Taken

by Dee Henderson

Paperback, 2015

Status

Available

Call number

813.54

Publication

Bethany House Publishers (2015), 432 pages

Description

"Years after being abducted as a teenager and being forced to assist a crime family, Shannon contacts private investigator Matthew Dane for help, desperate for resolution to the mysteries and pain of her past and hoping for the freedom to begin a new life"--

User reviews

LibraryThing member Robin661
Taken
Dee Henderson

Book Summary: An investigator who knows tragic loss firsthand, and his new client, missing far too long… Abducted at the age of sixteen and coerced into assisting the Jacoby crime family, Shannon Bliss has finally found a way out. She desperately wants to resume some semblance
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of normal life, but she also knows she has some unfinished business to attend to. She might have enough evidence to put her captors behind bars for a very long time. When Shannon contacts private investigator Matthew Dane, a former cop, to help her navigate her reentry into society, he quickly discovers that gaining her freedom doesn't mean her troubles are over. If the Jacoby family learns she is still alive, they'll stop at nothing to silence her. If justice is to be done, and if Shannon's life is ever to get on track again, Matthew will need to discover exactly what happened to her--even if it means stirring up a hornet's nest of secrets.

Review: It was an easy read overall. The characters were likable and previous ones became more likable through this book. I found the romance lacking. There really was no chemistry between the two. I really liked Matthew and Shannon. They were strong capable and helpful people. The mystery was fun but over blown in my opinion. I enjoyed the secret hideaways the Jacoby family kept and the paranoia the family had was realistic. The trauma and events related to her kidnapping were realistic and yet the fear Shannon had were not equal to the description on the back of the book. I know that back of the books can be misleading sometimes but this one was lacking. The hornets nest of secrets and why she was taken was very vaguely answered and everything was wrapped up so neatly it felt false to me. This book is no way equal to the Mallory series that I loved. I found this book to be fair overall and am sad because Dee Henderson has such a talent for weaving a story. I keep hoping that some big twist or turn will reignite the spark for me.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Bethany House for allowing me to read and review this book in return for a free copy and I was never asked to write a favorable review by anyone.
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LibraryThing member beckyhaase
TAKEN by Dee Henderson
TAKEN deals with the aftermath of a kidnap situation gone wrong – for eleven years! The main character was kidnapped at age 16 and held until she escaped at age 27. The book only refers to the kidnapping and focuses on the psychological healing that must take place for the
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young woman to reenter society as a whole person. The person who helps Shannon heal is Matthew, a former cop and father to another young woman who was kidnapped and held for eight years. The work he did with his daughter is the framework for the present situation. In flashback the book reveals the crimes committed and the horror of captivity of eleven years traveling the country with a crime family.
Although a bit too long, the story held my attention well. I would have preferred to know more about Shannon’s brother and mother with a little less emphasis on the navel gazing psychological conversations between Shannon and Matthew.
This is a Christian author and a Christian publishing house so the murders take place “off page,” the language is Sunday School clean and the only drinking is ice tea. That said, specifically Christian references take up approximately 5 of the 400 plus pages. Both Christian and non-Christian readers will find an interesting and believable psychological drama.
4 of 5 stars
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LibraryThing member thehistorychic
Listened for Review (Brilliance)
Overall Rating: DNF

Audio Rating: 4.00 (not part of the overall rating)

Why the DNF?: I gave Taken by Dee Henderson 2 hours and just couldn't see me getting over the fact that it constantly refers to her as similar to his daughter. I know since this is romantic
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suspense that they will fall in love later and I will just be icked out. This is the only reason that I stopped the story. The suspense part was compelling but not enough for me to get over the romance part of the story.

Audio Thoughts

Narrated By Adam Verner / Length: 12 hrs and 28 mins

Adam did a great job with the narration. He had a great way of sounding gruff when needed and could switch to innocent/scared in the drop of a dime. I will listen to an audiobook narrated by him in the future.

Part of my It's Not You, It's Me Reviews
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LibraryThing member Nascargrl24
I loved this book, it kept me on the edge of my set but was hoping for more romance. Excellent writing and highly reccomended!
LibraryThing member vintagebeckie
In my opinion, Dee Henderson’s books have come a long way since her O’Malley series. Still big favorites of her fans, I have found from online reviews and discussions that her later novels have been met with mixed feelings. Taken is billed as romantic suspense, and from the above blurb you
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would think that it is fast-paced with elements of danger. Well, I really didn’t find that to be the case. All of the action takes place before the book even begins. And while main character Shannon Bliss is in some danger from her former captors, she is well-protected and never comes within reach of them. So, does this mean I didn’t like the book. Absolutely not! I really, really liked it because it showed the rest of the story. Taken explores what happens after the rescue — a time when the trauma finally takes root, a time when normal really isn’t.

Main character Matthew Dane is experienced in the handling of kidnap victims. His own daughter, Becky, was once one. When approached by Shannon Bliss, the victim of 11 years of captivity, he sets up an elaborate network of professionals and friends to ease Shannon’s reentry into normal life. I found the process very intriguing. Henderson does an excellent job of detailing the pain-staking work that needs to be done to ensure the physical and emotional well-being of a victim. Taken is to me a mystery, as the past is uncovered to reveal just what happened to Shannon and why. The suspense comes not from car chases or narrow escapes, but from the unfolding of motives. I listened to the audiobook and the timing and narration were very good.

If you are expecting a novel in the same vein as Henderson’s earliest novels, then you may be disappointed. But if you want to immerse yourself into a detailed and articulate novel of after the crime, then Taken is for you.

Recommended.

Audience: adults.
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LibraryThing member pomo58
Taken is my introduction to Dee Henderson's fiction and if I read another of her books it will likely be, based on a friend's suggestion, one of the O'Malley series.

This was not a bad book but I was expecting more mystery and suspense with a better flow. I have no use for the overt Christian
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aspects but that has nothing to do with this novel's weaknesses. I also don't judge a book if a character calls out to Zeus and hears that voice in their head either, it is all part of the fictional story and the character's world view. I don't believe the same things as the majority of the fictional characters in works I read, so the overt attempt to inject religious views doesn't bother me, though in honesty it doesn't help either. If hearing voices in your head is not part of moving the plot along, regardless of what voices one is hearing, I find it pointless and a nuisance. If the story had been better it would have been far less annoying and distracting.

The premise of the story is promising and the basic outline of the action would make a good novel but the writing just did not flow. The dialogue seemed stilted and just too wordy at times. Character reactions were hard to believe as written. I had heard good things about Henderson's books so am going to assume this is just a bad example.

Not sure who to recommend this to except fans of Dee Henderson.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via LibraryThing.
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LibraryThing member Marypo
First off, I love the premise of this book. There was no need to make drama between the two main characters, and I love how solid their relationship was as a result of that. The focus was where it should have been. I loved getting to know the characters. Shannon was strong without being abrasive,
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and her faith was stronger as a result, even after witnessing tragedy. I could go into what this book was NOT (fluffy, insubstantial,etc.), but it's enough to say I loved this book.
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LibraryThing member cbcmedia
Just like all of Dee Henderson’s books, I really enjoyed it! I loved the characters and the storyline. It was so detailed and each piece of the puzzle was delivered so precisely throughout the book, that I never got bored. The mystery of Shannon’s abduction, the people involved, the reason, the
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way she escaped was all written so well, that it kept me turning the pages wanting more. As the book ended, I will admit I was disappointed that there is no sequel. I would love to know more about the characters, they became my friends!

Some supporting characters in this book are featured in her Evie Blackwell series. So it was nice to see them again, even if I did go at it backwards.
Dee Henderson writes a beautiful Christian fiction where she weaves faith and God’s healing into the pages with such purpose that you just expect it. It’s not preachy, just Christian’s living out their faith in a beautiful way.
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Language

Original language

English

Physical description

8.4 inches

ISBN

076421571X / 9780764215711
Page: 0.4663 seconds