The Gathering

Child Abduction Response Team Book 1

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Pub Date 26 Dec 2020 | Archive Date 1 Apr 2021

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Description

“They’re everywhere, they’re everywhere...”

That’s the first thing Mahler teaches his investigative team about child predators.

The professor-turned-profiler warns them not to look in the shadows for a monster lurking there. He reminds them danger hides in plain sight; it’s the ones you least suspect, the people out basking in the Florida sunshine, the seemingly nice guy with a warm smile for every mother’s child he seeks.

The Child Abduction Response Team’s mission: identify and stop them.

Mahler demands team members be like Caesar's wife - above reproach. Abide by his standards, or else. If the parents of a missing child can’t count on investigators to obey the rules, who can they trust?

But as the anguish and frustration of working child abduction cases mounts, two members of the team, frequently at odds, agonize over taking matters into their own hands.

Can they protect a baby from a fate worse than death? What toll will it take as they carry the burden of their secret? What consequence will they suffer if Mahler finds out what they’ve done?

Find out by reading the Child Abduction Response Team series.

“The Gathering” is inspired by a twisted, real-life case. When a six-year-old girl disappears, everything points to her father as the perpetrator, but when Mahler and his team dig deeper, they discover a more shocking truth.

Read this gripping psychological suspense thriller today and learn to recognize the predators among us!

“They’re everywhere, they’re everywhere...”

That’s the first thing Mahler teaches his investigative team about child predators.

The professor-turned-profiler warns them not to look in the shadows...


A Note From the Publisher

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Advance Praise

"Not a word was wasted. I think readers who are interested in crime thrillers or arm-chair detectives (such as myself) would like this book." Andrea Smith, Reedsy

"Not a word was wasted. I think readers who are interested in crime thrillers or arm-chair detectives (such as myself) would like this book." Andrea Smith, Reedsy


Available Editions

ISBN 9781953753007
PRICE US$2.99 (USD)

Average rating from 20 members


Featured Reviews

This is a tough read about a young girl who was kidnapped and the specialized team that assists the police in bringing those responsible to justice. The Child Abduction Response Team is led by a notoriously tough professor, Mathias Mahler, who demands absolute integrity and professionalism above all else. He has 5 interns on his team, each representing a different area of study - criminal justice, social work, psychology, forensic anthropology, and English Literature. The interns are as different as their backgrounds and have the usual clashing of personalities and methodologies you'd expect. Mahler clearly favors the psychology intern, and I hope that changes because he's clearly not the standout the professor believes him to be.

The CART is called out to their first case, the disappearance of a 6 year old girl, Daisy, from her home overnight. The family of 7 has had several visits in the past from DCF (Department of Child and Families - known in my state as Child Protective Services) because of unsanitary conditions in the home and unsecured medications. CART starts investigating local sexual offenders while the detectives assigned to the case begin by scrutinizing Daisy's family.

We follow the story through multiple POVs, including the interns, Mahler, the DCF caseworker, and CART's liaison with the police department, detective Lou Binderman. I think that's his role, as he's introduced as a Florida Department of Law Enforcement detective while the lead detective is another officer, Frank Sosa (is he also FDLE?). If you're not familiar with these agencies it's a bit confusing at first, but I'm glad the author included everyone involved and made it as realistic as possible. I believe this core group of people will feature in more than one story of the series, and I hope so because we learn just a tantalizing bit about each one of them.

The case progresses with the typical involvement of a relentless reporter, condemnation of the parents for their assumed negligence and/or guilt, and the maligning of a sexual offender who lives a few streets away from Daisy's family. Sadly, we soon discover that this case is much worse than a simple abduction. Maher's expertise on sexual predators becomes crucial to the heart of the case. It's here that readers may become uncomfortable with the descriptions of abuse and atrocities committed. But it's not for shock value, it's necessary to convey how depraved these individuals are and why law enforcement will do whatever it takes to get these predators off of the streets. You can't turn your head and pretend it doesn't exist, this evil is everywhere, in plain sight.

It's heartbreaking to face the realization that so many innocent children suffer, but watching the criminals get outsmarted and taken down is gloriously satisfying. Each jailed criminal is one less predator on the street. I can't wait for the next installment in this promising series!

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I knew from reading the summary of The Gathering by Josephine Damian that this book would not be an easy read.

However, the author did a very good job in not only telling a story of betrayal and murder, but went a step further and described what goes on in the mind of someone who could commit such a heinous act.

Overall, the book is very well written and that might just give you nightmares.

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This was a very heavy book. It was actually a quick read but I found myself taking lots of breaks so it ended up taking me days to get through. This book touches on many sensitive subjects that may make it difficult to get through even though it is well written.

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This book was hard to get through. Not because the writing was bad but it was just so emotionally draining and every parents worst nightmare. When I finished this book I squeezed the crap out of my baby until she wriggled and fought me away!

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Although the subject of this book is a tough one, I stilled liked it. Crimes against children are tough to think about and deal with. This story was very predictable early in as to who the "bad guys" were. Still, I enjoyed reading about the CART team and the methodical way the police investigate what really happened to Daisy. This may be a tough read for some, so I caution potential readers to make sure you know this book is about pedophiles and their forms of abuse against children. Well written and complete characters. If you can stomach the subject of the novel, it is worth the read.

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A parents' worst nightmare - waking up to discover your 6 year old is missing from her bed.

We meet the Woodbine family and the CART in this book and see how the process works in finding a missing child. Using all resources available to them we are drawn into the sordid world of child pornography.

This was an extremely difficult topic to read about but the story was well-written and before I knew it the book was finished. It was the kind of book you don't want to put down because you have to know how it ends.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me the chance to read this book.

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I received a complimentary copy of The Gathering from NetGalley.  Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Whoa! Crazy read—very hard to put down. The inner workings of a pedophile are revealed as a team of interns assists in solving a missing/murdered and molested child case. I thought I knew who was responsible for 6 year old Daisy’s demise, but I was led a little bit astray. This novel was so well written and the rationales make so much sense!

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Although a sensitive subject matter that would be a trigger to some readers I have to say what a good book. It was well written and gave insight in to how the CART (child abduction response team) police and other children’s services work together to achieve the best outcome for the children involved and on obtaining punishment for the perpetrators. Although a work of fiction you can you see elements of reality in the book as well.

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Child predators ... they're everywhere, every color, every shape, every age. They may look like your neighbor, a friend, a business associate ... but they are the people least suspect .. the ones who hide in plain sight. “The Gathering” is inspired by a twisted, real-life case.

Mahler and his investigative team (Child Abduction Response Team - CART have one assignment and only one .... identify the predators then put them away.

When a 6-year-old girl goes missing, Mahler and his team leap to attention. The prime suspect is the girl's father, but the more they investigate, the discover something more dangerous at play.

Two of the team members take matters in their own hands, much against the rules, and what will happen when Mahler finds out what they've done? And how will this affect the child's case?

Suspenseful from the very first, this is a tightly woven plot. I found it interesting to see how these kinds of crimes are investigated. The characters are solidly drawn and quite credible. Kudos to the author for the research done. Crimes against children is a tough subject, especially knowing that children disappear on a daily basis.

These are the 2020 statistics ....

In 2020 NCMEC (National Center for Missing & Exploited Children) assisted law enforcement and families with more than 29,800 cases of missing children.
Case type:
91 percent endangered runaways.
5 percent family abductions.
3 percent critically missing young adults, ages 18 to 20.
Less than 1 percent non-family abductions.
1 percent lost, injured or otherwise missing children.

Of the nearly 26,500 runaways reported to NCMEC in 2020, 1 in 6 were likely victims of child sex trafficking.

TRIGGERS : This book is about pedophiles and their forms of abuse against children

Many thanks to the author / BooksGoSocial / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological / crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

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The Gathering by Josephine Damian was inspired by a real-life case and is the first book in the Child Abduction Response Team series. Difficult subject but interesting and well-written book. #TheGathering #NetGalley

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Thank you Netgalley and Festina Lente Press for an eARC in return for an honest review.

WARNING ⚠️ child sexual abuse kidnapping

The story starts with a weekday morning in chaos as Ruth Woodbine tries to get her 5 children ready for school when she notices one of them isn't there.
Mahler is a professor turned profiler who is the head of CART- Child Abduction Response Team. He teaches his investigative team about child predators.
Mahler and his team has been assigned to the case of the missing child Daisy Woodbine.
While this book is a tough book to read it is also like no other book that I've read. I love how the author delves really deep into child predators and how to approach and handle them. I learned a lot.
I will read the next installement when it comes out.

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Mathias Mahler is a professor turned psychologist and behavioural analyst and also the head of CART, the Child Abduction Response Team. He is teaching his hand-selected intern investigative team about child predators. Set in Florida, the story begins at just after 7 am on a weekday morning; chaos reigns as Ruth Woodbine tries to get her five children ready for school but then she notices one of them isn't there - six-year-old Daisy.

With a tightly woven plot, this is extremely suspenseful from the off. It is well-written and before I knew it I had finished it; it's one of those novels you can't put down because need to know how it will end. The reader gets to follow the story through multiple viewpoints, including the interns, Mahler, a caseworker, CART's liaison officer with the Florida police department, and the lead detective. The subject of the novel is uncomfortable and stomach-churning but The Gathering is well worth a read.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from BooksGoSocial via NetGalley at my own request. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

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I love watching crime shows on TV like Criminal Minds and Law &Order but don’t often enjoy books in the genre so I was ver happy that this book was so good. I found it engrossing right from the start and was really hard to put down.

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Josephine Damian's The Gathering immerses readers in a harrowing world of psychological suspense and the relentless pursuit of justice. Drawing inspiration from a twisted real-life case, the novel delves into the complexities of child abduction and the intricate dynamics of an investigative team tasked with unraveling a shocking truth hidden beneath the surface.

The author's skillful narrative weaves a compelling tale that delves into the relentless search for a missing child and the devastating impact it has on the lives of those involved. Damian expertly captures the emotional turmoil and mounting tension within the Child Abduction Response Team, highlighting the profound consequences of their actions and the moral dilemmas they face in their pursuit of justice.

The gripping storyline is underscored by the meticulous attention to detail and the intricate portrayal of the team's struggles and triumphs. Damian's vivid descriptions and evocative prose create a vivid and immersive reading experience that keeps readers engaged from start to finish.

While the novel successfully maintains a gripping pace and a suspenseful plot, a slight deduction from a perfect rating is attributed to certain pacing elements that could have been further streamlined to enhance the overall flow of the narrative. Additionally, some aspects of character development could have been expanded to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the emotional complexities at play.

In conclusion, The Gathering is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers and intricate investigative narratives. Josephine Damian's expert storytelling and the rich tapestry of emotional depth make this a compelling and thought-provoking read that resonates with readers long after the final page. With its gripping suspense and morally challenging dilemmas, The Gathering is a testament to the author's skill in crafting an enthralling narrative that captivates and entices readers into a world of suspense and moral ambiguity.

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