|
|
|
|
|
Some crimes are open-and-shut cases, where the police manage to find the perpetrator and bring him or her to justice in a timely manner. Others, however, remain unsolved for years. And the crime drama The Taken Ones by author Jess Lourey follows a troubled investigator as she races to solve a decades-old mystery.
The story begins as cold case detective Evangeline “Van” Reed and forensic scientist Harry Steinbeck are called to the scene of a disturbing crime. A woman has been buried alive—and the only clue to her identity is a necklace that belonged to one of two girls who were kidnapped more than 40 years ago. And as she and Harry work together—and with a local detective who isn’t thrilled to have them on the case—walking through decades of old clues and interviewing old witnesses, Van finds herself flooded with memories of her own troubling childhood.
The decades-old story of three little girls who went into the woods on a summer day—only to have just one return, unable to remember what happened to the two others—is certainly a haunting one. And as Van investigates, she’s reminded of a little girl that she once failed to save, making her all the more determined to solve the case and find the killer before he kills again. It’s a mystery that will give readers chills, with its tales of missing girls and eerie figures who once roamed the forest—and it also gives this troubled investigator a fitting introduction.
Van Reed is definitely a complex character—a mess of a woman, really, both externally and internally. Her childhood in a commune run by a ruthless leader named Frank—and the terrible things that she witnessed there—inspired her to go into law enforcement, where she’s endured even more abuse. Her childhood trauma also gave her persistently nightmarish dreams that depict horrific real-life crimes being committed—and she struggles to find a way to turn those dreams into concrete, warrant-worthy evidence. There’s a lot here to work with—and it’s clear that the author will be building more on Van’s troubled past in future installments.
Though the unsettling story is worth reading, there’s a whole lot more to The Taken Ones. Readers will be captivated by Van’s investigation, but they’ll be even more captivated by the tormented investigator, eager to learn more of her story when she returns to take on another case.
Listen to the review on Shelf Discovery:
|
|
|
|
