Thank you Minotaur Books, #partner, for the advanced copy of A Stolen Child in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Published: June 20, 2023
Summary:
Sarah Stewart Taylor is known for her atmospheric portrayal of an American detective in Ireland, and her critically acclaimed series returns with A Stolen Child.
After months of training, former Long Island homicide detective Maggie D’arcy is now officially a Garda. She’s finally settling into life in Ireland and so is her teenage daughter, Lilly. Maggie may not be a detective yet, but she’s happy with her community policing assignment in Dublin’s Portobello neighborhood.
When she and her partner find former model and reality tv star Jade Elliot murdered—days after responding to a possible domestic violence disturbance at her apartment—they also discover Jade’s toddler daughter missing. Shorthanded thanks to an investigation into a gangland murder in the neighborhood, Maggie’s friend, Detective Inspector Roly Byrne, brings her onto his team to help find the missing child. But when a key discovery is made, the case only becomes more confusing—and more dangerous. Amidst a nationwide manhunt, Maggie and her colleagues must look deep into Jade’s life—both personal and professional—to find a ruthless killer.
My thoughts:
This is the fourth book in Sarah Stewart Taylor’s Maggie D’Arcy series and I cannot tell you how much I love these books! They are so incredibly atmospheric and the mysteries are so encompassing.
As with all good crime fiction series lately, this one definitely can be read as a stand-alone as it does contain a self-contained case, however in order to really appreciate who Maggie is and why she has made certain choices leading up to her being in Ireland, it really makes sense to read the series as a whole. But the author does do a great job of giving just enough backstory to fill you in without giving everything away, so if this is your first entry into the series, perhaps it will entice you to go back to the beginning after reading this one.
Maggie is now officially a Garda in Ireland! And while she has to pay her dues and make her way up the chain, she is willing to do so, though it does pain her just a little bit. While on patrol with her new partner, she comes across a murder and missing child. Because she has the background experience, she’s pulled into the investigation and it’s quickly made clear that this case is more involved that they first thought.
I loved seeing Maggie in her element. I also loved that while this is definitely a police procedural, we also see great character development, in the form of how Maggie and Connor are adjusting to living together, as well as how Lilly, Maggie’s daughter, is handling being in Ireland full-time.
I loved how this case really kept me on my toes. These books aren’t necessarily fast-paced, but with all the different threads, they sure do keep me engaged and guessing. The twists are expertly placed and I definitely did not figure out where this one was headed until the final reveal.
This has been one of my favorite series since the start and I do hope there are more adventures to come!
Books in this series:
- The Mountains Wild
- A Distant Grave
- The Drowning Sea
- A Stolen Child
