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Charlie Donlea definitely knows how to write a thriller. Short chapters, complex plot lines, a blistering pace, dual timeframes that converge for a powerful ending…all of these conspire to keep the book in readers' hands. There are no flowery descriptions of setting, just the details that are necessary to place the novel. Characterization takes place through actions and, while not particularly deep, it is sufficient to sketch out the characters well enough to have them make sense.
In LONG TIME GONE, the setup involves Dr. Sloan Hastings' research on the use of DNA in forensic pathology. In order to further her knowledge, she submits her own DNA to a genealogy site to understand the process…instead, she gets a shock. She finds out that she is a member of a powerful Nevada clan and that she and her parents went missing when she was an infant. As she digs down into her past, connecting with her birth family, she also discovers that the family's power has been fueled by greed and violence. The chance DNA finding sets her on a path to find out what happened to her birth parents, a path that leads to an escalation in violence and puts her life in danger.
Chapters are short and are grouped into timeframes. We move between the 1990s when Sloan was born as Charlotte Menendez and then disappeared along with her parents, and the present as she attempts to dig up the details of that disappearance and her adoption. Donlea does a great job of introducing any new characters and pieces of the plot within those sections of chapters so that they are firmly in the readers' minds as the timeframe switches. I never felt disoriented by the temporal changes.
The pace of the book moves so quickly that there is little time to reflect upon any holes in the plot. Once the final pages are read, however, and there is time to think about it, a couple of issues emerge. The most glaring for me is motivation for the ultimate villain. At times they seem sociopathic, at other times deranged, and sometimes completely normal. Thus, the villain ends up seeming more of a plot device than a true character. I also found it difficult to believe that Sloan, who is portrayed at the beginning of the book as completely driven professionally, would drop everything and take off to solve her family mystery. Donlea provides a semi-plausible leap based on the connection between her forensic pathology work and her personal situation, but I found it unconvincing.
Even with these shortcomings, I recommend the book for its ability to draw readers in and hold them fast in the plot's grip.
§ Sharon Mensing, retired educational leader, lives, reads, and enjoys the outdoors in Arizona.
Reviewed by Sharon Mensing, May 2024
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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