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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
definitely a gripping serial killer thriller however i would’ve liked if there was more mystery about the killer as i pieced it together very quickly. i did like the plot and i might have to carry in with DI Harwin’s story.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Fantastic police procedural! An exciting storyline with plenty of twists and turns. Believable and likeable characters. The asylum flashbacks added a suspenseful atmosphere which intrigued me. Would definitely read more from this series.
The Lost Children is the first book in a new police procedural series. We are introduced to Lucy and her colleagues which sets the tone for the next instalments.
The first chapter tells us of some of the children who were patients at the asylum in the seventies. One of the children disappears from the ward and nine year old Lizzy quickly realises what happened to him.
The case the detectives are working on starts out most intriguingly. When a body is found in the abandoned asylum, it doesn't take long for them to find a connection to the past. Can the killer be stopped before they strike again?
I must admit, I'm a little disappointed in this book. The blurb sounded right up my alley but it didn't deliver for me. I found it quite predictable, not helped by some chapters from the killer's point of view, which pretty much gave everything away.
Lucy seems to have some sort of sixth sense. She has all the ideas and solutions, making decisions without involving her boss. The answers sometimes just drop into her lap instead of being the result of hard-hitting investigative work. It's a little hard to explain but it just didn't work for me. There are a few other things that bothered me but I can't go into detail about those because that would involve revealing half the plot.
I also would have preferred to learn a lot more about the circumstances of the children back in the day. As it is, there are a few mentions of what life was like for them but nothing too profound or in-depth. Things happened that could have done with an explanation but that never came. Then along the way, the story started to focus more on Lucy's private life which completely threw me off. While I understand character development is important when setting up a new series, the asylum storyline had so much more potential that I feel was left unfulfilled.
Nevertheless, it's a quick read and there are worse ways to be spending an afternoon.
I would like to thank Bookouture and Netgalley for my advanced copy.
The first chapter tells us of some of the children who were patients at the asylum in the seventies. One of the children disappears from the ward and nine year old Lizzy quickly realises what happened to him.
The case the detectives are working on starts out most intriguingly. When a body is found in the abandoned asylum, it doesn't take long for them to find a connection to the past. Can the killer be stopped before they strike again?
I must admit, I'm a little disappointed in this book. The blurb sounded right up my alley but it didn't deliver for me. I found it quite predictable, not helped by some chapters from the killer's point of view, which pretty much gave everything away.
Lucy seems to have some sort of sixth sense. She has all the ideas and solutions, making decisions without involving her boss. The answers sometimes just drop into her lap instead of being the result of hard-hitting investigative work. It's a little hard to explain but it just didn't work for me. There are a few other things that bothered me but I can't go into detail about those because that would involve revealing half the plot.
I also would have preferred to learn a lot more about the circumstances of the children back in the day. As it is, there are a few mentions of what life was like for them but nothing too profound or in-depth. Things happened that could have done with an explanation but that never came. Then along the way, the story started to focus more on Lucy's private life which completely threw me off. While I understand character development is important when setting up a new series, the asylum storyline had so much more potential that I feel was left unfulfilled.
Nevertheless, it's a quick read and there are worse ways to be spending an afternoon.
I would like to thank Bookouture and Netgalley for my advanced copy.
Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.
2.5 to 2.75 star read.
This book read like the script of a police television drama. It's fast paced, a little superficial, and the characters all seem to connect the dots really quickly. There's nothing wrong with that, except that, especially considering this is the first book in a series, I could have used a little more depth. I wish we'd learned more about Detective Inspector Lucy Harwin and her demons.
This book introduces us to Lucy Harwin and her partner Mattie (Matthew) Jackson as they try and solve a murder that happens in The Moore Asylum, a building that has been abandoned for decades. Told mostly from Lucy's perspective, but also tossing in alternating points of view, the team of detectives race to solve the case as the bodies start to pile up.
My issues with this book revolve around the fact that Lucy's gut seemed to connect the dots a little too quickly. Sometimes mysteries and thrillers need to be pruned/ be better edited because they have far too much detail or take too long to get to the point. In this case, I feel that everything was so rushed. Early on in the book we get flashes of the backstory (what happened in the Moore Asylum in the 1970s), and I wish that we would have gotten more of the backstory. Finally, by having the murderer provide a few chapters through their point of view, I was able to figure out who did it prior to the big reveal.
That said, I would give Lucy and her team another shot. I never felt like I was wasting my time reading this book, (it's a nice fast read) and it would be interesting to see how things develop between some of the characters (especially Lucy and Mattie, but also Lucy and Ellie, and Lucy and Steve).
2.5 to 2.75 star read.
This book read like the script of a police television drama. It's fast paced, a little superficial, and the characters all seem to connect the dots really quickly. There's nothing wrong with that, except that, especially considering this is the first book in a series, I could have used a little more depth. I wish we'd learned more about Detective Inspector Lucy Harwin and her demons.
This book introduces us to Lucy Harwin and her partner Mattie (Matthew) Jackson as they try and solve a murder that happens in The Moore Asylum, a building that has been abandoned for decades. Told mostly from Lucy's perspective, but also tossing in alternating points of view, the team of detectives race to solve the case as the bodies start to pile up.
My issues with this book revolve around the fact that Lucy's gut seemed to connect the dots a little too quickly. Sometimes mysteries and thrillers need to be pruned/ be better edited because they have far too much detail or take too long to get to the point. In this case, I feel that everything was so rushed. Early on in the book we get flashes of the backstory (what happened in the Moore Asylum in the 1970s), and I wish that we would have gotten more of the backstory. Finally, by having the murderer provide a few chapters through their point of view, I was able to figure out who did it prior to the big reveal.
That said, I would give Lucy and her team another shot. I never felt like I was wasting my time reading this book, (it's a nice fast read) and it would be interesting to see how things develop between some of the characters (especially Lucy and Mattie, but also Lucy and Ellie, and Lucy and Steve).
I don’t think I’ve ever been disappointed with a bookouture book yet - this is a strong thriller which although disturbing is another good one to put on your list.
There is something chilling about asylums and mental hospitals - thank goodness we don’t treat fellow human beings in this way anymore but the asylum here operated in the 1970s and introduces you to a world of horror and despair.
There’s always something worse about the ill treatment of children and this did make me screw my face up in disgust on more than one occasion - I admit to skipping a few paragraphs - but the writing was so vivid and strong that I had to keep going. The man found on the gurney, the intricate police work - this is a novel with layers.
The pacing really shone here as present day mixed with flashbacks - perfect for seeing the horrors of the past - you were often ahead of the police but then were you? The writing pulled and pushed me as a reader and seems very different to the police procedure style of reveals.
This is book one. When I’ve managed to settle my stomach, I will definitely be getting book two.
There is something chilling about asylums and mental hospitals - thank goodness we don’t treat fellow human beings in this way anymore but the asylum here operated in the 1970s and introduces you to a world of horror and despair.
There’s always something worse about the ill treatment of children and this did make me screw my face up in disgust on more than one occasion - I admit to skipping a few paragraphs - but the writing was so vivid and strong that I had to keep going. The man found on the gurney, the intricate police work - this is a novel with layers.
The pacing really shone here as present day mixed with flashbacks - perfect for seeing the horrors of the past - you were often ahead of the police but then were you? The writing pulled and pushed me as a reader and seems very different to the police procedure style of reveals.
This is book one. When I’ve managed to settle my stomach, I will definitely be getting book two.
For me this book was not exciting enough. It was really slow pick up for me and I wanted more from this series. This book was hard to follow sometimes for me and I was just not as excited once I got into the story as I was to read the book before I started it.