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The Lost Boy: Australian Rural Crime Mystery
When 11 year old Matty Blackwood vanishes during the Gabinda Rodeo, the sleepy rural town is thrust into a storm of fear and speculation. Detective Joanna Gray, visiting Gabinda to reconnect with her estranged brother is reluctantly pulled into the desperate search for the missing boy.
But Joanna is grappling with her own demons. Her long time partner, Detective Sergeant Nick Vada, lies in a coma at the other end of the state, leaving her to face the case and pressure, alone. As the days tick by, Joanna uncovers a web of secrets hidden beneath Gabinda’s small-town charm. With tensions rising and boy’s fate hanging in the balance, Joanna must confront her own self doubt and fears while navigating a community on the brink of unravelling.
In a race against time, Joanna must find Matty before it’s too late. But will solving the case come at the cost of losing herself – and possibly Nick forever?
Don't miss the next instalment in the best selling Nick Vada Thriller series!
What readers love about the
★★★★★ "Nick and Joanna are great characters and it will be hard waiting for the next instalment to see what happens."
★★★★★ "Loved it, couldn’t put it down, great story"
★★★★★ "Firstly… the storyline is great. Jason Summers writes with a subtle humour and gives the perfect amount of detail to keep you focused without getting bored. I barely put it down and enjoyed every minute."
But Joanna is grappling with her own demons. Her long time partner, Detective Sergeant Nick Vada, lies in a coma at the other end of the state, leaving her to face the case and pressure, alone. As the days tick by, Joanna uncovers a web of secrets hidden beneath Gabinda’s small-town charm. With tensions rising and boy’s fate hanging in the balance, Joanna must confront her own self doubt and fears while navigating a community on the brink of unravelling.
In a race against time, Joanna must find Matty before it’s too late. But will solving the case come at the cost of losing herself – and possibly Nick forever?
Don't miss the next instalment in the best selling Nick Vada Thriller series!
What readers love about the
★★★★★ "Nick and Joanna are great characters and it will be hard waiting for the next instalment to see what happens."
★★★★★ "Loved it, couldn’t put it down, great story"
★★★★★ "Firstly… the storyline is great. Jason Summers writes with a subtle humour and gives the perfect amount of detail to keep you focused without getting bored. I barely put it down and enjoyed every minute."
330 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 15, 2025
285 people are currently reading
46 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
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February 23, 2025I enjoyed the story. However the proofreading could be better. For example, Ulladulla is on the south coast of NSW not the central coast as depicted in the book
March 10, 2025
The best of the series to date. No glaring grammatical errors this time. Must have invested in a proof reader or editor. Also, none of the continuous back and forth in time that was so prevalent in the other books. Well done! A good story teller has got better.
November 17, 2025
EATS. this author has grown on me so much. I’m such a sucker for Aussie crime books and I’m sad that I will only have one book left until the series is done 😭. I love these characters so much, and also YAY character development 🔥👍
February 20, 2025
Loved the latest Nick Vada detective book.
It is good to see Joanna have more opportunities to progress with her own investigation for a while.
Twist at the end - how long until the next book is released????
It is good to see Joanna have more opportunities to progress with her own investigation for a while.
Twist at the end - how long until the next book is released????
February 25, 2025
I love reading the Nick Vada series and each book just gets better and better. I can’t wait for the next one. Well done Jason!
February 25, 2025
Quick and easy detective story in the series featuring Detective Nick Vada, set in rural Australia
February 19, 2025
Really enjoyed this and now going to read them all!
November 11, 2025
I really enjoyed this book as I like the author's clear way of telling a story and his insider knowledge o Australia outback, cowboys that gives me good insight. I also admire that he has a day job as a construction manager and yet manages to turn out an excellent series!
Very impressive. I noticed that for the character's dialogue, just ' was used instead of ". Since I am in the process of editing my own novel, I found this curious but it did not change my opinion of the novel.
Very impressive. I noticed that for the character's dialogue, just ' was used instead of ". Since I am in the process of editing my own novel, I found this curious but it did not change my opinion of the novel.
February 27, 2025
I couldn't wait for this release, I had it on pre order, and it didn't disappoint. I really enjoy this series and recommend to friends and other avid readers. Some crime thrillers are far fetcher but these are well written, twisty and keep the reader well engaged. I made short work of this book. Thanks Jason for another great read, now I am patiently waiting for the next installment!
March 26, 2025
The Lost Boy
The Lost Boy - Book 9 in the Nick Vada series was just as good as the previous 8 books.
The Lost Boy - Book 9 in the Nick Vada series was just as good as the previous 8 books.
April 23, 2025
Jason always writes a captivating story. Fewer typos/errors in this book than prior ones but one glaring error when John Blackman refers to his SON in law as his BROTHER in law which needs amending.
April 26, 2025
Anticlimactic
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews