The Taken Ones: A Novel (Steinbeck and Reed Book 1)

4.5 | 11,021 ratings

Price: 4.99

Last update: 12-31-2024

About this item

Two girls vanished. A woman buried alive. Between two crimes lie decades of secrets yet to be unearthed in a pulse-pounding novel by the Edgar Award–nominated author of Unspeakable Things.

Summer 1980: Despite the local superstition that the Bendy Man haunts the woods, three girls go into a Minnesota forest. Only one comes out, dead silent, her memory gone. The mystery of the Taken Ones captures the nation.

Summer 2022: Cold case detective Van Reed and forensic scientist Harry Steinbeck are assigned a disturbing homicide—a woman buried alive, clutching a heart charm necklace belonging to one of the vanished girls. Van follows her gut. Harry trusts in facts. They’re both desperate to catch a killer before he kills again. They have something else in common: each has ties to the original case in ways they’re reluctant to share.

As Van and Harry connect the crimes of the past and the present, Van struggles with memories of her own nightmarish childhood—and the fear that uncovering the truth of the Taken Ones will lead her down a path from which she, too, may never return.

Top reviews from the United States

Shari Ring Wolf

Pleasantly surprised

Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2024

I was.beginning to think all of JL books that weren't her "Murder By Month" series were actually the same book with little variation. The stories were very similar, though well written. So I had this book in my library for awhile before I started reading it.

It is definitely not the same.story that she has told before. There is a new heroine, Evangeline (Van) who is complex, likable, and very relatable, especially to those who have experienced trauma. Van has PTSD and is a very intelligent woman who.also is very intuitive. She has premonitions, lucid dreams. This isn't the main focus of her ability to solve cold cases, but its there, adding to her feeling of being different and separate from others. I didn't quite get what her job title is, just that she works with the PD in cold cases, and in this book, she is looking at a.case.where 2 girls were abducted 30 yrs earlier.

The book has a side romance brewing, as well. There are interesting secondary and side characters that were interesting and believable as well. It says a lot about the author that she was able to develop these characters without making the story too long or bogged down.

It was also left open for a sequel. Not sure how i.feel about that. Cliffhangers often make a story feel incomplete.

But if there is a sequel, I will be one of the first in line to read it.

Kodiwodi

Enjoyable Read

Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2023

I found this first book of the series engaging and well paced. The main character was adequately developed and interesting with enough mystery to take her through several books. Her partner was less developed but still intriguing. I appreciated the inclusion of EDS in the book but wish it had been better explained as a connective tissue disorder that causes the disarticulation of the joints rather than making it seem as if it was something the Bendy Man had total control over as this generally is not the case. It made for an interesting story however.

David R. Ewoldsen

excellent read

Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2024

It was interesting reading the book because there were times I really wanted to stop reading. But I couldn’t. The author is a good story teller. The characters are intriguing. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.

EMW

Brilliantly Thrilling

Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2024

NOTE TO POTENTIAL AUTHORS: You can always rope me in with a book that starts off with dogs. Just sayin’. So, my second read from Jess Lourey hooked me in even without the dogs. A woman buried alive brings to life a cold case decades old involving two girls who’d gone missing more than 40 years ago. This plot is chilling in so many ways, and I love the characters, especially Van, the first person narrator. This story has all the ingredients of a dark mystery/thriller, and the twists are fun to piece together until the ultimate conclusion. I’ve already added the next book in this series to my TBR.

Brost78

Great book, my favorite from this author!

Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2024

Jess Lourey does it again. This was such a good book, my favorite one of hers. Definitely recommended!

Sonia Christensen

Wonderful book!

Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2024

Jess Lourey writes such amazing stories about Minnesota. Steinbeck and Reed have me hooked to this series now.
The Taken Ones is a mysterious unsolved mystery of girls gone missing in the 1980s, but now one of them has Bern found buried alive. Where has she been kept all this time? Reed (Van) has her own traumatic history and a big secret. Together, her and Steinbeck (Harry) work on solving the cold case dubbed the taken ones.
Exciting books and the character development are just right. I've Bern a fan of the Minnesota author, and Jess Lourey keeps getting better.

Lindsay Jensen

Hard to follow but good story being told

Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2024

This book was hard to keep up with and follow due to all the characters and jumping back and forth. I ended up listening in audio book which helped but I still found myself confused at times. Loved the story being told and love Van’s character though!

Scott frender

Awesome book!!!

Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2024

Writing was smooth and kept me intrigued the whole way! Got to the end and was so excited about the second one!!! Until I realized it's not out until September!!! Man way to be a buzz kill lol. But really really enjoyed the read ????

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