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Lost Little Girl: A Jackson Gamble Novel
Nashville PI Jackson Gamble takes on a case that seems simple enough. All he has to do is find and return home a fourteen-year-old girl who has disappeared from home. Gamble's experience tells him the girl is just another runaway, but her mother insists she has been kidnapped. The search for Gabrielle sets Gamble on a path that leads him through the city's underbelly of sex for hire, pornography, snake-handling religious fundamentalists, and perhaps a serial killer of teenaged girls. With the help of an attractive woman with a heartbreaking past of her own, he reaches the conclusion of his investigation, with results that are both tragic and unforgettable, where the smallest mistake could spell the end of both his career and his life.
238 pages, Paperback
First published October 26, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 8, 2022
Winner 2022 Shamus Award for Best First PI Novel
The seedy underbelly of Nashville is put on display in Lost Little Girl, the debut crime novel by Gregory Stout that features PI Jackson Gamble. When he gets the job to track down missing 14 year old Gabrielle Hawkins he eventually finds himself wading into some areas of the darker realms of the big city.
Gamble is hired by Delsey Lee Hawkins, Gabrielle’s devoutly christian mother who, along with her bible thumping husband Jericho, hold their daughter to a strictly religious upbringing. It doesn’t take long for Gamble to come to the conclusion that Gabrielle is a runaway rather than an abduction victim.
This case takes him into the dark world of the porn industry that appears to have a link into the child sex trafficking trade. The stakes couldn’t be higher for the missing girl’s safe recovery. Meanwhile, her parents attend the Divine Light Pentecostal Congregation where snake handling is the norm in their belief they can win her return through the power of prayer.
The story is blessed with a tight plot and narrative that recalls the sharply witty narrative of the classic detective stories of yesteryear. The story moves along at great pace ensuring there is rarely a dull moment.
And although he’s working pretty much non-stop on locating the whereabouts of Gabrielle, he manages to find time to start a romantic relationship with guidance counsellor Maggie Totten. This growing friendship proves to be a great vehicle for the development of the main characters in the story, allowing us to get to know exactly what it is that makes them tick.
Jackson Gamble presents a tough exterior hiding a likeable, sympathetic core. He exudes confidence and an aura of capability, thanks largely to the fact that he’s an ex-police detective. He felt to me like the archetypal detective who I would be happy to follow through an extended number of cases.
His greatest asset is a solid ethical streak that rules the way he operates tempered by a willingness to cross the line when he feels it’s necessary. This is demonstrated while meting out some vengeance on a wife-beating husband late one night in an off-the-books clandestine job.
Lost Little Girl is a strong modern day hardboiled detective story that combines dark themes with lighter moments. It offers a thoughtful commentary on modern society and reminds us that there’s not really any such thing as an open and shut case. A worthy winner of the Shamus Award for a Debut PI Novel and recommended to any fan of the private detective sub-genre.
The seedy underbelly of Nashville is put on display in Lost Little Girl, the debut crime novel by Gregory Stout that features PI Jackson Gamble. When he gets the job to track down missing 14 year old Gabrielle Hawkins he eventually finds himself wading into some areas of the darker realms of the big city.
Gamble is hired by Delsey Lee Hawkins, Gabrielle’s devoutly christian mother who, along with her bible thumping husband Jericho, hold their daughter to a strictly religious upbringing. It doesn’t take long for Gamble to come to the conclusion that Gabrielle is a runaway rather than an abduction victim.
This case takes him into the dark world of the porn industry that appears to have a link into the child sex trafficking trade. The stakes couldn’t be higher for the missing girl’s safe recovery. Meanwhile, her parents attend the Divine Light Pentecostal Congregation where snake handling is the norm in their belief they can win her return through the power of prayer.
The story is blessed with a tight plot and narrative that recalls the sharply witty narrative of the classic detective stories of yesteryear. The story moves along at great pace ensuring there is rarely a dull moment.
And although he’s working pretty much non-stop on locating the whereabouts of Gabrielle, he manages to find time to start a romantic relationship with guidance counsellor Maggie Totten. This growing friendship proves to be a great vehicle for the development of the main characters in the story, allowing us to get to know exactly what it is that makes them tick.
Jackson Gamble presents a tough exterior hiding a likeable, sympathetic core. He exudes confidence and an aura of capability, thanks largely to the fact that he’s an ex-police detective. He felt to me like the archetypal detective who I would be happy to follow through an extended number of cases.
His greatest asset is a solid ethical streak that rules the way he operates tempered by a willingness to cross the line when he feels it’s necessary. This is demonstrated while meting out some vengeance on a wife-beating husband late one night in an off-the-books clandestine job.
Lost Little Girl is a strong modern day hardboiled detective story that combines dark themes with lighter moments. It offers a thoughtful commentary on modern society and reminds us that there’s not really any such thing as an open and shut case. A worthy winner of the Shamus Award for a Debut PI Novel and recommended to any fan of the private detective sub-genre.
November 13, 2023
Things are not always as they seem. And all spoiler alerts aside, beautiful and young teenage Gabrielle is the apple of her father’s religious eye. Until she isn’t. What faux paus does she, in his opinion, do or not do in order to live up to his high and exceptionally impossible standards? And now, who will ever know as she is missing in time. Her innocent mother is desperate to get to the bottom, if that is what it is, of the crime. Or has her cherished daughter become one of the many and mass forgotten roles down yonder of runaway teenagers whose parental abuse or sometimes lifestyle of drug or alcohol abuse - or just getting caught up by one wrong error of decision or by faulty human judgment on the fringe of society led them away from the home where they once had a bedroom, a family or some not so much, but still are now on their own. P.I. Jackson Gamble is on this one though and his nonstop fervor tells him that through a shadow of doubt that, “Things are not always as they seem.”
After all, parental responsibility is on a spectrum depending on the mental condition of a parent and whether the moral system they operate under passes the test of either sanity or reason, right? There are parents who would, do and have laid down their very lives to protect their children from harm. And then, there are those situations where child rearing and training may range from a medium ground of love and common sense to just or rather an unjust system of a harshness so overboard that a child may be pushed to run away from home or worse. Faced with a seeming impossible challenge to unravel a web of strange religious beliefs which the father of the child has chosen to call God, but which likely is nothing at all of the kind, Detective Gamble has his hard work ahead of him. Will the faith of her mother work to save her daughter or will some more practical methods need to be used in order to get to the bottom of the whole truth regarding the situation? What is more, has fourteen-year-old Garielle been swallowed up onto the raw streets of Nashville, Tennessee and left alone to face life on her own? A winding plot here which kept one on the edge of one’s seat to the very end, author of the book Gregory Stout has done a stunning job to lead you right up to the very surprising end. The book, actually a work of fiction, encourages one to come awake and suggests a departure from mere fawning and to take that amble down the path of more human conscience regarding opening society up in general to the need for a better moral respect and care for the children of our world.
After all, parental responsibility is on a spectrum depending on the mental condition of a parent and whether the moral system they operate under passes the test of either sanity or reason, right? There are parents who would, do and have laid down their very lives to protect their children from harm. And then, there are those situations where child rearing and training may range from a medium ground of love and common sense to just or rather an unjust system of a harshness so overboard that a child may be pushed to run away from home or worse. Faced with a seeming impossible challenge to unravel a web of strange religious beliefs which the father of the child has chosen to call God, but which likely is nothing at all of the kind, Detective Gamble has his hard work ahead of him. Will the faith of her mother work to save her daughter or will some more practical methods need to be used in order to get to the bottom of the whole truth regarding the situation? What is more, has fourteen-year-old Garielle been swallowed up onto the raw streets of Nashville, Tennessee and left alone to face life on her own? A winding plot here which kept one on the edge of one’s seat to the very end, author of the book Gregory Stout has done a stunning job to lead you right up to the very surprising end. The book, actually a work of fiction, encourages one to come awake and suggests a departure from mere fawning and to take that amble down the path of more human conscience regarding opening society up in general to the need for a better moral respect and care for the children of our world.
February 6, 2022
I am an avid suspense/thriller reader and love stumbling across a new series that looks promising. Greg Stout delivers that with his novel Lost Little Girl. I need a compelling story, and this novel has that. But what I look for even more are characters that I can invest in, characters I pull for as the story unfolds. Nashville P.I. Jackson Gamble is exactly that kind of character - tough, flawed but real, and at his core a decent human being you'll enjoy getting to know. Ditto with Maggie, a wounded guidance counselor who is every bit the equal to Gamble in terms of moxie and smarts. Loved book number one, and will definitely read the second in this series when it releases.
February 21, 2022
When Jackson Gamble, PI and ex-cop, goes searching for the missing daughter of a strict religious couple, he assumes she’s a runaway longing for a taste of freedom. But on the mean streets of Nashville, bad things can happen to a pretty teenaged girl. Greg Stout’s razor-sharp writing, complex characters, and gripping story that never lets up takes readers into the dark world of child pornography and sex trafficking. Full of twists and turns, Lost Little Girl will keep you guessing to the very end.
July 30, 2025
Lost Little Girl is in essence a P.I. novel, and very well executed. Jackson Gamble is a well-developed, realistic and complex character who is mostly a good guy, but has warts like the rest of us. The story’s plot is fairly simple, which makes it more credible in my opinion. The setting, Nashville, is well- described. Some may consider the novel cliche, but the depth of the characters and the richness of the setting precludes that. The story was quite immersive and I read it in a couple of sittings. I immediately ordered Stout’s second book when I finished it.
September 28, 2022
I started this book in the airport and finished it by the time I landed at my destination. LOST LITTLE GIRL by Gregory Stout is fast-paced and engaging with characters that pull the reader right in. The plot is compelling and full of twists. I recommend this novel, especially to those who enjoy the classic detective sub-genre, and I look forward to more from this author.
January 30, 2025
This private investigator tale has some fascinating twists. Along with the nicely developed characters, it makes for a terrific read!
February 6, 2022
Delsey Lee Hawkins is the mother of fourteen-year-old Gabrielle Hawkins. She has come to Jackson Gamble, a private detective, for help to find her daughter.
Mrs. Hawkins tells Gamble that her daughter has been kidnapped. The police don’t believe that Gabrielle has been kidnapped, but that she has just run away or eloped with a boyfriend that the parents know nothing about.
Mrs. Hawkins believes Gabrielle has been kidnapped because she says that she has had a revelation. Her daughter is an obedient and faithful daughter and could not have run away. Mrs Hawkins explains that her husband, Jericho Hawkins, is a “preacher of the Gospel. He's pastor of the Divine Light Pentecostal Congregation, in Antioch. It's a small congregation, and very conservative in its teachings." Hawkins’s congregation believes in handling poisonous snakes to prove their devotion to God.
Gamble is doubtful that the daughter has been kidnapped but agrees to search for Gabrielle. He begins by talking to her high school counselor, Margaret Totten. Gamble and Totten seem to butt heads at first, but it soon becomes apparent that there’s more to their relationship than strife. Gamble begins searching in all the obvious places a young girl might go to get away from her parents.
Greg Stout’s writing is excellent and the story moves along quickly, taking you on an exciting ride that becomes darker as it rushes to the shocking finale.
I enjoyed this book very much and recommend it. I give it a 5 out of 5.
I was given a copy of the novel for an honest review.
Mrs. Hawkins tells Gamble that her daughter has been kidnapped. The police don’t believe that Gabrielle has been kidnapped, but that she has just run away or eloped with a boyfriend that the parents know nothing about.
Mrs. Hawkins believes Gabrielle has been kidnapped because she says that she has had a revelation. Her daughter is an obedient and faithful daughter and could not have run away. Mrs Hawkins explains that her husband, Jericho Hawkins, is a “preacher of the Gospel. He's pastor of the Divine Light Pentecostal Congregation, in Antioch. It's a small congregation, and very conservative in its teachings." Hawkins’s congregation believes in handling poisonous snakes to prove their devotion to God.
Gamble is doubtful that the daughter has been kidnapped but agrees to search for Gabrielle. He begins by talking to her high school counselor, Margaret Totten. Gamble and Totten seem to butt heads at first, but it soon becomes apparent that there’s more to their relationship than strife. Gamble begins searching in all the obvious places a young girl might go to get away from her parents.
Greg Stout’s writing is excellent and the story moves along quickly, taking you on an exciting ride that becomes darker as it rushes to the shocking finale.
I enjoyed this book very much and recommend it. I give it a 5 out of 5.
I was given a copy of the novel for an honest review.
August 6, 2023
Lost Little Girl, author Greg Stout’s debut PI novel is a delicious, dark delight. Stout’s complex characters—including PI hero Jackson Gamble—think, feel, and act in surprising ways, just like unpredictable humans. Like yeast-powered dough, the novel’s plot steadily rises to a climax that’s both shocking and inevitable. Lost Little Girl has a “Chinatown” PI vibe stylishly updated for its Nashville setting and today’s chilling headlines. Highly recommended.
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