Over the past several years, Jess Lourey has made a name for herself when it comes to psychological thrillers, and I have become a huge fan of her work.

Lourey’s latest effort, THE TAKEN ONES, does not disappoint for a single moment. It is replete with themes that have characterized her previous work --- strong yet complex female protagonists, small-town mysteries that dig into the past, and a narrative that focuses on real-world horrors exposed to young people. A story dealing with lost innocence of any kind is always compelling, and that is exactly what Lourey delivers here.

"There are twists and turns galore that make reading this novel almost unbearably fun and intense. I cannot remember another psychological thriller that created such a dichotomy of feelings about the protagonist, which shows just how talented Jess Lourey is."

A chilling prologue set in 1980 recounts an infamous incident in the history of Leech Lake, Minnesota. Three girls head into the forest at the end of their street hoping to go swimming in the nearby watering hole. But only one of them emerges from the forest; the other two are lost and never found. They are referred to as the Taken Ones. Everyone in Leech Lake knows their story and holds deep suspicions as to who might have been responsible for whatever happened to them.

Rue, the lone survivor, lost her sister, Lily, and her friend, Amber, that day. The last thing she remembers is hearing a strange voice say, “I’ll get another one prettier than you,” just before Lily and Amber vanished.

In 2022, cold case detective Evangeline “Van” Reed teams up with forensic scientist Harry Steinbeck in hopes of once and for all putting this cold case to bed. Van begins by chasing down the initial leads that were investigated over 40 years ago. She has no faith in the local P.D. that she was once a part of and is especially leery of Dave Comstock, a former colleague/adversary who is running the police department side of this now-reopened case.

The reason for all the furor surrounding these disappearances is a homeless man's discovery of a woman who was buried underground. He did his best to dig her out but was not fast enough, and she suffocated. She happened to be wearing a necklace identical to the one worn by Amber.

Van is now working with the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and is very much in sync with Harry. One of the underlying layers in this well-crafted novel involves what they are not saying to each other. Harry’s background is far more secretive, and I believe it will be explored in a future book. Van, on the other hand, has a past that includes being victimized by a pedophile in her youth, which has impacted her life in ways no one else is aware of.

There are twists and turns galore that make reading this novel almost unbearably fun and intense. I cannot remember another psychological thriller that created such a dichotomy of feelings about the protagonist, which shows just how talented Jess Lourey is. The finale is quite satisfying and ends with a cliffhanger between Van and Harry. I am counting down the days until Lourey reveals what happens next.