Dr. Sloan Hastings’ objective in submitting her DNA to an online genealogy site is to enhance her comprehension of the extensive genetic data present on ancestry websites. Sloan, a brilliant and ambitious individual, is starting a fellowship in forensic pathology with the renowned Dr. Livia Cutty.

One concern she has about participating in the experiment is that she’s adopted. She has never thought about finding her biological parents because she is grateful for her loving home. What she found during her search is shocking. Sloan’s DNA profile indicates she is actually Charlotte Margolis, also known as “Baby Charlotte”, who gained national attention after mysteriously vanishing with her parents in July 1995. Despite an extensive investigation, the family vanished without a trace, and no potential culprits were identified.

Sloan’s discovery points her towards Cedar Creek, Nevada, the place she disappeared from. In addition, Sheriff Eric Stamos becomes part of the equation. Eric believes that Sloan’s quest to uncover her past can also shed light on the mysterious death of his father, who began investigating her disappearance before meeting his untimely end.

The timeline shifts between Sloane’s investigation into her parents’ disappearance and Sheriff Sandy Stamos’ investigation into prior crimes. Charlie Donlea skilfully intertwines the past and present, gradually unveiling secrets that captivate readers. It had a distinctive storyline with fantastic, unexpected turns. I highly recommend this fantastic new thriller!

Many thanks to @CharlieDonlea @KensingtonBooks & @netgalley for a review copy

The internationally bestselling author, Charlie Donlea is back with his latest fascinating, complex thriller, LONG TIME GONE. DNA results reveal a connection to a mysterious baby's disappearance over thirty years ago, as the past and present collide— when a web of corruption, power, and lies are uncovered in this riveting new novel.

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

Bonus Highlight...
~The author brings back a favorite character from previous books, renowned Chief Medical Officer Dr. Livia Cutty from Raleigh, NC!

Topics...
~Forensic Genealogy
~DNA
~Cold Case

About...
~Raleigh, NC 2024
Sloan Hastings is beginning a two-year fellowship in forensic pathology under the renowned Dr. Livia Cutty. Her assignment is to look into the emerging field of forensic genealogy, and the first step is to submit her DNA to an online genealogy site.

Sloan has always known she was adopted and had a loving home and was never concerned about tracking down her biological parents. However, shockingly, she receives the results her DNA is apparently tied to a cold case.

Sloan was Charlotte Margolis, the famous Baby Charlotte who mysteriously vanished in July 1995 with affluent parents Preston and Annabelle Margolis!

She, along with her adoptive parents, contacted the authorities, which led them to the small town of Cedar Creek, Nevada, to the site of her disappearance. The Sheriff, Eric Stamos, is another mystery. Eric's father died under suspicious circumstances soon after he started investigating the case with the Margolis family.

Sloan uncovers some of her relatives and not everyone is happy about this discovery. There are hidden secrets, and Sloan and Eric are determined to uncover them. But some want to keep the secrets of the past buried. Sloan does find an ally in one of Charlotte's aunts, Nora, who married into the family and Eric. However, the cops, medical examiners, and prosecutors have a lot of power and control in Harrison County.

~The Past: 1995 Cedar Creek, Nevada to
~Bend, Oregon (past and present)
The author takes us from Cedar Creek, Nevada, in 2024 to 1995, when it all began with alternating dual timelines. Here, we learn more about the early investigation and more about the Margolis family when Charlotte and her parents went missing. The paths that lead Sloan and Eric to Margolis Manor back to Oregon to the vineyards for a showdown and the mysterious photos and human bones with the FBI's forensic anthropologist.

~The Present
We also have Ryder Hillier, the crime podcaster. The mystery fueled the true crime community and produced dozens of conspiracy theories. Who took the photos, and what were the motives?

In the satisfying wrap-up, we get Dr. Sloan Hastings' dissertation on how forensic genealogy allowed her to solve a thirty-year-old cold case—and the disappearance of her birth parents, Preston and Annabell Margolis. She would have no problem finding a spot on a homicide task force, or should she think bigger?

My thoughts...
Charlie Donlea hit LONG TIME GONE out of the park! I am fascinated by DNA and forensic genealogy! This book is reminiscent of Charlie's earlier books I enjoyed and loved catching up with Dr. Livia Cutty from NC! He is back in rare form. More of these, please!

The two timelines, past and present, will keep you turning the pages into the wee hours of the morning, with the twisty plot while you try and solve this gripping mystery of Charlotte and her biological parents as well as the Sherriff's dad. Engrossing! I loved how the past and present storylines came together. Sloan is a fascinating character, and I hope we see her in future books.

The author shines with his attention to detail and is a pro at forensics topics, and this is one of his best! I also enjoyed the metaphors and the hawk as they related to Sloan's path as she soared to new heights and self-discovery.

Donlea fans will devour LONG TIME GONE, which is one of my favorites since his SOME CHOOSE DARKNESS. An avid fan of the author, I have read all his books and highly recommend his latest!

Recs...
For Donlea fans and authors Lisa Gardner, Lisa Unger, and Megan Goldin.

Thanks to Kensington and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy for an honest opinion.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: May 21, 2024
My Rating: 5 Stars
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Long Time Gone is another great read by Charlie Donlea.
This was a good thriller. This book had me hooked from the start and I could not put it down. There was plenty of twist to keep things interesting and well developed characters. The story is suspenseful and twisty from the beginning to the end.

Thank You NetGalley and Publisher for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This author! I haven’t read a bad book yet and I have read all of his books! I am in love! This will be on my favorite book list of 2024! The twists by this author from the very beginning are unmatched! Cannot wait for more!

Sloan finds out she may be the long missing baby that disappeared 30 years ago when she does a DNA test for her new job. She is not expecting to get pulled in to an unsolved mystery case 30 decades old but when she reunites with her birth families remaining members that's exactly what happens. Everyone is a suspect as she tries to find out what happened to her parents and who could be to blame in this quick paced mystery that keeps you guessing right until the very end.

Charlie Donlea's Long Time Gone is riveting, suspenseful, and heartwarming all at the same time. Following along with Sloan Hastings, a future forensic pathologist studying under the iconic Livia Cutty, as she discovers a bombshell secret about her past was one wild ride. A DNA test submitted initially for her scholarly research turns out to open a can of worms when she learns that she is actually Baby Charlotte - a missing infant who disappeared with her parents 30 years ago. Talk about confusing! She knows she was adopted but finding out her true identity leaves her with more questions than answers. Can she trust her parents? Can she even trust the family members she was taken from? And what happened to her birth parents who vanished along with her all those years ago? Where are they?

This book would have absolutely been 5 stars for me if I hadn't guessed the ending. There weren't exactly that many characters in the suspect pool and the build up left enough breadcrumbs for me to figure out who must have been involved. However, that doesn't mean it wasn't brilliantly plotted, thrilling and engrossing. Up until the end it was really give and take on who I could trust. This book will keep you on your toes for sure and have you rooting for Sloan/Charlotte as she discovers the truth about what led to her own mind-blowing disappearance.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story that mixes the past and present times with surprising discoveries. It's interesting to learn how DNA might help find unknown relatives, killers and all sorts of people sometimes with pleasing results other times not so much. In Long Time Gone a paper due to obtain a degree unravels a widely published disappearance of a couple with a young child and there are rumours that this disappearance with connected with a hit and run. But there's much more than this, as the story uncovers the past of a powerful family and their sins. The story is easy to read, it's engaging, and keeps you hoping that the truth will be set free. Highly recommended!
I thank Mr. Donlea, his publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.

Wow, Charlie Donlea blew me away with this one! An incredibly well done mystery and tale of suspense, you won’t want to miss Long Time Gone.

Sloan Hastings is doing a research project about forensic genealogy when she submits her DNA to a site and finds herself in the middle of a massive story. Her DNA reveals that she is Baby Charlotte, who went missing as an infant along with her birth parents. As Sloan struggles to come to terms with who she is and gets to know the other members of her birth family, terrible secrets begin to be uncovered.

The breakneck pace and short chapters of this read had me absolutely flying through the pages, needing to find out what Sloan would learn next. It is the definition of a page turning, binge worthy read, and it didn’t let up until the final pages. I loved Sloan’s character, with her incredible mental and physical strength, and felt like I was right along for the ride with her.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I’ve read Charlie Donlea books and have enjoyed their quick pace and thriller plots. I was looking forward to Long Time Gone and appreciate receiving a DRC from Kensington Books in exchange for my honest opinion. And let me tell this was another winner of a book from Charlie!

I loved the plot of a doctor in her medical examiner residency discovering that she was a missing person along with her birth parents over 20 years ago. It made for an intriguing launch point and one that made me want to figure out was going on. The story’s ongoing twists also had me saying what the hell is going on?

Did I have to suspend belief at times? Yes. Did it get absolutely batty at the end? Well also yes. But did I fly through this book? You bet I did. It’s a perfect read for the beach or pool as you will be highly entertained and able to easily move in and out of the story. Just my kind of summer book.

Sloan Hastings is working toward being a forensic pathologist and has landed a highly sought fellowship in the field. Her dissertation topic is forensics in genealogy.

She submits her DNA to a site. She was hesitant because she was adopted and never sought out her history. But it could be good for her career to do this and her adoptive parents are supportive.

This definitely opens a can of worms. Secrets come out. Regarding her birth parents AND her adoptive parents.

The final reveal is shocking and well done! The audio was fantastic and this book had my attention from start to finish.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Kensington Books for an eARC and RB Media for an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely devoured this one. I’ve been sleeping on Charlie Donlea because I’ve now read two books from him and LOVED both book. Last year I read Those Empty Eyes and it was a five star read for me, and Long Time Gone was another riveting page turner.

We meet Sloan Hastings who is working towards becoming a forensic pathologist and is assigned to focus on forensic genealogy. In order to fully understand the science behind this field and how it used, Sloan submits her own DNA to a genealogy site. Sloan is adopted and has known this from a young age so she understands what she finds out will be a surprise to her and to her adoptive parents. However, no one expected for their entire world to be turned upside down. They learn that Sloan is actually baby Charlotte Margolis who was abducted along with her birth parents almost thirty years ago and this case has been cold until this discovery. Now Sloan wants answers, so she goes back to the place where it all started Cedar Creek, Nevada to meet her family and find out what happened to her parents the day they went missing and how she ended up in North Carolina with her adoptive parents.

I sat down with this book and I was absolutely hooked. I read this one in 24 hours and it is one that absolutely pulls you in and doesn’t let go. I loved the timeline jump between the past and present and enjoyed every minute of this one- even the wild ending.

I highly recommend grabbing this book and I can’t wait to go back and read his backlist.

Long Time Gone is another sprawling, multiple-POV thriller from Charlie Donlea that explores complicated secrets between its characters.

Sloan Hastings is just doing her job as a forensic genealogist when she discovers she is a genetic match for the famous baby Charlotte Margolis who went missing decades ago. Suddenly, her happy childhood memories all come into question. As she tries to stay ahead of the media picking up on her story, she heads to Nevada where her supposed family the Margolises live. They seem warm and welcoming, but they also feel like they don't want to answer all of the questions she is asking. What Sloan ends up discovering is more and more Margolis secrets.

This was a fun read and I enjoyed the premise of forensic genealogy since it has become even more relevant in true crime arenas. I guessed some of the reveals, but that didn't detract from the enjoyment of figuring it all out with Sloan.

The story had an interesting premise, starting off with some shocking DNA test results. I like the writing style of alternating timelines to unravel the mystery in present day by walking through the actual events in the past. It is well written, with a somewhat surprising ending.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read and review this book prior to publication.

This is a book you will not be able to put down! Love a good thriller and an addicting one! I will be reading more from this author!

Long Time Gone is a gripping, addictive, amazing, edge of your seat thriller that will have you flipping those pages until you get to the end. Once I started this one I was completely hooked, I couldn't stop, I needed to know. I was so immersed in this story. The amount of knowledge, research and detail that Donlea has put in this book is AMAZING.

I loved that we got to revisit characters from previous books, that was really fun, as you already have their background stories. Sloane was an amazing FMC so strong and resilient. I loved that I truly had no idea who the culprit was. The pacing and suspense in this book is constant, everything is revealed expertly and at the perfect time. Which makes for a great thrilling ride.

@charliedonlea is truly a master storyteller. I am completely OBSESSED ! There were multiple things happening, but never did I get confused, it was all perfectly done, the jumps from past to present were also very well indicated. The way he made all the storylines connect was just PERFECTION, I am absolutely in love with his writing style and his stories.

✨️ Thank you to @netgalley, @rbmedia, @kensingtonbooks & @charliedonlea for my gifted ALC & ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Overall this was a very enjoyable thriller! I love Charlie Donleas books and this one was great, a fast read! Overall kept me on my toes throughout the whole book.

Sloan Hastings’ life is turned upside down when she submits her DNA to a genealogy website and discovers she is the long lost daughter of Preston and Annabelle Margolis who vanished along with their infant daughter. She tries to put the pieces together of what happened and discovers there’s much more to the story than she initially thought.

I liked this story. It got my attention immediately and made me want to keep reading all the way through. A few aspects were a little far fetched and hard to believe for me though.

An expertly crafted tale layered with corruption, greed, and perseverance. The story centers around Sloan Hastings, a student completing a two-year fellowship to become a forensic pathologist. When her supervisor Dr. Cutty assigns her a research assignment in forensic genealogy, her world is shaken at the discovery that Sloan is Baby Charlotte, a kidnapped infant missing for almost thirty years. In an effort to under the mystery of what happened to her birth parents, she's drawn into the world of the corrupt Margolis family—her family. The way the puzzle unravels is masterful, and I'm praying for a sequel.

I loved this book! An entirely new author for me and I an excited to read moree by Charlie

Donlea! This one started off fast and the suspense never stopped. I was drawn in by the

author's easy to read style of writing. The story was interesting and didn't seem cheesy or

forced to set up some inevitable twist, The story unfolded well and the timing heightened the

drama and suspense. I absolutely adored the main character, Sloan. She was cool without

being pretentious or cliche. The character and story development were primo and I felt the

Story flowed well and kept me turning the pages. I was listening in the shower, reading in

Bed, anytime I had a chance, it was a great book to pull me out of a reading slump!!

Say "investigative genetic genealogy" to me and I'm in, and this twisty story uses that as its jumping off point, and then manages to get even wilder from there. With a past story and a connected present story, the tale of what happened to Baby Charlotte, her parents, and the powerful Margolis family was filled with twists and dedicated investigative work. A fast paced read that kept me invested.