Twenty Years Later
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Embarking on ‘The Girl Who Was Taken’ by Gillian Flynn, I found myself utterly captivated from the very first page. The novel, which serves as a follow-up to his bestselling work, ‘Twenty Years Later,’ delivers an electrifying psychological thriller that keeps readers on their toes throughout its entirety.

The story revolves around two missing high school seniors, Nicole Cutty and Megan McDonald. The narrative unfolds in Emerson Bay, North Carolina, where the girls were last seen at a beach party. As the search for them intensifies, hope seems all but lost until Megan miraculously escapes from a hidden bunker deep within the woods.

A year later, Megan’s bestselling account of her ordeal has catapulted her into the limelight. However, there’s one crucial detail that remains unresolvedNicole is still missing. Her older sister, Livia, who happens to be a fellow forensic pathologist, clings to hope that Nicole’s body will eventually surface so they can lay her to rest.

Livia reaches out to Megan in an attempt to uncover more about the night of their disappearance. As they delve deeper into the mystery, it becomes increasingly evident that other girls have also gone missing, and Livia is convinced that the cases are interconnected.

Megan holds back crucial details from her book, with fragments of memories hinting at a more sinister ordeal than she initially described. As Livia and Megan work together to unravel the truth, they find themselves confronted by a chilling revelation sometimes, facing what we’ve been searching for can be our greatest fear.

Gillian Flynn skillfully juggles narrators and timeframes, masterfully building suspense that culminates in shocking final twists. The story keeps readers guessing and second-guessing until the very end, thanks to an abundance of potential suspects. It’s a fast-moving page-turner that will undoubtedly leave you breathless.

  • The bestselling author of
  • Twenty Years Later
  • delivers a chilling thriller where nothing is at it seems and each reveal is more shocking than the lastright up to the jaw-dropping final twist.
  • A gripping thriller that will blow readers away.” Mary Kubica,
  • New York Times
  • bestselling author on
  • Dont Believe It
  • A superb storyteller. Robert Dugoni,
  • New York Times
  • bestselling author
  • Two abducted girlsone who returns, one who doesnt.
  • The night they go missing, high school seniors Nicole Cutty and Megan McDonald are at a beach party in their small town of Emerson Bay, North Carolina. Police launch a massive search, but hope is almost lostuntil Megan escapes from a bunker deep in the woods. . . . A year later, the bestselling account of her ordeal has made Megan a celebrity. Its a triumphant story, except for one inconvenient detail: Nicole is still missing. Nicoles older sister, Livia, a fellow in forensic pathology, expects that one day soon Nicoles body will be found and her sisters fate determined. Instead, the first clue comes from another bodythat of a young man connected to Nicoles past. Livia reaches out to Megan to learn more about that fateful night. Other girls have disappeared, and shes increasingly sure the cases are connected. Megan knows more than she revealed in her book. Flashes of memory are pointing to something more monstrous than she described. And the deeper she and Livia dig, the more they realize that sometimes true terror lies in finding exactly what youve been looking for . . .
  • A fast-moving page-turner. . . . Donlea skillfully maximizes suspense by juggling narrators and time all the way to the shocking final twists.
  • Publishers Weekly
  • Well worth the read.
  • Booklist
  • Donleas sophomore effort is solid. He keeps the reader guessing and second-guessing until the end, thanks to an expertly crafted abundance of potential suspects.
  • Library Journal
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