Two Girls Down: A Novel

Alice Vega is a bounty hunter who finds missing persons.  She keeps her emotions close to her vest, but inside she is in turmoil.  When she was contacted by the missing girls' family to work on the case, she expected that the police would be threatened and wouldn't work with her, so who better to help her than local Private Investigator Max "Cap" Caplan who resigned from the police department under disagreeable terms.  But will this cool-headed man and "goofy" dad of a bright teenage daughter see through her and find out her secrets?  Will she be able to find the girls in time?

"Never assume you’re gonna find who you’re looking for. Assume you’re gonna find the other thing. Which will generally be someone who wants to kill you. Sometimes they’re the same."

Cap agrees to help Vega with her unorthodox ways of interrogation and subduing perps and her trans-formative personality going from serious to flirtatious to vulnerable in a matter of minutes.  Will he be able to work on this case without it becoming personal?

I see hints of The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo's Lisbeth Salander in Alice Vega's character.  Vega has the same quiet confidence with underlying anger that Salander has, but I felt that Vega opened up more easily.  She is a great character and I was waiting with intense anticipation on what she would do next.  Cap's character is a great compliment to Vega because of his level-headedness to deal with certain volatile situations.

The story line is fast-paced with many twists and turns.  When I thought I had it figured out, it went in another direction.  The ending was incredible, very disturbing, and well worth the wait.   If you love suspense thrillers, crime fiction, and great character development, give this novel a try!

A riveting and entertaining page-turner that will keep you guessing all night long.
SUMMARY
Two young sisters, Kylie, age 10 and Bailey, age 8, disappear from a strip mall parking lot in Denville Pennsylvania. Jamie Brandt, the girls mother was not a bad mother, but she was not a perfect mother either. Jamie’s wealthy aunt hires Alice Vega, a tireless private investigator from California who specializes in child abductions. The local police department refuses to share information with her, so Vega hires a former detective, Max Caplan to assist her in untangling the web of lies. With little to go on Vega and Caplan relentlessly follows one clue to the next in a heroic attempt to find the girls before time runs out.

REVIEW
TWO GIRLS DOWN is a riveting and entertaining mystery and the pages practically turn themselves. The story is intriguing, and it is next to impossible to figure out who had taken the girls. We are drawn to the answer just like a moth is drawn to a flame.

LOUISE LUNA’s character ensemble was perfect, the bad-ass private detective, the disgraced former cop, the not so perfect mom, all came to life as real people on the page. Vega’s self-confidence and her take charge attitude was arresting. You never knew what she was going to do next. She was definitely not a predictable character. She’s a woman who wants to get things done, and get them done in the most expedient way possible. When it comes to finding the missing girls she doesn’t have time for niceties. Teaming her with the more sensitive Caplan was brilliant. Caplan’s relationship with his teenage daughter Nell, was endearing and a cleverly layered part of the story.

Mystery lovers will appreciate this story. While there were some abrupt and surprising jumps backward in time to fill in characters’ backstory it was not enough to detract from the overall goodness of the story
Thanks to Netgalley and Doubleday for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fantastic, fast-paced thriller from Louisa Luna. The book starts off with a terrifying scene that most parents would relate as their worst nightmare. From here the plot unfolds into a masterfully crafted story with many twists and turns and dead end leads, leading up to a sick and twisted conclusion that will keep you guessing as you frantically turn the pages.

There is great character development for the main players combined with an excellent display of police procedures. The plot becomes more complex and multi-layered as it unfolds. The tension is high throughout the book. Suddenly Caplan and Vega find themselves entrenched in a series of investigations that they have to work diligently to discover how they all fit together. Once all the puzzle pieces fit together, they are in a race against time to track down the people behind the kidnapping.

Caplan and Vega are a good team, and their individual stories make the overall story more interesting. They complement each other nicely. Caplan's daughter is also a great addition to the storyline. She is wise beyond her years, and their relationship is awesome. She keeps Caplan grounded and serves as his sounding board when he needs another opinion. Vega seems a lot like a female version of Jack Reacher. She is determined to get the job done no matter the cost. No frills, no fluff - just do the job and get it done. Together they are relentless in their search for the missing girls. I think Luna could start a series with these two that would attract a good following.

I would recommend this book to fans of thrillers and suspense. I received this as a free ARC from Doubleday Books on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"Vega washed her hands in Cap's bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror and thought about death. Which is what she usually did when she looked in strange mirrors in strange bathrooms. It made her think of hospitals and morgues, how a body could look peaceful but only in the way a piece of luggage looks peaceful-it was simply an item that didn't move."....

Kylie and Bailey are 2 little girls left alone in the car outside a Kmart. When they disappear, they’re great aunt hires a well known bounty hunter. Alice Vega is good at finding lost children.

When Alice comes to town she gets a former cop, turned private detective, to help her with the case. Max Caplan has a few of his own secrets, like why he really left the force. A drinking problem, a divorce, and maybe a desire to redeem himself in his daughters eyes.

The characters felt real. The story was one you just fall into and can’t let go until you know the truth. Alice is a tough girl, but is she tough enough to overcome the obstacles to the missing girls? The girls grieving mother is falling apart at the seams. Media coverage isn't helping the stress and strain its putting on everyone. Everyone who knows them is suspect.

Descriptive, detailed account of a town that could be Anywhere, USA. With rampant drug issues, an overworked, understaffed police department, they’re going to need the likes of Vega and Cap if they ever hope to find these little girls again. They can get answers in ways cops might not be able to. The police aren't exactly thrilled to have them involved and it shows. Even the FBI is coming to town for this. Getting everyone to work together will be tough.

A thrilling suspense story from start to finish. I couldn’t wait to see what happened next, or how it all would end. The story definitely took a turn I didn’t see coming. It didn’t end the way I expected either. I love a good book that is not always predictable.

An intense thriller based in my very own state of Pennsylvania... which doesn't paint the state in a very flattering light, but makes a valid point about a lot of small towns in America. This is an unpredictable book with a lot of action and twists, involving so many suspects that it's dizzying.

Hired by the family of two missing girls, Alice Vega drops everything and makes the trip to Pennsylvania from California. Only ten and eight, it's clear that this isn't a case of the girls just taking off. Their mother has issues of her own, but is clearly devastated and fraught with worry. If only she hadn't left them in that car to run into the store without being begged for toys or candy... if only they hadn't stopped at all. The clock is ticking, and everyone knows that the longer the young girls are missing, the less likely it is they'll be found alive. Vega enlists disgraced ex-cop and current private investigator Max Caplan to help, pulling him from his usual sordid cases into something much darker. He resists at first, but gives in. She'll need his old connections, his brain, and occasionally to rein her in.

High points include the complicated case, the weirdly charming banter between Alice and Max, the relationship between Max and his extremely likeable daughter Nell, and the unpredictability. My issues with the book are few. Vega seems too badass to be real life, and occasionally so many suspects and characters got a little confusing and I had to look back. A solid missing person thriller that manages to inject something new into a popular genre!

Could this possibly be the start of a series? I'd certainly read the next one. I could also see it as either a series or mini-series on TV, it would certainly be one that kept you on the edge of your seat.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Net Galley and Doubleday Books, thank you! My review is honest and unbiased.

What I liked best about this novel was the dynamic between the two main characters, bounty hunter Alicia Vega and PI Max Caplan. Vega is a bounty Hunter with an almost unbelievable ability to locate missing kids. Cap is an ex-cop who resigned during a scandal. Although his resignation was a sacrifice to protect another, the taint clings to him like odor to a chain smoker. The two join forces in an effort to locate two girls who disappeared in broad daylight from a mall parking lot. The pace is brisk and the interactions, from the stress of investigation on the family and the police to the relationship between Vega and Cap, are believable. Although the ex cop who drinks to much , divorces and struggles to be a father is a cliche, Cap and his teenage daughter are likable. While the last third was a tad melodramatic. overall it is a good and engaging read.

So, maybe Jamie won’t be getting the “Mother of the Year” award but she’s not a bad mom. Really, she’ll tell you that. A quick run into Kmart to grab a gift so she could drop her two girls off at a birthday party, and then she can have herself a break from being a single parent. That’s where Jamie makes the biggest mistake – she’s too tired to deal with the hassle of bringing Kylie 10, and Bailey 8, into the store. It will be so much quicker to just have them wait in the car for the 5 minutes it will take to run in and out by herself.

When Jamie comes out, the car is empty – both girls are gone!

Jamie’s family seems to know the police in their town aren’t doing a crack investigation, so they hire Alice Vega, a controversial P.I. who gets results. Vega is a tough, enigmatic investigator who doesn’t pull punches. She needs help while working this case, and the person she wants is disgraced former police officer Max “Cap” Caplan. Cap’s been running his own P.I. service, but following cheating spouses around doesn’t seem to be quite fulfilling enough, no matter how much he tries to convince himself. As they search for the two girls, there is plenty of twists and turns to leave you guessing until the end.

The characters were well developed, and kept fairly realistic. I appreciate that the author didn’t have a “romance” between Vega and Cap, yet also included some bits of emotional connection between them.

I received an ARC from NetGalley, in exchange I am providing my personal opinion about the book.

Thank you to Doubleday Books and Netgalley for a copy of the eARC in exchange for a fair review.

Jamie is the single mother of Kylie and Bailey, one day while on the way to a birthday party she stops at Kmart for the gift when she returns to the car they are gone. Her sister hires famed private investigator Alice Vega to find the girls.

Alice hires Cap to help her and the two begin looking at everything. The deeper they look the worse it looks. Meanwhile Jamie is losing it at the thought of never seeing her girls again.

I know my description was super short but there are so many twists in this book that I can't reveal them all it will ruin this experience. I couldn't stop reading, and man did I love Alice Vega. I say to you that I am really heartbroken this isn't a start to a series because I could read about Alice Vega solving cases every single day for the next year and not begin to tire of her.

This book is horribly dark and scary, and I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what Alice and Cap would find. Would it be good news? or bad news or maybe a bit of both. This is my first book by this author but it won't be the last. I feel like I am not even expressing this the right way, I want to rave about this book, but I don't want to give away even a single twist. The way the author ties it all together is masterful.

I mean I won't lie I had no clue, I suspected like two pieces of the puzzle, but not in the right way at all. Normally I have a pretty decent idea of what is going to happen or who did it, but this kept throwing me every time another twist was revealed.

Two Girls Down is a fun, page-turning read littered with twists, turns, and red herrings that will keep you guessing all the way till the end.

When Jamie Brandt's two daughters disappear from a mall parking lot, bounty hunter Alice Vega teams up with ex-cop Max Caplan on the case. Together, they work with and against local law enforcement and the Feds to peel back the layers of the Brandt family and the Denville community - and there's definitely plenty to unearth.

Vega and Cap made for a unique duo, and it was fun to watch the story unfold from their alternating perspectives. We don't get their full back stories, but we get enough to justify their often opposing approaches. I loved how easily they fell into silent communication while dealing with suspects and witnesses, despite their differences. And even though I could have done without the predictable will-they-won't-they sexual tension between them, it always felt more like a passing thought than a focus.

The plot definitely had its ups and downs, but overall, I enjoyed it. There were so many leads to chase and people to talk to, especially when Vega and Cap would split up to pursue separate angles - it was sometimes hard to keep everything straight in my head. Nevertheless, there was plenty of action and character development (oh, how I loved Cap and his daughter Nell's relationship!) to keep the pace going strong. I couldn't put the book down by the last chapters and did not see the ending coming at all.

Many reviews of TWO GIRLS DOWN compare its female main character, Alice Vega, to Jack Reacher (the main character in a series by Lee Child). Therefore, I was expecting an unreal superwoman who could accomplish almost anything even with one hand tied behind her back. But I was pleasantly surprised.

Vega is a private investigator out of California with a reputation for locating missing persons, mostly children . When she is hired to find two little girls in Pennsylvania, she offers Max Caplan, a former policeman there, a job as her partner in this pursuit. Together, Vega and “Cap” visit a lot of lowlife and unravel the mystery.

Vega’s superpowers , unlike Jack Reacher’s, are limited to her online contacts with a person who has superabilities to find addresses and to hack into banking records. Yes, she does always win fights but not unscathed. Vega didn’t turn me off, as I had expected.

So I was surprised to find that I enjoyed this book. Vega and Cap are logical as, step by step, they attempt to solve the mystery. I expected silly, but it isn’t.

I won this book from Penguin Random House through First Look Book Club.

Most of the beginning of the book establishes the characters and the relationships between them; it doesn’t involve much forward motion in the mystery of the missing girls. The characters are great–there’s a lot of personality to them. In particular I like Jamie Brandt. She’s “not a bad mother”. She isn’t great, but she isn’t terrible. She’s human. She makes mistakes but she loves her girls. It’s a very realistic portrayal of a family living with the terror of knowing that the longer it takes to find their missing members, the less likely it is the girls will ever be found (or found alive). Similarly, a drug-selling ex-boyfriend of Jamie’s is an interesting character. He eventually yields some clues, but again, he’s just a flawed human, not somebody amazing or terrible.

I do have problems with one character. “The Bastard” is Alice’s hacker friend. We only ever see her online interactions with him and the information he sends her. So there’s very little to build character on, and anything he sends her that propels the plot forward ends up feeling largely like a convenient plot device. Particularly because so often, he is the one to move the plot forward when all else fails.

On the whole I enjoyed Two Girls Down. There’s plenty of mystery, good characters (with that one exception), and excitement at the end.

NOTE: Free book provided for review by publisher

Title: Two Girls Down
Author: Louisa Luna
Publish Date: 2018
Publisher: Random House LLC
Rating: 5 stars

Book Blurb: "Find Nolan Marsh and you Will Find the Brandt Sisters."

This story was about the two girls who went out with their mother before a party. While their mother was inside the store buying gifts the two girls got out and were not seen again. Alice Vega was a private investigator who finds missing children. Along with the help of the local police chief, who in the beginning doesn't seem to want to help her, she finds the girls. The two begin investigating the witnesses found by both. But it took a while to find out anything because the witnesses weren't very promising. In the book, the one daughter is found with another girl being held by one man. In the altercation, Vega was hurt and was hooked to an IV on a gurney in a room where she found another young lady also hooked up to an IV. That young lady was Bailey Brandt. The other young lady who was asleep on the man’s lap that she knocked out after getting up from the gurney.
While searching for Kylie Brandt we find out that there may be a connection as in all cases of child abduction to the child herself. As the search continued it led them to a woman who had Kylie locked in the house somewhere. And that is the end of the novel. Well almost. I won’t tell you how it actually ends except that probably all parents of abducted children found and still lost have that same thing happen.
I liked this novel. Slow read with some twists and turns. Keeps you turning the page. And again it was one that made you want to re-read certain sections to make sure that you got that right. I would say this is like a late night read when you could sleep but you don’t want too. I wouldn’t read it and try to go to sleep. But the other kind of restlessness would work well.

Disclosure: I received this novel from the publisher in order to write a review and received no monetary compensation for the writing at this time.

Doubleday Books and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Two Girls Down. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

When two sisters go missing from their mother's car while she is running a quick errand, will private investigator Alice Vega be able to find them in time? After getting no help from the local police, Alice turns to a fellow investigator and former police officer for assistance. As the team digs through the scant evidence, will their perseverance pay off?

This book had a good flow and I liked the main character Alice Vega quite a bit. The IT guy that Vega calls on for assistance feels like the main behind the curtain, a shadowy figure that is just there to give Alice the information she needs to allow the plot to move forward. I would have liked a little more background on the man, especially the details as to how the professional relationship with Alice started. Readers who like mystery/thrillers and suspense will enjoy the intensity of the search and the good characterization. Two Girls Down was a good novel and I look forward to reading more by author Louisa Luna in the future.

This novel was absolutely mesmerizing! I particularly liked the two investigators, Alice Vega and Max Caplan, and the way the investigation was handled. Louisa describes her characters in such detail that you can clearly picture the scene she is writing. Her descriptions of the interactions between the characters every step of the way through the investigation is so good! This novel is set in the small town of Denville, Pennsylvania. Jamie Brandt's two young daughters, Kylie and Bailey, have disappeared from a strip mall parking lot. One of Jamie's relatives hires investigator Alice Vega to investigate their disappearance. Vega is intelligent and very good at what she does. Vega brings Caplan on board to help with the investigation. Vega and Caplan quickly learn the best way to efficiently work together. They follow lead after lead, hoping they won't run out of time to save the girls. Vega's dark memories are presented in pieces throughout the story, adding to the tension building. Nothing was what I expected with this novel. This novel explores kidnapping, drugs, and crime. It also explores the intricacies of family relationships. Pay attention and make sure you have time to read, because you will not be able to put this novel down once you start it!

In TWO GIRLS DOWN by Louisa Luna, Bailey and Kylie Brandt, ages 8 and 10, disappeared when their mom dashed into a store to pick up a birthday gift for the party of one of Kylie's friends. The local police in Denville, PA are short staffed and unable to cope with the level of manpower needed to track down leads, so the great-aunt of the two missing girls hires a private investigator to find them. Alice Vega is ridiculously successful at finding missing kids: she's had 18 cases, and she has found all of them--and most of them have been alive. Working in an unknown town means that Vega decides to tap into the resources and connections of a local private investigator. Max Caplan resigned in disgrace from the Denville police department a few years ago, and he's been making his living by collecting information on cheating spouses. When Vega approaches him to help her locate the girls, he initially shies away from the case; however, his precocious sixteen-year-old daughter, Nell, talks him into it.

Alice Vega and Max "Cap" Caplan are fantastic characters. Alice is a complete badass, and although she isn't good at dealing with people, she has trained herself in how to behave in social situations. She also has a sharp mind, is incredibly resourceful, and she can kick anyone's heinie if she can catch them by surprise. Cap is a pretty typical ex-cop. He drinks a little too much, but most people really like him, they want to talk to him and tell him their secrets, and he's good at piecing puzzles together. I really liked both of them, and Vega's shadowy assistant, The Bastard, is so intriguing that I'd love for him to get a book of his own.

Louisa Luna is a good writer who writes tight action scenes while stringing words together in a sometimes lyrical manner. Her characters are well constructed, and the mystery surrounding the missing girls is a good one. The ending was actually a surprise to me!

I really hope that Cap and Vega team up in future novels, because now that I've spent some time with them, I don't want to let them go. Plus, it's rare that a thriller keeps me guessing until the end, but TWO GIRLS DOWN did! My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

This novel was absolutely mesmerizing! I particularly liked the two investigators, Alice Vega and Max Caplan, and the way the investigation was handled. Louisa describes her characters in such detail that you can clearly picture the scene she is writing. Her descriptions of the interactions between the characters every step of the way through the investigation is so good! This novel is set in the small town of Denville, Pennsylvania. Jamie Brandt's two young daughters, Kylie and Bailey, have disappeared from a strip mall parking lot. One of Jamie's relatives hires investigator Alice Vega to investigate their disappearance. Vega is intelligent and very good at what she does. Vega brings Caplan on board to help with the investigation. Vega and Caplan quickly learn the best way to efficiently work together. They follow lead after lead, hoping they won't run out of time to save the girls. Vega's dark memories are presented in pieces throughout the story, adding to the tension building. Nothing was what I expected with this novel. This novel explores kidnapping, drugs, and crime. It also explores the intricacies of family relationships. Pay attention and make sure you have time to read, because you will not be able to put this novel down once you start it!

In TWO GIRLS DOWN by Louisa Luna, Bailey and Kylie Brandt, ages 8 and 10, disappeared when their mom dashed into a store to pick up a birthday gift for the party of one of Kylie's friends. The local police in Denville, PA are short staffed and unable to cope with the level of manpower needed to track down leads, so the great-aunt of the two missing girls hires a private investigator to find them. Alice Vega is ridiculously successful at finding missing kids: she's had 18 cases, and she has found all of them--and most of them have been alive. Working in an unknown town means that Vega decides to tap into the resources and connections of a local private investigator. Max Caplan resigned in disgrace from the Denville police department a few years ago, and he's been making his living by collecting information on cheating spouses. When Vega approaches him to help her locate the girls, he initially shies away from the case; however, his precocious sixteen-year-old daughter, Nell, talks him into it.

Alice Vega and Max "Cap" Caplan are fantastic characters. Alice is a complete badass, and although she isn't good at dealing with people, she has trained herself in how to behave in social situations. She also has a sharp mind, is incredibly resourceful, and she can kick anyone's heinie if she can catch them by surprise. Cap is a pretty typical ex-cop. He drinks a little too much, but most people really like him, they want to talk to him and tell him their secrets, and he's good at piecing puzzles together. I really liked both of them, and Vega's shadowy assistant, The Bastard, is so intriguing that I'd love for him to get a book of his own.

Louisa Luna is a good writer who writes tight action scenes while stringing words together in a sometimes lyrical manner. Her characters are well constructed, and the mystery surrounding the missing girls is a good one. The ending was actually a surprise to me!

I really hope that Cap and Vega team up in future novels, because now that I've spent some time with them, I don't want to let them go. Plus, it's rare that a thriller keeps me guessing until the end, but TWO GIRLS DOWN did! My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

A single mother is devastated when her two young daughters go missing from a strip mall parking lot. Private investigator Alice Vega is hired to find the girls and she asks former local cop, Max Caplan, for assistance. With the clock ticking, the two of them chase down leads with the hope of finding these girls alive. But while working together, Max and Alice discover they share more in common than they think.

I really enjoyed watching not only the mystery of what happened to the girls play out, but also learning more about Max and Alice. I thought the two of them were a nice balance to one another and I also liked Max's relationship with his daughter. I do think though the middle of the book was bogged down with too much character development and not enough action regarding the mystery. However ,this was still a good read and I would definitely be interested in reading more books featuring Max and/or Alice.

Thank you First to Read for the opportunity to read an advance digital copy! I was under no obligation to post a review and all views expressed are my honest opinion.

A fairly routine start quickly picks up when we meet PI Max Caplan, former cop, and Alice Vega, an investigator with uncanny success in finding missing persons. Two young sisters disappear while waiting for their mother, Jamie, to finish an errand. Alice is hired by Jamie's family to help find the girls and Alice, in turn, retains 'Cap' to assist her since she's from out of town and this is his home turf. So we have two private investigators, the local police department and eventually, the FBI, chasing leads and suspects, all trying to find the girls - hopefully still alive.

Two Girls Down is a richly conceived mystery with a surprising outcome. Ms. Luna's character development skills are exceptional. I felt as if I were really getting to know Alice and Cap, both unique personalities with their own perspective. The story's pace is consistent and held my interest page after page. I would really enjoy reading another case requiring the combined talents of Alice and Cap.

This story resonated on so many levels. First of all, Alice Vega, prickly and socially inept, felt like a real life person I might know, someone that I might not like initially but that would probably grow to like over time. Second was the story of unraveling the girls' disappearance. You can't help but wonder about the randomness of real life incidents like this. How often is it a series of happenings that intersect at just the wrong time? This is a book that you will enjoy, but it will also make you think after you have flipped the last page. I want to see more of Vega and Cap. And Nell!

*ARC via netgalley*

After starting this read, I knew immediately that I wanted to stop and get the audiobook because I was immediately engrossed and drawn in to the story. I am an auditory learner, so when a book has a lot of interesting details, I can pick up more when I listen. I was so excited to see that Tavia Gilbert was the narrator- I LOVED her narration of Flat Out Celeste! Gilbert did an amazing job with Two Girls Down- she has such a great expressive voice. I am addicted to the character of Alice Vega- she's such a badass and I hope hope hope that Luna gives her another story. Her partnership was Cap was fabulous- what a great pair. Luna crafted such a layered story with so many plot twists. I also enjoyed Cap's relationship with his teenage daughter- it was so realistic and believable. It's hard to believe this is a debut novel, it's so well done. I am looking forward to reading more from Luna.

Please please please make this a first of a series, Louise Luna because Alice Vega is one of the greatest characters to show up in the detective world. I read this in one sitting as it explodes with energy and tension from the first page. Granted I didn't get to bed until 1am but this was Just.That.Good! The character development was terrific and the introduction of PI Max Caplan led to a perfect counterpoint to her character. The novel starts off when Vega is called in to a missing children's case where and 8 and a 10 year old disappear from a parking lot in Pennsylvania. As a private investigator for the girls' family she seeks out former police officer Max Caplan to help aid her in the local geography. What they find is a complex set of circumstances that keep spiraling outward and upward to the final satisfying conclusion. This book will grab you by the seat of your pants and take you for one heck of a ride.

The author did an excellent job at developing the characters and the story line was excellent. I enjoyed how the story unfolded and there were plenty of twists to keep the reader guessing. The main characters were easy to grab onto and root for their success and the personal turmoil of each main character was written really well. Just when you think you understand the next piece, something change and the reader had to analyze their thoughts all over to move on. Some characters just got under my skin, but were meant to and the ending was left wide open for future developments. The story closed, but not for some characters. I listened to this on audio book and the narration was excellent. The narrator had good enunciation and sound flow.

When two sisters are kidnapped, a private eye who specializes in missing children is hired by the family to find them. In order to penetrate through the lack of cooperation by the local police force, Alice Vega enlists former policeman Max Caplan as her partner. Two more incompatible people could not be found, but they eventually bond as a team to track down what turns out to be a serial criminal. Luna writes a taut story with strong lead characters, including Caplan’s 16year old daughter Nell. My only difficulty with the novel is that, reading this over several sittings, I lost track of some of the minor characters, who later turn out to be significant. Otherwise, high marks for one of the best of recent crime fiction.

Very good novel and interesting story line. I was going to hold on to the book to read but got sucked in by the story line. Two people work together to find missing girls and have to go head to head with local police who are stretched too thin as it is by the local drug scene. The mother and the bounty hunter head out on their own to find and save the girls with a lot of obstacles thrown in their way. Good read.

The story begins with a frazzled single mother who leaves her daughters in the car while running errands and returns to find them missing. Enter a private investigator from away who finds a way to get hired and who in turns hires a local former police officer to help. It’s a race against time to find the missing children as clues pile up, pointing in several directions.
This had the potential of being the “same old” missing children plot but crisp writing and well developed characters make this an excellent read. Once I picked this up I couldn’t put it down, and when I got to the end it did not disapppoint. And no spoilers, but the ending is off the chart on the creepy scale!

Cap, single father and private detective, and Alice Vega, a mysterious woman from the other side of the country who just happens to be very successful in tracking down missing persons, are called on to join forces when two young sisters disappear. At odds with local law enforcement, they initially experience resistance as the girls' mother desperately tries to think of anyone who would want to kidnap her children. The connection between Cap and Vega deepens as they get closer to finding the answer and discover that two prior disappearances may be connected. Deadbeat dads and drug dealers pale in comparison to the real perpetrators and to their reasons for these young girls, all connected by dance class. A disturbing realization but fascinating read. 

This was definitely an exciting, suspenseful book! Alice Vega was a fantastic, kick butt character! She was tough, but we saw a little of her softer interior. Cap was also a great character. I loved the combo of his ex-cop/PI persona along with his dad persona when with his daughter. There were lots of interesting twists and turns. There were a few bits of the plot that I figured out before they were revealed, but there were plenty that I didn’t see coming. I definitely did not suspect the actual “bad guy” as being the guilty party. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would love to read another book featuring Vega!

Thanks to Penguin’s First to Read program for an advanced copy of this book.

Such a great book! This book kept me guessing from the beginning to the end. There were a few times that I thought maybe I knew what was going on but soon my hypothesis was turned upside down. I love Alice Vega's attitude and how she much ass she kicked. It was so awesome how all the things they cops couldn't do without a warrant, these two could. I never saw such an ending coming; I really the writing style that the author use to end this book. I also like how looking back, the author dropped hints that tied into the ending. I would absolutely recommend this book!

I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the opportunity!

I rarely read fiction these days since I started writing suspense 14 years ago but I liked the sound of this one. I am way too critical of writing is my problem, with reading fiction. This one is okay as far as craft goes, not extraordinary, but satisfactory. I am struggling with it keeping my attention a bit but it does not sound like other reviewers have that problem. I continue to slog on because a review I heard said the plot held together well. And it seems to in the one quarter of the book I’ve read, a skill I lack as a writer and admire in good story tellers. I don’t feel the suspense element so far, as other reviewers have felt it, but I’m wull8ng to give it time. If you like suspense, you should perhaps read this and judge for yourself.

I just got through reading The Woman in the Window and The Wife Between Us (both disappointing), and Two Girls Down came up as a suggestion. This book was the something I was looking for with the others, it was well written and a real page turner with twists that weren't predictable right up until the end.

I like the enigmatic character of Alice and the vulnerable character of Max. The plot was good for the most part with a lot of twists and turns, BUT the kidnapper/murderer was so obnoxious in the beginning, so was the obvious suspect. It was fun to follow the convoluted trail back to that person and accomplice. That part was very clever. I hope there's a sequel to Alice's story. But will Max figure in the sequel, if there is one? I think they make a good, if unlikely team.

not much for making a verbose review... this book was awesome, absolutely awesome... intrigue, suspense, twisting plot, puzzles, thinking person's critique .... questions and hunt for deeper questions... realistically keeps you pinned into the excitement to find out what happens to these two little girls... and a bit creepy at the end

Wow, what an engrossing read!

A good product deserves a 4-star rating; those that are exceptional rate a full 5-star as is Two Girls Down.

Not that everything that Luna wrote is believable, but the tightness of the plot more than compensates for anything that seems outlandish. If I were younger and could plow through the book in one setting, I definitely would. Nevertheless, this book was a gem and I totally enjoyed reading it.

I could definitely see the main characters Max Caplan and Alice Vega being characters in a series! I was drawn in from the very beginning, it was suspenseful and entertaining. Louisa Luna did a fabulous job character building and I just want more, I want to know what happens next in their lives, what about Alice's next case? How is Max going to fit in her life? I definitely recommend this book to those of you who enjoy suspense and strong characters! I loved it!

3.5 ⭐️ (wish we could give half stars on here more easily!) // this book kept me interested the entire time. The character development was great, and the author has a descriptive writing style that allowed me to visualize every single word I read throughout the story. I expected the book to end with a bang, but it was meh. It just ended. Nonetheless, one of the better books I’ve read in the sense of it keeping me hooked but then I ended it, I kinda wanted more answers and more of an ending. Nonetheless, great, quick read.

TWO GIRLS DOWN by Louisa Luna is a suspenseful story surrounding two young girls who go missing. Alice Vega, a [badass] PI that specializes in finding missing kids, is hired by the family & in turn recruits local police cast-off Max Caplan. Together they try to track down and save the girls before it’s too late. .
Overall I was happy with this read. Luna spun together a solid thriller with good character depth, and she kept me one the edge of my seat until the end. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

This is a great mystery/thriller releasing in January that you will want to add to your list! Vega - the kick ass female bounty hunter women been waiting for teams up with Cap a “retired” cop turned PI to find two little girls who were abducted. I see this as the beginning of what could be a great series. I hope the publisher puts some media behind this release.

This was a great read. My local library recommended it to me based on everything I like to read. I had never heard of it or the author. I was so pleasantly surprised. It's a fast paced mystery about two kidnapped girls in a small town. I thought it was very well written and the ending completely surprised me. I love that.

Tough female PI, keen mind, can fend for herself. I loved her character and the story line, I didn't think I would like the
book, yet it just grabs you , and you have to keep reading until it ends.

This was a riveting story about two PIs trying to locate two missing girls. The writing was average, but the story really kept you engrossed in the book. The female PI’s character was interesting, but the other characters in the book were less well-defined. Overall, a good book that definitely kept me reading. 3.5⭐

Engrossing, well written story of two girls that go missing. It's up to Vega and Caplan to save the day! This kept me engaged, and surprised me along the way. The end is the shocker and one I just didn't see coming. I give it 4 stars!!

This was a decent read. The main character, Alice Vega, was very strange. Intelligent and tough, but weird.

There was something that kept niggling at my brain while reading this. Then it hit me. This was a YA book. I guess I should have figured that out way before the end with all the "duh's" I said to myself when the book was way over explaining things.

Not that being a YA is bad, it was just that it was a surprise to me that I didn't figure out until the end.

A good read that I enjoyed.

Thanks to Doubleday Books and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I loved this book. Complete with interesting characters and a surprise ending. This book has left me hoping and praying for a sequel! I finished this book yesterday and can't stop thinking about it. That's when you know it was really good! I love the author's writing style and look forward to reading more books of hers. This book would also make a great movie!

The book itself drew me in because I enjoy suspense and was excited that Book of the Month had chosen it as a January box pick. I couldn't put this book down because I wanted to know if both girls were going to make it. Vega was a very unique and strong character that brought a lot of the action to the story. The plot was built in a manner where there various layers to the story, it wasn't a typical story because you kept learning new things as the story went on. Thank you Netgalley & Doubleday for this e-copy.