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title: The Taken Onesauthor: Jess Lourey
series: Steinbeck and Reed #1
published: 9.19.2023
publisher: Thomas & Mercer
genre(s): thrillers
pages: 310
format: eBook
buy/shelve it: Amazon | B&N | BookBub | BookHype | StoryGraph | Goodreads
rating:
| series rating: the blurb
Two girls vanished. A woman buried alive. Between two crimes—decades of secrets yet to be unearthed.
Summer 1980: With no fear of a local superstition, three girls go into a Minnesota wood. Only one comes out. Dead silent. Memory gone. No trace of her friends. The mystery of the Taken Ones captures the nation.
Summer 2022: Cold case detective Van Reed and forensic scientist Harry Steinbeck are assigned a disturbing homicide—a woman buried alive, clutching a heart charm necklace belonging to one of the vanished girls. Van follows her gut. Harry trusts in facts. Their common ground is the need to catch a killer before he kills again. They have something else in common: each has ties to the original case in ways they’re reluctant to share.
As Van and Harry connect the crimes of the past and the present, Van struggles with memories of her own nightmarish childhood—and the fear that uncovering the truth of the Taken Ones will lead her down a path from which she, too, may never return.
a few notes
trigger warning: ❗off-page child abuse, cult issues, murder❗
POV: multi
setting: Minnesota
keywords/phrases: cold case, murder, disappearance, trauma
tropes: red herring, alibi, righting past wrongs, detective with haunted past,
spice: 0/0
language: 2/5
mood reading: in the mood for twisty thrillers with fascinating subplots and glimpses into the past
awards: Anthony Award Nominee for Best Paperback Novel (2023), Edgar Award Nominee for Best Paperback Original (2023)
my review
This is one of those books that is just incredibly difficult to put down. The mystery at the heart of the story was gripping, fraught with twists and turns, and deeply emotional. But almost as intriguing as the mystery is Van Reed, the protagonist. She’s an utterly fascinating character, with a haunting past that has deeply affected the woman she’s become. She has an edge (which I won’t spoil) but it’s as much a curse as it is a gift for her chosen career. Combined, these things add a unique dynamic to her character and to the relationships she has.
Almost as interesting is Harry, the forensics guy at the BCA. He has some ghosts in his own past, which are only barely unearthed in this book, so I can’t wait to see more of him and his story. And it’s clear that he truly sees Van, in ways she both craves and is terrified of. Their dynamic is another one that had me deeply engrossed and turning the pages.
I can’t wait to read the next book!
About Jess Lourey
While I write across genres, there’s one universal connecting all my books: secrets. I grew up in a house choking with them, and I remain fascinated by the thoughts and actions we hide from the world.
My beginnings as an author were pretty grim, something I speak about in my TEDx Talk (https://youtu.be/a5vSLh3oPXI). I’ve come a long way since that first book, and I’m proud to call myself an Amazon Charts bestselling, twice Edgar-nominated, twice Goodreads Readers Choice Awards shortlisted, ITW Thriller and Minnesota Book Award and Anthony Award-winning author of nonfiction, children’s books, young adult, book club fiction, and crime fiction. I’ve reached over a million readers since 2020. I also love to teach creative writing in international workshops.
I live in Minneapolis with a rotating batch of foster kittens (and occasional foster puppies, but man those goobers are a lot of work).
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2025 52 Books Reading Challenge
- 2025 Cloak & Dagger Reading Challenge
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