Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for an advanced copy of The Stolen Girls by Patricia Gibney.

I did not read the first book of the D.I. Little Parker series, so I didn't have much background of the characters.

Women's dead bodies keep turning up and D.I. Lottie Parker must solve the cases before another girl turns up dead. The book kept me guessing until the end!!

THE STOLEN GIRLS picks up shortly after when THE MISSING ONES ended, but in book two of the Detective Lottie Parker series, Patricia Gibney touches on much darker topics than she did in the first book. Lottie deals with human trafficking, organ farming, rape, self-harm, and a serial killer at large.

Lottie Parker is a hard worker and caring mother of three, and she tries her best to keep business and personal life separate. However, when strangers, a woman and her son, show up on her doorstep asking for help in finding her friend, Lottie's world flips. Later that same day the body of a pregnant woman is discovered and she can't help but wonder if this is the friend the woman and son were looking for. Later a second victim is discovered by the same man that found the pregnant woman, and all of his injuries are the same. Looks like Lottie has a serial killer on her hands. When two more girls go missing she must race against the clock to find them before he kills again.

I really enjoy Gibney's writing style. The chapters are short so the book reads incredibly fast. One of those "just one more chapter" books. I read chapter to chapter, so I'm so guilty of counting to see how long the next chapter is before I start it! Not only are the killings brutal, but the other elements that Lottie uncovers are gruesome and add another layer to this thriller. Then when her daughter is thrown into the mix and is clearly keeping secrets from her mom, that adds to the tension. The characters are great and the build up was so worth the end! I cant wait for more Detective Lottie Parker in the future.

I give this murder mystery thriller 5/5 stars!

Thanks to Bookouture for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

I really loved this series' opener, The Missing Ones, when I read it earlier this year, so I was really looking forward to this follow up. Lottie Parker is a bit of a complex character so I would recommend reading book one first, although the story contained within this book is complete.
As with the previous book, I found this one to be very hard to put down. It contains short, punchy chapters that are very easily read, so much so, that I started and finished in just a day, again reading way past my bedtime as I just had to keep going.
A mother and her child visit Lottie and ask for her help to find a lost friend. On the same day, a young, pregnant woman's body is found dumped. Could the two be related? As Lottie ponders this, a second woman is found, linked to the first. There are clues to the ethnicity of the women but no identities forthcoming so Lottie visits the displaced persons' camp in order to get help but she gets more than she bargained for when the head of the camp hints at thing regarding her late husband that she maybe wouldn't want in open play. But Lottie is gutsy and determined and will do anything to get to the bottom of things, especially when a young local schoolgirl also goes missing, a girl her own daughter knows, making this case now really personal.
My my, doesn't Lottie's family get pulled through the wringer. You'd have thought they'd have suffered enough from book one and, at the start of this one, they are still battling to come to terms with the fall out from all that. This book draws them all in once again, but very credibly I hasten to add. This is definitely a police procedural that crosses boundaries.
Once again, Lottie is partnered with Mark Boyd. I do love the relationship between them. The banter, the squabbling, the whole package. Their personal scenes lends to their individual characters and also sometimes provides a bit of light relief which was very welcome in this book as the main topics were a little hard hitting at times.
We do have a few threads running in the book but I found them all to be very easy to follow and they all came together nicely at the end. There is a part of the book that contains flashbacks from war torn Kosovo which were hard to read but very important to the plot and handled in a very sensitive way.
I really do like Lottie as a character. Poor love, she's been through a lot and is trying to make the best of what she has left. Yes, she makes mistakes and sometimes her priorities are a bit skewed but you really can forgive her misdemeanours as all the way through you know her heart is in the right place and communications, secrets and lies are hard enough in families that haven't been through half the stuff that hers has so it stand to reason that life isn't about to get better overnight. I admit that I switched between wanting to slap her silly on occasion to just wanting to hug her at times.
All in all, a great follow up book which has marked this series as a winner for me. I really can't wait to see what the author throws Lottie's way in book three.

My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Detective Inspector Lottie Parker is returning to work after a leave of absence following the tragedies of her last novel. Like everything in Parker's life, it starts off with a bang. A young immigrant woman shows up at her front door with her young son and a letter in Albanian, a dead body of a young girl missing a kidney is discovered and her children are angry that she's returning to work and worse of all, she she can't find her keys.

Thing move at a rapid pace. More murdered young women with missing kidneys are found, a crime figure's daughter is kidnapped, a center for immigrant women is investigated, her close friend on the force has his wife show up with her criminal boyfriend and her youngest daughter, Chloe, is dealing with a very serous problem. There's no rest for Lottie as things keep happening and she finds it hard to keep up. The trouble is everyone is in desperate places that really are life and death situations.

This is the second book in this captivating series of a young widowed woman with three teen-agers in the medium size Irish town. She is committed to her job, still grieving her husband and a little lost raising her children (but then aren't we all?) and is a complex, interesting character. She is not the nicest person you've ever met but she is someone you care about.

It's almost a cliche to say that it kept you turning the pages but it's really true. I didn't turn out my light off until 3:26 am because I couldn't put it down. There are no punches spared in this and can be a little graphic. Still it's one of my favorite mysteries this year.

Characters we so vague it was hard to tell them apart. Could not finish.

Thank you Netgalley and BookOuture for the eARC.
D.I. Lottie Parker is back on the job after several months' leave.
Her previous case was a horrifying one, leaving her and her 3 kids emotionally scarred and in shock. She is immediately called out to a murder - a young girl, who proves to be impossible to identify. Before long another body is found in the same area, while another young girl goes missing. Neither of the dead girls fit the description of the missing girl.
The book was depressing to me, I may have exhausted my tolerance of serial killer mysteries. The first chapter features a horrifying act of violence in 1999 Kosovo, leaving a young boy a homeless orphan. We then go to 2015 Ireland, with occasional forays back to the boy in Kosovo. The subject of sex trafficking, related to the murders, was not a pleasant read.
Nor did I find Lottie a sympathetic character. She was more concerned with the case than her traumatized kids and treated her partner, Boyd, who himself had emotional baggage, with unnecessary rudeness and lack of respect.
As a result I did not enjoy the book as much as I had hoped.

The follow up to The Missing Ones and what a rollercoaster ride it was. This was better than the first book but I recommend reading The Missing Ones first. Great characters, fantastic plot and enough twists and turns to keep the most avid reader interested. A great police procedural and I really did not know who the killer was until the end. Well done Patricia Gibney for another brilliant read.I would recommend this book to lovers of mysteries and thrillers.Thank you Net Galley for my copy.I reviewed on Goodreads.

An excellent second book for Patricia. It was great catching up with Lottie and her family. Although I think she will need a few weeks sleep before her next adventure.

Action packed and with several surprises this book is well worth a read.

Really enjoyed this book Good ending too.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

This second book featuring Detective Lottie Parker is set a few months after the events of the first. Ideally you should read these in order as it adds so much more to the depth of the characters- & Patricia Gibney really knows how to create real,flawed but likeable characters.

This time the story starts in Kosovo where a young boy witnesses the rape & murder of his sisters. When fleeing from the scene he is picked up by some Irish Peacekeepers and taken to the 'chicken farm'. here he is treated kindly by some soldiers although there are others he is not so sure of.

Fast forward to Lottie's first day back at work after the shattering events of Book 1. As she rushes to get to work a young woman & a little boy appear on her doorstep & in broken English beg her to find a missing girl.

Soon there are dead bodies appearing in her town.What do they have to do with the refugee centre and what is the connection to Lottie's dead husband.

This was another gripping tale from Patricia Gibney & I can't wait until the next book in the series comes out. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this super book.

This was a really good read. Very interesting and makes you stop to think. I really loved Lottie & Boyd as characters as well.

I read Patricia's previous book (The Missing Ones) and loved it so much I put it right at the top of my books read in 2017... so naturally my biggest question starting this one was whether she could do it again...  well all I can say is OMG it is a cracking book!!  Again this book covered a number of really tough subjects but I have to say that it was brilliantly written and had so much compassion.  The pace was spot on, I loved the descriptive nature and it really drew me in and made me feel like I was living the story with Parker and Boyd right from the start.  I love Lottie as a main character she has so much baggage I can't help but feel for her as she battles for those who cross her path and I need a third book already!!  I can honestly say that I think that Patricia Gibney is my favourite author at the moment and my best find of the year - this book was fantastic and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Before we start, I would highly recommend that if you haven't already, you start your Lottie adventure with the superb first book from Patricia Gibney in this series "The Missing Girls". That way you can get to know this hot-headed, emotionally unstable DI and her hardworking crew and be familiar with the themes that start in book one and continue through into "The Stolen Girls", DI Lottie Parker's second outing.

Lottie starts book two still trying to come to terms with a crossover between her professional and personal life that left her off work for several difficult months, with a trolley load of baggage to work through. She's suffering and by proxy, her children are suffering. Full of good intentions for maintaining her work/life balance, Lottie heads back to work but no sooner is she back in the room, then the trouble starts again. This time around the time there are some very dark themes explored, starting with Kosovo in the relatively recent past and touching on human and organ trafficking, exploitation & forced sexual labour. Some of the descriptions may be upsetting for the more sensitive amongst us, but there is nothing gratuitous, it all fits into the story, and there are a number of connections that bring Lottie much closer to the action than she might have anticipated this time around. Her relationships, both professional and personal are put under intense pressure and she learns lessons about herself and her family that may be a little hard to take.

Fast paced, graphic, and due to the subject matter, in some places a tough read. But a worthwhile one. I am excited see how the character of Lottie Parker develops and look forward to the next installment in this excellent new series.

The Stolen Girls is a deeply disturbing police procedural that focuses on sex trafficking, organ harvesting, and self-harm. This is book two in the Lottie Parker series, and it does not disappoint .

Detective Lottie Parker is a mess. Her three children are trying to recover from the events that occurred four months prior (in book one), and her partner Boyd is also falling apart. To say their lives are in shambles is an understatement.

When the body of a young pregnant woman is found buried on a road construction site, Boyd and Lottie investigate and throw themselves into the case. As they dig deeper and deeper, they uncover a sick and twisted world ruled by the dregs of society, unaware that danger is lurking nearby and ready to pounce.

There are multiple storylines and POV’s, but all are compelling. At times, it’s hard to read because of the subject matter, but there are also glimpse of hope. I highly recommend this series!


I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

So I hate to do this, but I've heard from several other trusted reviewers that this book contains some very disturbing content including sex trafficking, organ harvesting and cutting and I feel that this is not the book for me. My apologies, but I prefer not to read graphically disturbing books. Thank you so much for approving me for a copy of this book! You're one of my favorite publishers!

This is the second book in the Detective Lottie Parker Series. I loved this one more than the first book. This action packed, nerve wrecking tale had me furiously turning pages late into the night to see what happened next. Beautifully written, fast paced, and thrilling. This is a police procedural with a lot of twists thrown in. I didn't know who the killer was until the end and the last twist involving one of the main characters was a beautifully happy moment to read. This is another masterpiece from a fabulous author!

Lottie deals with some dark themes: human trafficking, organ farming, rape, a serial killer and self-harm. It is darker than her previous book and when the body count begins to rise, Lottie realises that they have a serious problem to deal with in her home town.

Lottie is a widow with three children. She's a take charge detective that sometimes oversteps her bounds . She's called to the scene of a murdered girl found at a site where they are doing roadwork. Soon another body is found by the same man . Also a local teen, someone Lottie’s daughter Chloe knows from school goes missing. The detectives are struggling to identify the victims as no missing person reports have been logged and Chloe is keeping secrets from her mom.

The plot is very well written and all the flashbacks tie in perfectly with the storyline. Well defined characters and underlying currents are dominant in this story, but it all builds up to an amazing ending! I love a good murder mystery, and this one definitely didn't let me down.

I want to thank NetGalley, Bookouture and Patricia Gibney for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I definitely recommend this book.

This is Book 2 of the D.I. Lottie Parker books, I haven’t read book 1 of the series but this did no spoil my enjoyment of this book.

Women’s dead bodies keep turning up and D.I Lottie Parker must solve the murders before another girl turns up dead.

D I Lottie Parker has a lot of demons in her head to fight. She is a mother to teenage girls, but she seems disassociated to them. Is she addicted to Xanex, or is she correct in thinking she is fighting the addiction?

And what is the connection to Eastern European trafficking?

This is a novel that takes you in to the dark underbelly of Ireland, and it’s not a pleasant place to go. It’s well written and I did enjoy it I just found that D.I. Lottie seemed to be more obsessed with solving the case than being there for her children and that annoyed me. I think that is part of the character development and it is done well and am looking forward to reading the third book in the series.

Thank you the Netgalley and the publishers for their advance copy in return for an honest online review.

This is a very good book. There could be triggers for some. This is the second book in the Lottie Parker Series. You could read it without reading the first book but there are references to the first book and it also has backstory of the characters. Lottie Parker is a great detective but her personal life is a mess. She has three teenagers who are all struggling emotionally. Lottie herself is struggling with the death of her husband nearly four years ago.
Her new case has lots of twists and turns. Her family is pulled into it. The first half of the book is the build up to the story. By 70% in I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. There is so much suspense and action at the end of the book. A great thriller!
****I voluntarily reviewed and gave my honest opinion of this Advanced Readers Copy of this
book from NetGalley****

4.5 stars

Wow, Ms. Patricia Gibney has written a great follow up to her debut novel, The Missing Ones. The Stolen Girls, #2 in the Detective Lottie Parker series, packs a wallop.

DI Lottie Parker is back to work with the Irish garda (police) after a several month leave of absence following her harrowing adventures chronicled in The Missing Ones. A single mom of three, Lottie is seemingly operating with minimal sleep and piles of outside distractions, mainly having to do with her highly stressed teenage kids and an intriguing side case that may or may not be tied in with her main mission. To state that Lottie is edgy is a huge understatement. As the heat on Lottie grows hotter she comes close to totally losing it, while making decisions that are not in her or the cases’ best interests. Fortunately, she has a great partner in DS Mark Boyd, who does his best to keep Lottie grounded. In addition to their professional partnership, they have an on again/off again (mainly off again) personal relationship that contributes to the strength of their rapport. Their repartee is a highlight of the fine characterization in the book. I love these two characters.

Lottie’s assignment in The Stolen Girls involves an intricate set of events including murders and disappearances along with plenty of deception, seemingly with connections to 1999 Kosovo. The setup takes a bit of time, but it really did not seem overly slow, and I was never bored. At around the midpoint, the story explodes like a rocket. The twists start coming hard and fast and continue through to the end of the book. We are dealing with a lot, and I mean a lot, of threads. At times, my head was spinning trying to keep up with everything. But keep up I did. I think. The second half whizzes by at a zooming fast pace (despite the book being 459 pages) and is bursting with palpable suspense. I found the ending great even though there were a couple of minor loose ends. We don’t always need the perfect big red bow.

If I had one main criticism, it would the high number of threads. I had to stop and think on a number of occasions in order to keep everything straight in my head. I believe the story would have been just as good and a bit easier to follow with one or two less threads. There are also some scenes that are real queasers, especially if you are not a big fan of dark and gory.

I sense that there may be a (welcome) trend towards cutting back on to and fro timelines. This book has a few very short mini-chapters revolving around incidents in 1999 Kosovo interspersed here and there. I found them totally nonintrusive and the flow undisturbed. We also have 3rd person narrative throughout, which is my favorite mode of story telling.

If you are looking to become immersed in a gripper of a story with characters easy to cheer for, pick this one up. I do however highly recommend starting with The Missing Ones (4.5 stars from me) in order to fully appreciate the progressive development of the characters.

I’m so pleased to have found you, Ms. Gibney (thank you, Bookouture). I’m now looking forward to book #3 of what I hope will be a very long series!

My thanks to Net Galley, Bookouture, and Ms. Gibney for an ARC of this novel. My review consists only of my own opinions, which are unbiased in any way.

The is another excellent installment of the Di Lottie Parker series, I would say even better than the first. It starts with Lottie's first day back after a 4 month absence. She gets right back into the thick of it. When a bunch of road workers have found a body. Not long after, more bodies turn up with some of their organs missing. The police believe that its all linked to asylum seekers at a detention center. The story also involves prostitution and people trafficking.

This is an exciting, gripping page turner I couldn't put it down. I like how the author and the originality of the story. I can't wait for what's next in store.