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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture.
I am giving this book 3.5 stars.
This is a great book. It was very interesting. Detective Lucy is quite a quirky character and I found myself laughing at some of her antics.
This book had a good story line. Some of the descriptions were rather gory. That is my favourite kind of book though. I would have awarded it more stars, but just felt that the ending was a bit abrupt. I read a lot of these kind of books, so maybe I am just used to all the drama. Other than this though, it was a good read and I would most definitely recommend this book.
I hope there will be many more books in the series.
I am giving this book 3.5 stars.
This is a great book. It was very interesting. Detective Lucy is quite a quirky character and I found myself laughing at some of her antics.
This book had a good story line. Some of the descriptions were rather gory. That is my favourite kind of book though. I would have awarded it more stars, but just felt that the ending was a bit abrupt. I read a lot of these kind of books, so maybe I am just used to all the drama. Other than this though, it was a good read and I would most definitely recommend this book.
I hope there will be many more books in the series.
I give this 4.5 stars! I loved this book! I seriously have never been let down by Bookouture. How they keep publishing amazing thrillers, I'll never know, and I'll keep reading them! The Lost Children was definitely twisted, creepy, and I loved everything about it. I love the whole asylum element to the story. You know some creepy stuff is going to happen when children and an asylum are involved!
For decades, the Moore Asylum was the home for unwanted and forgotten children. However, after a scandal, they were forced to close it's doors. Now, the abandoned building comes back to life after an elderly man is found dead, and strapped to an old gurney. Enter Detective Lucy Harwin, she is brought onto the case with her partner Detective Mattie Jackson, and they soon find themselves on the trail of a killer that is trying to correct all of the asylum's wrongdoings. As she unearths the long buried secrets of Moore Asylum the attacks escalate and a woman is murdered on her own doorstep, Lucy is now forced into a terrifying game of cat and mouse with a twisted individual. Can the detectives stop a killer who seems to have nothing to lose?
It was a quick read and I could not put it down! I loved all the elements and it moved quickly. I highly recommend this to any thriller lover, or a lover of Bookouture. You will not be disappointed.
Thanks to Bookouture for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
For decades, the Moore Asylum was the home for unwanted and forgotten children. However, after a scandal, they were forced to close it's doors. Now, the abandoned building comes back to life after an elderly man is found dead, and strapped to an old gurney. Enter Detective Lucy Harwin, she is brought onto the case with her partner Detective Mattie Jackson, and they soon find themselves on the trail of a killer that is trying to correct all of the asylum's wrongdoings. As she unearths the long buried secrets of Moore Asylum the attacks escalate and a woman is murdered on her own doorstep, Lucy is now forced into a terrifying game of cat and mouse with a twisted individual. Can the detectives stop a killer who seems to have nothing to lose?
It was a quick read and I could not put it down! I loved all the elements and it moved quickly. I highly recommend this to any thriller lover, or a lover of Bookouture. You will not be disappointed.
Thanks to Bookouture for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
This was a fast-paced story with lots of action. Detective Lucy Harwin is always running around trying to find evidence and talk to forensics and go back to crime scenes. In that aspect, I think the author did a good job in showing the effort and dedication that goes into a career in law enforcement. The chapters switched perspectives, sometimes showcasing the voice of the killer, sometimes taking a flashback to the days when the asylum was still active, even showing the voice of one of the victims! While I found the excerpts from the asylum to be interesting, I found that seeing the perspective of the killer made it really easy to guess who it was. I figured out the identity of the murderer quite early on, which was a bit of a disappointment; I like having that slow thrill and anticipation of finding out who it is at the very end. I also found that everything seemed to happen a bit too easily for Lucy; it was pretty much as if everything fell on her lap and there wasn't as much real detective work as I would have liked. This was a decent detective fiction that had a really fast pace that kept me gripped - but the overall story itself had its flaws.
I received this novel as an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received this novel as an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
DI Lucy Harwin has a pleasant job in Brooklyn Bay. It's a quiet, somewhat run-down seaside town where little out of the ordinary seems to happen. That is until the asylum, which has been closed for years, makes an unwanted reappearance in the town conscience. The dead body of a former doctor at the asylum is found in the most gruesome of ways. It's time to reveal the darker side of life in Brooklyn Bay...
This was a delightful debut novel by Helen Phifer. Her real-life knowledge of life in the police and experience shines through in this gripping read. The characters are well written, especially Lucy, Mattie, Ellie and Browning. The relationship between Lucy and Ellie was my favourite and the development was perfect.
A thoroughly enjoyable and refreshing read. I look forward to reading more in this series!
This was a delightful debut novel by Helen Phifer. Her real-life knowledge of life in the police and experience shines through in this gripping read. The characters are well written, especially Lucy, Mattie, Ellie and Browning. The relationship between Lucy and Ellie was my favourite and the development was perfect.
A thoroughly enjoyable and refreshing read. I look forward to reading more in this series!
The Lost Children is the first book in a new series by Helen Phifer. Set in the fictional English town of Brooklyn Bay The Lost Children introduces us to the main protagonist Detective Inspector Lucy Harwin, and the rest of her team including Detective Sergeant Mattie Jackson.
The book opens with a prologue based in 1975, before switching to the present day where a body is discovered in a long abandoned mental hospital, last used to house troubled children. On her first day back at work following an extended leave of absence Lucy finds herself called to take charge of the gruesome crime scene. When a second body is found not long after and a link between the two victims is discovered it becomes clear to Lucy that the murders are connected to something that happened in the past, something related to the asylum’s closure. The novel frequently flashes back to the asylum in 1975, with the interspersed chapters building a picture of the horrors of Ward 13.
I don’t want to focus on the plot to much because that would mean spoilers! But I will say for me the book was wonderfully paced, the characters are introduced as the plot moves along so you’re straight into the action from the beginning, there’s no long set up while the main characters and the location are introduced. The flashback chapters create a greater understanding of the history and the crime without being too long that they distract from the present day action.
I found Detective Inspector Lucy Harwin to be a great character. I really enjoyed the fact she was flawed, she’s good at her job but perhaps gets a little too emotionally involved with her cases, but her personal life is a bit of a mess. She still has feelings for her ex and while she clearly loves her daughter she doesn’t find parenting as easy as policing and her relationship with her teenage daughter is strained – I think this reflected the reality of a demanding job, particularly one that is emotionally demanding as well as involving long and unsociable hours. Again I think it’s an area where Helen has got the mix just right, enough of the personal life to develop a well-rounded character without distracting from the main narrative. The only area I would have liked a little more detail would be the reason that Lucy was suspended previously, you do get a brief explanation, which I think is the right decision for the book, anymore would have taken away from the current case, however I would like to find out more about what went wrong before.
Mattie isn’t quite as well-developed as Lucy in The Lost Children. He is obviously a good detective and we learn a little about his personal life throughout the book. It’s clear that Mattie and Lucy would be considered friends as well as colleagues, and Mattie genuinely cares about Lucy’s wellbeing even when perhaps she wishes he would stop asking. I really liked the character and look forward to further development in future books.
There are a number of other supporting characters, and I can honestly say I didn’t have a problem with any of them, I think they all came across as realistic, from the DS who doesn’t always see eye to eye with Lucy but would still have her back if she really needed it, the eager to please young DC who is a whiz with computers to the DCI who claims to care about Lucy’s wellbeing on her return to work, but is more concerned about how anything that happens could reflect on the force once the press get their hands on it. I also found the characters directly related to the crime to be considered and well written. All in all it’s a really strong start to a series.
Would I recommend it?
Absolutely yes. Helen Phifer did a great job with this novel, she manages to introduce a whole range of characters while keeping the plot moving at a steady pace, something I feel a lot of first books in a series struggle with. It’s an interesting plot that kept me turning pages and I can’t wait for more. I really hope that a future novel has more of a focus on Lucy’s last case that led to her suspension. If you like a contemporary crime fiction tale this is one for you.
The book opens with a prologue based in 1975, before switching to the present day where a body is discovered in a long abandoned mental hospital, last used to house troubled children. On her first day back at work following an extended leave of absence Lucy finds herself called to take charge of the gruesome crime scene. When a second body is found not long after and a link between the two victims is discovered it becomes clear to Lucy that the murders are connected to something that happened in the past, something related to the asylum’s closure. The novel frequently flashes back to the asylum in 1975, with the interspersed chapters building a picture of the horrors of Ward 13.
I don’t want to focus on the plot to much because that would mean spoilers! But I will say for me the book was wonderfully paced, the characters are introduced as the plot moves along so you’re straight into the action from the beginning, there’s no long set up while the main characters and the location are introduced. The flashback chapters create a greater understanding of the history and the crime without being too long that they distract from the present day action.
I found Detective Inspector Lucy Harwin to be a great character. I really enjoyed the fact she was flawed, she’s good at her job but perhaps gets a little too emotionally involved with her cases, but her personal life is a bit of a mess. She still has feelings for her ex and while she clearly loves her daughter she doesn’t find parenting as easy as policing and her relationship with her teenage daughter is strained – I think this reflected the reality of a demanding job, particularly one that is emotionally demanding as well as involving long and unsociable hours. Again I think it’s an area where Helen has got the mix just right, enough of the personal life to develop a well-rounded character without distracting from the main narrative. The only area I would have liked a little more detail would be the reason that Lucy was suspended previously, you do get a brief explanation, which I think is the right decision for the book, anymore would have taken away from the current case, however I would like to find out more about what went wrong before.
Mattie isn’t quite as well-developed as Lucy in The Lost Children. He is obviously a good detective and we learn a little about his personal life throughout the book. It’s clear that Mattie and Lucy would be considered friends as well as colleagues, and Mattie genuinely cares about Lucy’s wellbeing even when perhaps she wishes he would stop asking. I really liked the character and look forward to further development in future books.
There are a number of other supporting characters, and I can honestly say I didn’t have a problem with any of them, I think they all came across as realistic, from the DS who doesn’t always see eye to eye with Lucy but would still have her back if she really needed it, the eager to please young DC who is a whiz with computers to the DCI who claims to care about Lucy’s wellbeing on her return to work, but is more concerned about how anything that happens could reflect on the force once the press get their hands on it. I also found the characters directly related to the crime to be considered and well written. All in all it’s a really strong start to a series.
Would I recommend it?
Absolutely yes. Helen Phifer did a great job with this novel, she manages to introduce a whole range of characters while keeping the plot moving at a steady pace, something I feel a lot of first books in a series struggle with. It’s an interesting plot that kept me turning pages and I can’t wait for more. I really hope that a future novel has more of a focus on Lucy’s last case that led to her suspension. If you like a contemporary crime fiction tale this is one for you.