Long time gone

Donlea's (Those Empty Eyes) thrilling latest follows Dr. Sloan Hasting, whose life is upended when the results of her DNA test reveal an unthinkable secret. Sloan, who is training to be a forensic pathologist, discovers that she is Charlotte Margolis, the lost baby of a headline-making missing-persons case from 1995. Both she and her birth parents disappeared from Cedar Creek, NV, and none of them has been seen since. The Margolis family seems to welcome her with open arms, but it's up to Sloan and Cedar Creek Sheriff Eric Stamos--whose father, Sheriff Sanford Stamos, was found dead that same year--to figure out what happened to her birth parents and to make sure someone is held responsible. Narrator Vivienne Leheny navigates the twists and turns of this fast-paced listen, offering a captivating but balanced performance. Leheny skillfully brings each character to life so that listeners will empathize with them even when they disagree with their actions. VERDICT This unputdownable listen would be a welcome addition to any thriller collection. Donlea's fans will be delighted.--Victoria Kiszka

A rookie fellow in forensic pathology discovers a secret that turns her into her own most riveting case study. Sloan Hastings has always known that Raleigh dentist Dolly Hastings and orthodontist Todd Hastings aren't her biological parents. But it's not until she submits a DNA sample to an online site in support of her assigned research in investigative genealogy that she discovers how closely it matches the DNA of Nevada photographer Nora Davies Margolis, who's active on genealogical sites. In fact, Sloan learns, she herself is almost certainly Charlotte Margolis, who disappeared from Cedar Creek along with her birth parents, newlyweds Preston and Annabelle Margolis, nearly 30 years ago. Following the DNA trail Sloan's now made publicly available, Cedar Creek Sheriff Eric Stamos--whose father, Sheriff Sanford Stamos, was found dead under highly suspicious circumstances back in 1995--comes east to convince Sloan that the vanishing of her infant self and her parents was the reason Sandy Stamos was killed and the true details of his decease suppressed by the all-powerful Margolis clan; that both mysteries are tied to the case Sandy was investigating when he died--the apparent hit-and-run death of Margolis law firm partner Baker Jauncey; and that Sloan's search for her birth parents would make her the perfect candidate to go undercover in the Margolis closet and root out its skeletons. Zigzagging mercilessly between past and present, Donlea keeps up the tension long after you've decided that it really doesn't matter who killed Baker Jauncey and Sandy Stamos as long as Sloan learns the truth and comes out of this lethal maze intact. Fans willing to accept a big reveal that's only medium-sized will revel in a superior thriller. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.