Revisiting the very first time I met DI Lottie Parker feels like putting on a pair of comfy, old slippers, or getting a hug from a dear friend. And that is where the comfort stops, and the feeling of ice water dripping down your back starts.

Demanding your attention from the outset, The Missing Ones is enthralling, with brutal murders described in bone-chilling detail, a gloriously pungent plot, and a cast of characters to die for.

Patricia Gibney has created a very special character in Lottie Parker, and fast forward to the present day and book 13, Lottie continues to put her own special stamp on solving complex cases.

*Thank you to Bookouture and Patricia Gibney for providing an eARC via NetGalley. This is my unbiased review.

Omg wow this book is amazing it's full of twists and turns it will keep you up all night I really enjoyed this book

Detective Lottie Parker is on the case of a body of a young woman that had been doing. This case is soon followed by the body of a young man. It soon appears this case had links to historical cases!

This was such a great opener to a series I am sure will last for a long time. Well written and likeable characters.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I did not like this book at the start but keep going so glad I did I found the writing style easy to read I got pulled into the story I need to carry to see what happen love the twist a good plot

Bookouture and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of The Missing Ones. I voluntarily chose to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Detective Lottie Parker is called in to investigate the death of a woman in a cathedral. When a young man is found hanging from a tree hours later, it is uncovered that both victims have the same unique tattoo. As Lottie digs into the deaths, will a connection to unsolved cases from years before give the detective the perspective she needs to solve the cases?

Nothing is left up to the imagination, as the author describes everything that is said and done, down to the smallest detail. There are too many characters with their own issues and the side plots overwhelm the central story. DI Lottie Parker may be a good investigator, but her personal life drama has a way of taking over. When it comes down to it, The Missing Ones has a very familiar story to other police procedural thrillers in the genre and does not have anything to set it apart. For these reasons, I would be hesitant to recommend The Missing Ones to other readers.

This is the first book in a series and I think the debut for this author. Took me a little while to get into it and wasn't sure it was for me at the start. But then the story started to pick up pace - it covered 2 timelines - the historic abuse and its discovery by Lottie. Disturbing in places which doesn't always make for an easy read. Wanted to keep reading to discover the truth. Will be reading the next book in the series soon.

I'm very confused why this book has any great reviews. There is way too much description! This makes for a very boring and unenjoyable read. Nothing was a mystery. The clues in this book were so blatantly obvious. No more Det Lottie for me.

This story was really slow! The good parts were few and far between! It was an easy book to put down and never come back to!

First of all, it’s way too long considering the substance of the story which is pretty typical and occasionally flat, albeit mixed with moments that were kind of disturbing. Gibney capitalizes on the darkness that follows the Catholic church from past to present, using it to weave an interesting crime around the religion’s hidden-but-usual practices and beliefs. But, I could have done without a huge chunk of the middle of the book that was rather slow and plodding, and struggling to make typical familial domestic issues an interesting intermission between the police procedural aspects of the plot.

There was an attempt to flesh out squad members and have them feel like a team with deep connection and personalities, but for the most part, I think this book suffered from just too many relationships for Lottie to juggle so none of them ever became emotionally tangible, except for Lottie’s partner, Boyd. And where real connections were not built, you had characters like Lottie’s Captain who was angry and dramatic without a known motivation, making him seem like a stereotype rather than a real character who the author put thought into. And while he acted as a conflict source for Lottie through 50% of the book, eventually he just disappeared from the story. Further, the people on Lottie’s team came across as bad at their jobs.

Lottie’s character theme was pretty obvious – a single mom and struggling widow who has a conflict with her superiors, including her own mother. She’s emotionally short and holding anger over the death of her husband. She’s frazzled and dropping the ball at home when it comes to her kids. While I can appreciate the reality that is present in that character direction, I had a hard time connecting with Lottie because she lacked any personal introspection. Sure you have a bad relationship with your mother, but your children are literally going hungry?? I don’t understand being on the ball enough to lead a murder investigation, but not having the inclination to take care of your kids even if it hurts your pride.

Second, I thought Lottie was a hypocrite. She’s a borderline drunk who hides alcohol in the shed and has blackout sex with her partner, who she then verbally abuses while sober, and yet, when her 19-year-old daughter is smoking weed she approaches it like it’s the 1930s and Reefer Madness.

There are multiple references to weed being a “gateway” drug and to pot smokers being “junkies,” their lives being derailed by weed. Then there were comments about the effects of weed that were actually the effects of heroin/opioids, followed by a freak out that included something about “injecting” weed in an alley, and the fear of finding her daughter dying with a needle in her arm.

I have to wonder if the author has ever been around weed in her life or if she has access to Google to find out exactly how it is consumed and the effects of it. Or maybe she’s just heavily anti-weed and felt the need to preach that out in her writing using debunked talking points.

Either way, as a pot smoker who knows a lot of pot smokers, this aspect of the book was just straight up stupid.

The real killer on this novel, however, is the pacing. There is no sense of urgency to the investigation. It is muddled by Lottie’s personal demons and weed hysterics. It took me forever to read this book because I found myself getting so bored, so often. By the last 100 pages, things started to pick up, but as the final showdown took place and all the secrets were revealed, it felt lacklustre. A letdown that could have been avoided had more attention been paid to suspense and pacing, and editing.

If you like UK police procedurals that are high on personal issues and tame in action, but have some dark moments to make you uncomfortable, you might like this.

It’s not a terrible first entry into a series, but it suffers from a few missteps. And I definitely wasn’t into the weed scare tactics.

4.5 Stars

A woman's body is discovered in a church and she appears to have been strangled with very little struggle. To add to the story, this woman is terminally ill. Another body is discovered shortly afterwards. This time, a man hanging from a tree. The victims seem to be connected somehow because they have identical tattoos. Detective Lottie Parker is having a hard time connecting the cases until a man arrives with a story to tell...a story of youth taken to soon. It is a tale of horrors and Lottie is determined to find the killer and put the victims to rest.

This book was quickly moving and highly suspenseful. I had a hard time putting it down and I can't wait to read the next book in the series. I wasn't overly thrilled with the conclusion but the overall suspense and fantastic plot and character development still give this book a rating on the edge of 5 stars!
Highly Recommended.

I received this ARC from Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Netgalley.com, to Bookouture, and to Patricia Gibney for this opportunity.

Intricate and twisty. I really like Lottie - she is definitely determined, flawed and brilliant. But for heavens sake please realize you are in love with Boyd! I cannot wait to read the next one!

The Missing Ones is the first in a brand new series featuring Detective Lottie Parker. Utterly gripping and very disturbing.

What can I say? Some 18 months after I intended to read this novel I have finished it.
In the process I have found a new author who writes with integrity and passion. When an author shares their heart, and draws on life experience to frame their fiction it can be liberatingly real or too personal and full of subjectivity.
In Patricia Gibney, and her debut novel, the words chosen to propel the story, show her skill at telling a story and sustaining interest.
The subject matter is current and raw, but shared with courage.
Two things stand out in any new detective fiction. The range of characters, believable and fleshed out. Secondly, a plot that is delivering a great mystery and is a story worth telling in a fresh way.
Detective Lottie Parker is a damaged woman but a strong detective and faithful team member. Interestingly, she has both a drink issue and a prescription drug problem but it is a case of a murder / suicide that drains her and leaves exhausted and emotionally bankrupt. This is told with such skill that you fell her pain and frustration of not getting a break on this investigation. She has a boss who is less sympathetic and rallies to support his buddies rather than his lead detective.
The story is gripping from the outset. Motives and sub plots abound but the focus keeps being drawn to the past and life in a children's home run by the Catholic Church.
This isn't bashing religion but reflecting recent events and letting the imagination run free. It takes no moral position but shows humanity with all its failings.
I loved the work shown with the homeless, the frustrations with a work/life balance and the personal journey the author begins with Lottie Parker. She is in a much better place at the end of the book and as a reader my understanding of situations and how people managed increased.
A book about loss and betrayal. A story about secrets and shading practices.
A series I now want to read as quickly as I can; this is book 1 don't make my mistake and wait another few months to read it. I guarantee you'll adore Lottie and love this new author I've found.

Brilliant! kept me on the edge of my seat till the very last page, when I was searching for other books by Patiricia which are just as good. FOllowing this author to make sure I don't miss out on any other recommendations.

Really enjoyed this book it had so many layers and every time I thought I had it worked out another twist arrived to thwart me. Definitely recommend.

"I wonder which one of us will be next?"

What a way to start a book! I was definitely intrigued. It started out a little slow, but once I got into it, I was hooked.

There was so much in this book - murder, child abuse, corruption and more. It all came together and the ending was really a shock to me.

It was a great thriller and once you start, you just can't stop.

I don’t really know where to start, other than to say how much I enjoyed The Missing Ones. What an incredibly stunning debut. I love this genre, and usually figure out what’s going on around half way through. Patricia kept me guessing right until the very end. Lots of deeply detailed, well thought out characters, fast paced and jumping between two time periods was enough to make this one of my favourite reads so far this year. At times it reminded me of Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code, which still to this day is one of the most incredible reads. Lottie Parker is a fantastic character and I’m looking forward to continuing her journey.

A good crime book, but a bit tough to follow. I think that the characters were developed well and the premise was a good one and a good foundation for a series was set, but I did struggle a bit following completely.

The Missing Ones is a police procedural thriller set in Ireland featuring DCI Lottie Parker and her team. A woman is found strangled in a cathedral is the first of a string of murders connected by St Angela, a home for wayward, orphaned children and unwed pregnant mothers. This is a dark mystery filled with cruelties inflicted on the weakest and defenseless members of society by people with power and in the name of religion. The long, confusing list of characters and repetitive dialogues pulling interest from the plot. Overall it earned a two star rating. This is the first book in the series and overall the likability of the characters was enough to peek interest in possibly reading another book. I purchased this book on Amazon, my download expired before I downloaded it.

I debated about whether I should review this book since I gave up reading it about a quarter of the way in. I simply couldn't follow the storyline very well, and the main character didn't appeal to me enough to make me want to keep reading. Having looked at the other reviews, perhaps I should have stuck to it, as the description definitely sounds like something I should enjoy. However, the execution of the story, at least in the beginning, just didn't work for me. So, my review is based on the fact that I couldn't slog through until the end. That must mean something.