Long Time Gone by Charlie Donlea

Years ago, I read The Girl Who Was Taken by Charlie Donlea, and was intrigued by the character Dr. Livia Cutty, who was at that time a fellow in forensic pathology.  I was excited to learn she makes a cameo appearance in Long Time Gone. 

The MC in Long Time Gone is Sloan Hastings, a fellow in forensic pathology under Dr. Livia Cutty, who is now Chief Medical Examiner.   Sloan's research  assignment is the field of forensic genealogy, and her first step is to contact a genealogist, who advises her to submit her own DNA to a site to better understand the process.  

A little hesitant because she was adopted and had never been interested in finding out about her birth parents, Sloan submits a sample of her DNA.  The results are shocking.  Her profile indicates that Sloan is actually Charlotte Margolis, a two-month-old infant who went missing in 1995, along with both of her biological parents.  The case made national news, but no trace of Preston, Annabelle, or baby Charlotte was ever found. 

  

Sloan and her adoptive parents are confused, to say the least.  They contact the police and the FBI gets involved.  Then Sloan gets a message from the genealogy website from Nora Margolis, who has seen the Sloan's DNA profile and wonders if Sloan could possibly be Charlotte Margolis, missing for nearly 30 years.

The story alternates between 1995 and the present,  and eager to know more about what happened to her biological parents, Sloan, encouraged by Sheriff Eric Stamos, goes to Cedar Creek, Nevada, to try to figure out the events that led to the disappearance of her biological parents and her adoption.

The little town of Cedar Creek, Nevada holds secrets that someone does not want revealed.  Sloan meets the Margolis family--her grandparents Reid and Tilly, her uncle Ellis and his wife Norah, and other assorted family members.  She also meets with Eric Stamos who has his own concerns about what happened in 1995, as his father was investigating an incident involving a hit and run and Annabelle's car before he died.  The two of them attempt to figure out the chain of events that led to the disappearance of Preston, Annabelle, and little Charlotte.

I was thoroughly invested throughout, although the conclusion felt rushed and was a bit over the top.  Nevertheless, Long Time Gone is an entertaining mystery, and I wouldn't mind hearing more from Sloan or Dr. Livia Cutty.  So many possible plots involving forensic pathology! 

Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley

Publication date:  May 21, 2024

352 pages