I very much enjoyed this book, it did however take me a few chapters to work out who was who as there were a lot of characters in the book right at the start. It was a very enjoyable read, plenty going on to keep me interested, a.nd switching t,he narrativE from person to person made it interesting too. I will definitely read more books by this author. A solid 4 stars.

A Game of Cat and Mouse... The Chase in On 🧸

Gone In Seconds is part of the Special Agent Max Carter series, Carter works in child abductions. Whilst I haven't read the first in this series it does not affect your reading of the book, it could easily be a stand alone read.

Baby Ky Bartlett it abducted, it takes you through when it happened and then the chase to endeavor to locate the baby and get him back home. It's told via various perspectives, with lots going on, admissions coming to light from most characters. You are made aware very early on of who took the Bartletts baby and get their view of events throughout.

It took a while to get into, bit slower paced than I hoped for my preference, but an okay read.

Max Carter returns for a 2nd outing in this new series from the prolific Ed James.

Set in Seattle, USA, these stories are quite a departure from his usual Scottish based crime thrillers.

Max Carter is an FBI Agent who specialises in hunting down missing or kidnapped children so when the very young baby of a rich and famous couple is taken, Max is called in.

A real cat and mouse thriller ensues, though the story takes a little while to move it picks up in pace throughout.

A tale of money, secrets and lies, and family betrayal , this 2nd book in the series is an action packed thriller that reads like you could be watching a Hollywood movie. This series just has that vibe.

A very decent follow up to Tell Me Lies, it’s a gripping thriller, with plenty of twists and action to keep the pages turning quickly and I look forward to more from Ed James and Max Carter.

Great Stuff from a talented author.

4🔥🔥🔥🔥

Special Agent Max Carter is a man on a mission! Having suffered the trauma of being abducted by his father as a child he now dedicates his working life to finding those children in a similar situation as lead agent with the Child Abduction Rapid Deployment unit at the FBI. Thrown into the kidnapping of a six week old baby boy, the son of one of Seattle's richer inhabitants nothing seems to make sense. The parents aren't telling him everything and there is an animosity between them and the little boy's uncle which threatens to erupt into violence at any moment causing Carter to doubt everything he's hearing.

As sightings of the kidnapper are reported from various locations across the city the team find familiar faces involved in a second of their cases but as they get closer to their quarry another player emerges with devastating consequences.

This is the second in the excellent series featuring SA Max Carter and his team and I would definitely suggest reading them in order. The first book Tell Me Lies is still one of my top two books of the year so far and this is a very worthy follow up. The family dynamic in the Carter household took a slightly less vital role this time; I have a feeling that won't be the case in the third book!

This time the story revolves around the team doing everything they can to find the missing child and being thwarted at every turn. Max's frustration was palpable! There was also the opportunity to see one of the previous book's main antagonists in a slightly different light which I really enjoyed. Although this didn't quite hit the heights of the first book, which to be fair would have been very hard, it is still a great read and I can't wait for the next instalment.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone who has read the first book and wants to find out what happened next. It is clear Ed James has reached new levels with this series, and as he is already one of my favourites authors that is a very exciting prospect.

Brilliant book if you like thrillers this is for you. Keeps you on your toes from the beginning. Cant wait to read more by this author

Fantastic thriller! Grabs the reader from page 1 and keeps them on their toes from start to finish! Can't wait to read more from Ed James!

This was an excellent mystery novel that I enjoyed reading. The storyline literally kept me glued to the pages. I can’t recommend the book enough!

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.

After an initial slow start I did eventually get into Gone in Seconds. I was expecting a gripping, gritty thriller but the book just didn’t capture me as I thought it would. I would say this was a middle of the road novel that some may really enjoy, but it fell slightly short of the mark for me. Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

This is the 2nd book in the Detective Max Carter series by author Ed James.
I enjoy reading Ed James books but unfortunately this one didn't do it for me. It was still a decent read but I was a little disappointed given the high standard of others I have read.

FBI Agent Max Carter is called in when a baby goes missing. Wealthy businessman Landon Bartlett and his wife Jennifer have everything money can buy but their lives are sent into turmoil when their newborn child is abducted from his cot.

Investigations into the case throw suspicions onto members of the Bartlett family and Carter uncovers dubious business deals that threaten the Bartletts entire family fortune. It is obvious that the family will go to extreme lengths to keep their secrets but are they prepared to put the hunt for the baby at threat.

There were large portions of the book I enjoyed but it failed to fully capture my imagination. The characters are well written but the plot wasn't quite there for me.

I would like to thank both Net Galley and Bookouture for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Book 2 with Detective Max Carter in the main role. He's back and how!

Sometimes you read a book and you think that there is no way that the next one can even be better, but in this case it's yes way. 

Of course it's personal, but in my opinion this one was even more emotional than the previous one and when a story touches you, you feel more connected to it too.

Hopes, dreams, the future, your life as you know it ... gone in seconds ...

There are series and there are series. Let me explain. Often you can read the books as standalones, because every case is solved at the end and the common thread is the team or the private life of the main police officer. Here though, I would advise you to start with book 1 because not everything has been dealt with and the chase continues in book 2. 

A great story with some gobsmacking revelations and a chilling finish that makes you want to pull your hair out because you have to wait for book 3. Hopefully the wait will not be too long. Just loved it. 5 stars.

Thank you, Ed James and Bookouture

I’ve wanted to love this book so much more than I have. It’s been ok to read but I have felt that this has been missing something for me.