Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Girl Who Was Taken
    The Girl Who Was Taken
    The Girl Who Was Taken
    Audiobook10 hours

    The Girl Who Was Taken

    Written by Charlie Donlea

    Narrated by Nina Alvamar

    4.5/5

    ()

    Switch to ebook

    About this audiobook

    Charlie Donlea, one of the most original new voices in suspense, returns with a haunting novel, laden with twists and high tension, about two abducted girls-one who returns, one who doesn't-and the forensics expert searching for answers. Nicole Cutty and Megan McDonald are both high school seniors in the small town of Emerson Bay, North Carolina. When they disappear from a beach party one warm summer night, police launch a massive search. No clues are found, and hope is almost lost until Megan miraculously surfaces after escaping from a bunker deep in the woods. A year later, the bestselling account of her ordeal has turned Megan from local hero to national celebrity. It's a triumphant, inspiring 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 it will be up to someone like Livia to analyze the evidence and finally determine her sister's fate. Instead, the first clue to Nicole's disappearance comes from another body that shows up in Livia's morgue-that of a young man connected to Nicole's past. Livia reaches out to Megan for help, hoping to learn more about the night the two were taken. Other girls have gone missing too, and Livia is increasingly certain the cases are connected. But Megan knows more than she revealed in her blockbuster book. Flashes of memory are coming together, pointing to something darker and more monstrous than her chilling memoir describes. 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.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateApr 25, 2017
    ISBN9781501946578
    Author

    Charlie Donlea

    USA Today bestselling author Charlie Donlea was born and raised in Chicago. He now lives in the suburbs with his wife and two young children. Readers can find him online at charliedonlea.com.

    More audiobooks from Charlie Donlea

    Related to The Girl Who Was Taken

    Related audiobooks

    Mystery For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      How To Install Your First Widget

      Feb 9, 2021

      > As you would expect with Apple, the company has made installing widgets in iOS 14 a piece of cake. Your device will come with Apple apps that have their own widgets ready to go, although you might have to launch third-party apps at least once befor

      1 min read

    • Article

      How I Write

      Jan 2, 2020

      B.A. Paris is the author of four bestselling novels. Her debut, Behind Closed Doors , sold over a million copies, while her long-anticipated latest novel, The Dilemma , is set to be one of this year’s most chilling thrillers. I’m not a planner – I

      1 min read

    • Article

      Ghost Writer

      Jun 5, 2022

      Ghost Writer
      1 min read

    • Article

      Home Before Dark

      Apr 2, 2020

      Home Before Dark
      1 min read

    • Article

      Running Away

      Feb 22, 2021

      Leaving London behind her, Millie drove faster, picturing thousands of crazed fans in pursuit, desperate for what – a lock of her hair? Or Julian; except after the last gig, somehow she knew he wouldn’t follow. She knew from bitter experience that di

      5 min read

    • Article

      Night Flying

      Aug 2, 2018

      Night Flying
      10 min read

    • Article

      ‘Starling Days’: Featured Fiction from Rowan Hisayo Buchanan

      Apr 7, 2020

      In today's edition of featured fiction, we present an excerpt from Rowan Hisayo Buchanan's latest novel, Starling Days. The post ‘Starling Days’: Featured Fiction from Rowan Hisayo Buchanan appeared first on The Millions.

      5 min read

    • Article

      Summer Reads

      Dec 30, 2019

      Summer Reads
      7 min read

    • Article

      Shula And The Sun

      Oct 13, 2017

      Shula And The Sun
      8 min read

    • Article

      The White Fox

      Oct 13, 2017

      The White Fox
      10 min read

    • Article

      A New Beginning

      Mar 25, 2022

      A New Beginning
      5 min read

    • Article

      Cherubs

      Jul 5, 2023

      Cherubs
      10 min read

    • Article

      The Family Plot

      May 7, 2020

      The Family Plot
      10 min read

    • Article

      Averted Vision

      Sep 1, 2022

      Averted Vision
      25 min read

    • Article

      Cricket Ceague

      Apr 1, 2019

      Penelope Berkeley, age 9 Mars Hill, NC Night had fallen, and Luna awoke from where she had been sleeping in a cornfield. She moved steadily through the stalks with barely a sound, keeping her eyes on the glittering glass rooftop of the greenhouse in

      7 min read

    • Article

      Form Seven Alpha

      Oct 10, 2023

      So here I sit with it again, Form 7⍺. It is printed on cheap paper with low-quality ink that smudges under my fingers. The option they judge least bad for me has been scored through, unavailable, while the four other options remain. Since the last ti

      26 min read

    • Article

      Cricket League

      Jan 1, 2022

      It was an unusual birthday. Colorful banners blanketed the backyard. Kids chased each other through the grass. Adults talked. It all went downhill from there. My little sister was turning five. On her birthday cake, painted in frosting, was a fat, pi

      7 min read

    • Article

      A Gentle STIRRING

      Mar 13, 2024

      A Gentle STIRRING
      6 min read

    • Article

      Four Poems

      Jul 1, 2019

      We know the rain must comebut it holds its wet tonguein the sky. We aren’t childrenso mom doesn’t call and we don’tout stay the night playing in halosof streetlights. We lock ourselves indoorswith screens. The air electric.We don’t even corner a bott

      1 min read

    • Article

      Cristina Rivera Garza

      Jun 15, 2018

      She would remember everything, out of the blue and in full detail. She would see the jade ring wrapped around her ring finger and, immediately, she would see the other jade ring. She would open her eyes wide and, without knowing why, would fall silen

      13 min read

    • Article

      The Woman In The Bay Window

      Feb 4, 2021

      The Woman In The Bay Window
      2 min read

    • Article

      Hollywood, Ending

      Feb 13, 2018

      Hollywood, Ending
      7 min read

    • Article

      The Other Side Of THE FENCE

      Mar 1, 2023

      The Other Side Of THE FENCE
      6 min read

    • Article

      Practicing

      Mar 15, 2018

      This would have been her favorite season in the Allegheny woods. The shadows of the trees were rickety, and the wind had sap in its scent. But last week, Ty had left; now one day decayed into the next. Their house was abandoned. Only their father, si

      18 min read

    • Article

      Freedom

      Aug 6, 2020

      Freedom
      7 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Girl Who Was Taken

    4.5/5

    235 ratings24 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      It was faced paced with twists and turns. I would read this author again
    • 4/5
      Great twists! I liked the book and recommend listening! Kept me interested.
    • 5/5
      I thought this was a great mystery from start to finish. Lots of moving parts and enjoyed getting to know the characters.
    • 5/5
      Excellent suspense, a great plot twist , and excellent detail.
    • 4/5
      Very well written & intriguing story with unexpected twists! however I felt that the ending was cut short with some unanswered questions, it's like the author was going one way, then did a 180....and wanted to conclude! still a good read which I'd recommend, would have given it a 5 if not for the minor details which made a difference!
    • 4/5
      Almost perfect until that ending. Ugh!! Why end a book without answering all the questions?
    • 4/5
      A very good book, i really enjoying it, but the end... The writer did some mistakes: 1. the killer psychology 2. The character should be more developed But it was a good nice book, well written
    • 5/5
      Well written and complex characters. Will need a follow up to this one.
    • 5/5
      This was a surprise, a chilling tale. It starts out as a simple kidnapping; but it's not really so simple. The plot builds and builds and everytime you think you've got it pegged, something else happens. Kept me on the edge of my seat till the very end! 340 pages 4 1/2 stars.
    • 4/5
      4.5 ⭐
      תורגם לעברית "חטופה" (הוצאת מטר)

      אתחיל ואומר שזה ספר מתח מ-צ-ו-י-י-ן !!!
      מסוג הספרים שאת נהנית מהעובדה שהם ארוכים.
      והטוויסט!!! היה כל-כך לא צפוי ??? הייתי בהלם!!
      כמו ששמתם לב , אני לאחרונה במוד של ספרי מתח.
      אבל, לרוב ספרי המתח הקודמים ששמעתי, היה מכנה אחד משותף - הסוף היה ורוד או קל מידיי,
      לשמחתי הסוף של הספר לא היה כולו ורוד או קל הוא היה יותר מציאותי ואמין .
      הסופר הצליח להחזיק את הספר עד הסוף (וזה לא קורה הרבה!)
    • 5/5
      This is a well written storyline with many twists. It grabs you and keeps your interest. Is is sad but may reflect today's society and the problems we're having with missing people.
    • 5/5
      This was a surprise, a chilling tale. It starts out as a simple kidnapping; but it's not really so simple. The plot builds and builds and everytime you think you've got it pegged, something else happens. Kept me on the edge of my seat till the very end! 340 pages 4 1/2 stars.
    • 5/5
      I thought I had this one figured out. Nice twist.
    • 5/5
      Another amazing read by Charlie Donlea. I am hooked and cannot get enough.
    • 5/5
      Wow! This is the best book I have read in a long time! It kept me guessing right up until the end! Every time that I thought I had figured it out there was another twist.
      Excellent just excellent!
    • 4/5
      4.5 stars.

      The Girl Who Was Taken by Charlie Donlea is a fast-paced and engrossing mystery about two young women who were kidnapped the same night.  Megan McDonald managed to escape from her captor two weeks after she went missing. A year later, Nicole Cutty is still missing and the discovery of her secret boyfriend Casey Delevan's corpse raises many intriguing questions for her sister, Dr. Livia Cutty, the forensic pathologist who performed his autopsy.

      Megan has made a lot of progress recovering from her harrowing ordeal but she is still struggling to reclaim her fragmented memories of the time she spent in captivity. She has been unable to move forward with her plans to go to college and hoping to calm her mother's concern, she reluctantly agreed to write the tell all book about her experience. With Nicole still missing, Megan continues therapy to try to remember what happened during the two weeks she was imprisoned by the kidnapper and while she is making progress, it is an slow process retrieving those lost details.

      Livia is determined to understand the connection  between Nicole and Casey but her investigation is strictly off the books. She uncovers some very disturbing cases that might be linked to Megan and Nicole's disappearances but since they occurred out of state, she is not completely certain they are connected. Livia does reach out to Megan in hopes of learning new information about the night the girls were abducted and while Megan is eager to assist, will she be able provide new details that will help Livia discover what happened to Nicole?

      The storyline weaves back and forth in time and provides readers with insight into Nicole's activities in the weeks before the abduction. As Livia soon discovers, Nicole's behavior had dramatically transformed in the weeks leading up to her disappearance, but trying to find the reason for this change is elusive.  Equally puzzling is her relationship with the much older Casey but Livia cannot seem to discover how the two met or what drew them to one another.  The answers to these questions are quite shocking as is their horrifying obsession and how Casey and Nicole satisfy their unhealthy curiosity.

      The Girl Who Was Taken is a spellbinding mystery with an unusual storyline and strong female characters. Charlie Donlea employs several red herrings, clever misdirects and offers a viable pool of suspects in an effort to keep the perpetrator's identity hidden.  Despite these rather ingenious attempts to conceal the kidnapper's identity, astute readers will most likely figure out who is behind the crimes well before the novel's conclusion.  Despite accurately solving the mystery about halfway through the novel, Livia's investigation and Megan's continued efforts to retrieve her memories surrounding her traumatic kidnapping are quite interesting and easily kept me engaged in the unfolding story.  All in all, a very intriguing mystery that fans of the genre do not want to miss!
    • 5/5
      This was really pretty good!  I thought I had it figured out but the end pulled it all together and I only had figured out part of this mystery. Quite Sad actually but, still a great story!
    • 5/5
      Two girls go missing one night from the same beach party. One girl, Megan McDonald, escapes her abductor and returns home. The other girl, Nicole Cutty, is still missing. The book opens about a year after the girls were taken. Livia Cutty, Nicole’s older sister, has not given up looking for her. She’s a fellow in forensic pathology and is hopeful that she will find her sister and put an end to the mystery of what happened to her. As Livia intensifies her investigation into Nicole’s life she discovers many bizarre things about her sister and the activities she was involved in—shocking things. Nicole has been all but forgotten by the general public, whereas Megan is in the spotlight, receiving accolades and recognition from her bestselling book, Missing, about her ordeal. And while Livia can’t help feeling bitter about Megan’s lot, she also couldn’t resist buying and reading Megan’s book, hoping that she would somehow discover clues leading to her sister’s whereabouts. What Livia doesn’t expect is to perform an autopsy on a man who is linked to her sister. What, if any, clues can come about from this discovery? The Girl Who Was Taken was spectacular!! Seriously, I was on the edge of my seat, especially toward the end when the chapter lengths shortened and the tension amped up. I felt as though I was on an exhilarating joy ride that refused to slow down and release me, and it was wonderful.I loved the plot development. Intricate details are successively woven throughout the chapters that begin to paint a picture of the lives of the abductees. I was in eager anticipation of the twist I knew would come, and I was not disappointed. And while the book left me with a few questions, it in no way detracted from my overall opinion of it. Excellent read. Highly recommended. (Warning: There’s teenage language and detailed forensic descriptions in this book.)
    • 3/5
      A year ago, Nicole and Megan were both kidnapped. Megan returns and Nicole does not. With the pressure from her family and the media, Megan authors a book. Nicole's sister Livia, determined to find out what happened to Nicole, begins doing some digging of her own.I thought this book was ok. The back and forth in the timeline didn't really work. The author clumsily used foreshadowing, which ruined the "surprise" when something actually happened. I did think that Livia's profession, a forensic pathologist, was fascinating. Livia's point of view was particularly interesting, it isn't one that you come across often. Overall, not a bad book, but not one I would reread or recommend.
    • 4/5
      Having really enjoyed Charlie Donlea's debut novel Summit Lake last year, I was looking forward to his new thriller. It didn't disappoint. Even if you've sworn off any more "Girl"-titled novels this one is a well-written and original mystery that is worthwhile adding.The main character, Livia Cutty, is training as a medical examiner. A career aspiration attributable to the loss of her younger sister, Nicole, whose disappearance over a year ago has since turned into a cold case. When Livia finds out that a body on her autopsy table had links with her missing sister, Livia starts investigating on her own.The story switches back and forth between the present day and the time leading up to Nicole's disappearance. In addition, there are several points of view. On the same night Nicole disappeared, one of her classmates, Megan McDonald, was abducted, but she made it back home a couple of weeks later.I thought the alternating timeframes and perspectives worked well and were straightforward to follow. The shortish chapters kept the momentum going and I was pretty much gripped the entire way through. I enjoyed reading about Livia's work as a forensic pathologist. She was an interesting and strong character.Mr Donlea threw plenty of red herrings and I'm afraid I fell for all the 'clues'. The finale was an exciting surprise. In the end, there were a couple of things I would have liked more information on, e.g. the relationship between Megan's dad and Casey wasn't fully explained.Overall, a solid mystery with a very intriguing plot and well-developed characters.I received an ARC via NetGalley.
    • 5/5
      I enjoyed reading Charlie Donlea’s debut novel, SUMMIT LAKE, last year, and I’m thrilled to say that his second book, THE GIRL WHO WAS TAKEN, exceeded my expectations. It’s suspenseful, twisty, and chilling, which all together make for a riveting read.Two young women were abducted the summer after their high school graduation. Megan escapes after two weeks, but Nicole is still missing a year later. What became of Nicole? Her older sister Livia is haunted by that question daily. While completing her fellowship to become a forensic pathologist, Livia wonders if a clue to her sister’s disappearance will end up on her exam table – and then suddenly, one appears.I was fascinated by Livia’s job as a medical examiner, though I had to cringe several times! Yep, the descriptions could be gruesome, but clearly forensic pathology was well researched for this book.The story jumps around in time, and is told from different POVs. What does Megan know about her time in captivity that her mind has repressed? There’s something dark and terrible in there that’s trying to get out. This was a puzzling and well constructed mystery that tripped me up more than once. The pace got faster as the story progressed, and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough as the pieces were coming together toward the end. Speaking of the ending, I thought it was perfect and haunting and fitting for this harrowing tale.Second novels can be tricky, but Charlie Donlea knocked this one out of the park. Five big stars!Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
    • 4/5
      Nicole Cutty and Megan McDonald have more in common than just being high school seniors in the small town of Emerson Bay, North Carolina. They both disappeared from the same beach party at the beginning of summer. The police launched a search but no clues were found. Shortly afterwards Megan manages to escape from a bunker deep in the woods. Fast forward a year and Megan has turned into a national celebrity when her book detailing her time spent in captivity and her escape has landed on the bestseller list. But for some this is another painful reminder that Nicole is still missing. Nicole's older sister, Livia, is a fellow in forensic pathology and she expects that someday her sister's body will end up on her autopsy table. But for now, Livia's first clue about her sister's disappearance comes from another body that shows up in the morgue - a young man she's never seen or heard of before. After some digging around Livia is close to figuring out the truth. With snippets of Megan's memory returning, the pair will uncover something deeply disturbing.

      This was suspenseful! It goes back and forth from the summer leading up to the disappearances and the aftermath. It was well-written and left me guessing until the very end. Livia has an interesting profession and I didn't find it too bogged down with the terminology that went along with it.

      Thank you to Kensington Books and Netgalley for a copy of this book.
    • 5/5
      I absolutely LOVED Summit Lake and when I found out Charlie Donlea had another book, I couldn't wait to read it. It definitely disappoint. It was one of those books I didn't want to put down. When I got to the last page I couldn't believe it was over.Nicole and Megan both went missing at the same time, but only Megan was found. The book alternates between before the abduction and after Megan escaped. Nicole's sister Livia is a central character and has just started her fellowship with the county medical examiner. She blames herself for not taking that last phone call from Nicole. I kept thinking Nicole's body was going to show up on her table for an autopsy as an unidentified person. Megan and Nicole were extreme opposites. Megan was the nice girl with the bright future. Nicole on the other hand had the nickname Slutty Cutty and was fascinated with the Capture Club. All I can say is that ending was something!!! I had a few suspicions on who might be behind everything but I never really thought it would be that person. When it ended I wanted to scream NOOOO!!! I wanted to read more and see if Livia finally found what she was looking for. I definitely recommend this book and look forward to the author's next book!!! Thanks to NetGalley, Kensington Books and the author, Charlie Donlea, for a free electronic ARC of this novel.
    • 4/5
      Oh, this book, this book. I went back and forth and then, back and forth. I just knew who the suspect was. Wrong. Then I just knew who the suspect was again and who was helping the suspect. Wrong. Then I absolutely knew who the suspect was, final answer. Wrong.You would think I would be frustrated. No! I was loving it. So many suspects. Who doesn't love a book that gives you many suspects? Who wants to know who did it right off the bat? This was a great book. The author took us to before the disappearance of Megan and Nicole and what was going on with those two girls. Then to a year after Megan's escape from her captor. At this time, Megan had written a book, became a national celebrity and Nicole was still missing. Nicole's older sister, Livia, meanwhile had become a forensic intern and was still searching for her sister. Scared that any day she would show up on her table, but still anxiously waiting to hear any news.Livia uncovers something from one of the bodies that shows up on her table and links it to Megan's and Nicole's past. Then her and Megan start to work together to find Nicole. Megan still hasn't put all the pieces together. This is when the suspense starts. An outstanding read that I could not put down. Yes, I was guessing up until almost the very end. And . . . yeah, that's all I'm going to tell you. It is worth your time to find out yourself.Huge thanks to Kensington Books for approving my request and to Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest unbiased review.