The Girl Who Was Taken: A Gripping Psychological Thriller

4.4 | 37,367 ratings

Price: 8.24

Last update: 01-08-2025

About this item

The bestselling author of Twenty Years Later delivers a chilling thriller where nothing is at it seems and each reveal is more shocking than the last…right up to the jaw-dropping final twist.

“A gripping thriller that will blow readers away." –Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author on Don’t Believe It

“A superb storyteller.” —Robert Dugoni, New York Times bestselling author

Two abducted girls—one who returns, one who doesn’t.

The night they go missing, high school seniors Nicole Cutty and Megan McDonald are at a beach party in their small town of Emerson Bay, North Carolina. Police launch a massive search, but hope is almost lost—until Megan escapes from a bunker deep in the woods. . . . A year later, the bestselling account of her ordeal has made Megan a celebrity. It’s a triumphant story, except for one inconvenient detail: Nicole is still missing.

Nicole’s older sister, Livia, a fellow in forensic pathology, expects that one day soon Nicole’s body will be found and her sister’s fate determined. Instead, the first clue comes from another body—that of a young man connected to Nicole’s past. Livia reaches out to Megan to learn more about that fateful night. Other girls have disappeared, and she’s increasingly sure the cases are connected.

Megan knows more than she revealed in her book. Flashes of memory are pointing to something more monstrous than she described. And the deeper she and Livia dig, the more they realize that sometimes true terror lies in finding exactly what you’ve been looking for . . .

“A fast-moving page-turner. . . . Donlea skillfully maximizes suspense by juggling narrators and time all the way to the shocking final twists.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Well worth the read.”
—Booklist

“Donlea’s sophomore effort is solid. He keeps the reader guessing and second-guessing until the end, thanks to an expertly crafted abundance of potential suspects.”
—Library Journal

Top reviews from the United States

Book reader

Fantastic

Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2024

This story was very well written; the characters well defined and the story changes constantly. It was totally unpredictable. I loved the book

Debv

Pro and cons

Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2024

pros-The story is well written with good character development which keeps you guessing
Cons- characters were confusing at first
I kept a flow chart back of book. A clue kept you guessing but I guess its was meant to do that. The ending seriously? A little far fetched for me but people like surprise endings.

Amazon Customer

Page turner!

Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2024

Well written and fast paced, this book was spell binding. Twist after twist keeps you wondering who was the perpetrator. When finally revealed, it is shocking!

thrilling

Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2024

This book was really great it kept me wondering and wanting for more but the ending was a bit like a cliffhanger but other than that the book was amazing I would definitely recommend if you like stories that have plot twist. ????????????

carmen

WHY?

Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2023

This book may have actually been a four star read. It could possibly have been a five.
The writing was good and the story was even better.

But we’re all familiar with the old fable in which a kingdom is lost for the want of a horseshoe nail, right? The same concept applies to a book filled with small errors, throughout.

“She diverted her eyes from his…”

“She released the break and the car rolled…”

“Livia politely rebuked his offer…”

“It was a genuine startle, where nearly every bone in his body jerked…”

Being a grammar Nazi isn’t my bag, but misspellings and awkward descriptive words are jarring to the reader. The entire flow of the story grounds to a halt because we are forced to back up and reread the passage, (losing momentum and interest) attempting to correct these errors mentally.

Is “book editor” even a thing anymore? Even the major publishing houses are printing books that are an embarrassment to this country in terms of grammar and sentence construct.

I hate when a really good book, such as this one, is relegated to one or two stars, because the author was cheated of a decent book editor by their agent and their publishing house. You are better off hiring an English major at a nearby college to help with your manuscript, than allowing your work to be published by a company who doesn’t employ a good book and story editor.

Either that, or spend the rest of your writing days on Kindle Unlimited.

D.L.R.

Friends Forever

Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2024

This book was so suspenceful with twists and turns as each page was turned. I couldn't put it down. Great story and fabulous ending which I never suspected till then. Donlea is an amazing writer. He really knows how to tell a story. Excellent read!

LAngeloro

WOW! Very EXCELLENT!

Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2024

What a terrific thriller! It was difficult at times to keep up with everything happening at such a fast pace! Well written, characters well developed, the multiple plots split up and came together several times! No typo’s either - I’m a spelling and grammar editor type! Hard to find e-books that are well edited! Only maybe 3 words missing!! Great job Charlie! Kinda scares me a little that you could twist this so well - your dreams must be CRAZY!!! JK!

blaze

GREAT BOOK! Cliffhanger for ENDING so NOT GREAT!

Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2024

This was a great book, but I am so disappointed with the ending and endings are HUGE in my mind. I do not want to give it away other than, sorry, but you will not like the ending or it would have been 5 stars in my eye. I am warning because I love a good book, but when it doesn’t have a good ending, what is the point?

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The Girl Who Was Taken: A Gripping Psychological Thriller

About this item

From the Publisher

Top reviews from the United States

Best Sellers in

The Magic of Sea Glass: A dazzlingly heartwarming summer romance

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A Storm of Infinite Beauty: A Novel

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