Charlie Donlea gives us another great police procedural book with LONG TIME GONE. This story quickly hooked me and kept me entertained throughout. I loved reading about how DNA has helped solve crimes and how it impacted the characters in this story. The short chapters made for a plot that moved along quickly and overall I was happy with where the story went. I definitely recommend this one if police procedural type stories are of interest to you. The audiobook narration was great. The narrator did a wonderful job differentiating voices and performing the story in an entertaining way. I really liked this audiobook!

Sloan is training to become a medical pathologist to work in the morgue. She has been given an assignment to understand how DNA works and how you can catch a killer based on using your relatives' samples. In order to complete this assignment, she must submit her own DNA samples to the ancestry website. Sloan knows she is adopted, but she's not ready for the information she will come to find out about how she became to be adopted and what is in store for her next
Will this unfounded family be friends or foes. Will they accept her with open arms, or will she find herself wishing she had never submitted her DNA to the ancestry website

Almost three decades after a baby and her parents go missing in Nevada, forensic scientist Sloan Hastings discovers through DNA testing that she is that missing baby.

This mystery/thriller was fast paced and full of twists and turns that had me guessing until the end. My only complaint is that the audiobook narrator sounded a bit robotic at times.

4.5 stars.

This story kept me engaged and wanting answers all the way until the end. This was my first from this author and I'm very much looking forward to checking out more of his work. The characters were well written and I loved how the twists all came together. I received an audiobook copy via NetGalley and absolutely loved the narration.

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. I

Long Time Gone was my first novel by Charlie Donlea and it will not be my last! This novel caught my attention from the beginning and sustained it throughout! With great character development and an exciting plot line it was the perfect recipe for a gripping suspense novel. I look forward to reading more from Charlie Donlea!

The narration in this audio book was spot on and also added to my enjoyment of the storyline. The pacing and delivery was perfect!
This novel and audiobook is now available!
Thank you Net Galley, Charlie Donlea, RB Media for the opportunity to preview this title and the opinions shared are my own.

I’ll be honest. I was all about this until the extra hitch of the podcast was thrown in. Then it all just became frustrating and too much. It’s really too bad. The writing was good, and Sloane was an ok protagonist. She was smart and only made slightly silly choices as is the norm for the thriller genre.

In 1995, a couple and their infant daughter disappeared. They were from a rich family in Nevada and seemed to have disappeared without a trace. No one ever figures out what happens to them. Thirty years later, Dr. Sloan Hastings is participating in a fellowship in the medical examiners office in North Carolina. When DNA is submitted to a genealogy website, it links to the missing baby. How did the missing child end up being Sloan? And who was involved in her being adopted? And where are her birth parents. Sloan finds out that her mother was briefly a suspect in a murder and the local Sheriff's father (who was also the Sheriff) mysteriously died. Are these are related?

Long Time Gone follows Sloan's quest to find answers as to what happened to her parents and how she came to belong to her adoptive parents. This was my first Charlie Donlea book and it definitely won't be my last. This book was expertly plotted, with twists and turns that were expertly written. The characters were well developed. The actions scenes were well-written and the dialogue was really good. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I listened to the audio and the narrator was also fantastic. If you like a good mystery, I highly recommend this book. And if you're an audio book person, give this one a listen.

I received an ARC of the audio book from NetGalley and received no compensation in exchange for this review. The opinions contained herein are mine and mine alone.

LONG TIME GONE was wonderfully crafted, twisty, suspenseful, and held my attention from start to finish. True crime lovers will appreciate the use of genealogy/ancestry websites, and how it opens up a cold case that’s been sitting stagnant for thirty years! It really is amazing what we can uncover from DNA testing nowadays. I especially loved all of the family drama, secrets, lies, and rich people (allegedly) behaving badly. And oddly enough, I actually liked the majority of the characters in this novel! Ha! That doesn’t happen very often with thrillers. This was my first read from Donlea, but definitely won’t be my last. I’ve been hearing amazing things about TWENTY YEARS LATER, so I’ll probably read that one in the near future. Overall, LONG TIME GONE is a solid thriller, indeed!

Dr. Sloan submits her DNA to an online genealogy site for a research. She was adopted and hesitant to learn about her birth parents but what she uncovers is much more than what she bargained for. 30 years ago, she and her birth parents went missing and never heard of again. The website links her to the prominent family Margolis of Cedar Creek, Nevada. She embarks on a journey to discover what truly happened to her birth parents.

I enjoyed this book, the jaw dropping twists and turns of the book were such a great ride. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley, Charlie Donlea and RB Media for the ARC!

Out Now! Thank you to the publisher for the audio ARC via Netgalley!

This was good, but I'm an outlier with my rating for sure. There are tons of 4-5 stars for this and I think a lot of readers will love it.

For me it is a 3 star. One of the big reasons for this is the over-explanations and repetitiveness. Like, are we just trying to fill pages with words now? You can simply say Sloan loves to work out and do CrossFit. I don't need a multiple paragraph explanation of the exact form of a clean and jerk or how she moves the battle ropes.....just, no. ALSO it took me so far out of the story when Sloan asked all these stupid questions about film photography. Bitch, you are not THAT young, you know about film photos/ disposable cameras, all the girls around that time had them. (facepalms and eyerolls)

All that said -- I REALLY LIKED the backbone of this story: genealogy being used in forensics and crime solving! The explanations on that topic, fine -- it matters to the story. This got twisted and wild real quick towards the end. I liked most of this story but some things really just made me SMH so hard, lol.

There are lots of characters introduced and some of them are just a tiny plot driver; also some of them are seriously unlikable (I cannot get on board with the actions of that podcaster character, yuck). There were also a few plot points that didn't get resolved (like the FBI leak.... what ever came of that?)

I would recommend to readers that love:
-multi-timeline
-genealogy and family history
-decades old mystery
-descriptive writing

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC of Long Time Gone!
Let's dive right into this one, Sloane is currently in school to become a ME and her big assignment is a research project on how to use online genealogy forums to solve past crimes/ cold cases.
While Sloane has always known she's adopted she never looked too far into her birth family history as she had a wonderful upbringing, and its importance was not all that relevant. But when she uses her own DNA to create a genealogy profile for her project... it unfolds in front of her that she is the infamous Charolette Margolis who went missing with her parents back in 1995.
Now she gets involved with meeting her birth family and all unfolds of what happened to her parents back in 95. While I did feel I had the story figured out it did slightly change, and I was not entirely spot on. However aside from that this book was fast paced, high suspense, thrilling, gripping, and held my attention the whole time.
The audio was wonderful, and I binged thru this book so fast!
I 10/10 recommend this book to all whom are thriller lovers and have intertest in the science side of genetics!

Long Time Gone by Charlie Donlea and narrated by Vivienne Leheny is a gripping thriller that had me glued to my earbuds and shooing away real life until the very last minute

Vivienne Leheny brings the characters into your space and keeps you mesmerised, a perfect balance with Charlie Donlea's exceptional storytelling

Imagine you are about to start a 2 year fellowship on your road to becoming a forensic pathologist when a routine DNA test as part of your research turns out that you were the infant of a family that went missing nearly 30 years previously. But that is not all, the disappearance was national news due to the family name, a very famous and influential family name

Oh my life I adored this audiobook! The deception and intrigue of the Margolis family was so well written and I did not have a clue which way to turn. The slow burn with Eric is a tiny glimmer of the story, but still a high point. Sloans adopted parents were so sweet and Sloan herself, perfect. A heroine who is fitness focussed, but more about using her brain and not afraid to be real and down to earth

Fantastic!

Thank you to Netgalley, RB Media, the author Charlie Donlea and narrator Vivienne Leheny for this stunning ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

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.

Fantastic story! My second novel from Donlea and absolutely did not disappoint. One tiny cheek-swab for a mandated thesis setoff an atom bomb that destroyed the lives of many. I love how the story wrapped up, with the readers knowing what happened while the characters will forever be in the dark. Such a dramatic, gasp-out-loud tale.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for my advance copy of this audiobook

A sign of a good book is when you pick it up to read a few chapters … and then can’t put it down. Mr Donlea had me gripped from the very first page with his latest thriller. This is the third book I’ve read by him, and in my opinion, his best to date.

Told in duel timelines from the present to the past, we follow the story of the disappearance of baby Charlotte in 1995 to the present day. Sloan Hastings has begun a two year fellowship in training to be a forensic pathologist. Her first assignment is the study of genealogy and DNA. Donlea weaves an intricate and clever tale combining science, family dynamics and missing children tropes.

I like my thrillers twisty and full of suspense. Not only did this book deliver on those points (expertly IMO) but was also infused with a level of emotion and depth that I have come to expect from his books, elevating them into a richer, satisfying story.

An expertly crafted plot that had me at the edge of my seat, well developed characters that kept me invested and a suspenseful, fast paced narrative all make for a totally addictive read. Highly recommended.

Many thanks to @netgalley @kensingtonbooks for a complimentary ebook 💌
Huge thanks to #rbmedia for ALC 🎧 The narration by Vivienne Leheny was superbly executed and entertaining.

⛧Long Time Gone by Charlie Donlea - I've read a few of Charlie's books, and they always get 4-5 stars from me. This one was no different. I always enjoy family thrillers, and this one had a kidnapping/missing person element, so that made it even better. Writing was great, and so was the narrator.

This audiobook is narrated by Vivienne Leheny

•Thank you to @recordedbooks & @kensingtonbooks

Recently accepted into a prestigious fellowship program in forensic pathology, twenty-nine-year-old Dr. Sloan Hastings is assigned the topic of forensic genealogy as her research project. To enhance her knowledge and gain a better understanding of the field, she submits her DNA to a genealogy website. She has always known she was adopted but little did she know that the results of her DNA analysis would result in a shocking revelation about her real identity – a revelation that connects her to the mysterious disappearance of three members of an influential family in Cedar Creek, Nevada in 1995 - a young couple and their two-month-old daughter, Charlotte.

As Sloan embarks on a quest to find out more about the cold case, her biological family and the mysterious circumstances surrounding her adoption, she travels to Cedar Creek where she meets members of her biological family who are overwhelmed to be reunited with “Charlotte” after all these years. She finds an ally in the local Sheriff who has a personal interest in the cold case but finding out what happened to her biological parents after all these years won’t be easy and whatever information she does gather leaves her with more questions than answers. Complicating matters further is the media frenzy brought on by “Charlotte” being found and the fact that there are people who would resort to any means to prevent Sloan from discovering the truth.

The narrative is presented in dual timelines – the present day where we follow Sloan as she pursues her search for the truth and 1995, wherein the events that led to the disappearance of Charlotte and her parents are slowly revealed.

Charlie Donlea’s Long Time Gone is UNPUTDOWNABLE! It’s been a while since I found a thriller that kept me glued to the pages and I couldn’t be more pleased. With an intriguing premise with a solid mystery at its core, interesting characters and dual timelines that are equally absorbing and seamlessly woven into a fast-paced, suspenseful narrative – this book checks all the boxes!

I paired my reading with the audiobook narrated by Vivienne Leheny, which made for a riveting immersion reading experience. I finished this one in a single day!

This is my third time reading Charlie Donlea and I can’t wait to explore his backlist while I wait for his next book!

Many thanks to Kensington Books for the digital review copy and RB Media for the ALC via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I chose this suspense thriller for three reasons. One, because it is Charlie Donlea, two, because it involved forensics and three, the protagonist was adopted. The main character was researching the use of DNA to solve murders through tracking down relatives' DNA, a hot topic these days. It was suggested to her that she complete her own ancestry so that she had a better understanding of how it was done. This was complicated by the fact that she was adopted. Through her own study, she discovered startling circumstances around her adoption.
This is as much as I will say so as not to give away too much of the plot.
I think that because of my own personal connection to the topic, I was much more interested in that part of the story as well as the forensics (it is just fascinating to me) than in the whodunit aspect. However, it did keep me guessing. I think this was a good solid suspense novel and pretty much in line with Charlie Donlea's previous books, even though I think the DNA aspect was a bit different. It was an easy read which I can appreciate.
The narrator was good and did a fine job, with good diction and inflection. Thanks to NetGalley and to RB Media for providing me with this audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.

I received a complimentary copy of this book "Long Time Gone" and all opinions expressed are my own. I listened to the audio book. I did like Vivienne as the narrator. Overall the story was okay, some parts were predictable. So I need to give this 2 stars.