Book Review: Long Time Gone by Charlie Donlea

4.5⭐
Genre ~ psychological thriller
Setting ~ North Carolina & Nevada
Publication date ~ May 21, 2024
Page Count ~ 379 (p+ 77 chapters)
Audio length ~ 9 hours 19 minutes
Narrator ~ Vivienne Leheny
POV ~ multiple 3rd
Featuring ~ 6 part story, dual timeline ~ past and present

My review:

Sloan is adopted and has never wanted to find her birth parents. As part of her research assignment she takes a DNA test. The results are unbelievable and set forth a roller coaster of a ride as we try to piece together how Sloan was once known as Baby Charlotte.

Eric is the sheriff in Nevada trying to get answers about his father, Sandy’s, death 30 years ago. Sloan just might be able to help him get the answers and closure he needs. I don’t love romance in my thrillers, but I was actually hoping for a little with these two.

In the past we hear from Sandy and learn more about the early investigation into the Margolis family when Charlotte and her parents went missing. In the present we have a true crime podcaster, Ryder, that is annoyingly helpful.

The dual timelines and multiple POV’s were very easy to follow along with and totally built up the suspense nicely. I was on the edge of my seat throughout waiting to see how Baby Charlotte ended up being Sloan and I was not disappointed. A little implausible with how the pictures came about, but overall this was an utterly shocking and grippingly gripping read.

I was lucky enough to have both the ebook and an audio copy. Both ways worked perfectly well.
Narration notes:
Vivienne did a fabulous job giving each character a distinct voice.

Get your copy on ~ Amazon

Add to your never ending TBR  ~ goodreads

I’d love to hear your thoughts if you’ve read it.

Book blurb:

When DNA results reveal a disturbing connection to the mysterious disappearance of a famous baby nearly three decades ago, a woman’s search for answers draws her to an ominous small town in Nevada and a dangerous web of corruption, power, and lies in this engrossing, propulsive new novel from the internationally bestselling author of Twenty Years Later.

For fans of Alice Feeney, Stacy Willingham, Riley Sager, and Megan Goldin.

THIRTY YEARS AGO, BABY CHARLOTTE VANISHED.
TODAY, SHE WANTS ANSWERS.
 
On the first day of an elite two-year fellowship under the renowned Chief Medical Officer Dr. Livia Cutty, Sloan Hastings receives a research assignment in the emerging field of forensic genealogy. It’s the exciting, rapidly evolving science behind the recent breaks in high-profile cold cases from the Golden State Killer to the Cameron Young murder, and Sloan enthusiastically begins her research by submitting her own DNA to an online genealogy site. Her goal is to better understand the treasure trove of genetic information contained on ancestry websites, but the results she receives are shocking.
 
Raised by loving, supportive parents, Sloan has always known she was adopted. But her DNA profile suggests her true identity is that of Charlotte Margolis, aka “Baby Charlotte,” who captured the nation’s attention when she and her affluent parents mysteriously vanished in July 1995. Despite a large-scale investigation and months of broad media coverage, there were never any suspects in the family’s disappearance and the case has been cold for decades.
 
Racing to stay ahead of the media and true crime junkies ravenous to know what really happened to Baby Charlotte, Sloan’s search for answers leads her to Cedar Creek, Nevada, a small town north of Lake Tahoe. There, the Margolis family’s power and influence permeate every corner of the county, and while Sloan’s birth relatives are initially welcoming, they’re also mysterious and tight-lipped. Not everyone seems happy about Sloan’s return, or the questions she’s asking.
 
The more she learns, the more apparent it becomes that the answers Sloan seeks are buried in a graveyard of Margolis family secrets. And someone will do anything to keep them hidden . . . 

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