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The Lost Girls #1
The Lost Girls
The only thing hotter than the summers in Phoenix is the temper of a police detective who can’t figure out why young girls keep disappearing. Katalina Wimple is that detective. Her obsession with the missing girls makes her the best person for the job, but it also serves as a refuge from the problems in her own life. Battling her own demons offers coincidences impossible to ignore. Rescuing the missing girls will require Kat figuring out how much coincidence is too much, as well as fighting her desire for what she can’t have.
222 pages, Paperback
First published October 11, 2011
193 people are currently reading
567 people want to read
About the author
Jason Halstead
109 books128 followersTalking about myself in the third person is giving me fits - time to switch this up.
My day job is that of a computer jockey and all the hands on and hands off work that entails. When I leave the office behind I jump into family life (beautiful wife and two obnoxiously cute young children), finding a new way to hurt myself while powerlifting, and writing.
As of mid 2015 I haven't hit the 100 book mark yet, but I'm getting close! There's always at least in process. I just can't seem to stop myself...
My day job is that of a computer jockey and all the hands on and hands off work that entails. When I leave the office behind I jump into family life (beautiful wife and two obnoxiously cute young children), finding a new way to hurt myself while powerlifting, and writing.
As of mid 2015 I haven't hit the 100 book mark yet, but I'm getting close! There's always at least in process. I just can't seem to stop myself...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
October 13, 2011
Jason Halstead writes women well. I don't know about you, but I'm sick of reading novels where the women seem to be written by a man who has never met one.
Katalina is a believable woman - strong, driven, vulnerable, and flawed. She's also the first person I'd want on the case if I went missing. Mr. Halstead puts Katalina in the worst situation imaginable on page 1, and then makes her life get worse, much worse. Instead of pitying her, we root for her to make it through the next challenge and find the lost girls.
I was immediately drawn into the action of the novel and with that, I didn't put it down until 2 am when I really had to go to sleep. You'd better believe that I was back to reading over my oatmeal in the morning!
This novel is first a hard-boiled mystery, but the science fictional elements were fascinating as well. I'm not telling you about them, you'll have to read for yourself (I hate spoilers, don't you?).
Why did I give The Lost Girls 4 stars instead of 5? I thought it was a little on the short side - it's definitely novel-length, but I wanted to read more about Kat and her world.
Katalina is a believable woman - strong, driven, vulnerable, and flawed. She's also the first person I'd want on the case if I went missing. Mr. Halstead puts Katalina in the worst situation imaginable on page 1, and then makes her life get worse, much worse. Instead of pitying her, we root for her to make it through the next challenge and find the lost girls.
I was immediately drawn into the action of the novel and with that, I didn't put it down until 2 am when I really had to go to sleep. You'd better believe that I was back to reading over my oatmeal in the morning!
This novel is first a hard-boiled mystery, but the science fictional elements were fascinating as well. I'm not telling you about them, you'll have to read for yourself (I hate spoilers, don't you?).
Why did I give The Lost Girls 4 stars instead of 5? I thought it was a little on the short side - it's definitely novel-length, but I wanted to read more about Kat and her world.
January 16, 2014
Don't waste your time!!!
This book I got free through the 12 days of Christmas App. And now I know why. If I had even paid 69p for this drivel I would have been screaming at Apple for a refund.
This has to be the worst, laziest piece of writing I have ever read.
The cop storyline (ie the Lost Girls) was sloppy and lazy. No background, no clues, just random chapters of "oh look, the bad guys just happened to try and kill the cop" followed by "oh, the cop just happened to guess the right place to find the bad guys" and the biggest insult to injury was the so-called ending stopped short (presumably because the writer got bored of not being able to throw any lesbian fantasy suggestions in)
And speaking of lesbians. Let's talk about the heroine of the story.
She's a cop who is obsessed with her lack of love life and every two minutes fantastises about copping off with one of two women she interacts with. Even when she is getting her butt kicked and beaten, she still spares a thought for her pointlessly naked "love" interest.
Mind you, it's all ok because no matter how badly she is injured, beaten, blown up, she's got "gear" (ie is a terminator/robocop hybrid)
Cue pointless violence just so we can talk about how rapidly she heals with all her implanted metal (including Wolverine style razor claws)
Really? Oh wait- it's written by a man. And there we have the problem.
This writer discredits EVERY male writer who writes in a female first person. Because he is that bad.
If only Apple could refund the 4 hours of my life that I wasted on this nonsense.
This book I got free through the 12 days of Christmas App. And now I know why. If I had even paid 69p for this drivel I would have been screaming at Apple for a refund.
This has to be the worst, laziest piece of writing I have ever read.
The cop storyline (ie the Lost Girls) was sloppy and lazy. No background, no clues, just random chapters of "oh look, the bad guys just happened to try and kill the cop" followed by "oh, the cop just happened to guess the right place to find the bad guys" and the biggest insult to injury was the so-called ending stopped short (presumably because the writer got bored of not being able to throw any lesbian fantasy suggestions in)
And speaking of lesbians. Let's talk about the heroine of the story.
She's a cop who is obsessed with her lack of love life and every two minutes fantastises about copping off with one of two women she interacts with. Even when she is getting her butt kicked and beaten, she still spares a thought for her pointlessly naked "love" interest.
Mind you, it's all ok because no matter how badly she is injured, beaten, blown up, she's got "gear" (ie is a terminator/robocop hybrid)
Cue pointless violence just so we can talk about how rapidly she heals with all her implanted metal (including Wolverine style razor claws)
Really? Oh wait- it's written by a man. And there we have the problem.
This writer discredits EVERY male writer who writes in a female first person. Because he is that bad.
If only Apple could refund the 4 hours of my life that I wasted on this nonsense.
March 4, 2013
I was actually hesitant to even read this book once I saw it had a lesbian story line written by a man, but I wanted to give it a chance. I love finding the "diamond in the rough" and I thought this may be one of them.
Unfortunately, for me the writing styling was very choppy and the main character, Kat, was very much a female cop who liked girls through the eyes of a male writer. It wasn't obvious at first, and the scene with the thugs in the beginning was powerful, but as the story wore on there would be thoughts here and dialogue there that was so stereotypical that I had to pause and reread the lines to be sure I saw correctly.
For instance, when Kat was discussing her implants, she talked about know she was gay before she got them and accepting that and knowing she would never have children. Maybe it wasn't meant to look like being gay meant you could have kids, but that's definitely how it sounds.
But a lot of other people seem to enjoy the book, so it could just be me.
Unfortunately, for me the writing styling was very choppy and the main character, Kat, was very much a female cop who liked girls through the eyes of a male writer. It wasn't obvious at first, and the scene with the thugs in the beginning was powerful, but as the story wore on there would be thoughts here and dialogue there that was so stereotypical that I had to pause and reread the lines to be sure I saw correctly.
For instance, when Kat was discussing her implants, she talked about know she was gay before she got them and accepting that and knowing she would never have children. Maybe it wasn't meant to look like being gay meant you could have kids, but that's definitely how it sounds.
But a lot of other people seem to enjoy the book, so it could just be me.
January 27, 2019
Couldn't get past first chapter
Couldn't get past the first chapter. Opens with graphic images. Crass language, and near rape scene. This should have been mentioned in the book blurb but it wasn't... Didn't have an interest to keep reading with an opening like that. If that's your thing you might enjoy this book.
Couldn't get past the first chapter. Opens with graphic images. Crass language, and near rape scene. This should have been mentioned in the book blurb but it wasn't... Didn't have an interest to keep reading with an opening like that. If that's your thing you might enjoy this book.
December 28, 2011
I won this book on Goodreads.com as a gift from the author, Jason Halstead. When I entered the giveaway I thought the book would be a police thriller. I was a bit surprised to find out it was also a sci-fi. The first couple of pages left me a bit speechless, a bit graphic and crude in detail, not normally the type of book I read. I dived in nonetheless.
The Lost Girls had some good aspects; lots of action, a plot that kept moving, a main character (Kat) who was tough yet sensitive. My criticism comes from the authors portrayal of the flighty-ness of a lesbian cop, who is more terminator like page by page due to her accumulating wounds and body replacments and enhancements. Seems like with every meeting of a new woman in the novel, all that Kat could concentrate on was the sexual aspect of the other woman, whether she was a "straight" married woman who was confused, or a bi-sexual prostitute. It just seemed too exaggerated and to me, a man's interpretation of how he hopes a lesbian woman acts (maybe a little fantasizing?).
Other than that, it was a good story all in all. I think the author has a lot of space to refine his craft and develop storyline a bit more deeply. I'd say upcoming books may hold a bit more interest to me in that regard.
The Lost Girls had some good aspects; lots of action, a plot that kept moving, a main character (Kat) who was tough yet sensitive. My criticism comes from the authors portrayal of the flighty-ness of a lesbian cop, who is more terminator like page by page due to her accumulating wounds and body replacments and enhancements. Seems like with every meeting of a new woman in the novel, all that Kat could concentrate on was the sexual aspect of the other woman, whether she was a "straight" married woman who was confused, or a bi-sexual prostitute. It just seemed too exaggerated and to me, a man's interpretation of how he hopes a lesbian woman acts (maybe a little fantasizing?).
Other than that, it was a good story all in all. I think the author has a lot of space to refine his craft and develop storyline a bit more deeply. I'd say upcoming books may hold a bit more interest to me in that regard.
May 17, 2019
The Lost Girls by Jason Halstead
This is one of those tough books that you have to dig past a few things to get to the place where you decide you like it.
As with some others this one took me out of my comfort zone right from the start with what seems at a glance to be jumping right into the middle of a fight. Then it turns out to be a rape. Worse yet it turns out to be mutilation when the victim apparently has her fingers augmented with blades that make her into a sort of wild unpredictable Cuisinart stuck on slice and dice.
I might have set it aside at this point but Kat, the cop who's nearly raped, is an interesting enough character to draw me in. She's petite, but dangerous. She's had augments done to her and there's a story behind all that but it takes a while to wheedle it out of her.
She also calls herself a lesbian a dyke and gay at various stages. She has a massive distaste for men. But the interesting part about her personality is that she's every-mans dream and nightmare. She's strongly independent and in some ways throughout the narrative somewhat indistinguishable from a male except when describing her own body parts. She loves women and hates emotional involvement, or maybe is afraid of that kind of involvement.
Right from the get go she gets hurt and inflicts a lot of justice on her assailants. She's almost a rent-a-cop in this world which has some portal-ish connection to a world of magic which all sounds fantastic unfortunately it's only incidental to this novel. After getting patched up Kat will have to undergo some Psych time, which is how she meets Natalie who is married and straight yet hits on Kat.
Kat loves the attention and flirts a lot which just sends all sorts of conflicting messages because Kat is a loner and knows better than to even try to get involved with a confused straight woman. As I mentioned there is a back-story to Kat and; Natalie, being a therapist, is supposed to get to the core of it. This makes for a hot and cold romance.
After a couple of more incidents Kat is injured badly enough to need more augmentation until it appears she'll be mostly a cyborg before she's finished. Natalie is put off by this(not the cyborg-the job), but she's already compounded things by hiring Kat to look into her husbands illicit affair. True to her almost male like nature Kat gets immediately involved with Skyler, a lovely escort she hires to help go undercover to check out a modeling agency while still working on Natalie's case.
This story quickly becomes a convolution of plot that puts Basic Instinct to shame. In fact, this is Basic Instinct with a mostly female cast.
Anyway, everything will come together. Oddly the best part though is finding out what Kat is all about when she reveals her past finally.
This is a great character study that makes for an interesting and sometimes gruesome beginning to a series.
Good book for Suspense and SSF lovers. Contains elements of lesbian content although I'm not sure how representative Kat might be. She's mostly augmented and bad ass and driven.
J.L. Dobias
This is one of those tough books that you have to dig past a few things to get to the place where you decide you like it.
As with some others this one took me out of my comfort zone right from the start with what seems at a glance to be jumping right into the middle of a fight. Then it turns out to be a rape. Worse yet it turns out to be mutilation when the victim apparently has her fingers augmented with blades that make her into a sort of wild unpredictable Cuisinart stuck on slice and dice.
I might have set it aside at this point but Kat, the cop who's nearly raped, is an interesting enough character to draw me in. She's petite, but dangerous. She's had augments done to her and there's a story behind all that but it takes a while to wheedle it out of her.
She also calls herself a lesbian a dyke and gay at various stages. She has a massive distaste for men. But the interesting part about her personality is that she's every-mans dream and nightmare. She's strongly independent and in some ways throughout the narrative somewhat indistinguishable from a male except when describing her own body parts. She loves women and hates emotional involvement, or maybe is afraid of that kind of involvement.
Right from the get go she gets hurt and inflicts a lot of justice on her assailants. She's almost a rent-a-cop in this world which has some portal-ish connection to a world of magic which all sounds fantastic unfortunately it's only incidental to this novel. After getting patched up Kat will have to undergo some Psych time, which is how she meets Natalie who is married and straight yet hits on Kat.
Kat loves the attention and flirts a lot which just sends all sorts of conflicting messages because Kat is a loner and knows better than to even try to get involved with a confused straight woman. As I mentioned there is a back-story to Kat and; Natalie, being a therapist, is supposed to get to the core of it. This makes for a hot and cold romance.
After a couple of more incidents Kat is injured badly enough to need more augmentation until it appears she'll be mostly a cyborg before she's finished. Natalie is put off by this(not the cyborg-the job), but she's already compounded things by hiring Kat to look into her husbands illicit affair. True to her almost male like nature Kat gets immediately involved with Skyler, a lovely escort she hires to help go undercover to check out a modeling agency while still working on Natalie's case.
This story quickly becomes a convolution of plot that puts Basic Instinct to shame. In fact, this is Basic Instinct with a mostly female cast.
Anyway, everything will come together. Oddly the best part though is finding out what Kat is all about when she reveals her past finally.
This is a great character study that makes for an interesting and sometimes gruesome beginning to a series.
Good book for Suspense and SSF lovers. Contains elements of lesbian content although I'm not sure how representative Kat might be. She's mostly augmented and bad ass and driven.
J.L. Dobias
August 11, 2017
Kind of strange piece of Sci-Fi literature...
Well, not sure whether it is Sci-Fi, fantasy, or some both-men-and-women-despising LGBT police story... sort of.
The description of Sci-Fi environment is very weak. Even at the end of the book is not clear what are that Dark Earth, what assumptions in physics and multiverse it is based on, and how did the portals appear. The cybernetic augmentations for the protagonist, which could bring interest to the Sci-Fi part of the novel, are not really described, so their value for the novel environment is minimal. However, they do help the protagonist "magically" recover from moments of sure death... somehow.
The main point of dislike for the novel is the obscene language of the author on almost all the pages, and the attitude practically to all characters: men are described as rude just dreaming of having sex with "innocent" girls, women are described as chaotic creatures who do not know what they are doing with their life, and gays / lesbians from the book seem to be crazy people who constantly dream of kissing and having sex with each other, no matter the circumstances. Not sure whether the author wanted to present people, especially LGBT, in such way, but this is the impression from the novel.
Well, not sure whether it is Sci-Fi, fantasy, or some both-men-and-women-despising LGBT police story... sort of.
The description of Sci-Fi environment is very weak. Even at the end of the book is not clear what are that Dark Earth, what assumptions in physics and multiverse it is based on, and how did the portals appear. The cybernetic augmentations for the protagonist, which could bring interest to the Sci-Fi part of the novel, are not really described, so their value for the novel environment is minimal. However, they do help the protagonist "magically" recover from moments of sure death... somehow.
The main point of dislike for the novel is the obscene language of the author on almost all the pages, and the attitude practically to all characters: men are described as rude just dreaming of having sex with "innocent" girls, women are described as chaotic creatures who do not know what they are doing with their life, and gays / lesbians from the book seem to be crazy people who constantly dream of kissing and having sex with each other, no matter the circumstances. Not sure whether the author wanted to present people, especially LGBT, in such way, but this is the impression from the novel.
May 27, 2018
I think the only reason I read this was because it was free. It was a bit too noir-ish for my taste and men writing lesbians often just comes across as light porn. It lacked true emotion. Sure there were tears, thudding hearts and trembling lips, but it felt empty in a paint by numbers way. And what's with the main character being happy to have her reproductive organs removed because she knew she was gay and wouldn't be having children? I'm pretty sure being a lesbian doesn't stop them from working or banishes the thought of having a baby. The story line felt contrived and even though I knew the character is enhanced with all sorts of bio tech the fights scenes felt unrealistic, like the only thing that would stop her would be chopping her head off. She gets shot, beaten and blown up at various times, the first time we know the kinds of things she can withstand so anything after that lacked tension because the reader knows she's going to be ok no matter how many times she is shot or beaten. This was ok for a few hours escapism but I don't think I'll read any more by the author as the style just didn't gel with me at all. I kept hoping for some sort of real emotional substance but it just never came.
April 16, 2022
Definitely a thrill ride
A future thriller set between two worlds - one technology based and the other magical.
The protagonist - Kat, is an enhanced police officer investigating a set of missing children cases. The threads running through the novel make for a complex case - while exposing Kats' background and motivation.
I enjoyed the novel, but question how well the author can express a lesbians POV. This is definitely for an 18+ reader due to the situations.
I did receive a copy in a book giveaway.
A future thriller set between two worlds - one technology based and the other magical.
The protagonist - Kat, is an enhanced police officer investigating a set of missing children cases. The threads running through the novel make for a complex case - while exposing Kats' background and motivation.
I enjoyed the novel, but question how well the author can express a lesbians POV. This is definitely for an 18+ reader due to the situations.
I did receive a copy in a book giveaway.
September 20, 2017
This was an unexpected pleasure to read. It becomes obvious very quickly that Kat is no ordinary police woman when she slices a mans penis with the razors within her fingers. As the story unfolds we learn of the time this tale is set in and what advances have been made. But crime and greed will always be in our lives
October 4, 2019
Yet another book written by a male author who doesn't understand women. If the introductory rape scene didn't tip me off, the harassment the main character subjects other women to in the first few chapters sure did.
November 7, 2020
Reminds me of Friday by Heinlein.
Author freebie. Start of a series. This author does a series about the darkearth as well,worth checking out. The cop is a lesbian and a cyborg. Not suitable for children. Not politically correct eithor.
Author freebie. Start of a series. This author does a series about the darkearth as well,worth checking out. The cop is a lesbian and a cyborg. Not suitable for children. Not politically correct eithor.
June 5, 2024
I love the SF genre, i love lesfic but this book wasn't my cup of tea. I got it for free, and me being me, I wasn't paying attention of a writer but with the first page, I could tell it was written by a man.
August 30, 2017
This book was different but yet very good. It had some sci/fi theme but also some mystery to it. I would recommend this book.
May 30, 2018
Interesting
A little weird but interesting. Like the other world bit, but my question is how did it get that way? Need more information on that subject.
A little weird but interesting. Like the other world bit, but my question is how did it get that way? Need more information on that subject.
December 31, 2019
Easy to read with some different writing styles. I like the twists even if they stretched far sometimes. Might go for the next in the series.
June 2, 2022
Eh. Not terrible. Not Great. Ultimately a forgettable book.
Read
June 18, 2020The first thing you might want to know about this book is that the main character, Katerina Wimple, is physically enhanced. She has retractable razor claws and an armored skeleton. That’s right, like Wolverine. She resides in a world that has some resemblance to that of Alien Nation, with other-worlders living among them. In fact, many parts of this book remind me of devices created by other authors. Robocop? Bionic Woman?. Although Halstead seems to have a writing/work/family schedule that leaves no time for watching TV or reading, I suspect that these influences are present.
Despite the less-than-original setup, I found the first short novel, The Lost Girls fast paced and rather enjoyable. Kat, a police woman in the mid-Twenty-first Century is investigating the disappearance of a number of women (although she maddeningly refers to them as girls) in a post-apocalyptic Phoenix. Kat is feisty and has a tough backstory somewhat reminiscent of Sandra Scoppettone's Lauren Laurano.
During her investigation, she meets two hot women and the best parts of the book contain Kat's interaction with them, which is hot indeed, despite the fact that there is no actual sex.
It's hard not to be a little put off when the main character puts herself in a position to get shot repeatedly, then actually does get shot. Repeatedly. Luckily, modern technology is able to repeatedly save her. And even to further enhance her.
The solution to the mystery is pretty much old hat, but I was presently surprised to find that Halstead nimbly escaped a situation (one of Kat's potential girlfriends being the criminal) which I would have considered a fatal flaw. As it stands, it was a fast and bouncy read.
Will I buy the next in the series? Maybe, if I get time. The first left a few things hanging and I’m interested to see if the author resolves them. Luckily, I've always been a comic book fan.
Note: I found this book free on Smashwords in October, 2013.
Another Note: This review is included in my book The Art of the Lesbian Mystery Novel, along with information on over 930 other lesbian mysteries by over 310 authors.
Despite the less-than-original setup, I found the first short novel, The Lost Girls fast paced and rather enjoyable. Kat, a police woman in the mid-Twenty-first Century is investigating the disappearance of a number of women (although she maddeningly refers to them as girls) in a post-apocalyptic Phoenix. Kat is feisty and has a tough backstory somewhat reminiscent of Sandra Scoppettone's Lauren Laurano.
During her investigation, she meets two hot women and the best parts of the book contain Kat's interaction with them, which is hot indeed, despite the fact that there is no actual sex.
It's hard not to be a little put off when the main character puts herself in a position to get shot repeatedly, then actually does get shot. Repeatedly. Luckily, modern technology is able to repeatedly save her. And even to further enhance her.
The solution to the mystery is pretty much old hat, but I was presently surprised to find that Halstead nimbly escaped a situation (one of Kat's potential girlfriends being the criminal) which I would have considered a fatal flaw. As it stands, it was a fast and bouncy read.
Will I buy the next in the series? Maybe, if I get time. The first left a few things hanging and I’m interested to see if the author resolves them. Luckily, I've always been a comic book fan.
Note: I found this book free on Smashwords in October, 2013.
Another Note: This review is included in my book The Art of the Lesbian Mystery Novel, along with information on over 930 other lesbian mysteries by over 310 authors.
October 14, 2012
This is the first book that I have read by Jason Halstead but great first impression for me.
I instantly loved Kat (main character). She is damaged & has many things to overcome as well as many things that she has already overcome. I always seem to love those characters. They are strong in so many ways & vulnerable in others. You get to put the puzzle together of Kat's past & you kind of figure it out for the most part.
Kat is a cop & loves her job. She is always in bad situations from the cases she takes on usually centered around abused & missing children or woman. Kat is also a lesbian & has no problems with anyone knowing that about her. She makes no excuses for who she is or why she is the way she is. Kat has a hard time trusting others with good reason. I feel that she will never trust any man in her life no matter what the relationship is.
Kat is involved in a case where girls have gone missing. All are in their early twenty's from what I can tell. This is story is also set in the future where there is a portal to another Earth. This is important to the story in many ways. The other earth is mentioned a lot but not really described except to say that Kat's Earth is more technically advanced than the other Earth. Kat is also enhanced with some pretty cool hardware (think Wolverine of The X-Men) she is not to be screwed with.
I loved this story for many reasons: 1) Love Kat 2) Lots of action 3) Little bit of drama but not over the top 4)a little mystery 5) Kat kicks ass but takes a beating.
Looks like a series so I will check out the next book to come. Happy reading.
I instantly loved Kat (main character). She is damaged & has many things to overcome as well as many things that she has already overcome. I always seem to love those characters. They are strong in so many ways & vulnerable in others. You get to put the puzzle together of Kat's past & you kind of figure it out for the most part.
Kat is a cop & loves her job. She is always in bad situations from the cases she takes on usually centered around abused & missing children or woman. Kat is also a lesbian & has no problems with anyone knowing that about her. She makes no excuses for who she is or why she is the way she is. Kat has a hard time trusting others with good reason. I feel that she will never trust any man in her life no matter what the relationship is.
Kat is involved in a case where girls have gone missing. All are in their early twenty's from what I can tell. This is story is also set in the future where there is a portal to another Earth. This is important to the story in many ways. The other earth is mentioned a lot but not really described except to say that Kat's Earth is more technically advanced than the other Earth. Kat is also enhanced with some pretty cool hardware (think Wolverine of The X-Men) she is not to be screwed with.
I loved this story for many reasons: 1) Love Kat 2) Lots of action 3) Little bit of drama but not over the top 4)a little mystery 5) Kat kicks ass but takes a beating.
Looks like a series so I will check out the next book to come. Happy reading.
October 29, 2011
When girls start disappearing, they call on Katalina Wimple. They know, she will not give up until she finds out what is happening to them, and who is behind it! Katalina is in a class all her own! Both as a person and, especially, as a cop! She is a tough bad ass cop, but she has a softer side. Though she only allows a very select few to catch a small glimpse of it every now and then. She is smart, fearless, a smart ass (which I love) and a bit self sabotaging. But aren't we all a bit self sabotaging, to some degree or another?
This book pulls you in and makes you feel like you are right there with Kat, every step of the way. And you can't wait to see what Katalina is going to get into next. I lost several hours of sleep, because I couldn't put it down. When you read this book, be prepared to run the gambit of emotions!
Jason Halstead has a way of capturing the female psyche that VERY few men can even imagine; much less be able to put on paper. He is talented and has "fierce" writing skills!
The only complaint I have is that, eventhough the book stands alone in the series, I wish I had read Dark Earth first. It would have been good to have some more insight about Katalina, the VDI and the portals.
If you want a book that combines almost every emotion, with action, humor, fantasy, sci fi and a bit of romance, then this is the book to read!!
This book pulls you in and makes you feel like you are right there with Kat, every step of the way. And you can't wait to see what Katalina is going to get into next. I lost several hours of sleep, because I couldn't put it down. When you read this book, be prepared to run the gambit of emotions!
Jason Halstead has a way of capturing the female psyche that VERY few men can even imagine; much less be able to put on paper. He is talented and has "fierce" writing skills!
The only complaint I have is that, eventhough the book stands alone in the series, I wish I had read Dark Earth first. It would have been good to have some more insight about Katalina, the VDI and the portals.
If you want a book that combines almost every emotion, with action, humor, fantasy, sci fi and a bit of romance, then this is the book to read!!
January 4, 2013
The Lost Girls, the first in a series (currently at 4 novels), was my first sci-fi read in quite some time and was a refreshing change of pace. Following Kat through her action-packed, and slightly insane, journey to find criminals responsible for kidnapping young girls while simultaneously figuring out more about herself was thrilling throughout. There is also some steamy scenes mixed in, though not nearly as graphic as what Halstead does with the action ones that seem almost constant. The combination keeps The Lost Girls fast-paced and the reader on edge.
I loved Kat, she’s a fireball with attitude but with a softer side underneath. That sounds somewhat cliche, and at times it does feel a bit that way, but her sarcasm and don’t-give-a-crap attitude more than make up for it and make her a very endearing character. She has legitimate horrors in her past and overcomes them (to varied degrees of success) with humor, something Halstead does excellently.
The mystery element of The Lost Girls is what brought the piece home. There is a few twists at the end to constantly throw you off the trail and unless you are very shrewd the ending will definitely catch you off-guard. I’d recommend this to anyone who likes a good mixture of mystery/sci-fi/and a bit of romance, or just a good fast-paced read in general. Excellent.
Rating: 4/5
I loved Kat, she’s a fireball with attitude but with a softer side underneath. That sounds somewhat cliche, and at times it does feel a bit that way, but her sarcasm and don’t-give-a-crap attitude more than make up for it and make her a very endearing character. She has legitimate horrors in her past and overcomes them (to varied degrees of success) with humor, something Halstead does excellently.
The mystery element of The Lost Girls is what brought the piece home. There is a few twists at the end to constantly throw you off the trail and unless you are very shrewd the ending will definitely catch you off-guard. I’d recommend this to anyone who likes a good mixture of mystery/sci-fi/and a bit of romance, or just a good fast-paced read in general. Excellent.
Rating: 4/5
November 16, 2012
I hated this book. I really, really hated it. I hated the writing style. I hated the protagonist Katalina Wimple and how the author continuously focused on having her beaten to within an inch of her life in chapter after chapter before making a miraculous recovery with sci fi medical upgrades that include an armored body, razor blades and synthetic eyes. I hate that she fell in love with every woman she met on the job, and I hated the futuristic spin the author put on what I thought would be an old-fashioned mystery novel set in Phoenix. There was just too much going on all at once.
I read that this is part of a book series called Dark Earth, so perhaps there were stories leading up to this novel that would've made the transition easier. If that's the case, I suppose I should've done more research on this book before starting it.
On the other hand, The Lost Girls received good reviews from other readers within this community, and it's an Amazon freebie.
I read that this is part of a book series called Dark Earth, so perhaps there were stories leading up to this novel that would've made the transition easier. If that's the case, I suppose I should've done more research on this book before starting it.
On the other hand, The Lost Girls received good reviews from other readers within this community, and it's an Amazon freebie.
January 3, 2016
I got this ebook free on Amazon, so it was a no-risk purchase. It was jarring that the novel started with an attempted rape scene. The book was more brash and unpolished than I typically read, including difficult to follow pacing. I am intrigued by the author's other work, as the 'Dark Earth' aspect was in the background of this novel, and I see there are other books that are more focused on that. The science fiction element was certainly secondary to the 'cracking the case' work of the protagonist. The sci-fi upgrades to her body were interesting. I was annoyed at her insistence of labeling her love interest as a straight woman, while the woman herself never claimed to be straight. Bisexuality is possible, as is a lesbian who doesn't discover herself until later in life. For a character who doesn't want people to jump to conclusions about her, she is ready to jump to conclusions about others. I'm unsure if I'll read other books in the Lost Girls series.
August 25, 2015
I was skeptical at first. A lesbian character written by a man has not gone over well in the past; but jason Did a great job. Katalina is a woman with a lot of depth. She isn't stuck in her ways, she is a growing person, she is strong and intelligent, and never afraid, although sometimes comically, to point out her own flaws.
The story is great, I haven't been able to put the books down. I'm on the 5th one and I just found the series a few days ago. I havent wanted to put it down. Thats good story telling. I do wish it was longer, I would like a little more of the personal relationships instead of skimming over them. The relationship with Natalie is so true to life its scary. Every Lesbian has trouble with the "Straight" woman. I married one so I am very much aware of the problems. It was heart breaking and refreshing at the same time.
The story is great, I haven't been able to put the books down. I'm on the 5th one and I just found the series a few days ago. I havent wanted to put it down. Thats good story telling. I do wish it was longer, I would like a little more of the personal relationships instead of skimming over them. The relationship with Natalie is so true to life its scary. Every Lesbian has trouble with the "Straight" woman. I married one so I am very much aware of the problems. It was heart breaking and refreshing at the same time.
March 11, 2015
I do not know if I read an edited version but, I enjoyed this book. I love a good lesbian story, with a plot, and they are difficult to find. I, too, was leary of this book because it was written by a man. I thought the story line was good and although the characters were "under developed," I knew what was going on. Kat's back story could have been brought out more. But, this is book one and J. Halstead may reveal more as we continue her adventures. I liked that she was a strong female, to bad it had to be with enhancements. I hope that the romance between Kat and Nat continues in book two. A good lesbian book with an actual plot, not just sex "dreams" of a male. Thank you Jason, (and thank your female friends!)
April 8, 2013
Don't wanna sound too harsh but there was nothing that I enjoyed about this book. I almost stopped reading when there just a sudden mention of portals and all her body having armour plating. But I carried on cos I thought the storyline about tracking down missing girls sounded like it could be a decent read. However there wasn't much mention of this just the main character trying to work on some leads and several attempts made on her life. She is also a lesbian which I have no problem with and I'm not a prude but I just didn't think there was any need for a lot of it. I wouldn't recommend this book and I certainly won't be reading anymore of the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 5, 2013
I got this book as a "reduced" price on amazon.com (e-book). I'm glad i went with it because I really enjoyed it. The main character, Kat, is a tough chick. I love tough chicks. she's a cop in the not so distant future that has a few "accessories" that help her in her job. Since this is book one of a series, I look forward to watching her grow. The author, Jason Halstead has a new fan. I look forward to reading his other books.
June 9, 2015
Tough as nails woman!
Kat is one bad-ass cop. Her history is what's made her such a bad-ass. She stands up for the women in her cases and her personal life. Taking place in a bit of a futuristic world where her injuries were turned into body enhancements, making her better suited to kick some evil butts. I was surprised and pleased to find how quickly I got into this book. A good read that makes me want to read the next book in the series.
Kat is one bad-ass cop. Her history is what's made her such a bad-ass. She stands up for the women in her cases and her personal life. Taking place in a bit of a futuristic world where her injuries were turned into body enhancements, making her better suited to kick some evil butts. I was surprised and pleased to find how quickly I got into this book. A good read that makes me want to read the next book in the series.
June 30, 2013
This was one of those books that almost made it. I enjoyed the story without the other planet/dimension element. The Sci-fi was enough. I appreciate this is part of a wider series where this mix becomes more important, but in this story it just added confusion as to the importance to the plot. I'll look out for the others in this series.
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