Another fantastic novel by Charlie Donlea! I really like how diverse his books are: you can really tell that a lot of research goes into each new book. This one is no exception! I've been a fan of Mr. Donlea for a while and this one did not disappoint as well. Highly recommend!

Charlie Donlea’s "Long Time Gone" is a masterclass in suspense and intricate storytelling, earning a well-deserved five-star review for its compelling narrative and richly developed characters. This latest thriller showcases Donlea’s talent for crafting multi-layered mysteries that keep readers on the edge of their seats from start to finish.

The story follows forensic scientist Sloan Hastings as she embarks on a quest to uncover the truth about a decades-old disappearance in the small town of Cedar Creek, Nevada. What begins as an investigation into her own murky past quickly spirals into a deeper exploration of the powerful and enigmatic Margolis family. As Sloan digs into the family’s secrets, she forms an uneasy alliance with Sheriff Eric Stamos, whose father’s suspicious death may be linked to the same dark forces surrounding Sloan’s disappearance.

Charlie Donlea has once again proven his mastery of the genre, delivering a story that is as thought-provoking as it is thrilling. With its compelling characters, intricate plot, and atmospheric setting, this novel is sure to leave a lasting impression on readers.

Thanks to The Publisher, Net Galley & Charlie Donlea for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, “Long Time Gone,” by Charlie Donlea, was truly a great thriller! It was exactly the type of story I had been looking for. It follows Dr. Sloan Hastings who submits her DNA to a genealogy website in order to fulfill a research assignment. She is reluctant to do this because she is adopted and knows little to nothing about her birth parents. Well, she was certainly justified in her apprehension. When her results come back, she discovers she is really Charlotte Margolis, or better known as Baby Charlotte, who with her parents disappeared in July of 1995. She soon finds herself in the middle of a true crime mystery and as the summer passes by, she discovers more and more about what really happened on the day that she and her parents disappeared.

I loved this book. I was instantly taken in with the whole genealogy plot. I find all of that fascinating, especially since it’s been helping solve decades old murder cases. I think the author did a fantastic job of explaining on how all of that stuff works and utilizing it to develop a really compelling tale. There was only one small part of the book that I found a little far fetched but it ultimately did not detract from the story for me. I also really enjoyed the narrator, Vivienne Leheny. She was very good and made listening to the book entertaining. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good thriller. It really checked all of the boxes for me.

I really enjoyed this book!

You are brought right into the action from the first page, and I always love a book that pulls you in like that. The premise of DNA genealogy being the answer to questions Sloan didn't know existed felt fresh and new. The character of Sloan was so well written. You see her as strong and tough, willing to do what needs to be done, even when she's discovering earth shattering news about herself the entire journey.

I wasn't blown away with the twist, but I also didn't feel like I needed to be. This is a story that unfolds piece by piece until you get to the end and you see the whole picture. And it was done so well!

Highly recommend this book!

LONG TIME GONE is a riveting story from start to finish. I've always found genealogy interesting and if you do too, you'll like this story. The story follows the main character, Sloane, during her search to find out who her parents were. She uncovers the truth and solves a cold case from 30 years ago. Once you start, you'll have a hard time putting it down. I can highly recommend adding this one to your TBR list!

Many thanks to NetGalley and RB Media for my gifted ALC.

This review will be shared to my Instagram (@coffee.break.book.reviews) close to the pub date.

I liked this book. I thought it was a great premise. I really enjoy this author and how his books are always so intricately woven.

For me this one was a little drawn out and repetitive at parts. But it still held my attention and I wanted to know how the mystery was solved. I was a little surprised with the conclusion but one piece seemed a little obvious. I think ultimately it was a good read but it could have done with some editing of the repetitive parts to shorten it.

The narrator did excellent and was great to listen to.

Once I started listening I couldn’t stop!
The excitement and drama begins in the very first chapter and is prevalent throughout the entire book.
I love that this book didn’t start with a ton of boring background information but instead provided little background details along the way.
The characters were well developed and his writing style made it easy for the reader to keep track of the many different characters in the book.
The plot is unique and captivating, covering the subject matter of genealogy databases through sites like 23-and me. It leaves the reader wondering what other information can be discovered through these sites.
I will definitely be recommending this intriguing, well-written book to anyone looking for an fast-paced read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was my first Charlie Donlea novel, and I was so excited when I got approved to listen to the audiobook because I have heard such amazing things about this author. When reading the synopsis, I was immediately hooked. Mysteries involving DNA through genealogy is beyond interesting to me, and you can tell that the author did his homework when writing this book. I can say that I did enjoy this book throughout, but I found the ending to be simply a bit silly. I even guessed the "twist" but thought there was no way that it would actually happen that way, because it is truly such a goofy ending. I can't say this was my favorite book, but I do look forward to reading more by Charlie Donlea. His writing style, the short chapters, and the detailed writing is something I enjoyed; however, this book tended to be a bit repetitive and slow.

Dr. Sloan Hastings is a pathologist who is about to begin a fellowship in forensic pathology. She is assigned a project on genealogy and how it relates to forensic science. A colleague suggests she submits her DNA to a an ancestry website, and she is shocked to learn she and her biological parents have been missing for 30 years.

I was instantly hooked on this book. I love the premise being surprises in people’s ancestry. Sloan was a great MC and I would love to read more books about her as she continues her studies and starts her career.

Knocked a star off for a couple of unbelievable things in the end, but other than that I was completely absorbed in this book and couldn’t wait to figure out what had happened.

Really enjoyed the audiobook, the narrator did a great job with all of the voices.

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for the advanced copies in exchange for my honest review.

Long Time Coming had everything I want in a thriller! It had science, secrets of powerful families, revenge, cover up, true crime, podcasts, influence of media, adventure, the coolest women sleuth (Sloan), twists where you don’t know who to trust. I loved every second of this book! It was perfectly paced. At moments in this book the only thing I could think was how Murdaugh coded a few details were. IYKYK.

Dr. Sloan Hastings is in one of her last years of her education to become a forensic pathologist (which is so cool) and she has to do a research project. The topic she was given was, DNA testing and how these genealogy sites are now comparing DNA and finding who committed crimes in the past. Because she’s a bad ass and dedicated to her education she dives right in and gets in contact with other people in this field. It is recommended that she gives her DNA to go through the process for herself. However, Sloan was adopted 30 years ago and knows nothing about her birth family. Which she’s hesitant to learn about. This is where the story starts, you don’t need to know anything else other than it’s so good.

I received the audio book from NetGalley. The narrator was fantastic!! She brought every character and this story to life.

I recommend this to anyone who loves a good fun thriller. This book was so refreshing and different compared to the past 100 thrillers I’ve read. I hope there is a book two where Slone starts to solve crimes in general!!

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for an arc of Long Time Coming by Charlie Donlea!

Long Time Gone
By Charlie Donlea
Read by Vivienne Leheny

I dislike prologues.
I dislike random chapters in books that convey what WILL happen.
I dislike the killer's pov taking up a large portion of the story, carefully ambiguous so as not to give you a clue about who it is.
I can tell you, with 96% success, I have entirely skipped these portions and NEVER MISSED A THING.
Try it. You'll thank me unless you just like listening to words.

I was ensnared by chapter four. But then it all went wrong. Literally every event was recounted like 5 times. By chapter 50, precisely three things had happened. Half of the book was devoted to three things happening.
They each deserved a chapter. By my math, that's THREE chapters. So we have FIFTY chapters out of THREE.
Just a note: in 1995 there weren't pocket sized cell phones available to the general public, if anywhere. My dad was a trucker and he had a CB radio and nothing else. There were car phones that came next, with huge antennaes that mounted with strong magnets to the top of your vehicle to be sure you could reach the teeny tiny signal that was projecting somewhere far off IF you were fortunate. Do some simple fact checking, guys.
And another note: the Audi didn't become the "it" vehicle until some time in the past 10-15 years in the US.
Another note (because I'm a nit picker...gross,why do people SAY that?) hawks screech, cry, call, and make odd "cak-cak" sounds. What they do not do is "crow".
There's quite a lot of re-hashing. It gets a little tedious hearing the events recounted when the protagonist is explaining the situation to other people. It would be more conducive to just write "she/he filled them in on what she/he knew/experienced" rather than going through it over and over in a blow by blow. It turns into filler or what I call "word carbs".
*The term is "bald faced liar" rather than "BOLD faced". Just sayin'.
Sloan is ridiculously slow on the uptake ("35 mm? Develop pictures? Dark ROOM? Yes, Sloan, to develop photos in the 90s, we had to actually go into a DARK ROOM-literally.)
I was born in the 70s and I wasn't aware of what life was like back then, but when I was in my 20s, I had read things (Like BOOKS, Sloan! Imagine!) that taught me things ABOUT the 70s because I didn't think life began when I was old enough to remember it. It's like the woman thought digital cameras always existed, sheesh! She's a freakin' DOCTOR!
There was nearly an entire chapter devoted to the explanations to Sloan of things my kids learned from a Nancy Drew game! (Back in the olden days, Sloan, we had actual DISCS we had to put in the computer-on an actual DESK!) It grew tiresome listening to the wonder Sloan got from watching her face appear like magic on film.
It was time to speed it up to double time.
Listening to the podcast stalker's pov was absolutely painful. Skip it, trust me.
At least 5 solid minutes listening (several times) to Sloan's entire workout routine. Including water consumption and the wiping of sweat.
Just.
Please.
8 hours of my life I'm never getting back.

Charlie Donlea is a master storyteller. He can weave together a storyline so that the reader is riveted by every word. I especially enjoyed this because much like Sloan I also was adopted and discovered my birth parents through an Ancestry test. Because of this I really appreciated the way in which Donlea handled it with care and understanding for all those involved. I, also, appreciate that there was no ‘love’ story. I’ve gotten to where the inclusion of a contrived ‘love match’ really distracts rather than adds to a storyline. Men and women can work closely together without becoming romantically involved. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Audio narration wasn't my favorite, but the story made up for it.

Another winner of a novel and one I have no problem recommending.

***ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Listened at 1.5 speed.

Absorbing mystery thriller dealing with a young woman’s search to uncover her past.

Sloan Hastings, a 29-year-old forensic pathology fellow on the way to becoming a medical examiner, was adopted when she was 4 months old. Raised by her wonderful dentist parents, she’s a bit loath to submit a DNA sample to a genealogy site despite her research assignment. When the results come back, she’s shocked to discover that she is Baby Charlotte Margolis. Apparently, she and her birth parents had disappeared almost 30 years prior, but she somehow ended up with a private adoption agency. The family disappearance has been a cold case now for years after the powerful Margolis family closed ranks when no answers were found and the sheriff who was investigating was found dead. Now Sloan/Charlotte wants to know what happened to her birth parents and decides to travel to the Margolis family home in Nevada. She’s welcomed by the family but her questions just lead to further intrigue. She isn’t sure who can be trusted but can’t let it go.

This was entertaining with a good plot even though it was a bit predictable and most will be able to discern the good guys from the baddies. There were some coincidences and convenient happenings that will require suspension of disbelief, but overall it was an easy read. A few things that bothered me (the whole camera and picture thing for one) but I am not going to belabor that and the boring CrossFit details.

I was able to listen to the audiobook and follow along with the ARC e-book as both were provided by the publishers. The narrator did a good job with all the voices though often I have found that all the males sound alike. She also had to do a few accents that helped to differentiate the characters.

I have read every Charlie Donlea book that has been published to my knowledge. I have enjoyed all of them. Long Time Gone ranks up there with his best. I couldn't believe how fast I tore through it. While it is not quite as unique as Twenty Years Later, it is just as addictive. I just checked myself and verified I have never given a Charlie Donlea novel less than 4 stars. That is really rare for me. He is just a must-read thriller author for me. I would recommend him to any of my like-minded friends. None of his books are too formulaic or predictable. He's just good at what he writes!

In this one, I loved the forensic aspect of it and how the use of commercial DNA testing played a part in the story. It also asked the reader to think about the ethics of these companies participating with law enforcement without patient consent, a subject that is coming more to the forefront in social issues in the real world. The book doesn't try to answer it, but by simply asking the question, it makes the reader think about it.

An up-and-coming medical examiner learns her own project turns out to be related to a nearly 30-year-old mystery of a family's disappearance. Soon she is embroiled in a family drama as well as a murder mystery of her own. I loved how her relationship and upbringing with her adoptive parents was portrayed. It really was a point of view many books go the opposite, negative direction on. I loved that the book had funny moments to lighten the heavy ones. Overall, Long Time Gone is one of my favorites by the author and I can't wait to see what he comes up with next.

Sloan Hastings is working on a fellowship and assigned the task of researching forensic genealogy. Knowing she's adopted she's hesitant to use her DNA to sign up for an online genealogy site to further her research. With her adoptive parents blessing she signs up only to find out that she is a missing baby from Cedar Creek, Nevada. As she comes to terms with her new found knowledge of her birth family, the local sheriff detective reaches out for her help. His father's death by apparent drug overdose and drowning doesn't ring true and he suspects it's linked with Sloan's disappearance. Sloan travels to Cedar Creek to meet her family and help get background information on her parent's disappearance. But as she meets family, she uncovers dangerous family secrets

This was a great read! Charlie Donlea did a great job of tie past and present together to lay out a fabulous mystery. I was hooked from the start, and had to know how baby Charlotte ended up adopted and researching her own disappearance.

4.5⭐
Genre ~ psychological thriller
Setting ~ North Carolina & Nevada
Publication date ~ May 21, 2024
Page Count ~ 379 (p+ 77 chapters)
Audio length ~ 9 hours 19 minutes
Narrator ~ Vivienne Leheny
POV ~ multiple 3rd
Featuring ~ 6 part story, dual timeline ~ past and present

Sloan is adopted and has never wanted to find her birth parents. As part of her research assignment she takes a DNA test. The results are unbelievable and set forth a roller coaster of a ride as we try to piece together how Sloan was once known as Baby Charlotte.

Eric is the sheriff in Nevada trying to get answers about his father, Sandy’s, death 30 years ago. Sloan just might be able to help him get the answers and closure he needs. I don't love romance in my thrillers, but I was actually hoping for a little with these two.

In the past we hear from Sandy and learn more about the early investigation into the Margolis family when Charlotte and her parents went missing. In the present we have a true crime podcaster, Ryder, that is annoyingly helpful.

The dual timelines and multiple POV’s were very easy to follow along with and totally built up the suspense nicely. I was on the edge of my seat throughout waiting to see how Baby Charlotte ended up being Sloan and I was not disappointed. A little implausible with how the pictures came about, but overall this was an utterly shocking and grippingly gripping read.

I was lucky enough to have both the ebook and an audio copy. Both ways worked perfectly well.
Narration notes:
Vivienne did a fabulous job giving each character a distinct voice.

Charlie Donlea does it again with “Long Time Gone.” This book is full of all the twist, turns and shocks I didn’t see coming just like the authors previous reads. Thank you to NetGalley the RB Media for this advanced copy of the audio book. I couldn’t stop listening and needed to know what happened next. It was captivated and cried at times because I was so invested in the story.

I was pulled right in to Dr. Sloane Hasting’s compelling story. As an avid Charlie Donlea reader I enjoyed that Slone is working under Dr. Livia Cutty. Dr. Cutty gave Sloane an assignment on geneology that sent her and us readers on a wild ride. Baby Charlotte and her parents disappeared almost 30 years ago. A rich family, multiple murders and mystery.

This book does flip from different times and POV’s. I found it easy to follow along because the various characters let the reader know which timeline they were on and adding to the story thread. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time and highly recommend this enjoyable thriller.

Dr. Sloane Hastings is working on becoming a medical examiner and as part of an assignment, she needs to do some DNA tests but out of respect to her parents who adopted her, she tells them first. They are fully supportive of her and have told her all they know about her birth mother. However, the results come back with some totally unexpected results. She finds out that she is actually a missing baby of missing parents. This sends her another investigation that is totally different than what she had planned. She is the Trojan Horse sent into the family of her missing parents and much will be uncovered.

I can count on Charlie Donlea to deliver a great story and this one definitely did not disappoint. Highly recommend this one that I paired the book with the audio for an immersive dive into Sloane's story.

My thanks to Net Galley, Kensington Publishing, and Recorded Books for advanced copies of this e-book and audiobook.

What a propulsive thriller, you won't want to put it down! I loved the story of this novel. Can't wait for the next from Charlisle Donlea!

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.

4.5/5 stars, rounded up

Thank you Recorded Books Media for the advanced listening copy!

SYNOPSIS -- Dr. Sloan Hastings is thrilled to work until her idol: the renowned Dr. Livia Cutty. When assigned a project on forensic genealogy, Sloan decides to submit her own DNA to an online genealogy site to gather more research into the process, despite having some reservations due to being adopted. Sloan finds not only her birth family, but a huge mystery: Sloan, aka Charlotte Margolis, disappeared with her parents in July 1995 and was never seen again. After connecting with Sheriff Eric Stamos and her birth family, Sloan uncovers a million questions that echo those unanswered from the last nearly 30 years.

This story truly hooked me from the very beginning! First of all, this was great on audio and Vivienne Leheny did a fantastic job giving voice to a number of characters. It can be challenging to follow so many characters, especially with told from anything other than first person, but I followed this super clearly, with only 1 or 2 moments of "wait who is talking again?"

LONG TIME GONE was a really unique and interesting story. There wasn't any unnecessary drama where I was expecting it, and the side characters/story arcs were well-woven into the overall mystery. I do think the guilty party was slightly predictable but the route there certainly was anything but, and kept me on the edge of my seat start to finish. There was a ton of complexity to the plot line and watching it all unfold was extremely entertaining. My only real complaint is like... we get it, she does CrossFit (LOL). Other than that, this was great, fast-paced and I couldn't put it down!

This was my first by Charlie Donlea and I definitely want to read more!