Taken

Dinuka McKenzie has talent to burn – Dervla McTiernan

A parent's worst nightmare. A case that's too close to home. The tense, must-read new Detective Kate Miles novel from the award-winning author of The Torrent.

'I was in the shower. I left Sienna in her bassinet ... When I got out ... She was gone.'

Detective Sergeant Kate Miles is back from maternity leave and struggling on multiple fronts – the pressures of a second child, financial strain from her husband losing his job, and a corruption scandal that may involve her father.

When an infant goes missing, Kate finds herself fronting a high-profile and emotionally fraught case. Was baby Sienna removed from her bassinet by an unknown abductor, or is the answer much closer to home?

Amidst a frenzied media demanding answers, and a station chief looking for any reason to remove her from the investigation, Kate is pushed to her limits, pulled between the competing demands of the family at the centre of the case and her own spiralling personal life.

A dark domestic rural mystery written by a born storyteller. More please. – Michael Robotham

Taken is a masterclass in crimes that are too close to home, and I'm so pleased to see Detective Sergeant Kate Miles return. Prepare yourself for another fast-paced thrill-ride with heart. – Hayley Scrivenor

Thrilling, yes. Action-packed, absolutely. Most importantly, though, utterly moving. I don't think I've ever felt as connected to a character as I am to Kate Miles, who is now, I'm happy to say, my favourite fictional detective. Dinuka McKenzie will have you feverishly turning pages, mark my words. – Ben Hobson

A brilliant follow-up to The Torrent, this book should be top of your reading list for 2023. McKenzie takes readers into a dark, labyrinthine maze of secrets and lies: everyone seems to be guilty of something, but does it mean they're criminals? This intense, twisty mystery will have you hooked from the start. – Katherine Kovacic

Praise for The Torrent:

Such a good read – Val McDermid

Vivid, pacy and refreshingly original. A gripping whodunnit with heart. – Emma Viskic

Brings a fresh perspective to the crime genre ... This gripping debut will keep you turning the pages late into the night. – Petronella McGovern

A realistic, character-driven policier that holds a mirror to contemporary tensions in rural Australian life and builds expertly from slow burn to adrenaline-fuelled climax – The Age