The Valley of Lost Children

Tye Caine Wilderness Mysteries #1

by David Barbur

It starts with a footprint. It ends with a murder.
Wildlife tracker and wilderness survival expert Tye Caine just wants to live in the woods and be left alone, but a killer haunts the misty forests of the Pacific Northwest. When someone attempts to abduct a child, and a local resident is murdered, Tye is drawn into a web of hidden secrets and madness.

Soon he finds himself teamed up with a motley crew of the local librarian, a retired detective, his best friend, and a local blacksmith with a secret. First, they try to separate the truth from lies, then find themselves just trying to survive.

If you like mysteries set in the wilderness, with a hint of the supernatural, download Valley of Lost Children today.

You might want to leave the lights on.

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Suspense, Ebooks, Mystery Thriller, Crime

338 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 1, 2019

Reviews

[Siesta · Rating 3 out of 5]

An odd mix of a book.
Newly arrived in rural Washington State, life-long townie librarian Kaity gets drawn into a case of child abduction, teaming up with Tye, a reclusive expert tracker. Their investigation throws up examples of earlier cases in the area, that appear to have a bearing on the current one.
Neither Kaity nor Tye are the usual type of protagonist in this sort of book, which I found appealing. But there were too many side characters thrown in, hints of supernatural that I felt could have been made more of, and I found myself mixing up some of the characters - all of which muddied the plot for me.
I’m glad I tried this book but it didn’t grip me enough to want to continue with the series.

[Indy Quillen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been eagerly awaiting this first book in Barbur's new series. I love reading stories that are set in the wilderness, then throw in some tracking and you've got me. This book did not disappoint! Tye Caine is the reluctant hero we all want to meet in real life. The author gives us great sensory and scenery details to firmly plant us in Tye Caine's world, then throws in several mysteries to keep the pacing moving forward and me turning the pages. Barbur has a real talent for using dialogue to flesh out his characters and add dimension, bringing them to life. We care about these people and want them to succeed against the odds. I especially enjoyed the native myth woven into the tale and the fact that Barbur lets us, the reader, decide what we want to believe. Well Done!
5-stars from me. Looking forward to the next one in the series!

[Emma Garcia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was meh

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent series opener. Interesting characters, different setting with it being in the wilderness, and an intriguing plot line. There were some mythology and supernatural elements which I liked, but more could have been made more of them. I liked that there wasn’t a romance between Kaity and Ty - that would have been too convenient and conventional, and would have felt shoehorned in!

I’ll definitely read the next one in the series.

[Kari L · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tye and Kaity were likable as main characters, but I was expecting more plot development and answers from the “mystery” that they were investigating. There is also a mystical/supernatural element to it, but it is never fully explained, which was a bit disappointing.

2.5 ⭐️

[Heart DeCoupeville · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my usual reading fare, but I enjoyed it.

The inside jokes were the best part, though I'm not sure "baskets" was quite the correct word.

A few editing errors caused minor confusion.

[Jessie Hammond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow !
I read a wide range of genre but had never read a book by David Barbur. My son in law bought me books 2, 3 & 4 from this series.
I found book 1 & 5 online with the Libby app for the Library. Just finished book 1 & I think I am hooked !
It grabbed me right from the start & kept me enthralled all the way to the end.
Looking forward to starting book 2 !

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Going into David Barbur's new series, I was intrigued right out of the gate by the premise: a reclusive tracker pulled into a web of mystery involving abduction and murder..? Yes, please, sign me up! Happily, The Valley of Lost Children delivers the goods. Barbur builds up a cast of believable and interesting characters, and while the plot is taut and built for action, it walks a tight rope between hard-boiled realism and supernatural mysticism in a fashion that left me fairly dazzled. This is definitely one of those times when I'm glad to see "#1" in a book's subtitle. Barbur has struck gold with this unique fictive world, and I can't wait to see where Tye Caine takes us next!

[Rita Spillman-Bills · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lost Children

I really enjoyed reading this book. There is good and bad in this world. We all know it and see it everyday, but in the end we know that the good will overcome. Tye and Katie step up to help, expecting nothing in return. Willy and the bear are there when needed. Spiritual beings sent to help? Yes, I believe they are.

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! Engaging lovable characters

I thought this sounded like a good book. I couldn’t put it down. I loved the frail yet strong human characters and hope the next book comes out soon. Great Author! I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Bookish Satty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating - 2.75 Stars!

I liked the characters and their interactions with each other but didn't like the mystery or the ending much. It was a quick read but I wouldn't be continuing with this series unfortunately. The supernatural elements were barely there which was a disappointment for me.

[Judith Jongewaard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great if sticks to story without Woo Woo stuff

Great story, I couldn't put it down until the end. Careful of the Woo Woo stuff, if it becomes any more than it is I'm outta here!

[Rikard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another story about our friendly neighbourhood prepper/tracker/outdooorsman Tye Caine.

Appearently an earlier story (before ”Primitive weapons”).

[Carla Boner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. I didn't want to put it down. I like the details that only an outdoors person would know or think about. I would have liked to see some more lore and myth added in, but overall it was a great read. As someone who isn't a fiction fan, I will be reading the rest of the books in this series.

[Jesse Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tye is a wonderful guy.

Tye and his friend Gary are very interesting guys, and I’m frankly stunned Gary managed to get married. They join forces with a spunky librarian to solve a kidnapping of a little girl and find all kinds of weirdness. I genuinely laughed at some of the happenings in an oh my gods who gave these fools guns kind of way. They are in over their heads, and Tye at least has some potential powers he refuses to tap into. It’s a fun book, and I was delighted to see I own book 2, so yay!

[Frank T · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a brilliant read and I will definitely be reading the next book in the series. An outdoors expert and supernatural elements, two subjects that I am really into. My only issue and one I think others may have mentioned, is there were far too many characters to keep track of and on occasion I had to search my brain 🧠 to try and work out where in the story they were mentioned. I don't feel it spoiled the story, but I did find it annoying at times.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was very readable & at times very funny. The plot was okay, not the most gripping, believable or consistent, but interesting nevertheless. I liked the premise & characters - so hopefully when I read the second book, which I will, with less to “set up”, Kaity, Tye and co can prove their worth and get another star or 2! Thanks.

[Maddison Hillery · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up the Valley of Lost Children while bored at work and it pulled me in rather quickly.
I found myself wanting to pick it up and read in every quiet moment of the day

The mix of Mythology, Wilderness and good old detective work had me hooked from the start. With good character development and a character to suit everyone; whether it's the humble, quiet Tye Caine himself, the enthusiastic pedal to the metal librarian, Katie, or one of Tye's closest friends.

David Barbur has a knack for bringing you into the wilderness world with descriptions that leap right off the page. While reading, you feel as though you are part of the story, along for the ride with Tye.

There were a couple of errors that had me re-reading sentences. A couple of points in the story line I felt were boring and could have been replaced with a deeper dive into the mythology surrounding the abductions; but an all-round good little quick mystery novel that can be read in a weekend.

The abductor was obvious in a non-obvious way. The signs all pointed a certain direction, but you were never 100% certain. Was there a major plot twist about to occur? or were you right the whole time?

I personally didn't enjoy the ending. I found myself longing for more of a backstory about the "bear"; I felt as though it was grazed over like it wasn't the basis of the first half of the book.

I will definitely be picking up the remainder of the Tye Caine series as The Valley of Lost Children was easy and enjoyable to read with a humble, likable main character to follow along on the journey.

[Kathryn Henry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. Story was well paced, and had an edge of mysticism that was never fully addressed.

The story was good, but the main character, Tye Caine, I thought was poorly developed.

There were just too many contradictions to ignore. What person spends years working in search and rescue, but refuses to carry a cellphone? There is no logic to it. He carries everything but a basic means to contact someone. Sure, cell service is sparse in densely wooded areas, but the idea of searching for people who get lost, with no way to contact for help, is silly. Not even a walkie talkie or radio. He owns guns, and they’re mentioned every few pages, but he makes the conscious decision to leave them behind in potentially dangerous situations. He’s also “painfully introverted” but starred in a reality tv show?

None of these make sense, and for me personally, it broke a lot of the immersion when they were mentioned. But when they weren’t, and the story focused on the case and the ‘hunt’ for answers, it was a good read.

I’ll definitely check out the sequel, but it probably won’t be the next thing I read.

[Elaine Bougie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book far more than expected, especially as it has some supernatural/spirit elements to it that would normally not be up my alley, at all. The writing is quite good. Those aspects were very subtly handled and the "out there" quality was well integrated into the story so it added to the suspense and the rescue action. It was actually kind of fun which made suspension of disbelief a little easier.

This book was a giveaway through one of the bargain ebook email newsletters and I have to decide on a suitable interval before I might dive into any further novels of Barbur's in this series, buying this time.

(It was also a little fun for me, living in Vancouver, Canada that the setting of the book was in the outskirts of Vancouver, Washington, which we've never actually visited when passing nearby southbound on the I-5 heading to Oregon or California.)

[Kara Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Rounded Up

I definitely enjoyed this book! There’s a good sense of mystery and tension, along with suspicion on every side character that would occasionally sidetrack me from the clues to the true culprit, though I did eventually figure it out. There were some mythological elements, but there wasn’t enough narrative given to them for me to really know what importance they gave to the story.

One of my favorite things about this book was Kaity. She’s motivated from the very beginning, protective of the little kids she has around the library and determined to find the person who tried to kidnap one of them. She’s the kind of librarian I would like to have around me. Tye was also a likeable character, though it did throw me off that he was the main character, as I felt in the beginning he seemed to follow along with Kaity.

[Lana Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent amalgam of genres

I read a lot and I go through kindle unlimited books so quickly I often don't even remember the name of what I'm reading. They often blend together. This one was quite unique.
A mystery, a bit of budding romance, a bit of search and rescue, and a subtle whisper of paranormal.
All expertly weaved in. I used to love paranormal until I'd read too many books where it was used to patch plot holes and such. This author however makes it....realistic. Yes realistic. The type of thing people talk about in real life....dads ring went missing for years yet showed up on the anniversary on his death somewhere you'd looked. Where you wonder if you're actually experiencing something or being dramatic and the moment is gone in a flash. This story was very very cool.

[Lora · Rating 4 out of 5]

V is for "Valley of Lost Children" in my 2023 project of reading my way through the alphabet.

I really enjoyed this child abduction mystery, set in rural Washington. The series is named after one of the characters, wilderness tracker Tye Caine. However, the case is solved through a group effort involving Tye, his best friend, his friend's wife (a midwife), a librarian, a retired detective and the real police - plus other rural people who assist in various ways.

The mystery involves not just the abduction, but possible supernatural or psychic elements.

I am planning on reading the next book in the series soon.

[Gmassing · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good solid mystery/adventure

This book doesn't fall neatly into the normal categories, and that's a good thing. Solid story line starts off with a bang and gives you interesting characters both to ponder and root for. Outdoor wood craft mixed with just a sprinkle of other worldly vibes make for some fascinating story telling. I took off one star for the middle part of the book. It drug on a bit. But hear me out... stick with it because the pace picked back up and the ending is a slam-bang winner, winner, chicken dinner. Pun intended. Oh and if you're tired of every author trying to shoehorn a romance into a good mystery then have no fear. None included nor needed.

[patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

It starts with the attempted abduction of a little girl. The child's description of how she then was just left in the woods sounds a little strange. The local librarian was trying to find the child. She ends up getting Tye Caine involved, he is an expert tracker and prefers the wild not towns or cities. Tye's friend and an ex-detective also try to unravel the mystery, track down the culprit. This book Valley of Lost Children is apparently the first in a series. The story moved along but the end was a can't put it down. David Barbur doesn't tell you everything about Tye and my guess if you keep reading the series he will give you more.

[Connie P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strange but enjoyable.

This book is strange, for me anyhow. There is some mystical stuff going on, but the more I read, the more I liked it. Tye Caine is a unique character. A tracker, former guide, a protector. Somehow he ends up forming an alliance with a librarian who is trying to find out what happened to a little girl who spent a lot of time in the library but has suddenly disappeared. I didn't much care for the librarian at first, but the more I read, the more I liked her. She kind of grows on you; she's a bit weird but funny. Together they made a pretty good team. I think I'll read the next book. I'd like to find out what happens to Tye Caine.

[Pedro Bedro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this story with a mix of criminal type investigation, wilderness, tracking and a few myths and legends thrown in. Tye and his friends including a local librarian who like to get stuck in there do a great job of finding and rescuing victims of Bodhi who appears to be more than you would suspect. Throw in what seem to be a couple of shape shifters or spirit animals who help along the way and the story really fires the imagination and holds interest all the way. He should get help from somewhere with those migraines probably Hattie will step forward.

[Dave Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

First rate boot. Character, dialogue setting & plot are all here and well done. I especially enjoyed the dialogue which seems the rarest part to find to my satisfaction. I also thought the reveals about the "strange" part of the story and hints at parts to be possibly revealed in future books to be handled well, there is no info dumps and just enough is revealed when you need it. The real-world details that are part of the action do seem realistic and from first-hand knowledge, I find no holes here, which are usually manifold in most books.

[Linda Rorex · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book in the Tye Caine Wilderness series by David Barbour. Tye Caine is a wildfire tracker and survival expert. A local resident Henry Longstreet is found murdered and Natalie becomes a victim of an attempted child abduction. Tye teams up with a local librarian Kaity, a retired Detective Doyle Creely and local blacksmith George Hollis traversing the ominous and perilous wild. The story weaves together mystery, suspense, and a hint of the supernatural crafting an enthralling and immersive experience. I really enjoyed this fascinating suspenseful mystery thriller novel.

[Bridgewes · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Valley of Lost Children is a story of two outdoor experts being dragged into an investigation of abducted children. They are experts in tracking and wilderness living, but are not police. They become emotionally attached to the people who have been missing. The story is a bit too long as though the author doesn’t know how to end the book. The book comes close, but misses the mark. The main character doesn’t speak when he shouldn’t sometimes. I would read something by this author again, however.