I loved this book I cant wait for the next one in the series. I enjoyed the story, I loved the characters, it was interesting and it kept me engaged all the way through the book. I couldn't put it down. 5 out of 5.

What a gripping read! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and read it in a little under 2 days - I just couldn't put it down. From a dark beginning; an unorthodox 'mental hospital' we are introduced to Lizzy, a new arrival following the death of her baby brother. She is taken under the wing of older 'patient' Alice as they try to stay under the radar of an evil monster of a nurse and a rather weak Doctor. We learn of unspeakable goings on at the asylum in the 1970's and then the book switches to the present day following the discovery of a body there.

Enter Detective Lucy Harwin as she tries to uncover the disturbing secrets that lie within the asylum’s walls ...Together with her partner Detective Mattie Jackson, Lucy begins to unearth its terrible history, and the horrors endured by the vulnerable children and how they connect with the heinous murder.

More murders follow as Lucy and Matt are drawn into a game of cat and mouse with the very disturbed murderer... The climax is very well written and I enjoyed it thoroughly, I very much liked the characters of Lucy and Mattie and sincerely cannot wait for another book. Many thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in return for this honest review.

Amazing! This book was brilliant from start to finish! Fast paced, with many twists, a taut plot with tense, page turning, heart stopping thrills, this was an unputdownable, addictive read. Lucy Harwin is real and so relatable - the author has a way of putting us in Lucy's shoes, so we are partaking of the action, feeling and living and hurting along with her. Love this author and cannot wait for the next book in this fabulous series.

The Lost Children is the first in the 'Detective Lucy Harwin' series written by Helen Phifer.

When we first meet Lucy she is visiting a police psychologist following an enforced break from the force due to a grisly murder she was unable to prevent - something that haunts her daily. Recovering from the loss of her husband, George, leaving her for a younger woman and taking their troubled teenage daughter with him, Lucy is not particularly impressed with having her head shrunk and when she's asked to attend a crime scene a few hours before her planned return to work, she can't move fast enough.

The murder she is called to attend has taken place in the local 'haunted house', the old Moore asylum, a rundown abandoned building which seems to have cast a shadow on all who came into contact with it. Once a home for troubled children, self-important doctors and vindictive nurses, the investigation into the Moore Asylum reveals a much more sinister operation that was running in 1975 than the outside world would believe. Alongside her partner, and future potential love interest Mattie Jackson, the force try and close in on a murderer who seems to be targeting people associated with the old asylum. As the shocking story unfolds, we see the danger our protagonists are in, but will they realise who the murderer is in time?

I really enjoyed this book, the writing is engaging, honest and believable, and although there are obviously reveals when it comes to who the murderer is - and smaller plot indicators along the way, this author does not fall into the trap of throwing red herrings down at every available opportunity in the desire to force a 'twist' when there doesn't need to be one. This is hugely refreshing in a time when every book is heralded as having a 'killer' or 'gripping' twist and you are never surprised when something happens because you have been expecting it all along! That's not to say this book isn't exciting - indeed it is, I devoured it over 2 evenings (I was working both days or I'd have read it quicker - and I stayed up until WAY past my bedtime on the first night because I didn't want to put it down!).

Up until reading this book I had not heard of Helen's work but now I will be looking out for her debut novel - The Ghost House - and the rest of the Annie Graham series - I can only hope that they are as entertaining and engaging as her newest offering!

Thanks to Bookouture, Helen Phifer and Netgalley for the ARC of this book in return for an honest review

What is it about the word Asylum that conjures our darkest fears? The word should have a positive connotation, but because of its connection to mental institutions and other places where people lived out lives that were nothing short of nightmares, we shudder when we hear it. Detective Lucy Harwin wants to uncover the truth about the Moore Asylum for children, long closed after word of the inhuman acts committed within its walls. A man has been found dead, strapped to a gurney in the abandoned building. To find the answers Lucy and her partner, Mattie Jackson will have to uncover the past, and what happened to the children locked within the walls of Moore Asylum. This is the first in a new series by Pfifer and I admit I was not the biggest fan of her first series, but she seems to have really found her footing with Lucy. The character is believable and the storyline is dynamite. I’m very much looking forward to the next installment