ARC Review: Little Girl Gone by Amanda Stevens (Blog Tour)

Little Girl Gone
Author: Amanda Stevens
Series: A Procedural Crime Story (Book 1)
Publication: Harlequin Intrigue; Original edition (December 28, 2021)

Description: Nothing matters more to her when a child's life is at stake.

Special agent Thea Lamb returns to her hometown to search for a child whose disappearance echoes a twenty-eight-year-old cold case—her twin sister's abduction. Working with her former partner, Jake Stillwell, Thea must overcome the pain, doubt and guilt that have tormented her for years and denied her a meaningful relationship. For both Thea and Jake, the job always came first…until now.

My Thoughts: This was an excellent romantic suspense title. FBI agent Thea Lamb returns to her home town to support her mother when a child is abducted from her home. This disappearance echoes the disappearance of Thea's twin when they were four years old. No trace of her sister Maya has ever been found. That disappearance is likely why Thea joined the FBI and specializes in child abductions. It also has a lot to do with why Thea and her mother are estranged. 

FBI Agent Jake Stillwell and his team are assigned to the case of finding little Kylie Buchanan. Jake and Thea were once involved, but a promotion for Jake separated them. Neither was willing to ask the other anything that would keep them together, but that doesn't mean that they have forgotten each other. 

This was a very atmospheric title. From the local scenery to the town, things are eerie. Both Thea and Jake have "feelings" that might be paranormal if either believed in that sort of thing. There are also a number of suspicious characters around including Kylie's abusive and sociopathic father, a creepy next door neighbor, and an old flame of Thea's mother who has recently been released from a tough Florida prison and is looking to even the score. 

I enjoyed the mystery and really liked both Thea and Jake.

Favorite Quote:

They were too alike, she and Jake, and that had become an insurmountable obstacle. The each had things in their past they didn't want to talk about. Dark things that had turned both of them into scarred, wary loners.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley as a part of the Harlequin Winter Blog Tour. You can buy your copy here.