Having read book one in the Lottie Parker series (The Missing Ones) and seeing what promise it had I was looking forward to this next instalment. I felt a little deflated and I'm really hoping that book three (which is sitting in my TBR pile) will restore my faith in this series.

So what bugged me about this book...?
- An awful lot of coincidences
- Lottie's apparent disregard/ignorance for the welfare of her own children and their individual issues (a sure-fire was to get my back up!)

I'm not giving up on this series just yet

Thanks to Bookouture for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

What a great book. I enjoyed it more than the first.

Lottie struggles desperately as her family are falling apart and reaching breaking point in front of her. When her beloved husbands’ memory is sullied by insinuations that he may have been taking part in illegal activities Lottie starts to push away the people closest to her.

There were times during this novel that Lottie proved to be quite selfish, overlooking her children, her Mother and Boyd as they clearly tried to get help from Lottie but in her own struggle to deal with her life and her dependency on pills she does not see what is happening in front of her eyes.

I absolutely blitzed through this book. The style of writing makes it hard for you to put down and I vowed “just one more page” at least a hundred times. Another fantastic book from Patricia.

The Stolen Girls by Patricia Gibney

Title: The Stolen Girls
Author: Patricia Gibney
First Published: July 17
Publisher: Bookouture
Pages: 450
Price on Amazon: Paperback £10.99 Kindle: £1.99
ISBN:1786812193

Lottie Parker returns to catch a serial killer and find a missing girl.

Lottie Parker is back and this time she is on the trail of a serial killer with the help of her team Lottie treads the waters of sex trafficking, missing girls, murder and drug lords. All while trying to keep her family together and safe.

I got this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Well, Gibney has done it again. A fantastic read and another book have gone straight into my favourite category on my Kindle. I love Lottie Parker and her team. I cannot wait for the next book, so much so I have it on pre-order already.

I had no idea who the killer was and was completely surprised at the end which is what I love in a good mystery book, keeps you guessing right till the end and I think a great sign of a mystery book is when you can't guess who the killer is.

I am desperately waiting for Lottie and Boyd to get together they would make such a great couple and the sexual chemistry between them is amazing.

All I can say about this book is wonderful and roll on book three. Five out of Five stars, truly well deserved.

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I didn't read the first book in the series, but had no problem jumping into book #2 in the Detective Lottie Parker series. I've become quite addicted to some of the police procedural series that are being written and I plan on continuing with this series. In fact, I have added book#1, The Missing Ones, to my TBR list.

The is a fast paced book on some dark themes including rape, organ harvesting and human trafficking. The topics aren't exploited, but you definitely feel the pain and anguish for the ones enduring the suffering and the survivors and family members as well. It's a tough topic, but the combination of crimes produces a well-developed and interesting plot. There are flashbacks to prior events, but they are well done and aid in the story telling. I really liked how this case(s) tied back to Lottie's late husband.

Lottie is a well-developed character and a nice mix of widow with three children, tough detective and a person in her own right. It's not easy trying to be all things and she does suffer from trying to do too much and making some bad decisions in the bargain. I appreciate that she wasn't perfect. I also like the character of DS Mark Boyd who is a good complement to Lottie's character.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC and I look forward to the next in the series…

The story is written with several stories connected with each other. A boy witnesses the rape and harvesting organs of his mother and sister in Kosovo in 1999. A young woman with a small child in her arms is looking for help at the asylum in the UK just to become a victim of human trafficking. A woman detective is trying to hold her family together while everything is falling apart after her husband’s death. And on top of that, dead bodies of young women with missing kidneys start to appear. Ragmullin is not a safe place anymore.

Detective Lottie Parker is a widow with three children, her now dead husband worked at the military base during the war in Kosovo. One day when she gets ready to work, a young woman with a child appears on her doorstep. The young woman in a bad English language is trying to ask for help from Lottie. She mostly speaks Albanian. She asks for help for her missing friend Kaltrina. She has Lottie’s husband’s badge. How does she have it?

When Lottie arrives at work, there is a case waiting for her and her partner, Boyd. A body of a young woman is found. The person who found it is from Kosovo. The body is missing one kidney. Her bone structure says she is from Eastern Europe or Balkans.

Everything is connected to Kosovo.

Another body appears. The same person finds it, also missing kidney.

What the hell is going on?

This is my first book from Patricia Gibney, but boy, definitely won’t be the last. From the very first page, I started reading, I said, “Oh, My God”! A real roller coaster! A story into the story, a crime into crime! I finished reading it in one single day, and I went to work! Some of the scenes are creepy and very violent, but I couldn’t stop finishing the story! I haven’t read the first book in the series, but this one can perfectly stand alone. Great story for human trafficking and war immigrants. Sadly, stories like these are very much true. I enjoyed reading, it kept me on the edge till the last page. And if you ask me for a recommendation, I will definitely recommend it!

It is DI Lottie Parker's first day back at work after after a traumatic ordeal and things are not going well. Already late to work, she finds a young woman and her child on her doorstep. The stranger does not have much English and hands Lottie a letter before disappearing as quickly as she appeared. Not long after her work day begins, the station is awash with activity as the body of a pregnant girl is found by a road maintenance worker. Before long, another body is discovered, and a local teenager has been reported missing. DI Parker and her team find themselves struggling to identify the girls and just how they are connected...

Patricia Gibney has a knack of opening her novels with a bang. Her prologues are tense and gruesome, dragging the reader in by the scruff of the neck. This book opens with a harrowing scene from war-torn Kosovo, 1999. A young boy watches in horror as his mother and sister are brutally attacked while he hides in fear. In the main body of the story, Lottie is ignoring the needs of her children and by throwing herself into to the difficult case, she misses some vital signs of serious problems at home. She forgets her son's counselling sessions; leaves her troubled daughter in charge of her two younger siblings and has reverted back to the take-away dinners. Even the obvious distress of her two girls seems to wash over her, as she worries about the unidentified bodies.


A direct provision centre, for refugees, is causing Lottie some concern and she confronts the manager but with no effect. The plot thickens, but with no names and no leads, it makes Lottie's job even harder. The case seems to have links to human trafficking and there is an added element of the return of a well-known gangster to the midland town of Ragmullen. DS Boyd is once again on-hand to support his boss, but the previous spark between them is now not much more than Lottie talking down to him as he tries to show his support. Add in the politically incorrect and socially immoral DS Kirby and the office is not the most pleasant place to be.

This is a page-turning thriller, with a very interesting story-line. While the themes explored are difficult ones, they are based on fact and it is hard not draw comparisons with the treatment of refugees and the ongoing issues surrounding human trafficking today. This may be a fictional story, set in a fictional town, but there are towns like this all over Ireland, Europe and beyond. There are many, many unidentified bodies yet to be claimed and many people making money on the back of undocumented immigrants. Hopefully, by book three, Lottie will see the error in thinking her children can manage without her and start to listen to their voices as much as her caseload. She is a great character, but in fear of losing her likability.

Patricia Gibney is back with the follow up to her incredible debut The Missing Ones and I’m pleased to report there’s no sophomore slump to be found here, The Stolen Girls is every bit as thrilling as its predecessor!

The Stolen Girls takes place a few months after the events of The Missing Ones and this review will contain spoilers, so if you’ve not read it yet STOP! Go read it and you can come back and thank me after.

Following the kidnapping of her son and the murder of her eldest daughter’s boyfriend in The Missing Ones D.I. Lottie Parker has taken a few months off to try and be there for her family. The Stolen Girls picks up on Lottie’s first day back at work, her morning starts when a strange young woman knocks on her door looking for help, with very little English the woman leaves Lottie with a letter before disappearing again. Lottie’s hopes of being eased back into the job are dashed when a road worker discovers a body in a ditch are they arrive to refill it. Soon another body is found and Lottie begins to question if her early visitor is connected to her case.

Questions soon begin to be raised about the detention centre for women and children which has filled the old army base. Dan Russell is in charge of the detention centre and soon makes the investigation personal by casting aspersions regarding the morals and behaviour of her husband during his deployment in Kosovo.

As with The Missing Ones Patricia has taken cues from real life events, in this case the atrocities of the Kosovan war, Patricia doesn’t shy away from the brutality of the situation and at points in was hard to read the pain and suffering, especially during the flashback sections.

Again Patricia has done a wonderful job combining elements of the case along with character development and Lottie’s home-life. We learn more about how the children are managing to deal with the trauma they had faced. It was particularly heartbreaking to see how much Chloe, who had held the family together during The Missing Ones was struggling, and resorting to self harm.

The Stolen Girls also gives us some more background for DS Boyd introducing us to his estranged wife. For me the highlight of this was the little hints of jealousy we saw from Lottie and the suggestion that Mark’s feelings we saw in the first book may not be entirely one sided.

Would I Recommend?

Once again Patricia has crafted a wonderful novel, which as before is well paced, and despite its length doesn’t feel padded or over long. It’s a gripping read which deals well with some sensitive subjects, and reaches a highly satisfying conclusion. I would definitely recommend The Stolen Girls. Personally I’m eagerly awaiting the next DI Parker case.

Having read the first book in the series I was thrilled to read this one. Lottie and Mark are a pair of bungling detectives but it makes for a good amusing plot. I really don't know how they got to their status. Lottie is a widow with three children who is forced to put her job before her children. They were traumatised by an incident in the first book of the series. Sadly the family is dropping to bits and Lottie scarcely registers how much she's needed at home. I confess human trafficking is not my ideal theme but it was handled so well. It beggars belief that refugees and asylum seekers who flee from war-torn countries like Bosnia should be treated so badly by greedy evil people. It makes me so angry. I do enjoy the bickering repartee of Lottie and Mark. Again, like the first book a bite-your-nails ending. I shall post this on Amazon and my blog.

The story begins in Kosovo, 1999 when a young boy is witness to unspeakable horrors exacted on his mother and sister then his father commits suicide. He sets out to escape further atrocities and along the way is helped by a kind soldier. Life isnt good to him but he never forgets the kindness shown to him by that stranger.
Fast forward to May, 2015 where a young girl is terrified for her life after being kidnapped by a masked man wearing blood stained boots.
Detective Inspector Lottie is an Irish police officer with three children who has struggled to cope since the death of her soldier husband. Instead of repairing the failing relationship with her family she chooses to return to work. On her first day back she is delayed by a young woman with a small boy who begs for her help in finding someone called Katrina.
After a road worker makes the grisly discovery of a young girl’s body Lottie finds herself leading the investigation into her murder. It isnt long before another body is found by the same worker and police think they have found the killer. The bodies are all found to have surgical incisions in the same area and police suspect there is a connection with a nearby refugee camp.
Pressure mounts after the daughter of a high profile crime boss is abducted and police fear she will be the next victim. Lottie may find out too late that one of her daughters has vital information which could solve the case. People and events in the past will be linked to the investigation in a way you will never imagine.
The author did an excellent job of invoking some, at times, quite savage imagery and making it jump out at me particularly towards the nail biting finish. Just remember to keep breathing as you become caught up in the vortex of a gripping story.
This is the second book in a series which started with The Missing Ones. Reading the first book would expand on the background information but not vital for the reader to enjoy The Stolen Girls.
Readers who enjoy a good mystery thriller should enjoy this author and her books.

It's good to be back in the world of DI Lottie Parker, her family and colleagues to see how she's coping in the aftermath of the previous book.

She doesn't really get a rest as she's soon back in the thick of it without having time to process stuff properly. There is some horrific stuff in the first few pages but it's to move the story along and it is heart breaking, it's well written, as is the rest of the book, and it flows into the rest of the story to it's cohesive end.

Am excited to read the third book in the series to see what shenanigans are going on. Highly recommended!!

This is the second book in the DI Lottie Parker series, and even better than the first book. In this book we meet Lottie a couple of months after the trauma and events of book two, and sees how she deals with that in her personal life, as well as trying to investigate the murder of a young girl. I can't wait for book number three!

This is the second Lottie Parker books I have read and I am already looking forward to the third. I like the way the book is structured with smaller chapters - keeps you thinking oh just one more before I go to bed - the outcome being I stayed up into the wee small hours to finish it. I like the characters and would love to see Lottie and Boyd get together. In some ways the plot is a bit too complex and an awful lot is fitted into the length of the book making it feel rushed in parts. Having said that it was a very engaging read and fast paced and attention keeping.

2nd in the Detective Lottie Parker Series and even better than the 1st book. Great thriller a real page turner!
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Wow, what an incredible book this was! I read the first Lottie Parker book and was blown away, but this book was just as good, if not better than that :)

Don't get me wrong, the subject matter contained in this book makes for harrowing reading at times, but nevertheless this is a tightly and sensitively written book.

Lottie Parker has bodies turning up all over her patch. These bodies have things in common with each other but how exactly do they also have things in common with Lottie's late husband? How does Lottie keep the lines of communication open with her family whilst trying to solve a very complex case at the same time?

I really loved this book, it had me on the edge of my seat more than once and there were some twists and turns that I certainly didn't see coming.

Highly recommended from me, 5 stars.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.

This is the second book of the Lottie Parker series and i was very thrilled to get it since i enjoyed the first book a lot.
This story was a huge mess, in a very good way, it got me hooked since the first page and well, it was hard to stop reading.

One girl was found murdered, and in the same day a stranger with her little boy came to Detective Lottie's house asking for help for herself and her missing friend, and then another girl was found dead by the same man who found the first vitim, this girl was murdered in the same way. other girls went missing and still no answers were found, and among all this Lottie still had to deal with the problems of her family and the trauma caused by her previous case.

It was good to be back again with Lottie's team and as the story went on, too many players seemed to be involved, none were remotly innocent but also none of them seemed to fit in the big picture. I was not even trying to figure out who the murdere was. His name was not important, what he did was.
I liked the flash back to the past and how they linked to the story. The author touched one of the darkest faces of humanity and although this was a fictional story, still it evoked some of the dark moments in history which made it at some points very intense.
The characters were really interesting and i enjoyed reading them.
Only one thing i have to add is that this time i did not like Lottie as much as i did in the previous book. I did not like the way she was handling her family, and at times the investigation, she became a bit more reckless than necessary, in my opinion at least.
But it will be interesting to see how she will behave in the next book, as i certainly will be waiting for it.

Gibney continues to amaze! In the second installment of the D.I. Lottie parker series, young women keep turning up dead... and the same man seems to be finding their bodies. As Lottie rushes against the clock to catch a killer, she comes across some potentially disturbing information about her deceased husband Adam -- information that could tie him to a killer. On top of work stress, she is trying to help her kids pick up the pieces after her son's previous kidnapping. But, now that a killer has Lottie's family in his sights, will her daughter be able to escape the same fate her son suffered just a few months prior?

I didn't know how Gibney could possibly top her debut book, The Missing Ones, but this second in the series brought just as much pulse-pounding suspense, mystery, action and danger as the first novel. Once again, I found myself turning the pages far into the night to see what would happen. As with the first book, the plot of this novel is full of shocking twists and turns and it kept me guessing.

I LOVE the character of Lottie Parker! She is bold, brash and brave at work but, in her personal life, displays a vulnerability completely at odds to her work persona. I like her quirky dichotomy. She has so many layers, and I feel like I am just scratching the surface in getting to know her. I look forward to peeling back those layers as the series progresses. I don't know when I have enjoyed a character or series as much as I have enjoyed Lottie Parker, so far. I am eagerly awaiting the third title in the series, The Lost Child.

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book from NetGalley & Bookouture in order to read and provide a voluntary and honest review, should I choose to do so.

This is book 2 in the Lottie Parker series and it does not disappoint! Tackling such deeply disturbing matters like sex trafficking, organ harvesting, and self-harm, I really enjoyed this second installment!

Detective Lottie Parker's domestic life is in tatters - her three children are trying to recover from the events that occurred earlier (in book one), and her partner Boyd is also falling apart..

When the body of a young pregnant woman is found buried on a road construction site, Boyd and Lottie are put on the case and become fully immersed in the case. As they delve deeper, they uncover a world like no other - deeply disturbing goings on orchestrated by the dregs of humanity. They become embroiled in this world and inevitably their lives are in the gravest of danger.

There are several concurrent storylines and varying points of view all of which are compelling to read if not seriously disturbing at times! I am really enjoying this series and cant wait for another! Many thanks to netgalley for an ARC in return for honest feedback.

If you want to read this book and haven't read 'The Missing Ones' I'd recommend you read that book first or you will know a lot about what happened in the first book. This said I'm going to read the first one nonetheless, because this one was so unbelievably good.
Since reading this book I've looked up Patricia Gibney's bio on goodreads.com and no wonder the emotions of her characters come across so real it hurts sometimes.
Also the Yugoslavian wars happened 'just right around the corner' from where I live (Austria), so this is an element that gets me every time.
Truly stunning book!