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.

‘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

‘How lucky are we to have Dinuka McKenzie? 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

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

Reviews

“Just a well-spun tale of abduction and murder, told with McKenzie’s clean, clear prose. I can’t wait for more.” —  Simon McDonald, Bookseller [READ FULL REVIEW]

“Readers will reach the end and marvel at McKenzie’s skills of misdirection, distraction and diversion.” —  Cass Moriarty [READ FULL REVIEW]

“… a visceral evocation of just how hard it can be for women with ambition to succeed in a career in which they are destined to fail because of their gender.” —  Sue Turnbull, The Age Newspaper [READ FULL REVIEW]

“I would rate this as being an outstanding crime novel that is likely to be in the mix for award consideration at the end of the year.” —  Jeff Popple, Murder, Mayhem and Long Dogs [READ FULL REVIEW]

“This thrilling book… kept me enthralled.” —  Ashleigh Meikle, The Book Muse [READ FULL REVIEW]

“Taken is a rich and satisfying read, compelling in its crime action, and thought-provoking in its literary depth.” —  Barbie Robinson, Living Arts Canberra [READ FULL REVIEW]

“… it’s the characterisation that I will remember. In Kate Miles, McKenzie has created a wonderfully complex woman – prone to both overconfidence and self-doubt. I can’t wait to read more.” — Claire Nichols, ABC RN The Book Show [READ FULL REVIEW]

“McKenzie keeps the pressure up to the point where Taken almost demands to be read in a single sitting.” —  Robert Goodman, Public Service News [READ FULL REVIEW]

“You are drawn in from page one and kept there because there’s a beating heart of human truthfulness at work every step of the way, enhanced by the fact that McKenzie not only understands the complex contradictions of the human condition but that she knows how to write about them superbly and enticingly well.” — Aussie Moose, Sparkly Pretty Briiiight [READ FULL REVIEW]