It's hard to believe we've reached the twelfth book in the series, but here we are, and Three Widows is just as good as the instalments before it. I love catching up with Lottie Parker and her team, and I love how Patricia Gibney always gives Lottie something new to deal with even after all this time. I enjoyed these aspects of the plot just as much as the investigation itself as they add a more emotional element to the story.

Patricia Gibney's writing is brilliant. Three Widows is an incredibly fast paced novel, despite the fact that it takes Lottie and her team some time to find some convincing leads. I was really invested in the investigation and I was just as keen as Lottie and her team to find the answers!

The investigation in Three Widows is complex, so it did take me some time to get to grips with who was who and how they were connected to each other. The threads between each line of enquiry and the relationships between the people of interest are so cleverly constructed and I loved how the author brought everything together.

I can't wait to see what happens next in the series!

I was not a fan of this book. I realized after starting it that it was part of a series. Looks like I need to start at the beginning. Thanks to Bookouture, Patricia Gibney and NetGalley for the chance to read. I feel like there were way to many characters introduced at the same time. I felt myself struggling to keep up. Like I said, I think I need to start from the beginning.

I have read all of the previous Lottie Parker books since the first one so I was really pleased to see there was a book 12.

The story begins with the body of a woman found on waste land in an industrial estate. She was part of a ‘Life after Loss’ support group for widows. Shortly after, another member of the group goes missing and is later found dead. As the investigation delves deeper, it would seem someone from the group has ulterior motives for being there.

Although this is book 12, it can be read as a standalone. However, it does have continuity with the characters and their back stories which I like so I would recommend reading them in order from the start.

I always enjoy books with detective work, the police interviews and looking for clues. I like the familiarity of the main character, Lottie Parker, she will always go with her gut, rubs people up the wrong way and won’t let anything stand in the way of her finding the truth.

A great storyline, fast-paced and an all round, easy to read detective book. I’m already looking forward to book 13.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy of Three Widows, the twelfth novel to feature DI Lottie Parker, set in the fictional Irish town of Ragmullin.

When a woman’s body is found, tortured and murdered she is identified as Jennifer O’Loughlin a quiet widow who vanished weeks earlier. Then another body is found, Éilis Lawlor. Both women were part of a support group of women who have lost their husbands and Lottie suspects that the other two members of the group know more than they are saying.

I enjoyed Three Widows, perhaps not as much as some of Lottie’s previous cases although it is still interesting enough to hold the reader’s attention. It is told from various points of view, including the rather deranged but unidentified killer. I don’t think that this approach works so well in this novel as they’re a couple of voices with preoccupations separate from the complicated investigation and it just seems too busy.

There are lots of murders and attempted in this novel and the victims are not all predictable as the author throws in a few spoilers. It works as I didn’t have a clue about either the motive or identity. There are a lot of people involved in this investigation, most of whom won’t tell what they know, so that leaves Lottie and her team floundering in a morass of seemingly unconnected information and a set of characters who seem connected in too many ways. It’s a bit overwhelming with so much information and so many bodies in such a short period of time (4-5 days). And all for a motive that is underwhelming. Having said that, I loved the epilogue as it brought out my inner schadenfreude.

If the meaty investigation was not enough then the personal issues will round out the novel. Boyd’s ex-wife, Jackie, has turned up with trouble on her mind, Kirby has embarked on a new relationship, Lottie is struggling to deal with her mother, who has early stage dementia and nobody likes McKeown, so tempers are flaring and everyone is grumpy. I don’t think Lottie shines in this novel as she usually does.

Three Widows is a good read that I can recommend.

I like Lottie and her team a lot. They are all so different and that also means they not always like each other. When it comes to solving a crime they work like a well oiled machine even though one of them cannot seem to help themselves and has to criticize or even insult a colleague. But even when two people don't like each other very much, they can work together when the going gets tough.

The police team seems to find bodies left, right and center and it's pretty clear it's a vicious killer they are dealing with. They certainly know how to hide any tracks and are very violent. 

As per usual Lottie and Boyd have some issues to deal with in heir personal life too. Will they be able to figure it out and come up with solutions everybody is happy with?

In my opinion this book was filled with suspense and I was really wondering who could be so bad and why. I kept changing my mind about who was to blame or were there maybe multiple culprits?

There was one person though I did not like and I kept thinking I would not mind if they were the bad one. ;) Was I wrong or right? Well, I was right. :)

Although this book kept my attention and sucked me in from the very beginning until the end, one part of my mind was wondering about some things and was asking myself how and why like this?

Anyways, I thoroughly enjoyed this 12th part and I would say bring on number 13. ;) 4,5 stars 

Thank you

Lottie is facing one of her most complex cases, because there is a killer on the loose, which is "nothing" new, but the victims seem to be regular women, and it is not easy to figure out what is going on. On top of this, Lottie's mother's dementia is affecting Lottie's life more and more. Boyd is not having an easy time either due to his ex-wife trying to make his life hell. This takes a toll on Lottie as well.

There are many things to deal with, but the murder case takes up most of the time, because there are several women brutally murdered, and the only thing they have in common is that they are all members of a group. All the women in the group are widows, or at least that is the purpose of the group, to have a safe space to discuss the common subject of loss and grief. Why would anyone want to harm this women even more, and even murdering them?

Lottie is one of my all time favourite fictional Detectives. She is a tough cookie, and even though her life has fallen a part many times, she is still giving it all, at least when it comes to her work. I would not like to be on the wrong side of law if Lottie was my opponent.

I admire the story telling and writing skills of Patricia Gibney. She is second to none. I hope this series keeps on going forever! Once again, brilliant writing, invigorating plot, and the satisfied feeling of me investing my time in getting to know Lottie and Ragmullin better and better!

I will leave a review on Amazon and B&N on Feb 10th

This book was certainly full of lots of twists and turns having said that it wasn't for me. I had not read any of the previous books in the series or read anything by this author. Although this is one of my favorite genre's I just did not connect with this book. Having said that I would suggest it to others because I realize not everyone enjoys the same book.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bookouture, the opinion's expressed here are my own.

Three widows is the 12th book in the Detective Lottie Parker series. I've read them all and honestly cannot get enough of them.
Lottie is trying to cope with her busy job and demanding family life, her mother, who she's always had a fragile relationship with has recently been diagnosed with dementia.
Lotties latest case starts with a murdered woman found who they later discover was part of a group of women who are all recently widowed.
Body after body starts to pile up as Lottie and her crew try to find the killer before it's too late.
I feel like the characters in this series are my friends, I've grown to know and love them so much over the twelve books and each case is more exciting than the last. I love the short chapters too. I cant wait for the next instalment. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book.

There’s a lot going on in this twelfth episode of Patricia Gibney’s Lottie Parker series. Someone is abducting and killing widows in a particularly gruesome way. DI Lottie Parker of the Ragmullin gardaí and her team are furiously searching for leads, but although there seem to be a lot of connections between the women killed, they can’t seem to pin down any reason for their deaths. It doesn’t help that Lottie’s team are not working together as well as usual. Kirby is still annoyed at McKeown over his treatment of women and the two are close to coming to blows. Lottie’s boyfriend, DS Boyd is distracted by the news that his ex-wife Jackie is back in town and may want to take the son he has just got to know away from him and Lottie is struggling to deal with her mother Rose’s increasing confusion and dementia.

Maybe I just read too many thrillers, or maybe it’s that this series has previously set such a high standard, but this episode didn’t feel as well pulled together and as gripping as the rest of the series. There were a lot of murders in a short time and it became hard to care about all of them. Even at the end of the book, knowing who the murderer was, I wasn’t sure what purpose they all served. The reason for the murders also didn’t seem to justify a respectable person suddenly turning into a serial killer and there seemed to be no rationale for the manner in which they were killed, unless it was to appear that a psychopath was at work. Sometimes less is more when it comes to well plotted police procedurals and this killer would have done well to take that on board if they wanted to avoid detection!

Patricia Gibney never fails. The Lottie Parker series is an absolute joy to read. The way the characters have evolved over the series is amazing.
Three Widows is yet another enthralling thriller that ticks all the boxes when it comes to this series.

Firstly I would like to thank netgalley, and Bookoutune, and the brilliant author Patricia gibney for an early copy of her book.

This is a fantastic series, A brilliant author, still a few books to catch up on in this series,she is one of my favourite authors.DI Lottie Parker home life isnt easy her mother dementia is getting worse,her team having problems Boyd ex wife is trying to get her son back..Lottie on a case a woman murdered,who is she?Another murder follows she has young children...theres only one connection A group for widows...Will Lottie find the answers.I was totally hooked from the start and Highly recommend this series...


This book will be reviewed on goodreads and Amazon UK..

twelve books in and this wonderful series feels as fresh as ever. As usual Lottie Parker is struggling to keep her private life and her family together and her close colleagues are encountering difficult personal situations but the police work is done with the customary flair. The plot is fascinating if perhaps slightly drawn out this time but a great read nonetheless.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this excellent book.

With the Lottie Parker series being new to me, starting on Book 12 I did wonder if I would find it confusing.

Patricia Gibney writes so well that this story stands alone and I soon learnt who Lottie is. A detective with a no holds, no bones approach, brash and forthright, not sure I liked her but I sure as hell didn't dislike her. It was obvious she was going to get results no matter her methods.

Three Widows is gripping, a page turner you can't put down. The murders are pretty gruesome but I actually found them easy to read about, which for someone like myself who loves thrillers but at times struggles with gruesome stands testament to Gibneys writing.

Lottie thunders through the story, leaving her team with no option but to follow her, and SOCO dismayed at her approach, but time is of the essence and saving lives was paramount.

There are no red herrings but the death of two men who seem totally unrelated to the Life after Loss group throws you off kilter.

It wasn't until three quarters of the way through the story, after dissecting the characters in my mind that I came up with who I thought the killer was. I was right, but not before Gibney who must have been thinking the same, once again throws us off the scent and sends Lottie and her team down a path looking into Owen, Frankie, Kathleen and Madeline.

But cleverly the killer was always hiding in plain sight.

A woman is found savagely murdered. A mother of two is abducted and falls victim to what appears to be the same killer. They are friends, members of a local widow's group. Who would want to harm them and why? These are questions for Lottie Parker and her team to answer before anyone else meets their end at the hands of a sadistic, vicious killer.

This is book number twelve of the Lottie Parker series. I discovered these books in the middle of lockdown and devoured them all. I was delighted to receive an advanced e-copy of "Three Widows" from @netgalley and @bookouture.

I love a good detective series and Patricia Gibney has written every volume of the series so well. I was kept guessing throughout the entire book and was only half right! I would recommend reading the series from the start as a lot of past events and relationships are alluded to. There wasn't as much focus in Boyd and Lottie's relationship in this book which I really enjoyed as it left more room for the storyline of my favourite detective Larry Kirby. Here's hoping he will have some happiness in book 13. He deserves it.

Three Widows by @patricia_gibney_author will be published on 10th February 2023.

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#ThreeWidowsDetectiveLottieParkerBook12 #NetGalley #patriciagibney #lottieparker #detectiveseries #irishauthor #irishbookreviewer #bookreview #Irish #bookstagram

Love the Lottie Parker novels. Great writing and premise. Amazing characters. Page turner. Plenty of suspense to keep me guessing..Definitely looking forward to the next offering. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it

Couldn’t wait to start this book having read all the other ones I wasn’t disappointed I love Lottie Parker and wow what a story it starts with the discovery of a woman in a yellow dress with her eyes removed and bones broken and then another body turns up the only connection is they all belonged to the same club.

It was very gripping and kept me up late at night just to read another page my head was spinning with all the twists and turns just sorry that I finished it so quickly.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for an ARC

I started off loving these books but the amount of unrealistic drama the family goes through started to over shadow the story and I began to dislike them. This has a little bit of that but the main focus was on the murders and what a story that was. I read it in one sitting!

Another great Detective Lottie Parker book. There are lots of twists and turns in this book. The tension amongst the Lottie’s detective’s is at high point. Lottie and Boyd each have family issues weighing on them while trying to catch a heinous killer. Following the clues kept me entertained for hours. I just loved the writing. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

This is my first book from Patricia Gibney.
Yes it is book 12 of a long standing series but it's a good way to see how Lottie Parker and her team are developed as characters.
Firstly I love the setting of Ragmullin Ireland. There are few good police rocedurals set in Ireland and this series really delivers with a solid murder mystery and a team of well developed characters enjoyable to read.
Will be reading the full series to find out how Lottie Parker came to be where she is now and looking forward to reading what happens to her next.

Absolutely brilliant, from plot to characters and everything inbetween. There is a serial killer slowly picking off victims and leaving them with significant similarities to the injuries and method of death to the clothing they have been posed in. The relationship between the victims slowly emerges but is tentative and doesn’t really help with who the perpetrator may be. The main linking thread is that the first victims all seem to have lost their husbands, hence the title.
I loved the pace of the story and the fact that I had no idea who did it right to the end and that there were several very plausible red herrings along the line.
The sensitivity of how the main police characters were built up and their families went the extra mile for me and I loved the stories within the main story. The dementia thread was particularly poignant for me and incredibly well written with a great deal of insight and love.
I would definitely and totally recommend this. Can’t wait for the next one.