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theavidreaderandbibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
Little Girl Gone by Gerry Schmitt is An Afton Tangler Thriller novel (first book in series). Marjorie Sorenson has a table at the doll show at Skylark Shopping Mall. She is showing off her reborn dolls (which look just like real babies). Susan Darden is at the mall and admires Marjorie’s creations. Marjorie admires the pictures of Susan’s little girl, Elizabeth Ann who is three months old. That night Susan and her husband, Richard go out for the evening and leave Elizabeth Ann with a babysitter. Someone breaks in and takes the little girl (after attacking the babysitter). Afton Tangler is a community liaison officer for the Minneapolis Police Department. She is called in to handle the Darden’s. Afton wishes to be a detective, but with her master’s in social work made her perfect for the community liaison officer position (and she keeps hoping to get promoted when a spot opens up and she gets the experience needed for the position). When Afton ends up upsetting the Darden’s, she works with Max on the case. Max Montgomery works with the Mutual Aid and Multi-Jurisdictional Squad (MAMJS). The two work the case to find little Elizabeth Ann and bring her back home. It is going to take a lot of hard work to find the little girl and her kidnappers but Afton and Max are more than capable of handling the task.
Little Girl Gone is a fast-paced suspense novel that is well-written. The reader is drawn into the story (a good thing) from the beginning. I liked the main character, Afton Tangler. She is a smart, hardworking, determined woman. Afton has an ex-husband and two kids (and now a new dog) and all the problems that go along with them. Max is a good counterpart for her in the book (40s, divorced twice, and two teenage boys). I enjoyed following Max and Afton as they worked to solve the case. I give Little Girl Gone 4.25 out of 5 stars. I would have enjoyed the story more if the culprit had not been revealed to us. Knowing the person responsible right from the beginning takes away some of the suspense or intrigue (that is the only thing that I did not like). I look forward to reading the next book in An Afton Tangler Thriller series.
I received a complimentary copy of Little Girl Gone from NetGalley in exchange for an honest evaluation of the novel. The comments and opinions expressed are strictly my own.
Little Girl Gone is a fast-paced suspense novel that is well-written. The reader is drawn into the story (a good thing) from the beginning. I liked the main character, Afton Tangler. She is a smart, hardworking, determined woman. Afton has an ex-husband and two kids (and now a new dog) and all the problems that go along with them. Max is a good counterpart for her in the book (40s, divorced twice, and two teenage boys). I enjoyed following Max and Afton as they worked to solve the case. I give Little Girl Gone 4.25 out of 5 stars. I would have enjoyed the story more if the culprit had not been revealed to us. Knowing the person responsible right from the beginning takes away some of the suspense or intrigue (that is the only thing that I did not like). I look forward to reading the next book in An Afton Tangler Thriller series.
I received a complimentary copy of Little Girl Gone from NetGalley in exchange for an honest evaluation of the novel. The comments and opinions expressed are strictly my own.
namitakhanna's review against another edition
4.0
Little girl gone is not a thriller or a mystery but I would put it in a cozy genre. Afton is a Minneapolis family liaison officer in charge of a baby kidnapping. Baby Elizabeth 3 months old has been kidnapped from her home in a rich neighborhood and her baby sitter attacked. The parents especially the mom Sarah is distraught over the kidnapping and though you know by whom the baby is kidnapped it's the way the the police come to the conclusion that makes up the story .The book is mostly about how the detectives find and investigate clues. Afton who wants to become a police officer tags along with Max, and tries to follow the clues. The reborn baby portion of this book though was totally creepy.
There are no sudden surprises or ending in this book .It was a quick cozy mystery and I would love to know more about the background of the characters .In all an interesting series to look forward to and I would give it 3 1/2 stars.
There are no sudden surprises or ending in this book .It was a quick cozy mystery and I would love to know more about the background of the characters .In all an interesting series to look forward to and I would give it 3 1/2 stars.
beastreader's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely fell hard for this book. I could not stop reading it. The only reason I did was because I needed to get some sleep. Yet, this was the first thing I grabbed when I got up the next morning. At that point it was easy reading as I was already half way done with the book. I have to agree some a comment made by one of the characters in this book that "Afton is a pitbull". She not only is fierce but she is determined. There is no backing down once she has her mind made up. She is quick on her feet and smart as a tack on picking up clues and putting the pieces together. This is why I am glad she is the main female lead in this book. Yet at the same time she is a loving mother.
In the beginning I thought this story was going to go a different way and be way creepier. It did not but I am kind of glad it didn't do to the nature of the victims. However it was still very scary. Even the bad guys were strong. This helped to keep the story moving along at a good fast, steady pace. A good ending. I can't wait to read the next book by this author and in this series.
In the beginning I thought this story was going to go a different way and be way creepier. It did not but I am kind of glad it didn't do to the nature of the victims. However it was still very scary. Even the bad guys were strong. This helped to keep the story moving along at a good fast, steady pace. A good ending. I can't wait to read the next book by this author and in this series.
kdurham2's review against another edition
4.0
Check out the fill review at Kritters Ramblings
A baby goes missing and because of the high profile parents, the FBI and police are all brought in to find this baby and bring her home. At the same time the reader gets to also see the story from the kidnapper and the motives behind the kidnapping.
I love mystery/thrillers, but I especially love them when I/the reader know more than the characters. I enjoy reading when I get to watch the detectives put the puzzle pieces together and some I know since I am seeing the suspect's point of view and some I might not have seen through their eyes.
A baby goes missing and because of the high profile parents, the FBI and police are all brought in to find this baby and bring her home. At the same time the reader gets to also see the story from the kidnapper and the motives behind the kidnapping.
I love mystery/thrillers, but I especially love them when I/the reader know more than the characters. I enjoy reading when I get to watch the detectives put the puzzle pieces together and some I know since I am seeing the suspect's point of view and some I might not have seen through their eyes.
moranbaxter's review against another edition
Hard to get into, not invested in story line early on
paige1947_'s review against another edition
5.0
I have long been a reader of Laura Childs and her tea shop series. When I saw she had written a book under the name of Gerry Schmitt I knew I had to read it. And I am so glad I did . This book is a real page turner and suspenseful . The main character Afton Tangler, is a liaison with the Minneapolis police department and wants to become a police officer . And she sure wins me over. She is tough and strong willed , something I like in a female character . But she is also a loving mother of two little girls. All the characters are so well developed that they become real . As in a really good book I could not put it down. I wanted it to be solved but I did not want it to end.
And for those of you who have not read books by Laura Childs I suggest you try one of her cozy novels.
And for those of you who have not read books by Laura Childs I suggest you try one of her cozy novels.
ashleylillis's review against another edition
3.0
I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.
One night a 3 month old baby girl is snatched from her crib and it’s a rush against time for the police to find the baby still alive.
Having two young daughters myself (6 months old) it was very hard for me to read this book and to not get emotional. I literally can’t even imagine how I would react if something happened to my kids! That being said, while I enjoyed the plot, there were definitely some parts that felt a little cheesy to me. The main character is a female police liaison but she’s brought onto the case to help out. All of her hunches are right and of course she saves the day. Also some of the dialogue felt a little forced, but I don’t know if it was written that way with phrases that are used more in the Midwest. I did enjoy the book, but it wasn’t my favorite, especially not at this point in my life.
One night a 3 month old baby girl is snatched from her crib and it’s a rush against time for the police to find the baby still alive.
Having two young daughters myself (6 months old) it was very hard for me to read this book and to not get emotional. I literally can’t even imagine how I would react if something happened to my kids! That being said, while I enjoyed the plot, there were definitely some parts that felt a little cheesy to me. The main character is a female police liaison but she’s brought onto the case to help out. All of her hunches are right and of course she saves the day. Also some of the dialogue felt a little forced, but I don’t know if it was written that way with phrases that are used more in the Midwest. I did enjoy the book, but it wasn’t my favorite, especially not at this point in my life.