The Lost Victim by Jennifer Hunter has everything I crave in a thriller: a shocking, addictive story; unexpected twists that snapped off the page; and an ending that made me gasp out loud.

This is a well written book and a first read for me from this author!
The characters are interesting, complex and entertaining.
One of my favorite tropes is serial killer’s and Hunter did an excellent job at keeping the suspense and intrigue alive.
The characters are well-developed, and the dialog is believable.
A well-written, exciting, action-packed thriller.
This one kept me up long past bedtime!

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

The Lost Victim is the first book in the Ryan Strickland series.

Ryan Strickland is an FBI consultant and psychologist. Ryan has spent years looking for answers to his missing sister in each investigation he has. Hoping he finds her alive but also afraid of the truth that she has died. This loss gives him insight as to how the families feel when faced with the same tragedy. Ryan is good at what he does and is able to get victims to trust him and share their experiences.

Ryan is called in when a witness has been found who can identify a serial killer. They suspect that the serial killer has committed multiple crimes but have no idea just how many he is responsible for.

When Ryan meets Olivia, she is quiet and withdrawn. As he slowly gains her trust, Olivia agrees to return to the abandoned farmhouse on the outskirts of town. At first glance the property seems to reveal no mysteries or truth of what happened. But Olivia slowly reveals hiding places that they did not see. Olivia was kidnapped at the age of four and in some ways still that age. She does not speak in sentences having learned to be quiet as not to attract attention. As she slowly reveals the horrible truth no one is ready for the unspeakable truths revealed in Olivia’s darkest memories.

This book is an amazing story. It is a riveting page-turner; it is also a deeply dark thriller. It is not predictable at all. About 2/3 of the way thru you think it is over, but there is so much more to reveal. I was able to read this in one afternoon. I did not want to put it down until I had finished it. The subject matter is horrible, but I was so engrossed in the story I knew I would be rewarded for sticking with it. Looking forward to the next book in the series.

The very first chapter is what got me to want to read this book however after about 60% of the book was over it was hard to finish. (I refuse to DNF anything) I felt like the book itself had ended after the first 60% but understanding the title came later however it all felt a little bland for me personally. The first half of the book was really good, I liked how Ryan had to build conclusions on minimal answers from the victim and put a story together for what happened to the victims.

I really enjoyed reading The Lost Victim, I was hooked right from the first couple of pages and all the way to the end. There were some significant turns in the book that left me wanting more. Ryan, an FBI psychologist gets into the mind of an abused woman, Olivia, and helps determine where she came from. As Olivia starts to trust Ryan, she opens up (using minimal words) about what happened to her. We walk through the story with Ryan as the emotional roller coaster takes some turns. Right from the beginning of the book I felt a wide range of emotions from intrigue to fear to sadness. I felt that the book is very descriptive and made you feel like you were right there with the characters going through the story alongside them. I look forward to more Ryan Strickland books.

I recommend this book

WARNING: there are some pretty gruesome scenes in the book that left me feeling uneasy because of the detail and content and this book would not be acceptable for victims of abuse.

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC

Ryan Strickland is an intriguing character and I really hope this becomes a series! I was sucked in from the beginning and couldn't put it down. The mystery is dark and twisted. There are plenty of surprises to keep you guessing. An excellent read!

THE LOST VICTIM felt like a book that went nowhere. I was entertained enough, but the plot felt flat to non-existent, and the story just meandered around until the end. It was well written and possibly appealing to others, but not for me.

"Death didn't care if you were young. It didn't care if you had plans. It didn't care what you wanted. Death took everything you were or would ever be."

The first 65% of this book was such a fascinating read and was just incredible. I’ve always enjoyed books where a character isn’t able to talk and it’s up to someone else to get them comfortable enough to be able to talk and share their story.

I really loved the way that Ryan was getting information from Olivia without her verbally saying much. It truly was fascinating and interesting.

Then the story kinda concluded at about 65% of the way in. It was really odd though cos although we had our conclusion the story kept going (if that makes sense). From that point on I often found myself just disinterested with what was happening which is a real shame.

The Lost Victim
Jennifer Hunter

⭐3⭐

This book follows psychologist Ryan Strickland who is called in to consult on a case for a serial killer that has been running rampant for over two decades. Ryan is determined to use his skills to get a witness to cooperate and assist with their investigation and hopes to solve the haunting disappearance of his older sister, Lisa.

While I did finish this book and thought the plot was interesting enough, I didn’t particularly find it “thrilling”. There isn’t a real sense of urgency to solve the case, the “hunt” for the killer seems extremely easy after the witness is located, and some of the things that occur seem a little too easy to put together, especially if you have watched crime shows or movies. I also was not a fan of introducing characters that seemingly have major importance later on in the series in the last 10 to 20 percent of the book. That may just be a personal preference, though.

I enjoyed Ryan and I would be interested in joining him on another case and following his growth in his personal life.

I absolutely loved this book I read it with bathed breath. I found the character of Olivia very brave, she hid her hurt till she had finished her task, to get all the other girls home. And even after her death her drawing helped Ryan find Julie and give her a new life. I was very sad that she couldn’t overcome her past, but she spent twenty years in hell and couldn’t go on anymore.
Rarely have I liked a book more!

This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. Thanks to the publisher and the author. This talented author has woven a story that is fiction but reads like nonfiction. It would make a great movie. The characters keep the story moving, and the details keep the reader guessing. Red herrings make discerning the ending difficult. Enjoy this novel. Hunter is a fantastic writer.

Whoa! That was a heavy book! My poor heart I didn't know if I was so sad or frightened by the things that happened?! This book had it all! It had suspense, intrigue, murder, sadistic murderer, serial killer, and so many crazy twists!! The storyline was very very interesting! It had me glued to my Kindle! What a crazy but yet so in interesting book! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one! Even book had a it broke my heart at times lol I highly recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!