The Girl Who Was Taken

Author: Charlie Donlea Publisher: Penguin RRP: $32.99

FLASHES of memory are pieced together, pointing to a dark and mysterious kidnapping which survivor Megan McDonald doesn’t quite understand or remember.

She disappeared from her small town along with her classmate Nicole Cutty. Two weeks later Megan emerges and can’t remember her time in captivity but the issue is Nicole is still missing.

Fast forward to one year on where Nicole’s older sister Livia is a forensic pathologist and the body of a young man, an apparent suicide, finally offers the first clue to Nicole’s fate.

The book alternates between past and present, showing Livia, Megan and Nicole’s point-of-view.

The author Charlie Donlea even amps up the tension by dropping in some of the kidnapper’s point-of-view.

While many may be eager to get back to Megan and Nicole’s view-point, Livia’s entries are captivating.

As she tries to solve the mystery of her sister, collecting clues from the dead, readers can’t help but feel a range of emotions while delving into Livia’s thoughts.

Anger that her sister was taken, sadness that her family’s life has been torn apart and anticipation as she gets closer to solving the mystery.

She is such a likeable character and the need for Nicole to be found safe had just as much to do with easing Livia’s pain as it was finding Nicole alive.

It is a fairly straight down the line crime thriller and deals with modern-day issues such as bullying, the dangers of online chat rooms and adolescent angst.

Mr Donlea has a great ability to misdirect the reader so those who love books full of twists won’t be able to put this book down.

MEGHAN HARRIS