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Riley Paige #7
Once Forsaken
ONCE FORSAKEN is book #7 in the bestselling Riley Paige mystery series, which begins with the #1 bestseller ONCE GONE (Book #1)—a free download with over 700 five star reviews!
When Special Agent Riley Paige finally decides to take a well-needed rest from the FBI, a request for help comes from the most unlikely source: her own daughter. April’s best friend is devastated by the death of her sister, a freshman at Georgetown. Worse, she is convinced that the suicide was staged, and that her sister was murdered at the hands of a serial killer.
Riley reluctantly looks into the case, only to discover that two other freshman girls at Georgetown recently killed themselves in the same grotesque way—by hanging. As she realizes foul play may be afoot, she brings in the FBI. The case takes Riley deep into the privileged campus of one of the world’s most esteemed universities, into the unsettling world of the wealthy and driven families that pushed their children to succeed. In time she discovers that this case is far more twisted than it seems—and that she just may be up against the most psychotic killer of her career.
A dark psychological thriller with heart-pounding suspense, ONCE FORSAKEN is book #7 in a riveting new series—with a beloved new character—that will leave you turning pages late into the night.
Book #8 in the Riley Paige series will be available soon.
Audible Audio
First published March 13, 2017
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About the author
Blake Pierce
685 books5,777 followersBlake Pierce is author of the bestselling RILEY PAGE mystery series, which includes seven books (and counting). Blake Pierce is also the author of the MACKENZIE WHITE mystery series, comprising four books (and counting); of the AVERY BLACK mystery series, comprising four books (and counting); and of the new KERI LOCKE mystery series.
An avid reader and lifelong fan of the mystery and thriller genres, Blake loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.blakepierceauthor.com to learn more and stay in touch.
An avid reader and lifelong fan of the mystery and thriller genres, Blake loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.blakepierceauthor.com to learn more and stay in touch.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
October 5, 2018
This one is definitely one of my favs. Riley is trying to take a break from her hectic life and spend time with April. Well something happens and she get sucked into a case. This case seems so read. The fact that this happens at a college and is so believable I feel like Pierce got it ripped from the headlines. A lot of this is about rejection and how kids in their teens and young 20s can react to rejection. I have noticed the father we get into this series the better the writing gets. I never get bored with these books and I like that they’re on the shorter side so I can get thru them faster :)
January 29, 2020
I have been reading this series back to back and it has kept my interest. However I wish that there wasn't the repetitiveness in each novel. I understand that not everyone reads a series from book #1 to the end but its still annoying. Riley Paige is an excellent agent but she is also human and has flaws and this is one of the points that I really appreciate about this series. On the job she has balls of steel and goes outside the box. Her personal life is a different story. I'm going to continue onto the next!
January 2, 2024
Lucy really should not idolize Riley. When she feels that she is failing she immediately thinks that Agent Paige would know what to do.
Bill is just there, nothing new.
Riley didn't go back as much to the PTSD situation. She also think too much of her "skill" to get into the killers head.
Some parts of the plot are so predictable.
Bill is just there, nothing new.
Riley didn't go back as much to the PTSD situation. She also think too much of her "skill" to get into the killers head.
Some parts of the plot are so predictable.
November 24, 2017
I have enjoyed all of these Riley Paige books. Riley comes off as a regular person with faults and struggles like the rest of us. I have to agree with another reader that there were less references to the past and I like that. I'm intrigued by her "relationship" with Shane and am anxious to find out where this goes. I like the idea that he is free and somehow knows all about where Riley will be and what she's thinking. I also like that the books flow nicely and are fairly quick reads with just enough of side story going on. All in all I'm really glad that the first book in the series was free on Amazon and that I decided to give it a try!
May 17, 2017
Once Forsaken
True to life novel. At any high school or college, any working environment this incident can happen. Scary to think people are so sick they just can't take rejection and move on. They feel they are entitled to have what they want or damned be all.
That's what this novel is about, rich kids, expensive college and the lengths they will take to hurt the ones who reject them
True to life novel. At any high school or college, any working environment this incident can happen. Scary to think people are so sick they just can't take rejection and move on. They feel they are entitled to have what they want or damned be all.
That's what this novel is about, rich kids, expensive college and the lengths they will take to hurt the ones who reject them
May 16, 2019
These books are incredibly addictive and as you can see from my reading list, I am reading them at the rate of knots. I have been devouring this series and every other series this author has written. What I will note, is that the books seem to be getting shorter at the same price point and the editing leaves a lot to be desired. However, the stories just bring me back for more and more and more.
January 2, 2025
Segundo día del año y ya empezamos con el pie derecho este año literario, no es casualidad, todo estaba planeado jaja. Si te asomas a mis reseñas encontrarás que esta serie de libros de la agente especial del FBI Riley Paige me ha conquistado por completo, salvo por “Una vez atraído”, cuarto libro de la serie, todos han sido de cinco estrellas, este no fue la excepción, pero, lo confieso, estuvo muy cerca de quedarse con cuatro estrellas.
La agente especial Riley Paige finalmente decide tomar un muy merecido descanso del FBI, tras ir enfrentando “un monstruo a la vez” le llega el caso de la fuente más inesperada: su hija; la mejor amiga de April está devastada por la muerte de su hermana, una estudiante del primer año de la Universidad de Georgetown. Peor aún, está convencida de que el suicidio fue montado, y que su hermana fue asesinada.
Riley empieza a investigar el caso a regañadientes, solo para descubrir que otras dos chicas de primer año en la Universidad de Georgetown se suicidaron de la misma forma: ahorcándose. Algo definitivamente no está bien, ¿tres suicidios con el mismo modus operandi? No, los instintos de Riley se activan para sumergirse en las profundidades de una de las universidades más prestigiosas, un mar anegado de dinero, familias poderosas y estudiantes incomprendidos, como siempre, con Riley nada es lo que parece.
Tengo que decir que es el caso más flojito que he leído de ella, pero no digo que sea malo, es que los demás son más sangrientos y retorcidos, este es estratégico y no desmerece, está colmado de acción inesperada, de una investigación que atrapa desde el principio, porque es la Riley que me encanta, decidida, estoica, capaz, aferrada y con un olfato envidiable, su experiencia la hace feroz, pero sin perder ese rasgo humano que nos lleva a ser personas normales y corrientes, quien sabe, quizá tú o yo, como dice Hatcher:
“Estás convirtiéndote en lo que siempre has sido en el fondo.”
La agente especial Riley Paige finalmente decide tomar un muy merecido descanso del FBI, tras ir enfrentando “un monstruo a la vez” le llega el caso de la fuente más inesperada: su hija; la mejor amiga de April está devastada por la muerte de su hermana, una estudiante del primer año de la Universidad de Georgetown. Peor aún, está convencida de que el suicidio fue montado, y que su hermana fue asesinada.
Riley empieza a investigar el caso a regañadientes, solo para descubrir que otras dos chicas de primer año en la Universidad de Georgetown se suicidaron de la misma forma: ahorcándose. Algo definitivamente no está bien, ¿tres suicidios con el mismo modus operandi? No, los instintos de Riley se activan para sumergirse en las profundidades de una de las universidades más prestigiosas, un mar anegado de dinero, familias poderosas y estudiantes incomprendidos, como siempre, con Riley nada es lo que parece.
Tengo que decir que es el caso más flojito que he leído de ella, pero no digo que sea malo, es que los demás son más sangrientos y retorcidos, este es estratégico y no desmerece, está colmado de acción inesperada, de una investigación que atrapa desde el principio, porque es la Riley que me encanta, decidida, estoica, capaz, aferrada y con un olfato envidiable, su experiencia la hace feroz, pero sin perder ese rasgo humano que nos lleva a ser personas normales y corrientes, quien sabe, quizá tú o yo, como dice Hatcher:
“Estás convirtiéndote en lo que siempre has sido en el fondo.”
November 4, 2021
I'm running out of things to say about this series. The star rating speaks for itself time and time again. Each book has a great plot and story to it and it never gets old. I love Riley Paige and both her girls. April is her daughter who has had some personal troubles in the past and she has also been put in harms way due to Riley's job. In one of Riley's cases she came across Jilly who was a teenage runaway whose father was abusive and a terrible man. She was in a truck stop try to sell herself to get money. Riley intervened and got her into a safe place. Jilly was still so unhappy. No one wanted a teen girl who had some problems in her life. She was passed up repeatedly and it made her severely depressed.
Great book and I highly recommend it to everyone
Great book and I highly recommend it to everyone
June 20, 2020
As with all of Blake Pierce's installments in this series, the reader can pick the book up at any book in the series and still make sense of it. However, it is MUCH better once you have all of the back stories. Riley's daughter, April, comes to her with an urgent plea to look into the suicide of her friend's older sister. Tiffany's older sister would never commit suicide, but no one seems to believe her on this. Reluctantly to satisfy April, Riley begins an investigation on her own, along the way upsetting the college dean and one of the other mothers of an apparent suicide. Very soon, her superiors at the FBI find out, and again, Riley is in trouble. Riley persists, and it becomes apparent to everyone that there is indeed something more going on than coincidental suicides at this college. This one left me puzzled until the last quarter of the book. Well worth the read!
December 14, 2019
Blake took me on another unforgettable ride. This time Riley Paige is investigating the deaths of several students at a prestigious college. All were labeled as suicides but something just doesn't seem right and as Riley's daughter points out the statistics are not in favor of suicide so something is amiss. Riley starts her unauthorized investigation into the deaths and it quickly becomes a sanctioned case. As the "suicides" start to increase Riley hopes that they can catch the killer in time to prevent another one, however at what cost to Riley?
This is great because like the last one the killer is so ordinary. I really love this series but again I'm still not sure why they chose a British woman to read the audio book. Don't get me wrong Elaine Wise is spectacular I just have a hard time remembering this is set in the US. Maybe if Riley has been a transplant from England I could understand but nope but really this is the biggest flaw. I'm glad they have moved on from Riley being fired every book as well although the powers that be are still not in Rileys corner.
This is great because like the last one the killer is so ordinary. I really love this series but again I'm still not sure why they chose a British woman to read the audio book. Don't get me wrong Elaine Wise is spectacular I just have a hard time remembering this is set in the US. Maybe if Riley has been a transplant from England I could understand but nope but really this is the biggest flaw. I'm glad they have moved on from Riley being fired every book as well although the powers that be are still not in Rileys corner.
November 25, 2019
Another good Riley Page book. I always get so frustrated when the FBI leaders are so stuck in their ways. I really hope it is not how our true FBI works! Now to the story line, this one was pretty interesting and the killer was unexpected. This one doesn't give you much insight to the killer along the way like in past books. Riley's personal life is blowing up again with her ex husband, but I felt there was less interaction with her personal self this time too. I hope the next book brings it all together.
June 25, 2023
Riley gets a request from her daughter April to investigate the death of her friend’s older sister. The sister was found hanging in the family garage and the police write it off as a suicide. The family is very much in doubt that the girl would have committed suicide and upon investigation there are more suspicious deaths at the same college. Poor Riley gets in trouble with her supervisor yet again until her instincts prove her right. Great plot twist and red herrings to keep you reading to the end.
June 25, 2023
Riley gets a request from her daughter April to investigate the death of her friend’s older sister. The sister was found hanging in the family garage and the police write it off as a suicide. The family is very much in doubt that the girl would have committed suicide and upon investigation there are more suspicious deaths at the same college. Poor Riley gets in trouble with her supervisor yet again until her instincts prove her right. Great plot twist and red herrings to keep you reading to the end.
August 17, 2023
( AUDIOLIBRO )
Ya me van quedando pocos en español ... y en audiolibro.
Que voy a decir a éstas alturas, que más de lo mismo, otr@ asesin@, más quejas, más inseguridades, más ayudas "externas" ( por no decir Deux ex machina ) lo que digo, más de lo mismo.
Pero enganchado, sigo sin tener claro si por que son cortos, si porque son en Audiolibro y me resulta cómodo o si porque realmente me enganchan las tramas ... supongo que cuando oiga el último que tengo en Audio saldré de dudas ...
Ya me van quedando pocos en español ... y en audiolibro.
Que voy a decir a éstas alturas, que más de lo mismo, otr@ asesin@, más quejas, más inseguridades, más ayudas "externas" ( por no decir Deux ex machina ) lo que digo, más de lo mismo.
Pero enganchado, sigo sin tener claro si por que son cortos, si porque son en Audiolibro y me resulta cómodo o si porque realmente me enganchan las tramas ... supongo que cuando oiga el último que tengo en Audio saldré de dudas ...
April 28, 2025
and special agent Riley's daughter friend as a sister that commits suicide there's questions whether it's really a suicide. there seems to be a lot of suicides happening at this college. and they all seem to be the same way hanging. our daughter begs her to help. so Riley decides to open an investigation and find who is killing his college students. her and her husband trying to reconcile and him move back in part time, most of the time.
March 20, 2017
Can't think of a headline. Sorry.
I'm not interested in having Jilli in any books, and these parents try to be friends with their daughter rather than parents. Of course with Dad running in and out and Riley dumb enough to take him back, one wouldn't expect good parenting. Otherwise, I like the story.
I'm not interested in having Jilli in any books, and these parents try to be friends with their daughter rather than parents. Of course with Dad running in and out and Riley dumb enough to take him back, one wouldn't expect good parenting. Otherwise, I like the story.
July 2, 2019
Once Forsaken
This book is a roller coaster ride for sure! Riley is on much-needed leave when a friend of her daughter's asks for help in uncovering the true cause of a supposed suicide. Riley has to pull out all the stops to get the case recognized by the FBI. She gets it done and with the help of Bill and Lucy, figures the whole thing out.
This book is a roller coaster ride for sure! Riley is on much-needed leave when a friend of her daughter's asks for help in uncovering the true cause of a supposed suicide. Riley has to pull out all the stops to get the case recognized by the FBI. She gets it done and with the help of Bill and Lucy, figures the whole thing out.
March 22, 2020
Psychological thriller
Once Forsaken book number seven in the Blake Pierce Riley Paige mystery series is excellent. Riley Paige is an FBI agent who always solves the case although she oftentimes has to go rouge to do it. This is a wonderful series. Don’t miss a single one of these. So far, all five-star reads!
Once Forsaken book number seven in the Blake Pierce Riley Paige mystery series is excellent. Riley Paige is an FBI agent who always solves the case although she oftentimes has to go rouge to do it. This is a wonderful series. Don’t miss a single one of these. So far, all five-star reads!
February 8, 2021
4...This case was very creepy to me...like chills, hurry up and get this guy...Great case, and happy to see Lucy get more face time...Still loving Hatcher, though I wondering if I am along for the ride for his storyline...Does Riley turn him in or turn into him? I mean the ending...Has me wondering where her justice line really is! And can I add I am not Team Ryan, asshat!
March 3, 2021
Tiffany (April's friend) 's sister has died by suicide, but for her it was a murder. Somehow they tried to convince Agent Riley Paige about the concern of suicides in Byars; as every victim was found to be drugged . Her instincts were not getting any results as he had manipulated them by his weaknesses . To find out how while bending many rules suspect was cuffed by her you must read .
June 28, 2017
Ok..I like Riley in this book.
She comes across as more three dimensional than the other books. I disliked that she gave in to the impulse to allow Murray to die, but it felt right for her. Will she continue to slip down that slope, or pull herself back?
She comes across as more three dimensional than the other books. I disliked that she gave in to the impulse to allow Murray to die, but it felt right for her. Will she continue to slip down that slope, or pull herself back?
July 9, 2017
Excellent Read
Another page turner that I couldn't put Dow . I just love these murder mysteries . Excellent writing , I can't get enough of them , just bought #8 .Keep up the great writing and I' love keep reading and buying . Awesome !!! Thank you !!!
Another page turner that I couldn't put Dow . I just love these murder mysteries . Excellent writing , I can't get enough of them , just bought #8 .Keep up the great writing and I' love keep reading and buying . Awesome !!! Thank you !!!
October 20, 2017
Great read
This book deserves a 5 star rating. The author is fantastic with the storylines and the characters. It is a page Turner . you just cant put it down until it's finished. Can't wait to read the next book in the series.
This book deserves a 5 star rating. The author is fantastic with the storylines and the characters. It is a page Turner . you just cant put it down until it's finished. Can't wait to read the next book in the series.
June 17, 2018
Once again Riley Paige is in search of a murderer targeting college students. I have enjoyed the majority of Blake Pierce's work however I found 'Once Forsaken' to be slightly below par. Too much repetition from previous stories and not as 'slick' as some of his others.
January 13, 2019
Interesting
This story was a bit different from the others but just as well written and just as fascinating. I am always amazed at the insights of Pierce. I am so glad I found these books. I have read seven in the past 2 weeks. I just couldn't put them down.
This story was a bit different from the others but just as well written and just as fascinating. I am always amazed at the insights of Pierce. I am so glad I found these books. I have read seven in the past 2 weeks. I just couldn't put them down.
August 5, 2020
Again Brilliant
I’m really enjoying the Riley Paige series, it amazes me with every book I read all the twists and turn and it’s not so easy to work out the killer before Riley does.
I’m really enjoying the Riley Paige series, it amazes me with every book I read all the twists and turn and it’s not so easy to work out the killer before Riley does.
September 30, 2021
Hoe verslaafd kan je aan een serie geraken. Heel erg dus. Deze keer zit RP achter een campusmoordenaar aan die meisjes drogeert en ophangt. Haar ontmoetingen met Shane-the chain-killer zijn telkens het hoogtepunt van de boeken. Op naar 8.
October 22, 2022
I really like this character. I am on book #7. It astonishes me that Blake Pierce can come up with different ways a serial killer can complete his/her task. He has 13 books in this series. I will probably read them all.
December 3, 2024
I think this was the book out of the series so far. Had me from the first chapter. I figured out who did it literally about one minute before it was revealed. I really like the characters as they grow more and more with each book. Definitely recommend reading this series.
March 19, 2017
Once forsaken
Another great book Blake can't wait for next one well written and edge of seat suspense love Riley Paige thanks
Another great book Blake can't wait for next one well written and edge of seat suspense love Riley Paige thanks
Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews