I've struggled with this series. It's a fairly easy read, but, there was just something about it that I didn't like. With the first book, the storyline was gripping enough to keep me going. By the third book though, the storyline is almost the same as the first two and didn't have that extra something that might have turned it into a really good read.
Part of the problem is that to me, it reads very much like a kid's book. I don't know how old the author is, but the female lead doesn't really read like a grown-up woman. Everything in her world is very simplistic, almost like someone who is imagining what it would be like to be an adult but hasn't really got any experience of it. Nikki seems to fall in love with someone at the drop of a hat and it's all based on how attractive they look, no chemistry or connection to who these people actually are. In every book I've found the 'romance' to be pointless and forced. The whole idea that she would equate the brief interest she had with a police man she fancied from afar (and thought that might be a murderer) on the same level as her new lover losing his wife of many years is just odd.
The mystery feels forced to me and as I say repeating what came in the first two books. There's also the ongoing story of what happened to Nikki's sister, which is interesting, but I've now reached the point that I don't care enough to ready any more books and find out what happened.
Sorry, this just wasn't for me.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

A good book which was attention catching, good story line and a nail biting finish. I had not read any of Dana Perry's previous books but didn't feel that it impeded the book which can be read as a stand alone. Nikki was a fire cracker of a FBI agent even though she was always getting into trouble. The story line was well thought out and captivating, I had worked out who the perpetrator was but the why, how and ending eluded me until close to the end. Well written Ms Perry. Thank you NetGalley and publisher for my copy, I shall certainly keep an open for the next book,

What fresh hell has Nikki stumbled into this time? Not only is there another killer on the loose, the past is back again, perhaps in the most egregious way yet. As yet another young girl is found murdered the death of Caitlin wanders back into the spotlight.

Caitlin is back or is it someone pretending to be Caitlin, and if so, why? Why bring a new onslaught of pain and guilt by pretending to be a murder victim – the dead risen from their damp bed of earth. Nikki sees this as a way to find the guilty party. Someone somewhere must be pulling the strings, must be pushing this hurtful and manipulative narrative. Someone who thinks everyone is expendable.

This third book in the Nikki Cassidy series gives a much better indication of why the disappearance and murder of her little sister is the main event in all three books, and clearly after the cliffhanger in this one there is more to come. Kind of makes you question everything.

Where is the author going with it though, what kind of path does he want the reader to embark upon? Equally what happens when the foundation of Nikki’s character and career begins to crumble? As we wander through the series it becomes more intertwined with what appears to be a more nefarious agenda.

This is the third book in this series. I think I need to stop reading books in series because overall I did not enjoy this series. I liked book 1 and book 2 was slow. This book was a little better than book 2, but there was still a lot of repetition, which was the same problem as book 2.

Gripping, tense, shocking and hard to put down! The Lost Ones is the third book in the Detective Nikki Cassidy series by Dana Perry.

FBI agent Nikki Cassidy is called after a young woman knocked on Nikki's former childhood hold claiming to be Nikki's sister, Caitlin who was murdered fifteen years ago. What kind of sick game is someone playing? When her strangled body is found, Nikki won’t stop at anything to get to the truth. Someone is playing a very sick, dangerous, and deadly game. But why?

I could not put this book down. I was on the edge of my seat trying to solve the case right along with Nikki. Since the first book in the series, The Nowhere Girls, Nikki has been haunted by her sister's murder. Will she finally get answers in this book? I had to know!

I found this book to be fast paced, well written, and well thought out! Plus, there is tension, dread, and danger throughout the book. All the things I that I enjoy in a mystery. I am looking forward to reading what comes next for Nikki.

I love that I was able to read the 1st three books in this series consecutively, but lots and lots of adulting was ignored! This is book 3 in the Detective Nikki Cassidy crime procedural series. I thought it would be hard to top the second book, but this one was the best book yet. I really hope we get to see more from Nikki Cassidy in the future! All of these books can be read as standalones, but I recommend reading in order. You won't regret it!

The author has a writing style that ropes you in and keeps a hold on you. He also weaves a story that has you saying to yourself "one more chapter" at the end of every chapter. Just when you think you know what's coming, BAM! You're hit with another twist that derails everything you thought you knew. This 3rd book packed so many twists and turns, and I just had to keep going to find out who the killer was. When I got towards the end, the twist was unexpected and had my mouth hanging open. I definitely want a lot more of Nikki Cassidy in the future! Anxiously waiting!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this amazing ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Perry toyed with me for the entire book!!!
The author held a lure above my head and dangled possible clues. Every time I made a grab for it, it was abruptly yanked away.
The killer was a chameleon although my first hunch was correct, however I couldn’t be sure since Perry planted so many false clues.
And left me hanging at the end with a dismal discovery by Nikki!
This is just sheer torture to have to wait!!

The Lost Ones by Dana Perry is another fantastic installment in the Nikki Cassidy series and it's just as good as the first. Gripping, tense and full of twists all the way through. Can't wait to read her next one!
The author has done a good job in creating the mystery and thrilling aspects of the story.
Well written, the plot is riveting, the story line intriguing. Characters are fully developed.
There are many twists and turns guaranteed to keep the pages rapidly turning.

Thank You NetGalley and Bookouture for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I recently read and, unfortunately, really disliked The Nowhere Girls, book one in this series. Consequently, I'm opting not to continue on with this series.

This one is another that is very similar to the first 2. Again it was well written and fast paced. This author seems to know how to draw you in and how to create some great characters. I would love to see her write about a fully different case that does not relate to the one from her past. But overall it was still a fast paced suspenseful read. With characters and a town we are coming to know and love so I will still be rating this as a 4 star read with a warning that it is very similar to the first 2

After the ending of book 2, I was eager to read book 3. As I have stated before in previous reviews for this series, it has so much potential. However, my sentiments remain the same about the writing style. I do not like it. It is VERY repetitive and over descriptive in some parts and not enough description in others.

Despite the writing style, the story kept me wanting more, to the point I stated up way too late to read it. I did guess the killer about halfway through, though. It seemed kind of obvious to me.

I have learned that I have a love/hate for Nikki Cassidy. I am intrigued to see where the characters' story goes next

3.75 ⭐️

Thank you to Booktoure and NetGalley, an advanced copy of The Lost Ones.

The Lost Ones will be available April 2, 2024, along with The Nowhere Girls (Book 1) and Last One To Die (Book 2).

I think there's a lot of potential in the books in these series. Nikki is an intriguing and well rounded characters, a carreer oriented women.
These books are page turners that keeps you turning pages even if there's a sort of template that is common to all three novels.
I enjoyed, had fun and was kept guessing.
This is a review for all the three novels.
3.5 upped to 4
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Ok, so I’d really really love this trilogy if the repetition wasn’t there. I loved the plot and definitely wanted to know more, but as I kept reading the amount of times that was repeated it really got under my skin. There’s a great story here, just needs some revisions on repetition. It would really hold readers a lot more in my opinion.

Good read

Nikki Cassiday is an FBI agent who is still suffering from the guilt caused by her 12 yr old sister being abducted while Nikki was supposed to be watching her. Years later she is brought back to her hometown to find out who is strangling young girls. There are many connections to the new murders and Nikki's sister's.

This was very good. There was one thinking that struck me as off (someone's identity couldn't be verified and they let that go), but otherwise there wasn't anything that made me want to yell at the book.

This was the first book I have read by this author, but after I finished it i immediately looked for the two earlier books in the series. I am looking forward to reading them and the other books by this new-to-me author.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. I just finished book 2 and needed to read book 3 immediately since it left on a cliff hanger and made me gasp out loud. After detective Nikki solved another mystery that ended in her home town, she is still all over National News. This one almost goes back to book 1 and the reader learns more about Nikki's sister as someone is pretending to be her even though she's been dead for 15 years. At the end, I was questioning everything and believed there might be more to this mystery. Dana, the author, does an amazing job at making you think you know everything but then end up being completely wrong. Even though this is book 3, Dana Perry does a great job of giving enough information that the reader isn’t lost. It works great as a single story. I really enjoyed this book and finished it in 1 day. Now with another gasping cliff hanger (which I suspected), I am patiently waiting for book 4.

I can't get enough Nikki and this series. The plot that carries through the series has me completely hooked. The individual cases are intriguing and this one was no different. As an Ohio girl I really enjoy the setting. The characters are always interesting. As usual that ending stunned me. Book four can't come soon enough!

Nikki Cassidy is at it again with more murders that are linked to her sister. So good and engaging! You will not be able to put it down!

P. S. More Nikki Cassidy soon please!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Book 3 FBI Agent Nikki Cassidy.
Normal service resumed in book 3, and i really enjoyed it..The killer is still on the loose and Caitlyn, Nikki sister who died has been spotted around the town.?????. When more women are being killed, Nikki has to stop the killer once and for all., can the team solve the case? I thought it was a great storyline, something to get stuck into if you like the crime genre. Highley recommend

This is the third book in the Detective Nikki Cassidy series and I think that it’s my favourite. Throughout the story I had a lot of questions but the one that I still have is: is Caitlin still alive and where is she? I thought I was going to get an answer to this question but after reading this book, I have more questions! I really enjoyed the third book, it was a fast read and I was hooked from the beginning. I really like Dana Perry her writing style and I recommend it if you want to read a quick mystery read.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for this arc.

The lost ones book three of the Nikki Cassidy series definitely picks up the pace from book two. The second book was slow paced and very much a copy of book one just with different names. This one is a bit better in terms of storyline and pacing but I honestly don’t think this series needed to be a series. The nowhere girls easily could’ve been a standalone novel or dulogy I think a series wasn’t necessary. The twist at the end i didn’t see coming at all which saved this book and this series for me I’m honestly surprised i finished this to begin with and if there were any other I don’t know if I would read them. Yes the storyline and pacing was better but it didn’t need to be almost 300 pages and in some parts it still reminded me of book one and felt repetitive and I found myself still unsure if I would finish . So do I think this series is worth the read? Maybe if you like a lot of recaps and repeating storylines or crime thriller. Would I read this author again ? Maybe but I think I definitely need some break before I read anything again. I really liked the first one I just couldn’t stand behind the other two.