Mary’s in the shower after a long day’s work when the lights go out. Her phone screen flashes in the dark. The text is from an unknown ‘You’re not alone in this room.'

When she wakes up, her head is pounding and there’s a churning in the pit of her stomach. She’s lying naked on the cold hard floor of a room she’s never seen before. The door is locked.

There’s a deep cut across her thigh. The key to the door has been sewn into her leg. It’s the only way out of this room.

Detective April Fisher must race against time to catch a killer in a sick game of cat and mouse.

Really enjoyed this story from start to finish.

This was largely fun.

It's gruesome and very reminiscent of Saw, but with less hope (lol as if Saw had much hope).

The reason behind everything was super clear very early in the book, but I was interested enough to keep reading - I really wanted to know how it ended.

I hated the epilogue on a visceral level. I've actually never hated an epilogue so much in all my years of reading. It was that easy. I also hated the bajillion page glossary at the end to translate British English for the poor, uninformed Americans. We know what a biscuit is, friend.

However, aside from the bits at the end (which I HATED), the book itself was a good and entertaining read.

"Taken From Her Home," by C.J. Grayson grabs the reader and pulls you into this fast paced thriller! I was instantly drawn into the story and wasn't able to put the book down. I found myself completely engrossed in the narrative and captivated by the characters. Time seemed to slip away unnoticed as I was swept up in the tale, until all too soon, I reached the end...wow! Gripping, tense, and dramatic, this story kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat throughout. For me, this book epitomizes the definition of an unputdownable, page-turner!

The author possesses a remarkable ability to ensnare the reader's attention and plunge them into a riveting story. The narrative wastes no time in accelerating, maintaining its swift pace from start to finish. The character descriptions are so vivid and lifelike; you feel you can see them right in front of you. Reading 'Taken From Her Home' felt like embarking on a thrilling and unpredictable rollercoaster ride, complete with twists and turns. Some aspects of the story were undeniably brutal, leaving me on edge as I eagerly awaited each new development. I admire how the author seamlessly integrates the reader into the story, making them feel like an integral part of the action. I was extremely surprised with the outcome as the story comes to the end.

I highly recommend this thrilling and unpredictable roller coaster ride, complete with twists and turns! I'm looking forward to the next book!!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Joffe Books and Mr. Grayson for the Advanced Reader Copy!

This was a great concept for a thriller novel, it had everything that I was hoping for from the genre and enjoyed how great the atmosphere was. It had everything that I was hoping for from the description and I thought the twists were everything that I was hoping for and worked with this universe. C.J. Grayson has a great writing style and glad I got to read this.

I was not really keen on this book at first. The book has a lot of very graphic violence and the writing is quite clumsy . By this I mean that the conversations do not flow well and there is a lot of unnecessary description, which I think is probabily intended to offer an insight into the characters, but which just did not gel for me. Saying that, as the book progressed, I became more immersed in the plot and I found the writing less irritating. There is a lot of action and I warmed to the detectives more. There are definately twists in the story which add interest, some of which I expected, others not.
Now that I have finished, I have revised my opinion, 4 stars Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Ooooooo this is a gripping thriller that explores the depths of human depravity and the resilience of the human spirit. With its atmospheric setting and twisty plot, this novel is sure to keep you hooked until the last page, I thought it was fantastic

Another fun read is Taken From Her Home by C.J. Grayson. It came out on the 23rd of January. I received a copy from Joffe Books via Netgalley.

Mary’s in the shower after a day’s work when the lights go out. She gets a text that reads ‘You’re not alone in this room.' She later wakes up naked, confused and she has cut across her thigh. The key to the door has been sewn into her leg. The key is the only way out of this room.

Meanwhile, detective April Fisher has to race against time to catch a killer in this sick game of cat and mouse.

This book started out right with the horrific situation of Mary. You are immediately dropped in the middle of quite a graphic scene - a bit Saw like flashed through my mind. So, the tone was set. I liked the premise of the book and the way the story evolved and was executed. The characters could have been a bit more in depth for me - I didn't really get to know them. At points, the story dropped a bit compared to the start, but it came back to a great high. Some parts were a bit predictable and the title is a bit misleading. However, it's a great thriller and I'll definitely be checking out future books by this author - I didn't even know this was book two in a series...

4/5 ⭐

I won’t be giving feedback on this book as I didn’t realize this was the second book in a series by this author. The first one in the series I gave only one star and it was insufferable. I can’t put myself through another one of his books. I’m so sorry that I requested this not knowing it was a sequel.

Taken From Her Home was a great thriller mystery book. All I can say is wow! It draws you in from the start and I found I couldn't put it down. This is the first book that I read by C.J. Grayson and it definitely won't be my last.

Taken From Her Home, #2 in the Detective April Fisher series, by C.J. Grayson takes this series to a new level. The book had me fully engaged form the beginning all the way to the avalanche sized twist at the end. I highly recommend this series to anyone who loves a good detective caper with strong character development.

Taken From Her Home is not a book you want to read at night! Or when you're alone! Mary Steadman is taken from her home and wakes up not knowing where she is or what is going on. She is in a locked room and only has one way to escape - to cut out the key sewn in her leg! This is the second book in a series and we meet the team of detectives again introduced in the first book. The detectives need to move fast because they have a serial killer on their hands. Very graphic scenes and like I said do NOT read late at night or you will never be able to sleep!

So many twists and turns. I thought I had it all figured out but I was so wrong. I love how this book is suspenseful. I really enjoyed reading it.

This was such a good read ! I requested to read it early just off the description but I didn't think it would be this good! It reminded me of the saw movies so it definitely isn’t for the squeamish ! It’s dark and just makes you want to keep reading. I have never read this author before but now I’m going to go back and read the 1st book and I’m excited for the next one !

Perfect for fans of ‘Eeny Meany’ by MJ Arlidge!

I’ve not read a book by this author before, but when I saw it advertised on NetGalley the synopsis caught my attention as it sounded like an interesting read.

For the most parts, I really did enjoy this book. I thought the delivery of plot was well structured, exciting and a bit scary at times.

I thought the characters could have done with a bit more of development. I struggled a little bit too get much of a backstory from Amy Fisher. And I found the continual flip-flop between use of her first name and surname was at first, very very confusing and quite hard to follow.

This is a very gruesome and yet thrilling read. The reason I didn’t score it higher twofold. Firstly, I felt that the police procedure within the book wasn’t quite accurate and I felt that it lacked impetus and the foresight to do basic investigation. Such as locating and interviewing your primary suspect. Secondly, the ending for me was very short and a bit predictable and I would’ve liked a bigger twist or a bit more of OMG about it. It fell a bit flat compared with the beginning of the book which was set up really neatly and had that element of fear and pace about it. With the ending, it came across that we already knew what was going to happen before it happened so we were just reading to a fixed point in the timeline.

Thanks to NetGalley for my advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book starts out with a bang. It’s the story of a woman who was in her home one minute and the next minute woke up naked in a locked room with no idea what had happened. The story continues with similar incidents happening to others . My interest was held because it is told from several points of view. It starts with a victim’s perspective, then the perspective of the criminal (past & present) & also the detective trying to solve the crime. It does go into some gory details of the crimes so it’s not for the faint of heart. I enjoy a story with twists or plots you can’t guess and there was a little twist at the end that I didn’t see coming. I feel the title didn’t fit the book very well after I got past the first few chapters. It was the beginning of the book but overall didn’t match up with the story. Overall, it was an interesting read. Thank you for the ARC.

I have been a fan of C. J. Grayson's work for a while now. I absolutely love the series featuring Detectives Tanzy and Byrd but then I am a wee bit biased since the author hails from my home town and the series featuring Tanzy and Byrd is also set in Darlington. I must admit that I haven't yet got round to reading the first book in the series featuring Detective Sergeant April Fisher which is called 'Taken While She Slept' and was released in October 2023. When I was invited to take part in the blog tour for 'Taken From Her Home', I knew that I wouldn't get a better opportunity to get to know DS Fisher and see what it is that I have been missing. Well having read and enjoyed 'Taken From Her Home' as much as I did, all I can say is 'Wow'. I can guarantee that 'Taken While She Slept' will not be unread for much longer. I flipping well totally loved reading 'Taken From Her Home' but more about that in a bit.

As soon as I started reading 'Taken From Her Home', I realised a couple of things - firstly that I was reading something special and secondly that I wasn't going to be doing anything other then reading for the rest of the afternoon because I wouldn't be able to put the book down. I was spot on on both counts. I picked the book up and didn't put it down again for a good few hours. I was blown away by the story and by the characters. This was one of those books that really got under my skin and stayed with me whether I had the book in my hand or not. Part of the reason why I enjoyed the story so much has to do with the main character of DS Fisher, who I took an immediate shine to. The more of the book that I read, the more I wanted to read and the quicker the pages seemed to turn. I was so wrapped up in the story that I didn't realise just how quickly the time was passing and just how quickly the pages were turning. All too quickly I reached the end of 'Taken From Her Home'. I found 'Taken From Her Home' to be a gripping, tense and dramatic story which certainly kept me guessing and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. For me, 'Taken From Her Home' is the true definition of an unputdownable, page turner of a book.

'Taken From Her Home' is superbly written but then I have come to expect nothing less from C. J. Grayson. The author certainly knows how to grab the reader's attention and draw them into what proves to be one hell of a story and then some. For me, the story hit the ground running and maintained a fast pace throughout. C. J. Grayson describes his characters so vividly and realistically that they seem almost as real as you and I. Reading 'Taken From Her Home' felt like being on a very unpredictable and scary rollercoaster ride with more twists and turns to it than you would find on a 'Snakes & Ladders' board.. Some details of the story were certainly brutal in nature and I was left reading through I feared what was going to happen next. I love the way in which the author makes the reader feel as though they are part of the story and at the heart of the action.

In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'Taken From Her Home' and I wholeheartedly recommend this book to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of C. J. Grayson's work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

I loved this book… best book I read this year and likely going to stay as best one too

Had me intrigued the whole way through and story line was good
The twist at end wasn’t expected by myself (which was great)

I disliked the game chapters but I guess without them would have the story been the same? or would the guilty party have been caught?

Highly Recommended

Thank you #netgalley for my copy to give an honest opinion

Wow, this books leaves no holds barred. You need a strong stomach, it's certainly gory, giving Saw vibes. I did enhoy it though, it thrilled and horrfiied me in equal measure! Definitely one to read.

Made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, absolutely fantastic. Left me breathless a few times whilst reading

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book ahead of time in exchange for a review. It didn't disappoint! Must read!!