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The Girl Who Was Taken
5.0 (3 ratings)

The Girl Who Was Taken

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...

Published: March 27, 2018

Pages: 320

ISBN: 9780786041459

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Reader Reviews

5.0

3 ratings

Mary S.

Apr 3, 2026
Two girls are kidnapped but only one escapes. Olivia’s younger sister Nicole is still missing. Olivia connects with the surviving escapee Megan and together they piece the pieces together to try to figure out what happened to Megan during her abduction and bring back the forgotten pieces of her memory. All to locate Nicole and the other missing women that are turning up too. Good writing, good twists, good author.

Meagan W.

Feb 8, 2026
I don’t hand out 5-star ratings lightly, but The Girl Who Was Taken earned every one of them. This is a tightly written thriller that knows exactly how to build tension without rushing or relying on cheap shock. The pacing is deliberate, the emotional stakes are high, and the characters feel grounded in a way that makes it easy to stay invested. What stood out most to me was how steadily the story pulled me forward—chapter by chapter—until I realized I was completely absorbed. Nothing felt wasted, nothing felt overdone, and by the time I closed the book, I knew I’d been in very capable hands the entire time. If you like smart, controlled thrillers that trust the reader and leave a lasting impression, this one belongs on your list. 5⭐.

Brittany F.

Feb 8, 2026
Charlie Donlea is one of my favorite Authors. Love every book so far that I have read by him and this one is so good. I should have seen that twist coming. I feel blind sided