This is my first foray into this popular crime series featuring DI Lottie Parker, set in Ragmullin in Ireland. Whilst obviously there are various backstories that I have not been privy to this, the fifth in the series, it still worked perfectly fine for me as a standalone. Lottie's home has burned down, and her children, Katie, Chloe, Sean and grandson, Louis, are temporarily residing with her mother, Rose, in the cramped and claustrophobic surroundings. A stranger, Captain Leo Belfield from the NYPD has arrived with an interest in Lottie. It all kicks off with the arrival of a confused and bloodied young woman at the police station muttering she thinks she killed him. She is taken to the hospital from where she disappears. As Lottie's team search for the woman, Sean is fishing with a friend when a baby's dead body is found in the water. A stressed Lottie, having to rely on Xanax pills, is to find herself in the midst of traumatic and harrowing investigations involving the murders of young boys in a community and families harbouring secrets, abuse, lies and a disturbed serial killer and more.
The murdered body of 11 year old Mickey is found, followed by that of another young boy with the same MO. Lottie's team try to chase down what connects the boys and their families, but leads are proving to be elusive. Acting Superintendent David McMahon is refusing to temper his dislike of Lottie, smothering her with paperwork and his insistent orders on the cases that are nothing but a hindrance and a burden. The police team dynamics and drama are a significant part of the story, with Kirby and Gilly's relationship, the pregnancy of DC Maria Lynch and her misapprehensions with regard to Lottie, then there are Lottie's mixed feelings and uncertainty regarding Boyd whose divorce has come through. There is Lottie's disturbing family history in which the troublesome journalist, Cynthia Rhodes is showing a little too much interest. In the meantime, it soon becomes clear that another young boy is in danger, and so is Lottie's family as the multiple threads begin to slowly connect in what turns out to be a desperately tragic finale.
I can understand why so many love this series, Lottie is a compelling central character, and her life and those of her police team, determined in their efforts to identify suspects, traumatised by the horror of what they encounter, is a major reason why this crime novel stood out for me. Gibney does not shy away in presenting their conflicts as well as their teamwork. The title of the book is particularly apt when the dark underbelly of a community and its families is exposed. This is gripping crime fiction with its twists, tensions and suspense, with a truly heartbreaking ending. Many thanks to Bookouture for an ARC.