Author: Charlie Donlea

Genre: Mystery/Suspense

Publication Date: May 21, 2024

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)

In Long Time Gone, Dr. Sloane Hastings is assigned to learn more about forensic genealogy as part of her fellowship with a well-known medical examiner in North Carolina. She sends in her own DNA for testing to see if she can learn anything about her biological parents, and to learn more about how the process works as part of her research. When her results come back, everything Sloane thought she knew is turned on its head.

Thirty years prior the Margolis family, a husband and wife and their infant daughter, went missing on the other side of the country. The world was enthralled with the case of the missing couple and baby Charlotte. It turns out Sloane and baby Charlotte are one and the same.

As Sloane searches for answers about who took her, where her biological parents are, and how she was placed for adoption without any red flags being sent up, she works with the local sheriff, the FBI, and her aunt from her birth family to discover all of the secrets long buried in the small town in Nevada the Margolis family seems to run.

I thought the plot of this one was very interesting, and the pacing of the story was good. Sloane was a likable character, as were her adoptive parents, her biological aunt, and the local sheriff. The sense of foreboding some of the Margolis family gave off was palpable. I liked the alternating timelines and multiple points of view as well, but something about this one just felt a little off for me. I am a fan of Charlie Donlea, and there is nothing bad about this book; I just struggled to feel as invested in the outcome as I have with his past novels.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.