This was a really good read , I warmed to Gina immediately and liked the relationship she had with her officers . When a baby is found abandoned it's a shocking discovery to find her DNA matches to a woman who disappeared 4 years earlier without a trace . Working on the assumption she was abducted and is being held against her will the case is reopened and Gina and her team start going over all the old evidence . The only reason this book is a four not five star is the claim on the front like so many other books out at the minute , it promises a heart stopping twist which for me was more of a whimper . There was no twist despite constantly looking for it . Still a really good read though and I would recommend .

This is the first book I’ve read by Carla Kovach and I enjoyed it!
I love a good series and I think that Detective Gina Harte is a great character....im looking forward to seeing the direction that this author will take her....I found this book to be suspenseful and well written. I would definitely recommend this author to others and I am looking forward the next book in this series.

Brilliant! An exceptional debut, thrilling and spellbinding. Brilliantly written, fast paced and tense, this is a a novel packed with energy and adrenaline, full of twists, racing towards an amazing finish. Loved it and cannot wait for the next. This writer definitely stands out among the crime writers of today with this hard hitting, superb novel.

A captivating and intriguing read.

**Advanced reader copy** Will be available to read soon.

Thank heaven's for snow days and books like this. I genuinely couldn't put it down, just look at my stack of dishes and unmopped floor, even though I've been snowed in for 3 days now! If you like a good detective led mysterious thriller...quiet like Rachel Abbott's book series, then you will definitely enjoy this one. And I am so excited to see the second book is in the works already.

The main character is Gina Harte, or Detective Inspector Georgina Harte, a woman who, in a desperate attempt to move on from a troubled past, has plunged herself into work, allowing it to take over her life. Much to the detriment of her relationship with her daughter and grandchild and every other relationship for that matter. And work life shows now signs of slowing down, especially now that new evidence comes to light that still missing woman, Debbie Jenkins, who's case she failed to solve 4 years previous, is still alive and possibly held capture somewhere.

Luke is Debbie's devoted husband, Cathy, Debbie's Mum. Both supporting each each to bring up Luke and Debbie's two children. It hasn't been easy but maybe its time to move on, Luke's friendship with Brooke has become more romantic, Cathy likes her, the kids like her, but he can't shake the guilt that he is letting go of Debbie. Just as he seems to be coming to terms with it, DI Harte shows up with news. A baby, the one that was on the news, left abandoned in the storm outside the local Library, it was Debbie's! What could this mean? Do she run off, have a baby then abandon it, was she safe or was she is serious danger.

The story from that point is a head spin of emotions, I felt Luke's pain for his long lost wife, I felt Cathy's pain for her daughter. But also Gina, she felt like she let Debbie down by not finding her before, she needs to find her now, she knew all too well what it was like to be abused and she needed, really needed, to help her. But she also needed her daughter, Hannah, to understand, torn between her work and making Hannah happy.

I am trying my very best not to spoil any parts of the story so I will say no more.

I've found another new author to read! I can't wait to read the 2nd book in the DI Gina Harte series (and try some of this authors other books). What a story!

Just wow! If this isn’t your worst nightmare I don’t know what is.

Words to describe this book are terrifying, horrific and traumatising!

This book was FANTASTIC! It’s book 1 in the Gina Harte series and man what a first book to start a series. It’s hard hitting straight out of the gate and it pounds you in the face right through to the end. I picked this book up and had a real hard job putting it down. I was so sucked in to the story I just had to keep reading until it was way past bed time, even then I didn’t want to put it down.

The moral of this story is never ever accept a lift from ANYBODY!

Phew that was one rollercoaster ride of emotions I feel quite exhausted! A really fantastic book well worthy of 5 stars.

This thriller is absolutely the best thriller I’ve read this year! Deborah Jenkins went missing 4 years ago leaving behind a doting husband, mother, and 2 children. Everyone assumes she’s dead until a mysterious baby is left in the rain outside the library. A desperate caller says to have the baby’s dna checked. The baby is Debbie’s. What happened to Debbie? Where is she? By chapter 3 I was so completely invested in this story I couldn’t put it down until I finished at 1 am. Alternating chapters and a detective I completely loved Gina Harte. I will read every book in this series. Completely well written and fast paced!

What a great start to a new detective series. This first case with Gina Harte is a real twist and turn crime thriller that also tugs at the heartstrings too. The story of Debbie is quite harrowing but quite believable unfortunately in this day and age. I could feel Debbie's pain and despair and also how desperate Gina was to resolve this case and bring Debbie home. Gina was a very likeable character and hopefully in future books we will see how things develop further with Briggs and with her daughter Hannah. I felt there could have been a bit more at the end in relation to what happened going forward with Luke, Debbie and Brooke but a fabulous read nevertheless.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy of The Next Girl, the first novel in a projected series to feature DI Gina Harte, set in the fictional town of Cleevesford in the Midlands.

Gina and her team are called out to an abandoned baby, barely a day old. With no clues the team is stumped until an anonymous call suggests they do a DNA test on her and what they discover shocks them as the mother is Deborah Jenkins who disappeared four years previously and was never heard from again.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Next Girl which is a twisted tale of love as well as a police procedural. The novel is told from three points of view, Gina and the investigation, Deborah and her unnamed captor and Luke, Deborah's husband. Normally I'm not too keen on the split narrative as it frequently makes for a choppy read but in this case it works really well with each viewpoint dovetailing perfectly and leaving this reader desperate to know what would be next. Poor Luke is left in the victim role as both Gina and Deborah work separately towards her release. It makes for compulsive reading and had me gripped from start to finish.

I like the characterisation as well. Deborah's captor is well drawn as a pathetic dreamer who has convinced himself that they are in love while Deborah hasn't quite given up hope that she'll get away. Is it possible after 4 years, both her escape and strength of mind? Gina Harte is the one I'm unsure of. I like her strength and she is one of the most compassionate fictional detectives I have read but I find her backstory, well not so much the actual story but the fact that she hasn't told anyone at all about it for over 20 years, a little hard to swallow and why, after all that time, would she embark on her first relationship with the most unsuitable candidate in the world, her boss? I'll just have to read the next one now to get some answers! I would have, anyway as I think The Next Girl is a good read and have no hesitation in recommending it.

Great story line full of twists and turns that grabs the reader from the very beginning and doesn't let go till the very end. Detective Harte comes across as a strong character that gives you hope and a perfect example of someone the overcomes hardships early in their life. A must read and can't wait to read more about DI Harte.

I like to give honest reviews .If I don't like a book I will say I don't like it and if I love a book then yes I definitely will say I liked it and read it. So here goes my review of The Next Girl.... without a doubt this is ...a fantastic book!!!!! OMG so much suspense and so different then anything I have read in awhile. This book literally I was not able to put down it kept me captivated from the first chapter. Who left the baby on the library steps? and why? How is this baby connected to missing person Debra Jenkins? Will Detective Gina Harte be able to find Debra? YOU will HAVE to read to find out ! Loved Gina such a great female lead. There is nothing that I didn't like about this book. SO much suspense that kept you flipping thru the pages to the end! Read today you will not be disappointed!

First book in the Detective Gina Harte series. Fast paced thriller that kept me riveted to the pages of this book. Gina Harte is a dedicated police detective who races against time to save a teenager that disappeared four years ago. and has been held in captivity. The characters and the story are excellent. I await Book 2. Thank you NetGalley, Bookoutre and the Author for allowing me to read and review this book.

Now this a great thriller! It’s fast-paced and action-packed! It has crazy twists and turns that will leave you guessing til the very end! I would definitely recommend!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own