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D.I. Lottie Parker #1
The Missing Ones
The hole they dug was not deep. A white flour bag encased the little body. Three small faces watched from the window, eyes black with terror.
The child in the middle spoke without turning his head. I wonder which one of us will be next?
When a woman’s body is discovered in a cathedral and hours later a young man is found hanging from a tree outside his home, Detective Lottie Parker is called in to lead the investigation. Both bodies have the same distinctive tattoo clumsily inscribed on their legs. It’s clear the pair are connected, but how?
The trail leads Lottie to St. Angela’s, a former children’s home, with a dark connection to her own family history. Suddenly the case just got personal.
As Lottie begins to link the current victims to unsolved murders decades old, two teenage boys go missing. She must close in on the killer before they strike again, but in doing so is she putting her own children in terrifying danger?
Lottie is about to come face to face with a twisted soul who has a very warped idea of justice.
The child in the middle spoke without turning his head. I wonder which one of us will be next?
When a woman’s body is discovered in a cathedral and hours later a young man is found hanging from a tree outside his home, Detective Lottie Parker is called in to lead the investigation. Both bodies have the same distinctive tattoo clumsily inscribed on their legs. It’s clear the pair are connected, but how?
The trail leads Lottie to St. Angela’s, a former children’s home, with a dark connection to her own family history. Suddenly the case just got personal.
As Lottie begins to link the current victims to unsolved murders decades old, two teenage boys go missing. She must close in on the killer before they strike again, but in doing so is she putting her own children in terrifying danger?
Lottie is about to come face to face with a twisted soul who has a very warped idea of justice.
432 pages, Paperback
First published March 16, 2017
17700 people are currently reading
28826 people want to read
About the author
Patricia Gibney
30 books1,339 followersMy name is Patricia Gibney and I’m from Mullingar, County Westmeath. Right in the heart of Ireland. Surrounded by lakes, Mullingar is damp and wet most of the year but when the sun shines it is a little piece of heaven on earth. I’ve lived here all my life. I’m widowed, seven years in May, but was married to Aidan since 1982. I’ve three children who keep me sane, or maybe keep the madness at bay, just a little bit! I say that because I am an artist and a writer. I started writing, for therapy, when Aidan died.
I secured an agent in January 2016 and she is fighting my corner in an effort to get my debut novel published.
Three years ago, I decided to get serious about it. I joined The Irish Writers Centre. Started doing courses. I love reading crime thrillers so it was obvious to me to start writing in the crime genre. And let me tell you, it is not easy. A crime novel needs to be tightly plotted and plotting is the bane of my life. I prefer to write straight off the top of my head. Oh, Oh. Feels good when writing but then comes the editing. I lost 20,000 words in the process. But at least I am proud to say I got it done.
I am now writing the second novel in the series, featuring Lottie Parker and a host of credible characters. They are all part of my extended family, you know the kind – people you love one minute and want to kill the next!
So join me on this journey and lets see where it leads us.
I secured an agent in January 2016 and she is fighting my corner in an effort to get my debut novel published.
Three years ago, I decided to get serious about it. I joined The Irish Writers Centre. Started doing courses. I love reading crime thrillers so it was obvious to me to start writing in the crime genre. And let me tell you, it is not easy. A crime novel needs to be tightly plotted and plotting is the bane of my life. I prefer to write straight off the top of my head. Oh, Oh. Feels good when writing but then comes the editing. I lost 20,000 words in the process. But at least I am proud to say I got it done.
I am now writing the second novel in the series, featuring Lottie Parker and a host of credible characters. They are all part of my extended family, you know the kind – people you love one minute and want to kill the next!
So join me on this journey and lets see where it leads us.
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July 10, 2017
99 cents kindle US! *Buddy Read with my lovely friend, Sarah J ❤️ My sweet friend Sarah had to run and do some stuff so she will be finishing this tonight or first thing in the morning. We have had fun with this cray of a book!
SWEET BABY JESUS
So, I'm pretty good and figuring things out in a book when it comes to mysteries. I had most of it down in this one, the usual stuff that you know is going down. But that ending! That ending broke me. I didn't see it coming and I should have seen it a mile away, there were little tidbits of clues but I never. For the love of the holy saltine cracker, this one messed me up a bit. Just when it gets in your head and your imagining what happened to the child or whatever it is. . . could be a person, an animal. I try not to think to much into that stuff, but holy crow! I'm not even going to hint at what I'm talking about, you all can read that for yourself. Not a peep about what I'm even talking about.
Lets talk about some other stuffies.
So, DI Lottie Parker has a murder on her hands. Someone gets strangled at the church. And I thought, well that was stupid as all get out because they just let themselves get killed. Then I find out why. It just keeps getting better.
Then another body and we find out the reason for that. Then we have people dropping like flies, conspiracies, development, the church, some officials, the people that have gone off their nut. I mean it's a whole slew of crazy in the book.
It took me a bit to warm up to Lottie and her partner Boyd. It was all kinda weird in the beginning at then I got used to them and just realized they are weird like me. There are some things that are kinda loose for me in the book but I still loved it. It took me a little bit there and then it got under my skin. But that ending! Okay, I will hush. It's just sad and sadistic as all get out.
Anyhoo, I enjoyed my little ride into mystery land and do have some of the author's other books on one of my 4 neverending Amazon Wish Lists. Hoorah!
MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List
SWEET BABY JESUS
So, I'm pretty good and figuring things out in a book when it comes to mysteries. I had most of it down in this one, the usual stuff that you know is going down. But that ending! That ending broke me. I didn't see it coming and I should have seen it a mile away, there were little tidbits of clues but I never. For the love of the holy saltine cracker, this one messed me up a bit. Just when it gets in your head and your imagining what happened to the child or whatever it is. . . could be a person, an animal. I try not to think to much into that stuff, but holy crow! I'm not even going to hint at what I'm talking about, you all can read that for yourself. Not a peep about what I'm even talking about.
Lets talk about some other stuffies.
So, DI Lottie Parker has a murder on her hands. Someone gets strangled at the church. And I thought, well that was stupid as all get out because they just let themselves get killed. Then I find out why. It just keeps getting better.
Then another body and we find out the reason for that. Then we have people dropping like flies, conspiracies, development, the church, some officials, the people that have gone off their nut. I mean it's a whole slew of crazy in the book.
It took me a bit to warm up to Lottie and her partner Boyd. It was all kinda weird in the beginning at then I got used to them and just realized they are weird like me. There are some things that are kinda loose for me in the book but I still loved it. It took me a little bit there and then it got under my skin. But that ending! Okay, I will hush. It's just sad and sadistic as all get out.
Anyhoo, I enjoyed my little ride into mystery land and do have some of the author's other books on one of my 4 neverending Amazon Wish Lists. Hoorah!
MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List
March 13, 2017
A brilliant debut thriller featuring Detective inspector Lottie Parker, a very flawed but tough-as-nails inspector. Still reeling from the loss of her husband, she’s also taxed with trying to find the difficult balance between work and raising her three children. She will leave you rooting for her both personally and professionally.
Years ago St Angela’s had been a home for wayward children, where families would drop off their children when they could not, or simply chose not to care for them. Several of these children went missing, never to be heard from again. 40 years later information came to light that perhaps many of these missing children were in fact killed.
A woman is found murdered in a cathedral. As Lottie and her team chase down the leads more murders occur that tie together loosely by a single thread. Can all these killings have anything to do with the abandoned St Angela’s?
Assisting Lottie is Detective sergeant Mark Boyd, who wants more from the relationship than just fellow detectives on a case. Is there potential for them to grow in the next installment? I sure Hope so!
I had expectations of a very light thriller but this was not the case at all. Dark and disturbing subject matter, involving exploitation of children. Maybe difficult for some to read.
Quite lengthy, but with very short chapters keeps the reader engaged and the book flowed effortlessly. It was a slow, steady build for the first half and I had no idea how it would all come together. The last 30% took off with Lots of twists and turns to keep me guessing right up to the end. (And who doesn’t like that!) Just not exactly jaw-dropping as the teaser on the cover stated.
I will definitely be looking forward to the next one in the series.
Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Patricia Gibney for the ARC to review.
Years ago St Angela’s had been a home for wayward children, where families would drop off their children when they could not, or simply chose not to care for them. Several of these children went missing, never to be heard from again. 40 years later information came to light that perhaps many of these missing children were in fact killed.
A woman is found murdered in a cathedral. As Lottie and her team chase down the leads more murders occur that tie together loosely by a single thread. Can all these killings have anything to do with the abandoned St Angela’s?
Assisting Lottie is Detective sergeant Mark Boyd, who wants more from the relationship than just fellow detectives on a case. Is there potential for them to grow in the next installment? I sure Hope so!
I had expectations of a very light thriller but this was not the case at all. Dark and disturbing subject matter, involving exploitation of children. Maybe difficult for some to read.
Quite lengthy, but with very short chapters keeps the reader engaged and the book flowed effortlessly. It was a slow, steady build for the first half and I had no idea how it would all come together. The last 30% took off with Lots of twists and turns to keep me guessing right up to the end. (And who doesn’t like that!) Just not exactly jaw-dropping as the teaser on the cover stated.
I will definitely be looking forward to the next one in the series.
Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Patricia Gibney for the ARC to review.
March 17, 2017
4.5 stars
The Missing Ones is an outstanding debut thriller from Irish author Ms. Patricia Gibney. It is book one of the Detective Lottie Parker series, and I am excited to hop aboard and ride along with Lottie and her team in future installments.
What an engaging read this was! By the time I read through the chilling prologue and the stomach-churning first chapter, two murders had been committed, 39 years apart. From that point on, I was hooked and blazed through this 518 pager. It seemed more like 325 page quickie to me. And yes, it is told in two timelines, but the 111 chapters are wham-bam in nature, preserving the flow of the story.
Lottie is an interesting protagonist. She is trying to come to terms with the loss of her beloved husband to cancer. She is also struggling to find time to care for and show her love to her three teenagers, who are home alone a lot. She has an issue with anxiety that she fights to conquer, though she “doesn’t have time (bad Lottie)” to see a therapist. She is prickly with her team and frequently with her witnesses as well, but she has insight into her issues and tries hard to function as best she can. She does have a soft spot for her right hand man, DS Mark Boyd, and their relationship is at times downright endearing, though not romantic.
I really liked Lottie, and Boyd as well.
There are some nasty pieces of work in this story. There are also some scenes, though not horrifically graphic, are bad enough that may be very difficult for some readers. As I read a lot of dark thrillers, I was OK with these as I think they were necessary in order to make the plot real and to propel it along. I would not recommend this book if you are a staunch member and no holds-barred-supporter of the Catholic Church or if anything related to child abuse is a deal breaker for you.
Various plot threads, red herrings, and bits of information dropped like the breadcrumbs in Hansel and Gretel make for addictive reading. There were plenty of times when I wasn’t sure who to trust. The last 30% of the tale provides a ton of suspense and a ton of uncertainty as to how this is going to all work out. Even at 98% we are still getting reveals. I managed to figure out a couple of them a bit earlier on, but only because the author kindly offered similar clues to two similar mysterious situations.
Another biggie for me was the wonderful way Ms. Gibney brings the setting (bitter winter in a town in the heart of Ireland) to life. Nearly every chapter is imbued with her subtle yet very effective setting of the scene. I felt she really instilled in me the sinister atmosphere of the story. Big props for that, Ms. Gibney.
Enough talk! Everyone (with the exception of those mentioned above) looking for a yummy crime story to get lost in should run purchase this book. Go on. Just do it.
I wish to thank Net Galley, Bookouture, and Ms. Patricia Gibney for granting me the privilege of reading an advanced copy of this novel. All opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.
The Missing Ones is an outstanding debut thriller from Irish author Ms. Patricia Gibney. It is book one of the Detective Lottie Parker series, and I am excited to hop aboard and ride along with Lottie and her team in future installments.
What an engaging read this was! By the time I read through the chilling prologue and the stomach-churning first chapter, two murders had been committed, 39 years apart. From that point on, I was hooked and blazed through this 518 pager. It seemed more like 325 page quickie to me. And yes, it is told in two timelines, but the 111 chapters are wham-bam in nature, preserving the flow of the story.
Lottie is an interesting protagonist. She is trying to come to terms with the loss of her beloved husband to cancer. She is also struggling to find time to care for and show her love to her three teenagers, who are home alone a lot. She has an issue with anxiety that she fights to conquer, though she “doesn’t have time (bad Lottie)” to see a therapist. She is prickly with her team and frequently with her witnesses as well, but she has insight into her issues and tries hard to function as best she can. She does have a soft spot for her right hand man, DS Mark Boyd, and their relationship is at times downright endearing, though not romantic.
I really liked Lottie, and Boyd as well.
There are some nasty pieces of work in this story. There are also some scenes, though not horrifically graphic, are bad enough that may be very difficult for some readers. As I read a lot of dark thrillers, I was OK with these as I think they were necessary in order to make the plot real and to propel it along. I would not recommend this book if you are a staunch member and no holds-barred-supporter of the Catholic Church or if anything related to child abuse is a deal breaker for you.
Various plot threads, red herrings, and bits of information dropped like the breadcrumbs in Hansel and Gretel make for addictive reading. There were plenty of times when I wasn’t sure who to trust. The last 30% of the tale provides a ton of suspense and a ton of uncertainty as to how this is going to all work out. Even at 98% we are still getting reveals. I managed to figure out a couple of them a bit earlier on, but only because the author kindly offered similar clues to two similar mysterious situations.
Another biggie for me was the wonderful way Ms. Gibney brings the setting (bitter winter in a town in the heart of Ireland) to life. Nearly every chapter is imbued with her subtle yet very effective setting of the scene. I felt she really instilled in me the sinister atmosphere of the story. Big props for that, Ms. Gibney.
Enough talk! Everyone (with the exception of those mentioned above) looking for a yummy crime story to get lost in should run purchase this book. Go on. Just do it.
I wish to thank Net Galley, Bookouture, and Ms. Patricia Gibney for granting me the privilege of reading an advanced copy of this novel. All opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.
April 24, 2017
This is book 1 in the Detective Lottie Parker Series. It is an awesome debut thriller. It took me awhile to get into it. At first I wasn't so sure I was going to like it. It was complexed with lots of characters. The book kept me engaged. The ending was an edge of your seat thrill ride. It was certainly dark material but made it into an exciting story. It is a gripping, gritty, and tense read set in Ireland.
I don't think the characters were developed very well and am hoping they will be developed better in the next book.
I thought Lottie was a terrible mother. She is grieving over her husband's death, comes home late from work and let's her kids starve and felt that she didn't protect them very well since there were several deaths in the town. She just let them fend for themselves. She also didn't have a good relationship with her mother. Most of the characters are flawed in their own ways and help you see how damaged people can be on the inside and show little of it on the outside.
St. Angela's, a former children's home links to a murder being committed decades later. In the modern timeline, a woman's body is found strangled in a cathedral, and Detective Lottie Parker and her partner Boyd are dispatched to the scene. There are no witnesses and the cleaning lady found the body. Hours later a body of a man is found hanging from a tree. Why would someone want to kill them? Lottie will need to dig in the past to find the answers she is looking for.
The book had many twists and turns that kept me wanting more. The pace is good while Lottie and her team race to catch the killer. There are definitely some dark themes and some upsetting scenes which are disturbing but of course that is what I love in reading a dark gritty thriller.
I want to thank Netgalley, Bookouture and Patricia Gibney for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I don't think the characters were developed very well and am hoping they will be developed better in the next book.
I thought Lottie was a terrible mother. She is grieving over her husband's death, comes home late from work and let's her kids starve and felt that she didn't protect them very well since there were several deaths in the town. She just let them fend for themselves. She also didn't have a good relationship with her mother. Most of the characters are flawed in their own ways and help you see how damaged people can be on the inside and show little of it on the outside.
St. Angela's, a former children's home links to a murder being committed decades later. In the modern timeline, a woman's body is found strangled in a cathedral, and Detective Lottie Parker and her partner Boyd are dispatched to the scene. There are no witnesses and the cleaning lady found the body. Hours later a body of a man is found hanging from a tree. Why would someone want to kill them? Lottie will need to dig in the past to find the answers she is looking for.
The book had many twists and turns that kept me wanting more. The pace is good while Lottie and her team race to catch the killer. There are definitely some dark themes and some upsetting scenes which are disturbing but of course that is what I love in reading a dark gritty thriller.
I want to thank Netgalley, Bookouture and Patricia Gibney for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
May 25, 2017
Well... I'm going to say I'm definitely the outlier when it comes to this book.
I'm beginning to see a pattern with a lot of books... but not sure if I'm in a book rut/slump but this book just didn't have the depth I was looking for.
I honestly struggled to finish this book. I was fighting to connect to this one and was thinking dang all my good reads friends rated 4 and 5 stars.... so it should start picking up. Yeah.... I was waiting awhile..eeek
I was bored and in my opinion it was wayyyyy to long of a book. 422 pages? It didn't start actually picking up until mmm maybe the last 100 pages. And, when the killer and storyline finally emerges I was thinking that's it? Out of all the series I've been reading, this doesn't have the connections of the team nor sense of characters in my opinion. I feel the villains needed to have more depth and just the overall storyline needed that final "wow" factor to grab the readers. It left me disappointed and just flat. I felt like it took me FOREVER to finish this one and I hate that feeling with books... merpppppp :( :(
The only character I enjoyed was Detective Lottie and the story of her family.
I'm not sure if I would pick up the second novel in this series.
I would give this an overall 2.5 stars (and that's being nice on my part).
I'm beginning to see a pattern with a lot of books... but not sure if I'm in a book rut/slump but this book just didn't have the depth I was looking for.
I honestly struggled to finish this book. I was fighting to connect to this one and was thinking dang all my good reads friends rated 4 and 5 stars.... so it should start picking up. Yeah.... I was waiting awhile..eeek
I was bored and in my opinion it was wayyyyy to long of a book. 422 pages? It didn't start actually picking up until mmm maybe the last 100 pages. And, when the killer and storyline finally emerges I was thinking that's it? Out of all the series I've been reading, this doesn't have the connections of the team nor sense of characters in my opinion. I feel the villains needed to have more depth and just the overall storyline needed that final "wow" factor to grab the readers. It left me disappointed and just flat. I felt like it took me FOREVER to finish this one and I hate that feeling with books... merpppppp :( :(
The only character I enjoyed was Detective Lottie and the story of her family.
I'm not sure if I would pick up the second novel in this series.
I would give this an overall 2.5 stars (and that's being nice on my part).
April 2, 2017
The Missing Ones features a flawed heroine; a suspenseful, dark, and well-plotted mystery and some really messed up twists and turns! This is the first in a new series featuring Detective Lottie Parker.
A series of murders occur in a small town in Ireland and the Catholic Church is what ties them together. Detective Lottie Parker, her partner Boyd, and team are called to investigate. What they discover leads them to uncover years of horrific sexual and physical abuse taking place at a home for orphans and wayward children. (Warning: some of the content is graphic and extremely uncomfortable to read).
Lottie is a bit of a mess. She hasn’t fully grieved her husband, who died three years ago. Now a single mother to three children, she is doing what she can to hold her family together, but at the same time she is falling apart at the seams. Rather than deal with Adam’s death, she exists on pills and alcohol to keep the pain at bay. She has feelings for her partner, Boyd, but can’t come to terms with moving on from Adam. She is intensely flawed, but extremely relatable and likeable. She makes for a strong lead for this series.
Gibney's debut is impressive, and I can’t wait for the next book in the series. I now have another new series to be obsessed with (not that I needed another one). I highly recommend!
I received a copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
A series of murders occur in a small town in Ireland and the Catholic Church is what ties them together. Detective Lottie Parker, her partner Boyd, and team are called to investigate. What they discover leads them to uncover years of horrific sexual and physical abuse taking place at a home for orphans and wayward children. (Warning: some of the content is graphic and extremely uncomfortable to read).
Lottie is a bit of a mess. She hasn’t fully grieved her husband, who died three years ago. Now a single mother to three children, she is doing what she can to hold her family together, but at the same time she is falling apart at the seams. Rather than deal with Adam’s death, she exists on pills and alcohol to keep the pain at bay. She has feelings for her partner, Boyd, but can’t come to terms with moving on from Adam. She is intensely flawed, but extremely relatable and likeable. She makes for a strong lead for this series.
Gibney's debut is impressive, and I can’t wait for the next book in the series. I now have another new series to be obsessed with (not that I needed another one). I highly recommend!
I received a copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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March 8, 2017Wow. I don't even know how to begin reviewing this book.
This is a highly disturbing and graphic story, had I known where the plot would go prior to reading it, I'm certain I never would have picked it up. I'm torn at how to rate something that was well done, but EXTREMELY outside of my comfort zone.
The police procedural and mystery aspects were very strong and well researched; this is the beginning of what will be an exciting series, I have no doubt. I felt elements of Robert Galbraith's (aka JK Rowling's) Cormoran Strike series - well-developed characters, twists and turns, and spot on writing.
While this is a well-written, highly suspenseful page turner, I'm afraid that due to the subject matter, I wouldn't recommend it. I fear that getting into any details will be giving away spoilers, but know there are some very serious graphic scenes in this book which are highly, highly disturbing.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is a highly disturbing and graphic story, had I known where the plot would go prior to reading it, I'm certain I never would have picked it up. I'm torn at how to rate something that was well done, but EXTREMELY outside of my comfort zone.
The police procedural and mystery aspects were very strong and well researched; this is the beginning of what will be an exciting series, I have no doubt. I felt elements of Robert Galbraith's (aka JK Rowling's) Cormoran Strike series - well-developed characters, twists and turns, and spot on writing.
While this is a well-written, highly suspenseful page turner, I'm afraid that due to the subject matter, I wouldn't recommend it. I fear that getting into any details will be giving away spoilers, but know there are some very serious graphic scenes in this book which are highly, highly disturbing.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
March 12, 2017
THE MISSING ONES is Patricia Gibneys debut thriller novel and features Ireland Detective Lottie Parker. This is a well-written, highly suspenseful page turner, while disturbing in nature, but with well flushed out characters and plenty of twists and turns to satisfy the reader, I am sure this is the beginning of a promising series.
The subject matter is both graphic and disturbing in nature, and not for the faint-hearted. Some passages are hard to read, but are critical to the story.
“The hole they dug was not deep. A white flour bag encased the little body. Three small faces watched from the window, eyes black with terror."
The child in the middle spoke without turning his head. ‘I wonder which one of us will be next?’
Detective Lottie Parker, our protagonist, is a widow, mother of three, drinks too much, has an estranged mum, and one horrible boss…in other words a totally believable flawed central character!
“When a woman’s body is discovered in a cathedral and hours later a young man is found hanging from a tree outside his home, Detective Lottie Parker is called in to lead the investigation. Both bodies have the same distinctive tattoo clumsily inscribed on their legs. It’s clear the pair are connected, but how? “
Upon further investigation, Lottie is lead to St Angela’s, a former children’s home, with a dark connection to her own family history.
And then two teenage boys go missing. Lottie must catch the killer before they strike again…but in doing so is she putting her own children in petrifying danger?
Lottie will come face to face with a serial killer.
This is one lengthy novel (could have been a little shorter) that is sure to please and will appeal to a wide range of readers. It is hard to believe that this is a debut novel as it is so well-written and holds your attention from beginning to end. I definitely have this new author on the radar. Don’t miss out on this amazing read. An easy 5-star rating from me.
Many thanks to Patricia Gibney, Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC.
The subject matter is both graphic and disturbing in nature, and not for the faint-hearted. Some passages are hard to read, but are critical to the story.
“The hole they dug was not deep. A white flour bag encased the little body. Three small faces watched from the window, eyes black with terror."
The child in the middle spoke without turning his head. ‘I wonder which one of us will be next?’
Detective Lottie Parker, our protagonist, is a widow, mother of three, drinks too much, has an estranged mum, and one horrible boss…in other words a totally believable flawed central character!
“When a woman’s body is discovered in a cathedral and hours later a young man is found hanging from a tree outside his home, Detective Lottie Parker is called in to lead the investigation. Both bodies have the same distinctive tattoo clumsily inscribed on their legs. It’s clear the pair are connected, but how? “
Upon further investigation, Lottie is lead to St Angela’s, a former children’s home, with a dark connection to her own family history.
And then two teenage boys go missing. Lottie must catch the killer before they strike again…but in doing so is she putting her own children in petrifying danger?
Lottie will come face to face with a serial killer.
This is one lengthy novel (could have been a little shorter) that is sure to please and will appeal to a wide range of readers. It is hard to believe that this is a debut novel as it is so well-written and holds your attention from beginning to end. I definitely have this new author on the radar. Don’t miss out on this amazing read. An easy 5-star rating from me.
Many thanks to Patricia Gibney, Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC.
March 28, 2017
A solid series debut featuring Detective Lottie Parker, who is recently widowed with 3 teenagers at home. What starts out as one murder soon turns into several, with each victim being connected to the others. The deeper Detective Parker and her team dig, long time secrets start to surface. Dark and haunting secrets that have affected so many.
The main plot really had me hooked. You could tell this was going to be dealing with a horrible, dark subject matter early on, and it didn't lighten up. Sadly, this read like it could very well be based on true facts.
With a large cast of characters I found myself bouncing back and forth between the who and the why. When it was all said and done, I had some things right, others I completely missed. A good sign in my book of a well written mystery!
While I enjoyed getting to know Lottie Parker, she didn't quite rise to the level of my favorite police bad-asses such as: Robert Bryndza's Detective Erika Roster, or Angela Marsons' DI Kim Stone, and the ultimate Cody McFadyen's Special Agent Smokey Barrett. I think part of this is due to her team being a bit more disjointed than the ones mentioned above and I missed that 'family' bond the others share. But there is a lot of potential for growth here and I look forward to seeing what is next in store for this crew.
If you are a fan of police procedural's or just a solid mystery that will keep you guessing, this one is for you!
ARC provided by NetGalley
The main plot really had me hooked. You could tell this was going to be dealing with a horrible, dark subject matter early on, and it didn't lighten up. Sadly, this read like it could very well be based on true facts.
With a large cast of characters I found myself bouncing back and forth between the who and the why. When it was all said and done, I had some things right, others I completely missed. A good sign in my book of a well written mystery!
While I enjoyed getting to know Lottie Parker, she didn't quite rise to the level of my favorite police bad-asses such as: Robert Bryndza's Detective Erika Roster, or Angela Marsons' DI Kim Stone, and the ultimate Cody McFadyen's Special Agent Smokey Barrett. I think part of this is due to her team being a bit more disjointed than the ones mentioned above and I missed that 'family' bond the others share. But there is a lot of potential for growth here and I look forward to seeing what is next in store for this crew.
If you are a fan of police procedural's or just a solid mystery that will keep you guessing, this one is for you!
ARC provided by NetGalley
March 5, 2017
So this is Patricia Gibneys first novel and first outing for her Detective Lottie Parker, and boy do we have the makings of a great series on our hands.
We start off with in the past with three small children huddled at an upstairs window looking down on two men burying s child's body. As they huddle together one of them utters "I wonder which one of us will be next?"
Present day and a woman is murdered in a church and shortly afterwards a man is found hanging from a tree in his garden. Detective Lottie Parker and her team are assigned to the cases and with the discovery of the same crude tattoo on both victims, it becomes clear that both crimes are related. Lotties enquiries lead her St Angelas, a former children's home run by the church, a place for unwanted children or unmarried teenage mothers and their unwanted babies. A place with a terrible hidden past of abuse by the church and of cover up. As she investigates the murders further she soon discovers that they have some link to the past goings on in the now derelict St Angelas and are more closer to home and personal to her than she thought.
A pretty flimsy synopsis of the story by me but going into any farther detail is spoiler territory.
What we do have here is an excellent debut thriller from Patricia Gibney, a well thought out, well written story of church child abuse, cover ups, murders, planning corruption and bent officials. In fact we have probably two of the most damaging episodes in Ireland's recent past. - the church abuse of children and the homes run for unmarried girls and their children and the corruption in planning and building in Ireland, especially in the boom, which ultimately led to the huge financial crash there.
Both huge subjects tied up into one story, in your debut novel, of your native country while introducing your female lead character detective who will feature in a series of novels. A brave move indeed and one that is pulled off almost effortlessly.
The book is incredibly readable. Grabs you in from the start, then takes its time as the story is fleshed out and the characters are revealed warts and all. Lottie is a great central character. Mother of three, a widow, not spending enough time with her kids, fighting a lot with her mother, drinking too much and falling foul of her boss a lot, she's a very likeable if flawed character. Im already looking forward to reading her next outing when it's available.
The subject matter is pretty grim and there are some disturbing passages to read but as the end of the day it's a great read, even if a little tough at times with the subject matter.
My only criticism is the book felt a little heavy boned and could have done with a little more editing to knock maybe 50 pages or so off it. I never found myself getting bored at any stage but it did feel a little longer than it perhaps should have been. A minor gripe from me as it didn't really stop me from hugely enjoying this book.
Patricia Gibney is one to definitely keep an eye out for and I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone who reads the genre. I am already looking forward to reading Lotties next outing and am delighted to have found such a talented author at the beginning of her career.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Bookouture and Patricia Gibney for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
We start off with in the past with three small children huddled at an upstairs window looking down on two men burying s child's body. As they huddle together one of them utters "I wonder which one of us will be next?"
Present day and a woman is murdered in a church and shortly afterwards a man is found hanging from a tree in his garden. Detective Lottie Parker and her team are assigned to the cases and with the discovery of the same crude tattoo on both victims, it becomes clear that both crimes are related. Lotties enquiries lead her St Angelas, a former children's home run by the church, a place for unwanted children or unmarried teenage mothers and their unwanted babies. A place with a terrible hidden past of abuse by the church and of cover up. As she investigates the murders further she soon discovers that they have some link to the past goings on in the now derelict St Angelas and are more closer to home and personal to her than she thought.
A pretty flimsy synopsis of the story by me but going into any farther detail is spoiler territory.
What we do have here is an excellent debut thriller from Patricia Gibney, a well thought out, well written story of church child abuse, cover ups, murders, planning corruption and bent officials. In fact we have probably two of the most damaging episodes in Ireland's recent past. - the church abuse of children and the homes run for unmarried girls and their children and the corruption in planning and building in Ireland, especially in the boom, which ultimately led to the huge financial crash there.
Both huge subjects tied up into one story, in your debut novel, of your native country while introducing your female lead character detective who will feature in a series of novels. A brave move indeed and one that is pulled off almost effortlessly.
The book is incredibly readable. Grabs you in from the start, then takes its time as the story is fleshed out and the characters are revealed warts and all. Lottie is a great central character. Mother of three, a widow, not spending enough time with her kids, fighting a lot with her mother, drinking too much and falling foul of her boss a lot, she's a very likeable if flawed character. Im already looking forward to reading her next outing when it's available.
The subject matter is pretty grim and there are some disturbing passages to read but as the end of the day it's a great read, even if a little tough at times with the subject matter.
My only criticism is the book felt a little heavy boned and could have done with a little more editing to knock maybe 50 pages or so off it. I never found myself getting bored at any stage but it did feel a little longer than it perhaps should have been. A minor gripe from me as it didn't really stop me from hugely enjoying this book.
Patricia Gibney is one to definitely keep an eye out for and I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone who reads the genre. I am already looking forward to reading Lotties next outing and am delighted to have found such a talented author at the beginning of her career.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Bookouture and Patricia Gibney for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
February 18, 2017
Funny how some books can just grab you from the very beginning. Gibney’s book manages that, from the prologue of three children wondering which one will be next. I loved her description of the town of Ragmullin, a down on its luck town in Ireland. I just felt for Lottie from the get-go. She's dealing with a boss that keeps trying to take over the investigation, widowhood, three teenagers and an interfering mother. And Lottie and Boyd have a good working partnership, with just enough competitive spirit thrown into the mix, not to mention a romantic edge she refuses to recognize. There were so many great passages detailing Lottie’s life but the one I loved was:
“Lottie went to the fridge. No wine. Shit. She didn't drink anymore; at least not as much as she used to, she reminded herself. times like these, she missed alcohol the most. It helped relieve the stress of the day. She didn't even smoke anymore. Well, maybe sometimes, when she had a drink. God, but she was a contradiction. She should've taken a few Xanax from Susan Sullivan’s medicine cabinet. But she would never do that. She didn't think she would anyway.”
The writing here manages to paint a descriptive picture while still being fast paced.
Nothing groundbreaking here, but an enjoyable police procedural. A few things you can see coming but that just kept me reading to see if I was right. And enough twists and turns that you won’t see coming.
Hoping the author follows through with this series and writes more. I'll definitely read them.
My thanks to netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy of this book.
“Lottie went to the fridge. No wine. Shit. She didn't drink anymore; at least not as much as she used to, she reminded herself. times like these, she missed alcohol the most. It helped relieve the stress of the day. She didn't even smoke anymore. Well, maybe sometimes, when she had a drink. God, but she was a contradiction. She should've taken a few Xanax from Susan Sullivan’s medicine cabinet. But she would never do that. She didn't think she would anyway.”
The writing here manages to paint a descriptive picture while still being fast paced.
Nothing groundbreaking here, but an enjoyable police procedural. A few things you can see coming but that just kept me reading to see if I was right. And enough twists and turns that you won’t see coming.
Hoping the author follows through with this series and writes more. I'll definitely read them.
My thanks to netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy of this book.
April 21, 2017
I had been looking forward to reading this book as soon as I read the cover description. Definitely my kind of book and I was definitely not disappointed. If this is Patricia Gibney's debut novel then it is clear to me she has spent many years writing and honing her craft. I loved reading about DI Lottie Parker. She is a single mother with three kids who make her life anything but simple. Add in the pressure to solve a difficult case concerning priests and abuse and you have a rollercoaster of a story. I like to read books that deal with difficult subjects and this author is definitely not afraid to do that, however there was no sensationalism of the subject matter and I found it was handled informatively and sensitively. I enjoyed Lottie's relationship with Boyde which provided for some humourous moments between them. Procedurally this book was absolutely spot on and I found the mix of action, emotion and humour balanced perfectly. I will certainly be reading more books in this series.
October 8, 2018
2.5 Stars
The hole they dug was not deep. A white flour bag encased the little body. Three small faces watched from the window, eyes black with terror.
The child in the middle spoke without turning his head. ‘I wonder which one of us will be next?’
I am not a fan of crime novels or police procedurals and picking up The Missing Ones by Patricia Gibney didn't really appeal to me, but a recommendation that this was entertaining and intriguing was my push to give this one a try. The story starts out strong, well fleshed out characters and a plot that was entertaining and well written and perhaps fans of this genre would appreciate it even more than me. I felt it dragged in places and was a little unbelievable and while I enjoyed the read it wouldn't be a book for my favourite shelf.
This is the first book in the Detective Lottie Parker Series and readers who enjoy this genre may well enjoy the series by this author.
An easy and entertaining read but because this isn't a genre I particularly enjoy I will not continue with the series but I think readers of crime novels might well enjoy this book.
The hole they dug was not deep. A white flour bag encased the little body. Three small faces watched from the window, eyes black with terror.
The child in the middle spoke without turning his head. ‘I wonder which one of us will be next?’
I am not a fan of crime novels or police procedurals and picking up The Missing Ones by Patricia Gibney didn't really appeal to me, but a recommendation that this was entertaining and intriguing was my push to give this one a try. The story starts out strong, well fleshed out characters and a plot that was entertaining and well written and perhaps fans of this genre would appreciate it even more than me. I felt it dragged in places and was a little unbelievable and while I enjoyed the read it wouldn't be a book for my favourite shelf.
This is the first book in the Detective Lottie Parker Series and readers who enjoy this genre may well enjoy the series by this author.
An easy and entertaining read but because this isn't a genre I particularly enjoy I will not continue with the series but I think readers of crime novels might well enjoy this book.
October 1, 2020
Lottie's kids are beyond belief. And help. And grief. No, really. While mom's depressed out of her mind, they are going into deep psychological slumber on her. Of course, they also have suffered a heavy loss but that's what families are for: holding each other up at difficult times.
Lottie's life is so very noir! Her family just loves sculking around those skeletons sticking around their lovely cupboards. Not of their own doing, of course, but still - open discussion would probably have helped Lottie deal with her dependency on chemical substances! At least I think so.
The coincidences are a bit too much in this one but then again, who am I to judge?
Q:
Lottie strode away, disgruntled. Twice in one morning – a door shut in her face. Was she losing her touch? And all those cars. They needed checking out. She snapped photos on her phone camera.
Just in case the little shit was lying. (c)
Q:
Unable to cope with a trauma in her early life, she had resorted to counting as a distraction from things and situations she couldn’t understand. Though now, it had just become a habit. (c)
Q:
‘You’re a detective, start detecting.’ (c)
Q:
Tom Rickard was letting her know he was busy, rattling desk drawers, stacking files in front of him and tapping his keyboard. Simultaneously. (c)
Q:
All she could think of was her wild daughter walking along the lake road on a dark winter’s night. And three murder victims lying in Jane Dore’s Dead House.
Had she taught her kids nothing? (c)
Q:
‘I want to go to Rome.’ ...
‘Ro . . . Rome?... Do you want to insult the feckin’ Pope now? (c)
Q:
However much of a maverick she was, this was crossing the line. (c)
Lottie's life is so very noir! Her family just loves sculking around those skeletons sticking around their lovely cupboards. Not of their own doing, of course, but still - open discussion would probably have helped Lottie deal with her dependency on chemical substances! At least I think so.
The coincidences are a bit too much in this one but then again, who am I to judge?
Q:
Lottie strode away, disgruntled. Twice in one morning – a door shut in her face. Was she losing her touch? And all those cars. They needed checking out. She snapped photos on her phone camera.
Just in case the little shit was lying. (c)
Q:
Unable to cope with a trauma in her early life, she had resorted to counting as a distraction from things and situations she couldn’t understand. Though now, it had just become a habit. (c)
Q:
‘You’re a detective, start detecting.’ (c)
Q:
Tom Rickard was letting her know he was busy, rattling desk drawers, stacking files in front of him and tapping his keyboard. Simultaneously. (c)
Q:
All she could think of was her wild daughter walking along the lake road on a dark winter’s night. And three murder victims lying in Jane Dore’s Dead House.
Had she taught her kids nothing? (c)
Q:
‘I want to go to Rome.’ ...
‘Ro . . . Rome?... Do you want to insult the feckin’ Pope now? (c)
Q:
However much of a maverick she was, this was crossing the line. (c)
July 11, 2017
What a book to pick for my first buddy read ever, with my fantastic friend Melissa Martin! This one is insanely disturbing. It's a four star book for me, and I am stunned that it's a debut novel from the author. Prepare to be disgusted, dismayed, and extremely uncomfortable. It deals with a lot of really heavy subject matter. It took both of us awhile to really get into it, but once we adapted to the characters and started figuring things out, we enjoyed it.
This book introduces us to Detective Lottie Parker. She's a widow with three children. She's a bit cantankerous and hard to get along with. She has an odd relationship with fellow detective Boyd, a grumpy (but funny) boss and a heavy caseload. A woman has been killed and found in a cathedral, and no one has any idea who has done it. More people start to turn up dead, and it's a mystery as to how they're connected and who would want to hurt them... but clear that they're connected somehow.
It goes deeper than anyone initially suspects. Lottie has a connection to an old children's home run by nuns and priests that may be involved, but for much of the book, we remain in the dark. Powerful men have secrets to keep, and no one is talking. Lottie has not only this disturbing case to deal with, but grief from the loss of her husband and taking care of her three teenage children.
I don't think I know anyone who wouldn't be creeped out by this book, but having eight years of a Catholic education myself, it really unnerved me. It kept me guessing until the very end, and managed to surprise me until the startling conclusion. It's a wild ride of a book. While I found Lottie hard to understand and love at first, she grew on me. There are a lot of characters to keep track of in this one, but they all play a part. I'm very curious to see how the series continues!
This book introduces us to Detective Lottie Parker. She's a widow with three children. She's a bit cantankerous and hard to get along with. She has an odd relationship with fellow detective Boyd, a grumpy (but funny) boss and a heavy caseload. A woman has been killed and found in a cathedral, and no one has any idea who has done it. More people start to turn up dead, and it's a mystery as to how they're connected and who would want to hurt them... but clear that they're connected somehow.
It goes deeper than anyone initially suspects. Lottie has a connection to an old children's home run by nuns and priests that may be involved, but for much of the book, we remain in the dark. Powerful men have secrets to keep, and no one is talking. Lottie has not only this disturbing case to deal with, but grief from the loss of her husband and taking care of her three teenage children.
I don't think I know anyone who wouldn't be creeped out by this book, but having eight years of a Catholic education myself, it really unnerved me. It kept me guessing until the very end, and managed to surprise me until the startling conclusion. It's a wild ride of a book. While I found Lottie hard to understand and love at first, she grew on me. There are a lot of characters to keep track of in this one, but they all play a part. I'm very curious to see how the series continues!
May 23, 2017
2 Stars
I think it was just me, because most of the reviews I saw, they had given it 4 or 5 stars. It didn’t work out for me as I expected. It was soooo boring without any excitement! Even when I read half of it I hadn’t any interest to continue or to know the ending!
I think it was just me, because most of the reviews I saw, they had given it 4 or 5 stars. It didn’t work out for me as I expected. It was soooo boring without any excitement! Even when I read half of it I hadn’t any interest to continue or to know the ending!
April 6, 2017
Thank you to Net Galley, the author and to one of my favourite publishers Bookouture...
The 1970's :-The hole they dug was not deep. A white flour bag encased the little body. Three small faces watched from the window, eyes black with terror.
The child in the middle spoke without turning his head. ‘I wonder which one of us will be next?’
Now present day :-When a woman’s body is discovered in a cathedral and hours later a young man is found hanging from a tree outside his home, Detective Lottie Parker is called in to lead the investigation. Both bodies have the same distinctive tattoo clumsily inscribed on their legs. It’s clear the pair are connected, but how?
The trail leads Lottie to St Angela’s, a former children’s home, with a dark connection to her own family history. Suddenly the case just got personal.
As Lottie begins to link the current victims to unsolved murders decades old, two teenage boys go missing. She must close in on the killer before they strike again, but in doing so is she putting her own children in terrifying danger?
Lottie is about to come face to face with a twisted soul who has a very warped idea of justice.
This is a powerful, in fact an amazing debut author from Patricia Gibney, with great pace, lots of great characters, many not so nice, a really great main character in Lottie Parker, a down to earth Detective recovering from the death of her husband...
I am sure the author has put many of her own feelings into this book with DI Lottie Parker, as the author sadly lost her husband and starting to write this her debut author.
This I believe gave this book so much in depth character and thoughts of Lottie Parker, and also to Doyle..and their really great relationship.
This story, or should I say stories keep at a great pace and the last few chapters are at a rollercoaster pace with tension and suspense.
Lots of red herrings to a put I kept guessing wrong and differently in each chapter.
A great read for debut author, a great book full stop !
A point should be made for this author, set the atmosphere of a little quite Irish town in the winter perfectly.
I hope writing this book has helped the author recover from the tragedy of the death of her husband, and realises that she has a talent for writing a great book, and I look forward to number 2 !
Five stars
The 1970's :-The hole they dug was not deep. A white flour bag encased the little body. Three small faces watched from the window, eyes black with terror.
The child in the middle spoke without turning his head. ‘I wonder which one of us will be next?’
Now present day :-When a woman’s body is discovered in a cathedral and hours later a young man is found hanging from a tree outside his home, Detective Lottie Parker is called in to lead the investigation. Both bodies have the same distinctive tattoo clumsily inscribed on their legs. It’s clear the pair are connected, but how?
The trail leads Lottie to St Angela’s, a former children’s home, with a dark connection to her own family history. Suddenly the case just got personal.
As Lottie begins to link the current victims to unsolved murders decades old, two teenage boys go missing. She must close in on the killer before they strike again, but in doing so is she putting her own children in terrifying danger?
Lottie is about to come face to face with a twisted soul who has a very warped idea of justice.
This is a powerful, in fact an amazing debut author from Patricia Gibney, with great pace, lots of great characters, many not so nice, a really great main character in Lottie Parker, a down to earth Detective recovering from the death of her husband...
I am sure the author has put many of her own feelings into this book with DI Lottie Parker, as the author sadly lost her husband and starting to write this her debut author.
This I believe gave this book so much in depth character and thoughts of Lottie Parker, and also to Doyle..and their really great relationship.
This story, or should I say stories keep at a great pace and the last few chapters are at a rollercoaster pace with tension and suspense.
Lots of red herrings to a put I kept guessing wrong and differently in each chapter.
A great read for debut author, a great book full stop !
A point should be made for this author, set the atmosphere of a little quite Irish town in the winter perfectly.
I hope writing this book has helped the author recover from the tragedy of the death of her husband, and realises that she has a talent for writing a great book, and I look forward to number 2 !
Five stars
March 27, 2021
I did not like this book much at all. Lottie, the main character is a bully and she seemed to have so many problems that interfered in the story, at least for me. There were many times the book just dragged on. There were also numerous mistakes in the procedures from the police. Sorry, but I doubt I will read this author again.
June 11, 2017
The Missing Ones by Patricia Gibney was a dark thriller that sent chills through me due to the subject matter, the characters were flawed but likable I loved DI Lottie Parker & her partner DS Mark Boyd the banter between the two was highly enjoyable. The only downside to this book was the length for me I thought it could have finished a bit earlier but that is just a little annoyance on my part.
WHAT HORRORS ARE HAPPENING AT ST ANGELA"S church!!
Susan Sullivan was found murdered at St Angela's Church a home for wayward children DI Lottie Parker & DS Mark Boyd are sent in to investigate They do a search of her home to find it covered with papers what they find is that she is in dealings with Tom Rickard a property developer I must say he is cantankerous & is used to getting what he wants he has a interest In St Angela's & will stop at nothing to get his way.
As the investigation is continuing another murder is committed James Brown Susan's PA is murdered so now Parker & Boyd think there is a connection between the two but what?
Its not until Father Angelotti is murdered the pace quickens up & then we are taken to Rome to put all the pieces together, put the kidnapping of Rickard's son Jason & then Lottie's son Sean disappears.
What happens from here is lies secrets & abhorrent horrors that come out I must say that I found Lottie's character to be flawed & hope the author keeps building her character.
I felt angst for Susan Sullivan AKA Sally Styne she was so horribly treated & her life had been an utter mess throughout it was gut wrenching.
I have already pre ordered The Stolen Girls to read at a later date.
WHAT HORRORS ARE HAPPENING AT ST ANGELA"S church!!
Susan Sullivan was found murdered at St Angela's Church a home for wayward children DI Lottie Parker & DS Mark Boyd are sent in to investigate They do a search of her home to find it covered with papers what they find is that she is in dealings with Tom Rickard a property developer I must say he is cantankerous & is used to getting what he wants he has a interest In St Angela's & will stop at nothing to get his way.
As the investigation is continuing another murder is committed James Brown Susan's PA is murdered so now Parker & Boyd think there is a connection between the two but what?
Its not until Father Angelotti is murdered the pace quickens up & then we are taken to Rome to put all the pieces together, put the kidnapping of Rickard's son Jason & then Lottie's son Sean disappears.
What happens from here is lies secrets & abhorrent horrors that come out I must say that I found Lottie's character to be flawed & hope the author keeps building her character.
I felt angst for Susan Sullivan AKA Sally Styne she was so horribly treated & her life had been an utter mess throughout it was gut wrenching.
I have already pre ordered The Stolen Girls to read at a later date.
April 8, 2017
Detective Lottie Parker is investigating the death of a woman found murdered in a church. Shortly after, a man she worked with was found hanging from a tree. Possible suicide? murder?
Both bodies have a tattoo on their inner thighs ..and a lead takes her to St. Angela's. St Angela used to be be a children's home run by Catholic nuns and priests. It's also a lead to a missing boy from 40 years ago ... a personal connection to Lottie.
Lottie and her team piece together clues, one by one with all roads leading to, not only a missing boy, but a murdered child as well. Throw in Catholic priests who are shuffled from one city to another ... and a possible victim back to take his or her vengeance.
Deep into the investigation, the son of a suspect goes missing. And then another young boy disappears which makes the case real personal to Lottie ..it's her son.
The closer she comes to answers, the more danger she and her team face.
This debut serial killer thriller is guaranteed to keep the pages turning, The story premise is suspenseful with lots of twists and turns. Every other chapter or so, the past is remembered by the children who were living at the home. There are plenty of suspects to go around. The ending came fast and furious.
Lottie makes a great series character. Her husband died two years ago leaving her with 3 teenagers to raise on her own. She and her mother have an on again - off again relationship. Lottie is a little sassy, but totally human. After her husband died, she turned to alcohol to ease the pain. These days, she drinks rarely, but when she drinks a lot, she calls one of her team ... Boyd ... who helps the nightmares go away.
I like that there is a balance of personal and professional life. I hope there is more to come. I would love to explore Boyd's back story and watch the two of them interact with each other.
Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley for the digital copy of THE MISSING ONES. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
Both bodies have a tattoo on their inner thighs ..and a lead takes her to St. Angela's. St Angela used to be be a children's home run by Catholic nuns and priests. It's also a lead to a missing boy from 40 years ago ... a personal connection to Lottie.
Lottie and her team piece together clues, one by one with all roads leading to, not only a missing boy, but a murdered child as well. Throw in Catholic priests who are shuffled from one city to another ... and a possible victim back to take his or her vengeance.
Deep into the investigation, the son of a suspect goes missing. And then another young boy disappears which makes the case real personal to Lottie ..it's her son.
The closer she comes to answers, the more danger she and her team face.
This debut serial killer thriller is guaranteed to keep the pages turning, The story premise is suspenseful with lots of twists and turns. Every other chapter or so, the past is remembered by the children who were living at the home. There are plenty of suspects to go around. The ending came fast and furious.
Lottie makes a great series character. Her husband died two years ago leaving her with 3 teenagers to raise on her own. She and her mother have an on again - off again relationship. Lottie is a little sassy, but totally human. After her husband died, she turned to alcohol to ease the pain. These days, she drinks rarely, but when she drinks a lot, she calls one of her team ... Boyd ... who helps the nightmares go away.
I like that there is a balance of personal and professional life. I hope there is more to come. I would love to explore Boyd's back story and watch the two of them interact with each other.
Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley for the digital copy of THE MISSING ONES. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
March 16, 2017
Minor spoilers regarding plot are located in my review.
That's right, I'm taking out the coveted five star rating. This debut novel set in Ireland kept me up until the wee hours of the morning. Patricia Gibney's Lottie Parker is quite similar to many of the female protagonists we see in police procedurals today. Dedicated to the job, ruffles the feathers of the higher ups, a widowed mom trying to do right by her kids, but her personal life is a bit of a mess! I really loved her character! Her co-workers Boyd, Kirby, and Lynch were quite interesting too and I highly anticipate the rest of the series.
The subject matter of the book does deal with the sexual, physical, and emotional abuse of children. Those scenes are hard to read. As much as I was driven to read the book, these flashback excerpts were incredibly difficult. But they are a vehicle into telling the story and to Lottie and her team solving the case.
Now the advertisement on the cover claims the book is an absolutely gripping thriller. This is very true! Jaw dropping twist? I would consider leaving that up to each individual reader. Some elements of the story I had worked out, but I still was surprised here and there. Not sure I had that jaw dropping A-ha moment. All I know is that at the end of the book- I was dying to get my hands on the 2nd book in the series.
Thanks to NetGalley for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
That's right, I'm taking out the coveted five star rating. This debut novel set in Ireland kept me up until the wee hours of the morning. Patricia Gibney's Lottie Parker is quite similar to many of the female protagonists we see in police procedurals today. Dedicated to the job, ruffles the feathers of the higher ups, a widowed mom trying to do right by her kids, but her personal life is a bit of a mess! I really loved her character! Her co-workers Boyd, Kirby, and Lynch were quite interesting too and I highly anticipate the rest of the series.
The subject matter of the book does deal with the sexual, physical, and emotional abuse of children. Those scenes are hard to read. As much as I was driven to read the book, these flashback excerpts were incredibly difficult. But they are a vehicle into telling the story and to Lottie and her team solving the case.
Now the advertisement on the cover claims the book is an absolutely gripping thriller. This is very true! Jaw dropping twist? I would consider leaving that up to each individual reader. Some elements of the story I had worked out, but I still was surprised here and there. Not sure I had that jaw dropping A-ha moment. All I know is that at the end of the book- I was dying to get my hands on the 2nd book in the series.
Thanks to NetGalley for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
March 7, 2017
The story starts in the past with 3 small faces watching from a window as the hole had been dug, and the little body was in cased in a flour bag. The middle child spoke, I wonder which one of us will be next?
When a woman's body is found in a Cathedral and a few hours later a man is found hanging from a tree at his home, Detective Lottie Parker is called in to investigate. Both bodies have the same tattoo. So how are they connected?
This is a gripping, fast paced, well written book. Before I had finished the first paragraph I was hooked. I do recommend this book.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Bookouture and the author Patricia Gibney for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
When a woman's body is found in a Cathedral and a few hours later a man is found hanging from a tree at his home, Detective Lottie Parker is called in to investigate. Both bodies have the same tattoo. So how are they connected?
This is a gripping, fast paced, well written book. Before I had finished the first paragraph I was hooked. I do recommend this book.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Bookouture and the author Patricia Gibney for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
February 7, 2017
4.5 stars
If I had to describe this debut thriller in just one word, I'd choose "engrossing." From the beginning, when three young children in a home for orphaned and abandoned children witness acts almost too horrific for them to understand, I thought I might have trouble putting it down. And as the often-gruesome story unfolded, I knew I was right.
This is the first in a series featuring small-town Ireland detective Lottie Parker, who gets the call to investigate when a murdered woman is found in a cathedral. Not long thereafter, another body turns up - this one a man found hanging from a tree outside his home. Identifying the woman presents quite a challenge, but the man is known; and when it turns out that both victims have what appears to be the same tattoo on their legs, it becomes apparent that the two murders somehow are related.
The real-time story takes place from around Christmas 2014 to just after the start of the new year, but readers also get flashbacks to 1971 and some of the scenes witnessed by the children at the home. Lottie and her team, including her partner and occasional sleepover partner Boyd, turn up clues suggesting that the now-abandoned children's home is central to the case. Now, it seems, the property has been sold to a developer who plans to turn it into a multi-million dollar hotel and golf course - plans that seem to have become lost somewhere in the local government bureaucracy.
Just when dwindling leads make solving the two crimes far less than a certainty, yet another body turns up - this time a priest who, Lottie and her cohorts are told, was sent to the local parish "to find himself." This death, though, could be the turning point; surely, three murders in this small community over the space of a few days can't be a coincidence (or, to put it another way, as did one of the characters in Ian Fleming's Goldfinger: "Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times is enemy action.") And so it is that Lottie really digs in, going deeper and deeper as the dots from past to present begin to connect.
After reading a ton of books "starring" female detectives, I've concluded that it's a requisite that they be flawed (think, for instance, J.D. Robb's popular Eve Dallas). Lottie is no exception; she lost her beloved husband to cancer and is trying to deal with a demanding career that includes a rather nasty boss (also a requisite, I think), three near-grown children and a mother she loves but from whom she effectively is estranged. What's more, Lottie has a long-ago connection of her own to the abandoned children's home - trauma that's never been resolved and that brings the possibility of harm to her own children as the current case moves to a surprising conclusion (a couple of them, actually - one very believable and the other, at least for me, not so much).
Now I've finished, and I'll say with no reservations whatsoever that I hope this book will mark the successful start of a series - if for no other reason than I want to follow along. Meantime, my thanks to the publisher for allowing me to read it in exchange for an honest review.
If I had to describe this debut thriller in just one word, I'd choose "engrossing." From the beginning, when three young children in a home for orphaned and abandoned children witness acts almost too horrific for them to understand, I thought I might have trouble putting it down. And as the often-gruesome story unfolded, I knew I was right.
This is the first in a series featuring small-town Ireland detective Lottie Parker, who gets the call to investigate when a murdered woman is found in a cathedral. Not long thereafter, another body turns up - this one a man found hanging from a tree outside his home. Identifying the woman presents quite a challenge, but the man is known; and when it turns out that both victims have what appears to be the same tattoo on their legs, it becomes apparent that the two murders somehow are related.
The real-time story takes place from around Christmas 2014 to just after the start of the new year, but readers also get flashbacks to 1971 and some of the scenes witnessed by the children at the home. Lottie and her team, including her partner and occasional sleepover partner Boyd, turn up clues suggesting that the now-abandoned children's home is central to the case. Now, it seems, the property has been sold to a developer who plans to turn it into a multi-million dollar hotel and golf course - plans that seem to have become lost somewhere in the local government bureaucracy.
Just when dwindling leads make solving the two crimes far less than a certainty, yet another body turns up - this time a priest who, Lottie and her cohorts are told, was sent to the local parish "to find himself." This death, though, could be the turning point; surely, three murders in this small community over the space of a few days can't be a coincidence (or, to put it another way, as did one of the characters in Ian Fleming's Goldfinger: "Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times is enemy action.") And so it is that Lottie really digs in, going deeper and deeper as the dots from past to present begin to connect.
After reading a ton of books "starring" female detectives, I've concluded that it's a requisite that they be flawed (think, for instance, J.D. Robb's popular Eve Dallas). Lottie is no exception; she lost her beloved husband to cancer and is trying to deal with a demanding career that includes a rather nasty boss (also a requisite, I think), three near-grown children and a mother she loves but from whom she effectively is estranged. What's more, Lottie has a long-ago connection of her own to the abandoned children's home - trauma that's never been resolved and that brings the possibility of harm to her own children as the current case moves to a surprising conclusion (a couple of them, actually - one very believable and the other, at least for me, not so much).
Now I've finished, and I'll say with no reservations whatsoever that I hope this book will mark the successful start of a series - if for no other reason than I want to follow along. Meantime, my thanks to the publisher for allowing me to read it in exchange for an honest review.
August 6, 2019
The Missing Ones by Patricia Gibney is the first in the Detective Lottie Parker series. It is a solid debut and a very promising beginning to a new series. The book was a bit long and drawn out at times but it flowed at a fairly nice pace. This is the only reason I'm giving it a 3.75★ rating overall. Having said that, the characters were likable, all with interesting and enjoyable personalities. Lottie is a strong female detective who, after losing her husband to cancer is trying to juggle her career and her three children. This first novel follows Detective Lottie Parker and her team as they investigate a realistic series of murders involving a number of suspects giving the reader plenty of red herrings along the way. The storyline was engaging, compelling, and exciting and I found myself tense with anticipation as the investigation continued. Patricia Gibney did an exceptional job in disguising the killer and the ending had a number of twists that I had no way of predicting! I really enjoyed this novel and I will be reading the next in this series, The Stolen Girls to see what happens next for Lottie and her family. I also enjoyed the setting in Ireland
October 8, 2018
3.5 Stars for The Missing Ones
I enjoyed Patricia Gibney's debut thriller. Unfortunately, I had most of it figured out from early on (except for 1 final little twist with one character) and while I don't mind that because I'm generally pretty good at figuring things out, it kept me from making this a 4 star read.
What I enjoyed:
I really liked Lottie - she is real and flawed and so very emotional. All great qualities in a main character for me. I also really enjoyed Boyd and found myself rooting for them to get together. I'll definitely keep reading this series to see where things go from here.
The plot was really interesting. I won't give it away because that would spoil the book but the tying in of what occurred during the 70's at St. Angela's with current day murders made for some interesting twists. Throw in a bit of church abuse scandal, family turmoil and of course deeply hidden secrets and you've got yourself a recipe for success.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and will definitely be reading more from this author. I think it can only get better from here as this was a strong start.
I enjoyed Patricia Gibney's debut thriller. Unfortunately, I had most of it figured out from early on (except for 1 final little twist with one character) and while I don't mind that because I'm generally pretty good at figuring things out, it kept me from making this a 4 star read.
What I enjoyed:
I really liked Lottie - she is real and flawed and so very emotional. All great qualities in a main character for me. I also really enjoyed Boyd and found myself rooting for them to get together. I'll definitely keep reading this series to see where things go from here.
The plot was really interesting. I won't give it away because that would spoil the book but the tying in of what occurred during the 70's at St. Angela's with current day murders made for some interesting twists. Throw in a bit of church abuse scandal, family turmoil and of course deeply hidden secrets and you've got yourself a recipe for success.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and will definitely be reading more from this author. I think it can only get better from here as this was a strong start.
September 15, 2022
Book Blog | Bookstagram
This is way too long considering the substance of the story is pretty typical and occasionally flat, albeit mixed with moments that were kind of disturbing. This is your warning for baby murder.
Detective Lottie Parker is hunting a killer who has murdered a woman in a church and staged a second murder to look like suicide. The deaths are all connected in to a former Catholic children’s home that is disturbing AF, as one would expect a religious children’s home to be. There’s a land developer involved, some business partners and a few shady priests.
I mean, in a nutshell, you could say the theme of this book is, "Catholics really know how to fuck people up."
Gibney capitalizes on the darkness that follows the Catholic church from past to present, using it to weave an interesting crime around the religion’s hidden-but-usual practices and beliefs. The bulk of the novel was pretty slow and plodding, and struggled to make typical familial domestic issues an interesting intermission between the police procedural aspects of the plot. There is no sense of urgency to the investigation and it becomes muddled by Lottie’s personal demons and weed hysterics.
Like, she's kind of a giant hypocrite. She’s a borderline drunk who hides alcohol in the shed and has blackout sex with her partner, who she then verbally abuses while sober, and yet, when her 19-year-old daughter is smoking weed she approaches it like it’s the 1930s and Reefer Madness.
There are multiple references to weed being a “gateway” drug and to pot smokers being “junkies,” their lives being derailed by weed. Then there were comments about the effects of weed that were actually the effects of opioids, followed by a freak out that included something about “injecting” weed in an alley, and the fear of finding her daughter dying with a needle in her arm.
I have to wonder if the author has ever been around weed in her life or if she has access to Google to find out exactly how it is consumed and its effects. Or maybe she’s just heavily anti-weed and felt the need to preach that out in her writing using debunked and false propaganda.
Either way, as a weed smoker who knows a lot of weed smokers, this part of the book was fucking stupid.
It took me forever to read this because I found myself getting so bored, so often. But, if you like UK police procedurals that are high on personal issues and tame in action, but have some dark moments to make you uncomfortable, you might like this.
It’s not a terrible first entry into a series, but it suffers from a few missteps. And I definitely wasn’t into the weed scare tactics.
⭐⭐⭐½ | 3.5 stars rounded down.
book source: Bookouture via NetGalley in exchange for a review
This is way too long considering the substance of the story is pretty typical and occasionally flat, albeit mixed with moments that were kind of disturbing. This is your warning for baby murder.
Detective Lottie Parker is hunting a killer who has murdered a woman in a church and staged a second murder to look like suicide. The deaths are all connected in to a former Catholic children’s home that is disturbing AF, as one would expect a religious children’s home to be. There’s a land developer involved, some business partners and a few shady priests.
I mean, in a nutshell, you could say the theme of this book is, "Catholics really know how to fuck people up."
Gibney capitalizes on the darkness that follows the Catholic church from past to present, using it to weave an interesting crime around the religion’s hidden-but-usual practices and beliefs. The bulk of the novel was pretty slow and plodding, and struggled to make typical familial domestic issues an interesting intermission between the police procedural aspects of the plot. There is no sense of urgency to the investigation and it becomes muddled by Lottie’s personal demons and weed hysterics.
Like, she's kind of a giant hypocrite. She’s a borderline drunk who hides alcohol in the shed and has blackout sex with her partner, who she then verbally abuses while sober, and yet, when her 19-year-old daughter is smoking weed she approaches it like it’s the 1930s and Reefer Madness.
There are multiple references to weed being a “gateway” drug and to pot smokers being “junkies,” their lives being derailed by weed. Then there were comments about the effects of weed that were actually the effects of opioids, followed by a freak out that included something about “injecting” weed in an alley, and the fear of finding her daughter dying with a needle in her arm.
I have to wonder if the author has ever been around weed in her life or if she has access to Google to find out exactly how it is consumed and its effects. Or maybe she’s just heavily anti-weed and felt the need to preach that out in her writing using debunked and false propaganda.
Either way, as a weed smoker who knows a lot of weed smokers, this part of the book was fucking stupid.
It took me forever to read this because I found myself getting so bored, so often. But, if you like UK police procedurals that are high on personal issues and tame in action, but have some dark moments to make you uncomfortable, you might like this.
It’s not a terrible first entry into a series, but it suffers from a few missteps. And I definitely wasn’t into the weed scare tactics.
⭐⭐⭐½ | 3.5 stars rounded down.
book source: Bookouture via NetGalley in exchange for a review
May 1, 2019
RATING: 3 STARS
2017; Bookouture
Lottie Parker is a Detective Inspector in Ireland. She is a widow with three teenage children. She is at odds with her domineering mother and her boss. She had sex with her co-worker and partner, Boyd and she doesn't seem to like her other two cops on her team. She has a new case just after Christmas where a woman is found strangled and there are no clues to who this woman really was. Next the murdered woman's co-worker turns up dead and they must be related. There are other stuff happening but it becomes a bit tangled so I will stop there for the plot synopsis.
I battled between 2.5-3 stars on this one. Here is my dilemma - this book was slow moving, a bit predicable and the first 2/3 of the the book, I felt no connection with any of the characters. Yet, towards the end Lottie starting growing a bit on me. This was more because of her affection for Boyd. So then I am thinking, would I read the next book and...I would give it a try BUT if by a few chapters it did not engage me I would abandon it. I want to give first time writers a break as it is their first book and I hope the next one will be more polished...but I also think, where are the Editors? Maybe the Editors have different perspective on it. See, I am confusing myself! I liked the story line of the mystery but wish it was a bit tighter (at least 100 pages could have been cut). And, the fact that "jaw-dropping twist" was on the cover I figured out what the twists were.
***I received an eARC from NETGALLEY***
My Novelesque Blog
2017; Bookouture
Lottie Parker is a Detective Inspector in Ireland. She is a widow with three teenage children. She is at odds with her domineering mother and her boss. She had sex with her co-worker and partner, Boyd and she doesn't seem to like her other two cops on her team. She has a new case just after Christmas where a woman is found strangled and there are no clues to who this woman really was. Next the murdered woman's co-worker turns up dead and they must be related. There are other stuff happening but it becomes a bit tangled so I will stop there for the plot synopsis.
I battled between 2.5-3 stars on this one. Here is my dilemma - this book was slow moving, a bit predicable and the first 2/3 of the the book, I felt no connection with any of the characters. Yet, towards the end Lottie starting growing a bit on me. This was more because of her affection for Boyd. So then I am thinking, would I read the next book and...I would give it a try BUT if by a few chapters it did not engage me I would abandon it. I want to give first time writers a break as it is their first book and I hope the next one will be more polished...but I also think, where are the Editors? Maybe the Editors have different perspective on it. See, I am confusing myself! I liked the story line of the mystery but wish it was a bit tighter (at least 100 pages could have been cut). And, the fact that "jaw-dropping twist" was on the cover I figured out what the twists were.
***I received an eARC from NETGALLEY***
My Novelesque Blog
May 17, 2022
3.5 stars (but I can’t deny that I found it very engaging).
My first book by this author and I’m looking forward to reading the rest of this series.
I was taken by surprise by its great start.
I won’t praise the writing, as I thought that it was very simple (but still with some quality) but I do praise the concept, the storyline, its structure and development.
None of the characters are likeable but that did not bother me, as I was completely engaged.
As I said during my reading updates, I was glad that there were no gory details, but some scenes were good enough to make my blood boiled. Abuse against children is a very hard topic.
The conclusion was a bit too rushed and I did not find so thrilling after all, but
I do feel like jumping to her next book in this series, hoping that her writing has improved.
Paperback: 424 pages
112 chapters (each chapter was very well packed, which surprised me)
ebook: 119k words
My first book by this author and I’m looking forward to reading the rest of this series.
I was taken by surprise by its great start.
I won’t praise the writing, as I thought that it was very simple (but still with some quality) but I do praise the concept, the storyline, its structure and development.
None of the characters are likeable but that did not bother me, as I was completely engaged.
As I said during my reading updates, I was glad that there were no gory details, but some scenes were good enough to make my blood boiled. Abuse against children is a very hard topic.
The conclusion was a bit too rushed and I did not find so thrilling after all, but
I do feel like jumping to her next book in this series, hoping that her writing has improved.
Paperback: 424 pages
112 chapters (each chapter was very well packed, which surprised me)
ebook: 119k words
July 7, 2024
„Изгубените“ е силен и въздействащ трилър... Това е дебютният роман на авторката, като според мен се е справила много добре, създавайки интересна детективска история в мрачна ирландска атмосфера. В книгата са засегнати и някои сериозни теми, но същевременно е динамична и увлекателно написана!
Действието се развива в малко градче в Ирландия, където преди Нова година са извършени тайнствени убийства. С разследването на случая се заемат инспектор Лоти Паркър и нейният партньор Марк Бойд. Лоти е сложна личност, но ми стана много симпатична, и определено бих прочел още книги за нея... Въпреки всички житейските трудности, тя се старае много в полицейската дейност, та е решена да разплете мистерията. В търсене на загадъчния убиец се случват доста напрегнати събития и постепенно се разкриват страховити тайни на католическата църква...
Действието се развива в малко градче в Ирландия, където преди Нова година са извършени тайнствени убийства. С разследването на случая се заемат инспектор Лоти Паркър и нейният партньор Марк Бойд. Лоти е сложна личност, но ми стана много симпатична, и определено бих прочел още книги за нея... Въпреки всички житейските трудности, тя се старае много в полицейската дейност, та е решена да разплете мистерията. В търсене на загадъчния убиец се случват доста напрегнати събития и постепенно се разкриват страховити тайни на католическата църква...
February 15, 2017
Thank you to Netgalley, Bookoutre and Patricia Gibney for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance reader copy of this book.
You can find my review on both Goodreads and Amazon. On Goodreads from today under Karen Whittard and on Amazon under k.e.whittard from publication date.
People who find things easily disturbing and people who are faint hearted really should stay away from this book. It covers some dark scenes in this book that are both disturbing and upsetting. So I would air on the side of caution if you are think that you might not like this book. However if you are brave enough then you will find a gripping book. That will certainly take you on a journey. This book has lots of twists and turns in it and is definatly a page turner. There were some scenes that I didn't like in this book. But it kinda makes it the dark book that the author is looking for and adds a certain depth to it. That I'm not sure it would have reached with out it.
This is an extremely clever book. Both startaling and intelligently written. I definitely want to hear more from Lottie and I will definitely be looking to read more from Patricia again in the future. This is one heck of a debut novel.
The opening of this book had me completly hooked. The opening scene is of two children looking out of their window and witnessing a burial. With the haunting words 'I wonder which one of us will be next?' Left lingering in the air.
A woman's body has been found and a man has been found hanging from a tree both of the victims have been branded with the same tattoo on their legs and they are both connected to each other. But how?
It is up to Lottie and her team to find out what is going on before more dead bodies are found.
The case takes Lottie back to
St Angela's which used to be a former children's home. Which has a dark and chilling connection to Lottie and her families history.
As Lottie tries desperately to link the victims together and to find out what is exactly going on. Two teenager boys go missing. Lottie must close in on the killer now before anyone else gets hurt. But by simply investigating the case is she putting her family and her teenage children in danger? Is this just a crazed murderer or is their something more sinister going on. Something that will put the lives of Lottie and her children in danger.
Lottie is an extremely strong character. She is still tying to overcome the death of her husband to cancer a few months ago. She is desperately trying to do what is right by her children and is trying to raise them as best as she can. But Katie, Lotties eldest daughter is starting to slip of the rails. Lotties high powered job sometimes means that she has to spend more time at work then she does at home. But someone has to put food on the table. Then this crazed murder comes along who's idea of justice is sardonic and twisted to say the least. With the murders linked to the past. Which is dredging up horrific memories for our leading lady. Lottie really has a lot to juggle all at once in this dark and twisted crime/thriller.
This is certainly a dark and twisted read. That had me gripped until the very last page.
Happy reading everyone
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance reader copy of this book.
You can find my review on both Goodreads and Amazon. On Goodreads from today under Karen Whittard and on Amazon under k.e.whittard from publication date.
People who find things easily disturbing and people who are faint hearted really should stay away from this book. It covers some dark scenes in this book that are both disturbing and upsetting. So I would air on the side of caution if you are think that you might not like this book. However if you are brave enough then you will find a gripping book. That will certainly take you on a journey. This book has lots of twists and turns in it and is definatly a page turner. There were some scenes that I didn't like in this book. But it kinda makes it the dark book that the author is looking for and adds a certain depth to it. That I'm not sure it would have reached with out it.
This is an extremely clever book. Both startaling and intelligently written. I definitely want to hear more from Lottie and I will definitely be looking to read more from Patricia again in the future. This is one heck of a debut novel.
The opening of this book had me completly hooked. The opening scene is of two children looking out of their window and witnessing a burial. With the haunting words 'I wonder which one of us will be next?' Left lingering in the air.
A woman's body has been found and a man has been found hanging from a tree both of the victims have been branded with the same tattoo on their legs and they are both connected to each other. But how?
It is up to Lottie and her team to find out what is going on before more dead bodies are found.
The case takes Lottie back to
St Angela's which used to be a former children's home. Which has a dark and chilling connection to Lottie and her families history.
As Lottie tries desperately to link the victims together and to find out what is exactly going on. Two teenager boys go missing. Lottie must close in on the killer now before anyone else gets hurt. But by simply investigating the case is she putting her family and her teenage children in danger? Is this just a crazed murderer or is their something more sinister going on. Something that will put the lives of Lottie and her children in danger.
Lottie is an extremely strong character. She is still tying to overcome the death of her husband to cancer a few months ago. She is desperately trying to do what is right by her children and is trying to raise them as best as she can. But Katie, Lotties eldest daughter is starting to slip of the rails. Lotties high powered job sometimes means that she has to spend more time at work then she does at home. But someone has to put food on the table. Then this crazed murder comes along who's idea of justice is sardonic and twisted to say the least. With the murders linked to the past. Which is dredging up horrific memories for our leading lady. Lottie really has a lot to juggle all at once in this dark and twisted crime/thriller.
This is certainly a dark and twisted read. That had me gripped until the very last page.
Happy reading everyone
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