Thrilling story with a plot that kept me turning the pages, really well written with great characters. Highly recommend to everyone who is a fan of this genre.

Enjoyed this book for the most part, although the police characters were perhaps a little too larger than life at times and swore a bit more than was necessary. Coupled with the dark and disturbing plot, I can see why some people may be turned off by the book. It didn't bother me that much but did lend itself to some parody type moments in the middle of the plot. That said, it was quite compelling and I would read more from the author now I know what to expect.

THE LOST CHILDREN by STEVE PARKER. Couldn't get into the story and too much foul language .

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

This book has the main characters of Detective Superintendent Ray Patterson and Detective Inspector John Clocks these characters appear larger than life. The storyline includes everything from the murder of children to witchcraft and corruption.
I would recommend this book as a good read with plenty of action.

Highly recommended to every reader of Steve Parker, a very sensitive and disturbing story line which leaves the reader gripped and unable to put the book down

Excellent crime thriller that I would recommend highly! I had not read any other books by this author, but will definitely read more. Thoroughly enjoyed it!

On My! Absolutely fabulous, what a Read! I couldn't put it down and, as I read on, kept saying to myself "oh, this is just so good". From thousands of thrillers I've read this has got to be among the best of the best. The storyline was complex without being complicated. Sufficient character background to explain situations but not so much as to detract from the action unfolding. Not for the feint-hearted though as the subject-matter can hit you like a train. The writing is gritty and flowing and in my mind I was 'watching' a film unfold before me. I loved the two main characters, Patterson and Clocks, and their relationship and interactions with colleagues and suspects. Would I recommend this piece of superb writing? - absolutely and gladly. Thank you NetGalley for giving me this opportunity. I fully intend to read more from Steve Parker.

This book is absolutely brilliant, it's a hold your breath kind of a read. Pretty gruesome in places, but it has to be for the book to get and hold your full attention. It is the second one in the series but could be read as a stand alone as there's plenty of background information on the characters but I prefer to read books in order. I think it is amazing how the story unfolds with all the different aspects to consider. Could something like this actually happen? probably

I will not go far in this review, but want to say a few things. I will not even summarize the book, because the blurb is available above.

Due to my sensitive nature, I had a difficult time with this book because some of the victims were children. No doubt real life and the author's creativity combined in the writing of this story. There are a lot of fine ratings for the book, but I could just not handle the graphic subject matter.

I really liked this book, it had suspense, action, heartbreaking scenes. Some graphic passages but I feel this is necessary to show life lived. I read the first book in this series and I am glad I did, as it made the story much clearer. It can be read as a standalone but some references aren't as clear. Great character, some loveable and some not. Well written book.

Ray Paterson (Regan) John Clocks (Carter) an amazing duo is this what modern day policing is like? If not perhaps it should be. A very interesting plot about a subject which is rarely heard of in modern day England, but obviously does go on. Perhaps not for the squeamish but a great read. Look forward to catching up with his duo in other stories.

This is the second in the Detective Superintendent Ray Paterson series set in Bermondsey in South London. This is a truly dark disturbing and gritty crime thriller that just grabs you by the throat and never lets go. A guilt ridden Paterson has returned to work after all the ructions when he shot a fellow police officer previously. From a privileged and wealthy background, Paterson here is working with the more working class, newly promoted DI Johnny Clocks, a man with a deficit when it comes to social skills. They find themselves with a harrowing investigation when an elderly black African is found shot dead in the head, and nearby is the gruesome dumped dismembered torso of a child. Facing unforseen obstacles, the two cops find themselves in a unsettling case involving the darkest of crimes perpetrated on children. This is a hard hitting and compelling read, not for the fainthearted. A brilliant crime read which I recommend highly.

I loved the first book in the series ‘Their Last Words’ featuring Detective Superintendent Ray Peterson and Detective Inspector Johnny Clocks and I have impatiently been waiting for the second book in the series. Well the wait is over as ‘The Lost Children’ by Steve Parker was published by Joffe Books on 26th August 2018. When I was able to grab a copy ,I did and I dived straight in. Bloody hell what an amazing read it is. I absolutely loved it but more about that in a bit.
I have to say that I like Detective Superintendent Ray Paterson and I even like Detective Inspector Johnny Clocks even if he is occasionally un-PC and very undiplomatic. Paterson is a career policeman, who has recently returned to work following an incident where he shot and killed a serving police officer. The killing was justified but that doesn’t help the fact that Paterson feels incredibly guilty and he thinks that all other officers will hate him. To say that Paterson is thrown in at the deep end on his return to work is an understatement as he is asked to investigate the shooting of a man through the head, but it also emerges that a dismembered corpse of a child has been found close by in a skip. This upsets Paterson and strengthens his resolve to catch those responsible for the death of the man but above all for the poor bairn. Paterson & Clocks are the sort of policemen who achieve results, even if they don’t always play by the rules or even if they bend the rules a little bit. Clocks strikes me as being a bit of a hard nut but that’s only on the surface. Dig a bit deeper and you will find a soft centre. One of Clocks’ failings is that he often opens his mouth before he puts his brain in gear and that can get him into trouble. He also doesn’t seem to notice when he has upset somebody and some of his questioning can be pretty blunt and insensitive. Together Paterson and Clocks make a great team.
It’s definitely true to say that this is a difficult read. I don’t mean that it is badly written or anything like that as it’s fantastically written. The difficult bit has to do with the subject matter that I know will not be suitable for everybody. The book discusses child murder, child abuse, ritualistic sacrifices and paganism to name but a few of the difficult subjects that are discussed. Certain parts of the story are based on real life events when a little boy’s torso was found in the River Thames. I think that we owe it to those that have suffered and have become victims to raise awareness of such crimes and ensure that this sort of thing isn’t allowed to happen again.
‘The Lost Children’ starts with a bang (literally) and in a way that is going to remain fresh in my memory for a long time to come. A man is shot in his head, which takes half of his skull off. The book hits the ground running and maintains the pace throughout. Reading ‘The Lost Children’ was much like watching one of those Hollywood blockbuster films where one nasty thing happens after the other and you are waiting for the good guys to ride to the rescue.
I was hooked on this book from the moment I got my hands on a copy, never mind from when I began to read. Reading this book soon became a serious addiction. Once I picked the book up, I found it very hard to put the book down again. It wasn’t as if the book was glued to my hand but it might as well have been because the book came everywhere with me. I begrudged having to put the book to one side and if I did have to put the book to one side then I was counting down the time until I could pick it up again. I binge read this book in a couple of sessions and I am so glad that I did because it gave me an inkling of the sense of urgency that is attached to cases such as the ones in this book. The writing was so convincing and authentic that I did feel as though I was a member of the team investigating the case. I found that I was interacting with the book and trying to butt in with my own thoughts and feelings. I had to remind myself that this book was fiction and not real life.
‘The Lost Children’ is one hell of a rollercoaster ride of a read, which will put you through the emotional wringer. There were twists and turns aplenty and moments that quietly snuck up on you and hit you in the face like a frying pan to the face. On more one occasion I couldn’t believe what I had just read and I had to re-read certain parts of the book to make sure that I wasn’t imagining things. Several times throughout the book, events left me shocked, stunned and outraged. ‘The Lost Children’ is a book that will play with your emotions, it will make your blood pressure rise and it will certainly get your adrenaline going.
To conclude it’s fair to say that I 100 % loved reading ‘The Lost Children’. Not an easy read granted but a necessary read to raise awareness of such despicable crimes and events. I can’t wait to read what Steve Parker comes up with next. Here’s hoping that we don’t have too long to wait- HINT, HINT. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

The second book to feature Ray Paterson and Johnny Clocks and this book packs a mighty punch. Very graphic in parts, great character development and corruption at the highest level in an international setting. Ritualistic murder of children is not an easy topic to write about but this is an exceptional plot. It's an easy 5 stars from me. A cracking roller coaster read.. Thanks to Net Galley and Joffe Books for my copy. Reviews on Amazon, Goodreads and Facebook.

This is the 2nd amazing book in a series and is a fast paced thrill ride of a read! I highly recommend that you read the previous book just to get the full experience when you read this one.

*I would like to thank Steve Parker, Joffe Books and Netgalley for providing me generously with ARC in exchange for my honest review.*
This is the second book with Detective Superintendent Ray Paterson and Detective Inspector Johnny Clocks but for me it was the first one. There is reminiscence of Paterson's previous case which helps the reader to get to know both Ray and Johnny better.
The novel covers several themes which have been in the news and films over the last decade and which should be given much more publicity. This book will hopefully play a vital role in doing so. The crimes described are of a most horrific nature and some scenes are really brutal. The novel reads well, the two main characters are well-developed and likeable. Moreover, juxtaposition of their personalities adds positively to the reading. I give four stars as I appreciate the importance of the problems mentioned in the book.

2.5 stars


Definitely one of those where I should have read the first book in series... as every time it was referenced,I just thought "what the hell?". A lot happened.

This book was equally busy... and graphic. It was uncomfortable reading.
I didn't quite get to grips with either main character or all the other people playing politics here.
I winced a few times at the descriptions of crimes committed. They were brutal.
All in all,not really for me.

This is the second book in what looks like a very exciting and gruesome series. Even though it is book 2 in the series it can be read on it's own, although book one was brilliant so I would recommend reading that one as well.

If you have read book 1 then you will know Steve isn't afraid to use bad language and include graphic scenes in his books, and this one is no different so be warned the is bad language, I counted over 10 swear words in the prologue alone, but they fit perfectly within the situations they are used, plus swearing in books has never bothered me.

The book starts off with a bang, or my correctly a sniper shot and uzi fire, and never slows down from there.

This book covers some very dark situations and covers some dark areas, which most people wouldn't dare tread.

I really loved the chemistry between the two main detectives, and the way everyone treated Ray after what happened in book 1 is brilliant and, I personally think, quite apt considering everything that happened.

The book kept me hooked throughout with all the investigations, interference from above and the way Paterson and Clocks interacted with each other also kept me entertained throughout all the gruesome storyline.

This is a brilliant book and I can't wait for book 3 to come out later this year (hopefully)

At first I was worried that the subject of child murders would be distressing but the book was interesting to read. The whole avenging angel plot made the book more palatable to read. Unusual main character, look forward to seeing what happens with this character

I so adored this book! It has brilliant main characters, an excellent plot and it kept me engrossed all the way through. I would highly recommend this book.