, mysteries, secrets, families, family-dynamics, family-history, unputdownable, DNA, dishonest-business-practices, dishonest-people, entanglements, multiple-timeline*****

Terrible book to stick my nose into because I just couldn't get it unstuck until the wee hours!
The publisher's blurb is well done and I'd be afraid to do a spoiler if I tried to add anything to it.
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you

This is the first book by this author I have ever read. I love discovering new authors and this one is definitely one I won’t forget. I enjoyed how this story unfolded.

Sloan is a forensic trainee and her project for the year is genetic information that has solved cold cases. To better understand her project, Sloan submits her DNA to an ancestry website. Sloan knew she was adopted but she had no idea she was stolen!

When Sloan discovers her history she immediately reaches out to her adoptive parents and then she has to get the FBI involved. This leads to her finding her birth family. And boy…they are a piece of work!

This is a tale full of family secrets, family drama and pure lies!

The narrator, Vivienne Leheny, did a fabulous job. I will be on the lookout for her!

Need a good story which may have you questioning your DNA…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.