Memorial Park by Louisa Scarr is the 2nd book in the PC Lucy Halliday series. The main character PC Lucy Halliday was a former Detective and recently changed her career and became a dog handler with Hampshire police.
When 3 year old girl called Rosie goes missing from a park while she's there with her mother. Rosie's mother is beside herself. She goes searching for her and there is no sign of her little girl. DCI Jack Ellis. is called to the scene and PC Lucy Halliday with Moss and Iggy her four legged companions, are there to help find Rosie.
This investigation is not an easy one, especially for DCI Jack Ellis as this case brings up old trauma for him. His childhood best friend, Theo, went missing when he was eleven and was never found. This is Jack’s only chance to make things right. He won’t fail Rosie like he failed Theo.

So many questions and the Logan family are keeping secrets from everyone who is trying to find Rosie. Every time Lucy and Jack think they’re making progress, they’re hampered by yet another one.

Why are they not telling them everything?

Can they find the truth, and Rosie, before it’s too late?

I highly recommend this book especially as you can read it as a standalone book, but I do recommend you read the first book. It will not disappoint.

Big thank you to NetGalley and Canelo for my ARC.,

Memorial Park by Louisa Scarr is a dark and gripping police procedural that does involve the subject of child abuse. The author writes this in a delicate way and it is not graphic at all. This is the second book in the PC Lucy Halliday series but definitely can be read as a standalone.
One second is all it took for little Rosie Logan to vanish. PC Lucy Halliday and her police dogs Moss and Iggy are on the case as well as DCI Jack Ellis. Jack takes this case to heart especially because it reminds him of the disappearance of his best friend Theo 30 years ago. With law enforcement using every technique in the book can they find little Rosie? Who took her and is she safe? And what exactly are the Logan's hiding?
This novel was very well written especially dealing with such sensitive subject matter. The way Scarr blends mystery and intrigue with the gripping action of a police novel with dogs is brilliant. I also like the back and forth between the cases, it really ties everything together in my opinion.
Thank you to NetGalley, Louisa Scarr, and Canelo for this ARC. Expected release date is February 6th 2025.

4 Stars
One Liner: Dark and gripping

It took just one second for a three-year-old Rosie Logan to vanish when her mother, Maria, turned the other side.
PC Lucy Halliday (with police dogs Moss and Iggy) and DCI Jack Ellis are on the case. Jack is determined to save Rose as this reminds him of his childhood best friend who disappeared one day without a trace.
However, the Logan family is unwilling to share its secrets, hampering the investigation at every point. Can Lucy and Jack little Rose before it’s too late?
The story comes in Maria, Lucy, and Jack’s third-person POVs in the present tense.

My Thoughts:
This is the second book in the series that has a standalone mystery but it will be much better if you read the previous book (if I say this, then you know you can’t ignore it).
The story is dark like the first book and has more than one case in parallel. Despite the fear and heavy atmosphere, the content is not graphic. It seems like the author took great care to mention only what is necessary for the plot. I appreciate this since the plotline is around a missing child.
The mystery is layered with many reveals and twists. These happen periodically to keep the reader hooked and the plot moving. It makes the narration steady if not fast-paced. Also, there’s enough internal dialogue to continue with character development for Lucy and Jack.
Given that the FMC is a dog handler, the police dogs play a vital role in the book. Moss and Iggy take turns doing their jobs and are such adorable cuties. Iggy takes the spotlight this time though Moss is not far behind.
So far, I like the development between the main characters. They are friends now but still annoy each other often. I am curious to see how things will change as the series continues but no complaints for now.
Most questions are answered well. The themes are as dark as the plot but handled with care. Revealing them could be spoilers but know that there might be a few triggers.
There’s a short author’s note about the places mentioned in the book. I understand what she means when she says it is easier to make up new places than to use real ones. That’s how I prefer to write too.

To summarize, Memorial Park is a fairly intense read but doesn’t get overwhelming. It tackles important themes and makes the reader think. The writing style is really good. Looking forward to the next book in the series.
Thank you, NetGalley and Canelo Crime, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
#NetGalley #MemorialPark

This police procedural grabbed me from the prologue and didn’t let go. The investigations into a current and cold case missing child were both intense. I loved the details of dog training and deployment by British police. I also enjoyed Lucy’s dance of a developing relationship with fellow dog handler Pete. Messy pasts make the main characters and their reactions more interesting, and though this is the second Lucy Halliday book it can stand alone. This is sure to appeal to readers of Mizushima & Driscoll. Highly recommended.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a digital ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

The story starts with us learning that 3 year old Rosie Logan has disappeared from a local park when her Mum, Maria turns away for a bit!! PC Lucy Halliday and her police dogs - Moss and Iggy are called in to help with the search. The police are using all forms of tools to aid finding Rosie. We discover there is a witness, who calls the Police and is helping Maria search the local park. Later, the case is passed to DCI Jack Ellis, along with his Major Crimes team set out to run various lines of investigation. Who took Rosie? How? Why? Is there a motive? However, for Jack, this brings back painful memories of his best friend, Theo who went missing about 30 years ago. The friendship dynamic of Lucy and Jack is brilliant. What is there not to love about a police procedural with dogs. More please!!!!

Louisa Scarr is fast becoming my go-to for thrillers. I absolutely love the Butler and West series, and the PC Halliday series is shaping up to be just as good.

This one was quite a hard read just for the subject matter (huge tw for child abuse) but well written and sensitively done. Genuinely gasped at several points in the book from all the secrets of the Logan family.

I love that this is a police thriller involving a dog handler as it's not something you read often. The dogs are written in a way that their personalities really come through as well. They're not just a plot device, they're proper characters. Can't wait for the next instalment!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Louisa Scarr does it again!
Having loved the first book, I did wonder if it would be possible to live up to the hype and book 2 does not disappoint. I may even go as far to say that book 2 is better than the first.
The characters have me hooked and I really enjoyed how Louisa has managed to further develop these without pushing the boundaries of reality too far. I cannot wait to see how these characters continue to grow as the series goes on. There has to be a 3rd book!
As for the twists and turns in the book - well, I don't want to give any spoilers, but you certainly won't get bored reading this book.
Final shout out to the dogs in the book, yes there are multiple this time - but I'll leave the readers to find out about their part in the story. As a dog lover it is great to have Moss (he is my fave) as a main stay in the series.

Lucy, Moss and Iggy return for book two and having enjoyed the first instalment I was hopeful of a repeat and was not disappointed.

Lucy and Co are called to support the search of a missing three year old Rosie, a complex case that has many layers and revelations, as well as offering her services to a cold case concerning the disappearance of DI Jack Ellis childhood friend Theo thirty years previous her quest to find justice unearths some starking disturbing truths.

A hard hitting emotive read.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read and look forward to reading the first book in this series. There were quite a few mysteries that the characters were trying to solve, which kept me very captivated and on the edge of my seat at times. A really great thriller.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I absolutely loved this book. Having really enjoyed the first one in the series I couldn’t wait to read this one. It picks up with Lucy and Jack and their back stories from the last series. Lucy has her police dogs which I think really adds a bit of difference to this police procedural novel. The subject matter was at times quite hard to read but that is expected with this genre. I can’t wait for the next one now.

This is my first book by this author, I don't know why but I am definitely going to change that. Really enjoyable, perfectly paced and kept me guessing all the way through

I Loved this read! It has everything you want in a thriller, excellent characterisation, suspense, good plotting, fast paced and dogs. It was great to catch up with Lucy and her lovely police dogs, not to mention the handsome Pete! There is a good bit of closure for Jack, at long last, and I really hope there is more to come from Lucy and the team. This is a very enjoyable 5*read. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

I read this book in sitting.which involved reading into the early hours of morning. It was so worth it. The second in series PC Lucy Halliday, a former Detective and now a dog handler with Hampshire police. A child goes missing from a park while she's there with her mother. This story was so troubling, with some questionable characters. So many secrets and revelations made this a gripping read. DCI Jack Ellis is a great character . I hadn't read the first book 8n this series but it's now my next read.

“Memorial Park” is a mystery about not one but two missing persons, 3 year old Rosie Logan in the present day and 11 year old Theo thirty years earlier. There is no real connection, only that Jack, the DI in charge of the case was Theo’s best friend, the last to see him and initially a suspect in his disappearance.
Lucy, the police dog handler uses her animals to try and locate Rosie but to no avail at first. As time passes Jack fears that it is history repeating itself and is desperate to find the child.
When the dogs find something related to Theo’s disappearance , Jack is not sure if he wants to know the truth, guessing that there will not be a happy ending. Lucy uses her detective skills to investigate and Jack is angry at first, telling her to leave it be.
I thoroughly enjoyed this procedural mystery and although it is book 2 in a series, a fact of which I was not aware, it was easy to pick up the story. It did leave me thinking I would be keen to read the first book and certainly I look forward to any further additions to the series.
I found the characters interesting, Lucy and Jack both have tragic pasts which they are trying to overcome- Lucy escaping the memory of a dead spouse who treated her badly. Jack feels guilt about the loss of Theo, even 30 years later. These two characters definitely have a friendship and look out for each other although it is made clear that this is not a romantic relationship.
I liked reading about Lucy’s life with her dogs and how they have helped her overcome her difficulties. Of course the mysteries of the missing children were central to the book and this certainly ratcheted up the tension.
I definitely recommend “ Memorial Park” to crime thriller fans who enjoy an engrossing and compelling read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy.

Another great case for Jack and Lucy.I love this series and to see what they get up to next. Plenty of twists and turns and suspense to keep me hooked. Well rounded characters. Great writing style. Eagerly awaiting the next adventure. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

Once again I really liked the police dog aspect of this as its a bit different to the usual. The main characters are interesting, they've all got back stories but not too much drama.
The parents of the abducted child were a complete mess and terrible parents and human beings. It was quite dark in places and sad but still good.

Wow another great book from this author . As with her previous books it’s full of interesting characters you just want to know more about alongside a very tense and twisting storyline . I hope there’s another book featuring these detectives. Definitely 5 stars from me , I love all of this authors books

A fantastic read, 2nd in a series this one was gripping, love getting to know the characters more, and the dogs. Can't wait for more in the series.

A police procedural with police dogs! My favourite kind. The book is exciting and mysterious and the characters were hard to get to know. The plot is tragic and I loved how involved it made me feel.

Thank you Canelo for the ARC. All opinions are my owns. I am a HUGE Louisa Scarr fan; I've read all her books—yes even Dream Wife and the DS Munro series. I was very excited to see what was next for Lucy, her dogs, and Jack. Unfortunately this one fell a bit flat for me. I found Theo's case to be kicked off by the coincidence of all coinkidinks and then bum rushed to an anti-climactic resolution. It should've been the main case in one of the books, not the amuse bouche in book #2. I also want more tension between Lucy and Jack. Okay maybe it's cliche to have the MMC and FMC be in love in the club, but give the people what they want. Idc about Jack and Theo's sister! I want Jack being spooned from both sides by Moss and Iggy while Lucy looks on fondly. Anyways, Scarr can definitely write, but this one was a bit lacklustre for me.