The One Who Was Taken by Kerry Wilkinson - Book Review

Series: Whitecliff Bay Mysteries #2

Publication Date: 17th April 2023

Genre: Small Town Mystery 

4 Stars 

One Liner: An intriguing and fast-paced mystery (not a standalone) 

*****

Millie and Nicola were best friends at high school until something tore them apart. Fifteen years later, Nicola calls Millie, asking for help. Nicola’s purple shoes were strung up in the backyard. These were the same shoes she was wearing on a fateful night someone tied her to a tie and hacked her hair into random bits. 

The shoes could have been placed only by Nicola’s kidnapper. But neither she nor Millie knows who it is. They decided to forget the incident back then. But it looks like they have to get to the bottom of the issue. As Millie starts inquiring, she realizes that her memories and perspective of her school days are different from reality. 

What happened then? What happens now? How will Nicola and Millie continue to keep the secret and uncover the kidnapper? 

The story comes from Millie’s POV. 

My Thoughts: 

The second book in the series begins a few months after the first one ends. This one is more compact and puts together as the primary characters are already introduced and established in the previous book. 

The book has two tracks apart from Millie’s personal life. That makes it three seemingly unrelated tracks, but there’s no confusion anywhere (even when the characters overlap. It’s a small town setting, after all). 

Millie and Guy’s friendship is steady in this one. I like how they work together and help each other. Guy is truly the godfather Millie needs and she is the daughter he never had. 

We get more than a glimpse into Millie’s childhood and teen life in the Whitecliff. More details are revealed and add depth to her character. Millie is very much a flawed character but with a good heart. She is trying, and we can’t help but root for her. 

The main mystery is intriguing, but I’m not too sure about how it concludes. As a series reader (I already started book three), I can understand the reasoning. However, some readers may not like it, considering they read 270+ pages hoping to solve the issue. 

I so wish Millie would stop letting her horrible ex-husband and his snooty fiancée treat her like this. Yeah, she was wrong, but he’s no saint, either. I hope there’s a book soon where they get their due. I don’t want to wait too long for this! 

The setting is just as atmospheric and brooding as in book one. Whitecliff is no happy place. Or maybe it highlights the darker side of small towns a lot more. 

I like the random one-star reviews Millie reads on the internet. They don’t make sense and drive the point about how stupid, prejudiced, and annoying people can be. 

To summarize, The One Who Was Taken provides more answers about Millie but raises as many questions too. This book will not work as a standalone mystery. It has to be read as a part of the series and in the order (this comes from someone who doesn’t bother following a series order). 

Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture, for the eARC.  

#NetGalley #TheOneWhoWasTaken