Q&A: Jess Lourey, Author of ‘The Taken Ones’

We chat with Jess Lourey about her latest pulse-pounding novel The Taken Ones, which centers on Evangeline “Van” Reed, a cold case BCA agent with a dark past who partners with forensic scientist Harry Steinbeck to work an unsolved mystery of two missing girls from more than 40 years ago—and the recent murder of a woman who could be identified as one of those girls.

Hi Jess, great to have you back for another conversation! Can you share with us the inspiration behind your new book, The Taken Ones?

Thank you for having me back. Long live the nerds! The Taken Ones came about when my brilliant editor at Thomas & Mercer, Jessica Tribble Wells, asked me in 2021 if I wanted to write a short story. When I tell you I’d rather go to the dentist, gynecologist, and DMV every day for a week than write a short story…truly, if anyone else had asked, I’d have said no.

But it was Jessica. If you know her, you know. So I said yes with not a thought in my head as to what I’d write. You’ve heard those stories of authors who sit down to write a story, and it just flows from their fingertips? I’ve always been annoyed by those authors, so imagine my surprise when that’s what happened with this short story. I was poolside in Costa Rica, and out poured “Catch Her in a Lie,” the first case featuring BCA cold case agent Evangeline “Van” Reed and BCA forensic scientist Harry Steinbeck.

I love that short story. I love Van and Harry. But I figured that was our brief fling, and we were all moving on.

Then Jessica came back. Asked if I wanted to write a whole series featuring them. I hesitated for exactly one minute—it’s been years since I wrote a series, the police procedural angle is outside my comfort zone—but I wanted to hang with Harry and Van again. He’s fussy, brilliant, and decent; she’s messy, intuitive, and made of steel.

They’re both hiding secrets.

When creating The Taken Ones, I knew I wanted to mix in the things I love–the ‘80s, an X Files vibe, Minnesota, cold cases–and so once I had those elements on the table, I dug in.

Why was it important for you to explore some form of retribution for victims through your writing?

My favorite thrillers focus not on the criminal or the criminal act but on the people they leave behind: the victims who’ve had their world shaped by violence they couldn’t see coming and did not deserve, who have to find meaning in loss. I’m also interested in how communities heal—or not—in the aftermath of crime. Those are the complex, interesting stories I want to tell and to read. That was the vision that drove me when I wrote Unspeakable Things back in 2018, focusing on both my unsafe home life and my unsafe community in the ’80s and turning it into fiction. I didn’t want to think about the perpetrators, who get far too much air time. I wanted to find a way to heal, which I think is what good fiction guides us toward. That’s been the focus of every book I’ve written since, including The Taken Ones (and its sequel coming out in 2024, The Reaping.)

What was the most challenging or difficult part about writing The Taken Ones? 

Van and Harry, the agents in The Taken Ones, work for the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, a real organization unique to Minnesota with a fascinating history. I chose the BCA when I wrote “Catch Her in the Lie” because I figured so few people would have heard of it that I wouldn’t have to research it too in-depth. When it came to writing The Taken Ones, though, I had to jump into the weeds and find out not only about the BCA but also how cold cases and criminal forensics operate. I’m grateful for all the help I received from Ann Marie Gross, a forensics scientist at the BCA who has since become a friend.

Were Reed and Steinbeck inspired by actual agents? How did their partnership take shape?

They weren’t inspired by actual agents but a vision of mashing Felix and Oscar from The Odd Couple with Mulder and Scully from The X Files. I’m so happy with how they show up on the page!

 What was your inspiration for the lore of The Bendy Man that haunts the woods where the girls go missing?

If you had asked me this question anytime before August 2, 2023, I would have said I made it up from whole cloth. However, on August 3, I rented a beach house in Oregon with some family members, and my aunt brought along a game we all used to love in the ‘90s. It’s called The Big Taboo, and I’d forgotten all about it. When she started pulling out the pieces, I saw Bendy Bob, the purple doll that’s part of the game and realized he inspired The Bendy Man. Isn’t the psyche a weird and wonderful place?

Were there any favorite moments you really enjoyed exploring?

Before this series, I’d only written female protagonists. I was nervous about writing Harry, my first male protagonist. I actually had a couple therapy sessions about it. I ended up getting out of his way, and I really enjoyed watching him show up on the page as a complex, good man.

What are your must-haves when sitting down for a writing session?

Genius Coffee (it has MCT oil and cinnamon and is smoooooooth), my laptop, my notepad so I can work out plot kinks in 3-D, and stickers so I can give myself a reward when I meet my daily goals.

Can you share what you’re working on now?

Yes! I just turned in The Reaping, the sequel to The Taken Ones, which reunites Harry and Van for another cold case and is told from Harry’s perspective. I’m in the edits stage for A Whisper of Poison, the first in a YA trilogy series that I’m launching in February 2024.

Thank you so much for having me! I always love dropping by.

Will you be picking up The Taken Ones? Tell us in the comments below!