Publisher: Bookouture
Published: September 22, 2021
Source: Netgalley via Publisher
Summary:
She lifted up her granddaughter from the cot, clutched her to her chest and, without looking at her beautiful daughter lying dead on the floor of her bedroom, ran from the house. Only when she was outside did she let a wail escape her lips, frightening the baby who joined in her screams.
When Isabel Gallagher is found murdered on the floor of her baby’s nursery by her mother, it’s a gruelling case for Detective Lottie Parker. Isabel’s pyjamas have been ripped, her throat cut and an old-fashioned razor blade placed in her hand. As Lottie looks at the round blue eyes and perfect chubby cheeks of Isabel’s baby daughter, she can’t understand who would want to hurt this innocent family.
That very same day she receives a call with devastating news. Another young mother, Joyce Breslin, has gone missing, and her four-year-old son Evan has been abducted from daycare. Lottie is sure that the missing mother and son are linked to Isabel’s death, and when she finds a bloody razor blade in their house, her worst fears are confirmed.
Desperate to find little Evan, Lottie leaves no stone unturned as she delves into Isabel and Joyce’s pasts and when she realises the two women have been meeting in secret, she knows she must find out why.
But when Joyce’s body is found in a murky pond and some little bones are found on a windy hillside, it feels as if this merciless killer will stop at nothing. The bones aren’t Evan’s but can they give Lottie the final clue to find the innocent child before more lives are taken?
This absolutely gripping and unputdownable crime thriller from bestselling author Patricia Gibney will leave you gasping for breath. A perfect read for fans of Angela Marsons, Robert Dugoni and Rachel Caine.
My thoughts:
This is the 10th book in Patricia Gibney’s Detective Lottie Parker series and this series is just so unbelievably good! Yes, it’s dark and not for everyone, but I do love my crime fiction and this detective series continues to be one of my favorites!
For this being the 10th book in the series, I love that it still feels as fresh and original as the beginning of the series and each new book keeps me excited and eager to keep going. For someone that reads a lot of series and occasionally gets series-fatique, that’s saying something. That is absolutely not happening here. Not only do we have brand-new, different cases each time, but we continue to get top-notch character development that really has been a driving force behind this series all along. And that’s not just with our main character, Detective Lottie Parker, but with some of the secondary characters as well.
This book is non-stop in action and the case that Lottie and her team are working on keeps everyone on their toes. I loved that you never really know where things are heading and that as usual, we get a few sections from an unknown character that keeps you on edge until it is finally revealed who it is. This just ups the tension as you try to work out who it is.
I cannot recommend this series enough…the books are fast-paced and have you on the edge of your seat many times. And once again we are left with a cliff-hanger at the end, you you know I am just counting down the days til the next book comes out – oh yes, there will be another book and I cannot wait to read it!!!
Books in this series:
- The Missing Ones
- The Stolen Girls
- The Lost Child
- No Safe Place
- Tell Nobody
- Final Betrayal
- Broken Souls
- Buried Angels
- Silent Voices
- Little Bones
- The Guilty Girl – coming out June 15th!
