The Girl Who Was Taken by Charlie Donlea ★★★★

Dr. Livia Cutty is a pathologist working under a fellowship with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Raleigh, NC. Her decision to follow this area of medicine was driven by her sister’s abduction and disappearance one year ago. Livia doesn’t think Nicole is still alive and fully believes she’ll one day show up on her autopsy table. Another teen, Megan McDonald, was also abducted from the same beach party on the same day but she managed to escape.

To say this story was bizarre is an understatement. Every time I thought I knew the direction it was taking, the path veered, sometimes sharply. It transitions from the past to the present rather seamlessly, providing Megan and Nicole’s narratives leading up to the abductions and Megan and Livia’s in the present. I was able to figure out the culprit but second guessed myself to the end.

It moved a bit slowly after an exciting start but really got in gear about halfway with an ending that moved so fast I could barely keep up. It has a great climax and poignant ending. I really enjoyed the story and especially liked that I learned so much about the world of pathology. This was good storytelling and I’m looking forward to more from this author. Highly recommend this book.

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(I received an advance copy from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review)