‘Spectacular read. It had me on the edge of my seat and I just couldn’t stop reading. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 starsA baby missing. A family in pieces. A shocking secret that can’t be told. Landon and Jennifer Bartlett have everything—money, influence and a picture-perfect family. But it means nothing when their lives are torn apart the day someone breaks into … lives are torn apart the day someone breaks into their plush mansion and takes their newborn child right from his cot.
FBI Agent Max Carter investigates child abduction cases. He has a reputation for working all hours to find every missing child on his watch—after all, he was once one himself. When he visits the Bartletts’ sprawling home in an exclusive estate in the suburbs of Seattle, he’s immediately suspicious of Landon Bartlett and his brother Chase.
As Carter delves deeper into the lives of the brothers, he finds a web of dubious business deals and lies that could cost the Bartlett’s their entire family fortune. And it’s clear they will do anything to keep their secrets—but would they withhold vital information that could lead him to baby Ky’s kidnapper?
As Carter begins a cat-and-mouse game with the kidnapper, he receives some startling news from home, which stops him in his tracks. And when a young woman is spotted boarding a bus out of town with a baby fitting Ky’s description, he must decide whether to risk everything to find the missing child or save his own family.
Fans of Kendra Elliot, Melinda Leigh and Robert Dugoni will love this heart-pumping, pulse-racing crime thriller from bestselling author Ed James.
What readers are saying about Gone in Seconds:
‘Talk about a total thriller. I could NOT put this one down… I really loved this book. It was super fast-paced and a quick read. I read it all in one sitting.’ Mama’s Book Ramblins’ Blog
‘Wow, wow, wow, wow. What a book!! I enjoyed every minute… A definite must-read!!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Captivating… I was utterly gobsmacked by the ending… A real cracker of a page-turner.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘I couldn’t put this book down! I began reading in the afternoon and had to finish it tonight. It’s THAT GOOD.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘A great story with some gobsmacking revelations and a chilling finish that will make you want to pull your hair out because you have to wait for book three… Just loved it.’ B for Book Review, 5 stars
‘A spectacular read. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘I loved this book… Every page kept me wanting more and I finished it in a day.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Another great story full of twists and turns… A book you can’t put down until you finish it.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars
‘Kept me up until the early hours of the morning because once I was hooked, I couldn’t put it down!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Excellent mystery novel… The storyline literally kept me glued to the pages.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Gritty and suspenseful… I didn’t want it to end.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars
‘Had twists I never saw coming. I couldn’t put it down.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘I can’t wait for the next instalment.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘I loved how every page left me wanting more. 5 stars!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 starsmore
GONE IN SECONDS picks up where TELL ME LIES left off. FBI Agent Max Carter investigates child abduction cases. He has a reputation for working all hours to find every missing child on his watch—after all, he was once one himself.
A 6-week old baby has been taken from his home while the nanny is on duty. The baby belongs to a very well known .. and wealthy … business and his wife. As Carter investigate, he finds that the family has secrets … but are those secrets about their child ..or something else.
The father .. and his business partner as well as his brother.. are primary suspects. But then a young woman is sighted boarding a bus out of town with an infant child. The nanny? The mother? A co-conspirator?
BOOK BLURB: As Carter begins a cat-and-mouse game with the kidnapper, he receives some startling news from home, which stops him in his tracks. He must decide whether to risk everything to find the missing child or save his own family.
Gone in Seconds is the 2nd book in the Special Agent Max Carter series by best-selling author, Ed James. After reading Book 1, I was expecting a well written crime thriller with lots of action and plenty of twists and turns to keep my eyes riveted to the story. I was not disappointed. I highly recommend reading these books in order.
Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
Disappointing read with staccato macho language set in Seattle but has the voice of UK lingo. Not entertaining nor interesting as the writing was so distracting. Lovely cover and interesting blurb drew me in but the story is hard to follow and uncomfortable to read. .
Picking up essentially where Tell Me Lies left off, the action in this book just keeps on rolling. There are nefarious characters, intricate connections, ulterior motives, and shady pasts (and presents) that need to be sorted out. Fortunately, Carter is a hero who looks at the whole picture. You can read this as a standalone. But, if you didn’t read the first book I would highly recommend doing so because it will make this one much clearer. And there is definitely a cliffhanger that indicates at least a third book in the series. For a full review please visit Fireflies and Free Kicks. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a digital ARC of the book.
Kidnapping , murder , the Russian mob and most of all Max Carter , Special Agent to the FBI.
Although this is book 2 in the series it can be read as a standalone (but I am off to read book 1)
There are stories within stories in Gone in Seconds and that just keeps you on your toes, dodging curve balls and storing clues.
Lots of action, the pages flew by for me and I for one am now a Max Carter fan !
Can’t wait for book 3.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for a great read !
Gone in Seconds by Ed James is the author’s second Max Carter book. Max Carter is part of the FBI’s Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team. This guy goes the extra mile to find abducted children. In this story a six-week-old baby boy was kidnapped. The book has a complex plot with plenty of action to keep the reading turning the pages. It is well-written and realistic. I would suggest it would be beneficial to read the first book, Tell Me Lies because characters from the firrst book play a role in this storyline.
This ARC was provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Gone in Seconds by Ed James is the second book following FBI Agent Max Carter. While I did not read the first book in the series, I didn’t feel like it hindered my reading at all of this book. That being said, the first 60% of the book was extremely slow to me. While I felt the characters were well developed and written well, the story has been played out in too many books. An overall ok read if you can make it through the first half of the book.
Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the free digital ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. All opinions are my own.
This ARC was provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 6 week old baby Ky is abducted from his crib, while his parents are at a dinner and his nanny is watching TV. Each chapter in this book centers around a character and what they are doing during the abduction/investigation. The story is set in Washington state, and there are ferry rides back and forth between the mainland and islands. It takes a while to understand why the baby is abducted. The father and the uncle are rich, there is Russian mafia ties and a woman with ties to Syrian war. This is the second book in the Max Carter series, so about half of the storyline is follow-up/sequel to the first book, but I was not lost. The author did a good job explaining everything that was going on. I will say, Max Carter is not very likable. He is a gruff FBI agent that comes across as having no warmth. Since there is a bit of background to his story, it makes sense. I would really like to read the first and look forward to reading the next. Because there was so much going on and so many characters (not too many that you get lost), I was not bored.
376 pages
3 and 1 / 2 stars
This book has a slow start. Once the initial introductions are made, the story picks up. This is a fast reading, twisty suspense story and it is full of surprises. I didn’t really take to any of the characters though. I didn’t like the Bartlett’s and their lies. I didn’t really care for Max all that much, either. He seemed to act without thinking sometimes, but boy was he driven. The writing was very good and the plot, once it smoothed out, was competent.
I don’t feel, however, that it is up to Ed James’ usual style. I enjoy a book in which there is at least one character I can identify with and like. The book was engaging enough that I kept reading as I was trying to sort out the lies and the confusion. I did very much enjoy the setting as Seattle and the general area as it is my home town.
Six-week old Ky is snatched from his crib while his mother and father are out at a fundraiser. They are very wealthy. There are a myriad of complications to this seemingly simple case. Many actors are in the mix, with many different motives.
I want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for forwarding to me a copy of this book for me to read, enjoy and review.