The Next Girl is the first installment in Carla Kovach's mystery series featuring Detective Gina Harte. It's not the most complex mystery I've read recently, but I found it easy to get lost in just the same. The complicated nature of the heroine makes up for any deficiencies in the plot itself, and I found myself quite invested in her personal struggle as well as in the plight of the victims of our very sadistic villain.

Four years ago, wife and mother Deborah Jenkins disappeared without a trace. The police did everything possible to find her but it was all to no avail. Her husband, mother, and two young children have all come to terms with her probable death, and although it hasn't always been easy, each of them has begun to figure out what life will look like without Deborah there. And then, an abandoned infant is found outside a nearby library, an infant who's DNA matches Deborah's, and suddenly, the investigation into Deborah's disappearance is active once more.

Detective Gina Harte remembers the Jenkins case well. She wasn't the lead investigator back then, but she's familiar with the investigation nonetheless, and now that Deborah's case is in the forefront of everyone's minds again, she's determined to reunite the woman with her family, no matter what it takes. Of course, this is a lot easier said than done. The original detectives did their job thoroughly, and in spite Gina's efforts to find something they missed, nothing jumps out at her. But Gina knows that Deborah is out there somewhere, most likely the victim of unimaginable horrors. After all, how else could she have given birth to the baby girl who was left outside the library?

Gina would love to devote all her attention to the Jenkins case, but her personal life is pretty messy. Her adult daughter is in the process of planning a memorial celebration for her late father, a man who had once turned Gina's very existence into a living nightmare. Gina doesn't want to participate in the celebration, but neither does she want to ruin her daughter's memories of her father, so she keeps the truth to herself, something which pushes the two women further apart. And, as if all that isn't enough, Gina is sleeping with one of her direct superiors. Neither of them would go so far as to call what they have an actual relationship, but they're both aware it's very much against the rules, so they've been meeting in secret for the past several months.

The story is told from four different points of view. Most of our time is spent with Gina, but we also see things from the perspectives of Deborah, her husband Luke, and Deborah's captor. For the most part, this narrative style works well, although spending a significant time in Deborah's head took a little bit away from the mystery itself. The identity of her captor isn't revealed until the end of the story, but his motivation for abducting Deborah is laid out pretty early on. Fortunately, there were still a number of things to be discovered about Deborah's ordeal, and Gina's race to uncover the truth definitely kept me fully engaged.

If violence against women is a trigger for you, you're might not want to pick up this book. Deborah suffers horribly at the hands of her abductor, and Ms. Kovach goes into quite a bit of detail about what has been done to her over the years of her captivity. Plus, Gina's former husband was terribly abusive, and she is still dealing with flashbacks and nightmares about the abuse.

I found myself quite put off by the author's need to describe in painstaking detail a cold Gina and one of her fellow detectives came down with about a third of the way into the book. I don't object to the characters getting sick, but I do object to having to read about all their coughing, sneezing, and nose blowing, especially as it didn't really do anything to move the story forward. It just gave the characters something to complain about, and it was unnecessary.

I'm eager to learn more about Gina Harte and her friends and family. She's exactly the kind of complex heroine I love encountering in a thriller. The second book in the series is supposed to come out later this year, and I definitely plan to pick it up.

Buy it at: Amazon/iBooks/Nook/Kobo

Deborah Jenkins sets out for her short walk home in the pouring rain but never makes it home . Four years later a baby girl is found wrapped in rags on a doorstep . The DNA test shows the baby belongs to Deborah ! I loved this book ! Chilling , disturbing and gripping ! A vivid riveting story you won't soon forget ! Carla Kovach is a remarkable storyteller ! Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review ! #Netgalley #Bookouture #TheNextGirl(DetectiveGinaHarteBook1) #TheNextGirl

The Next Girl by Carla Kovach is the first book in the new Detective Gina Harte police procedural thriller series. The book starts like many others with a prologue in which a man picks up a prostitute and things escalate to the man murdering the woman.

As the story begins though time has jumped four years to when a baby is found abandoned obviously having just been born. The police get a call shortly after the infant was found begging them to do a DNA test on the baby and with no other leads the test is performed linking the baby to a missing woman.

Four years before Deborah Jenkins had been walking home late one night when she vanished without a trace leaving behind a distraught husband and her two small children. This news that the abandoned baby hits the family hard but gives them the first sign of hope in years that Deborah must still be alive.

The book takes turns then following Detective Gina Harte and her colleagues as the begin looking into the case and searching for clues again that might lead them to Deborah. There are also chapters from Deborah’s point of view letting readers know slowly just what has been happening to her for the last four years.

What I absolutely loved the most about this opener for the series was just how thought provoking the case turned out to be. It’s very hard to imagine how the family left behind feels when someone goes missing and I’m sure as time goes on they would begin to lose hope but to have a baby found that proves that loved one is alive?? Oh my. My mind began to race on what reactions I thought the family could/would have and I couldn’t stop turning the pages to see what the author did with this story.

As much as this first case intrigued me and I began to like this new detective I was following I did however have a few little details here and there stand out to me keeping me from a perfect rating. Things like the detectives having to beg permission to run a simple DNA test seemed to be a bit constraining and I’d hope unrealistic to real police work. But as I said these were small nit-picky little things and overall I really enjoyed this first book of the series.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Firstly, thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me a pre release copy of this book in return for an honest review.

It's a rainy night in the Midlands and Deborah Jenkins is heading home after working late. She never makes it. Fast forward four years and a newborn baby is found on the doorstep of a local library. An anonymous phone call to the incident room urging the investigators to check the baby's DNA reveals a shock. The baby is the daughter of missing Deborah. The family and police are baffled and throw everything they have into finding out what happened to Deborah, and where she's been for the last four years.

I was intrigued by the title of this book, which is the first book in a promising new series by Carla Kovach. I fully expected that, going off the title, there would be a string of dead bodies for Kovach's weather worn DI Harte. Unfortunately, that didn't materialise - the book wholly centring on Deborah Jenkins' disappearance and the arrival of her baby. However, I'm pleased to say that this was the only disappointment I found. The book rolls along at a steady pace, yet urges you to go just one more chapter. And the reader, although having plenty of suspects to choose from, you are kept in suspense as the author holds off on the final reveal to the very end.

On the whole, characters are believable, as for the plot - although some may say is a little far fetched - well, stranger things have happened. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and I'm looking forward to reading more in this series.

A well written book with an interesting premise. Strong police procedural with a well rounded female protagonist.

I don't read detective series but something about this cover and the description drew me in. I absolutely loved this book and DI Gina Harte is my new heroine! Deborah Jenkins is kidnapped as she leaves work and heads for home. Four years later, as her husband decides it is time for him to move on with his life, a new development leads him to believe she is still alive. As Deborah's case is reopened, there are lots of new developments and DI Harte and her crew work diligently to solve the case. I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next book in this series.

I loved this!! If I could give more than 5 stars I would. An abandoned baby who’s DNA matches Deborah Jenkins, a missing mum of 2 who didn’t come home from work 4 years ago! What follows this is the harrowing story of Deborah who is being kept chained in a damp basement somewhere, by someone we don’t know. The other side to this is poor husband Luke who is trying to move on, despite having no answers to where his wife is. Heading up the investigation is Gina Harte, who has plenty of skeletons of her own, and a very dysfunctional relationship with her daughter!
I loved the whole rollercoaster journey this book took me on, It stirred up an array of emotions and left me desperate to read more! Excellently written, edge of your seat twists and even the shocking story of Deborah is told in a way that disturbs but isn’t done for “shock’s sake”

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the Publisher Bookouture for this review copy given in exchange for an honest review. Also thank you to Noelle from Bookouture for organising the Blog Tour.

Deborah Jenkins goes missing one night four years ago on her walk home from work. She leaves behind her husband and children, but there are no clues or witnesses as to what happened to her and the case remains unsolved. Four years on, a baby is found abandoned in a doorway. Detective Inspector Gina Harte and her team are given the case, but when an anonymous call comes in telling the police to do a DNA test on the baby, the results astound Gina. The baby belongs to Deborah….

This is the first book in the Detective Gina Harte series. It was also my first book by this author! What a great way to start a series and another great author to add to my list of ‘Find More By….’ The story gets straight into the action from the first page and keeps up the pace right through to the end. Gina is a great female lead, and I love the way that it’s not just about the police investigation but also about Gina’s personal life. She’s a widow, but as the book goes on you find out that her relationship with her husband, Terry was an abusive one and one that she is better out off. She also has an adult daughter and is a grandmother, which I found to be a refreshing change compared to other books where the female lead was a lot younger. This doesn’t mean, of course, that Gina is some grey haired old granny….far from it, she’s a ballsy, strong willed and attractive woman who doesn’t take any rubbish from anyone! I love her!!

With regards to the story of missing Deborah Jenkins, the book flits between Gina and the investigation, an unknown person who has been keeping Deborah prisoner for all these years and Deborah’s husband Luke, who finally feels he’s ready to move on following Deborah’s disappearance. Deborah’s story is heart-breaking and you couldn’t imagine how she must have felt for all those years, and then to have her baby taken away from her. Luke’s story is also just as heart-breaking. Just as he’s about to move on, he gets the news that Deborah may still be alive – how does he cope with that sort of news? The story is fast moving and held my interest all the way. There were lots of twists and turns and I couldn’t wait to get to the reveal as to who was holding Deborah against her will.

Detective Gina Harte is definitely a series I will be following in the future and I will be seeking out more that has been written by this author. A fantastic read!

On the cover it looks like moving water and a catch phrase that attracts attention immediately: "She thought he would come to save her, she was wrong."

It all starts when a little girl is found wrapped in dirty rags in front of a door. Detective Gina Harte takes the investigation into his own hands. An anonymous call asks him to do a DNA test on the little one and it turns out that she's the daughter of Deborah Jenkins who has been missing for four years. Which proves she's still alive.

A story with lots of twists and turns, I loved this first book read in three hours, eager to read more.

The Next Girl Review

Great plot. The main detective Gina character is well fleshed out but that's about it. Her daughter Hannah is a bitch. The other characters are rather flat. I'm hoping that will change in her next book due out in August, 2018.

I realky hated the constant repeating of someone wanting to vomit and I lost count of the times the word mucus was used. Also repeatedly saying she couldnt get into a relationship with her superior. We got it the first six times. I would like to see this book rewritten without the cold/mucus references. It adds nothing. Or, it could just be my weak stomach talking.

I did like the theme of domestic violence being addressed. The last few chapters were really exciting. Like in turn-the-page-fast exciting.

All in all, I did like the book immensely and look forward to more Gina.

Continuing on with my heart pounding, page-turning thrillers, here’s another one, The Next Girl by Carla Kovach. What I typically do is alternate genres, reading a non-fiction, then a literary fiction then a mystery or thriller then a light women’s fiction type of book. This book is the first in a series that centers around a detective named Gina Harte.
Deborah Jenkins pulls her coat around her as she sets out on her short walk home in the pouring rain. But she never makes it home that night. And she is never seen again …
Four years later, an abandoned baby girl is found wrapped in dirty rags on a doorstep. An anonymous phone call urges the police to run a DNA test on the baby. But nobody is prepared for the results.

The newborn belongs to Deborah. She’s still alive.

This sounds like it has real potential to be one of those books you just can’t put down!

I really enjoyed this book. Gina Harte is a great character, not without her flaws and demons.

What a brilliant book...
Read in 2 days... brilliant storyline.
This will be a number one seller
Cant wait fof next one...
Ive read all the books by this author and they are super...
She is one of my fav authors...

Another great female detective series! This is book one of what I hope will be a long series of books featuring Detective Gina Harte and her team.

4 years ago Deborah Jenkins disappeared on her way home from work never to be seen again. When a baby is found abandoned in the doorway of a library and a DNA test confirms that Deborah is the mother the investigation into her disappearance is re opened.

I really enjoyed this book. Gina Harte is a great character, not without her flaws and demons. Her relationship with her daughter is complicated. She has the respect of her team and she cares about what she is doing and nothing will get in her way. I look forward book 2 later this year.

Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read and enjoy in exchange for my honest opinions

A welcome new series focuses a police detective struggling with her own demons while she investigates a case that keeps reminding her of her past. Well developed characters and fast paced story make this a highly enjoyable read.

THE NEXT GIRL is the first book in Carla Kovach's "Detective Gina Harte" series. I've become rather addicted to UK style crime thrillers; and this new-to-me author is no exception. Here, Gina and her team are called out to investigate 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 they discover that the mother is Deborah Jenkins, a woman who who disappeared without a trace four years before.

THE NEXT GIRL is a police procedural with a subplot of a creepy, twisted live thrown in for good measure. The story is told from three points of view - Gina and the investigation, Deborah and her unnamed captor, and Deborah's husband Luke. Normally I'm not too keen on the split narrative as it frequently makes for a choppy read but in this case it works well. Poor Luke is left in the victim role as both Gina and Deborah work separately towards her release. An intriguing read, and a new author to watch for.

An interesting take on the British crime genre. Dark, fast paced and intriguing with just enough personality and humour. I look forward to book two.

Thank you very much to netGalley and Bookouture for the advance copy of The Next Girl my review is totally honest and unbiased.
An elderly man finds a baby on the doorstep of a library on his way home and it turns out to be the daughter of Deborah who went missing four years ago leaving behind a husband and two children, but where is she????
Really like Gina Harte 's character this book was full of twists and turns and and I'm so looking forward to getting to know her better as the series goes on. What an amazing start to the Detective Gina Harte series it has certainly left me thirsting for more!

I really loved this book! Excellent story with brilliant main characters. I would recommend this book.

First book about DI Gina Harte. A woman disappears without a trace, and four years later an abandoned baby is found and DNA matched to be the child of the missing woman. Gina and her team investigate to find the missing mother. I really liked this a lot. It was suspenseful, and I will definitely read more in this series. 4.5 stars, rounding down to 4.