The Missing Ones

Detective Lottie Parker, Book 1

De: Patricia Gibney

Narrado por: Michele Moran

The hole they dug was not deep. A white flour bag encased the little body. Three small faces watched from the window, eyes black with terror.

The child in the middle spoke without turning his head. "I wonder which one of us will be next?"

When a woman's body is discovered in a cathedral and hours later a young man is found hanging from a tree outside his home, Detective Lottie Parker is called in to lead the investigation. Both bodies have the same distinctive tattoo clumsily inscribed on their legs. It's clear the pair are connected, but how?

The trail leads Lottie to St Angela's, a former children's home, with a dark connection to her own family history. Suddenly the case just got personal.

As Lottie begins to link the current victims to unsolved murders decades old, two teenage boys go missing. She must close in on the killer before they strike again, but in doing so is she putting her own children in terrifying danger?

Lottie is about to come face to face with a twisted soul who has a very warped idea of justice.

©2017 Patricia Gibney (P)2017 Bookouture

Great story, needed a great editor

I didn’t like the protagonist - flawed is one thing, unlikeable is another. Parts of the book were unrealistic but felt like lazy editing to me. One example is when the detective, Lottie Parker sees a light in a window which sets her and her partner onto a path and then later “realizes” she couldn’t have seen it based on the description of the building. That’s a lazy fix. Go back and undo seeing them light and come up with a different trigger for going in.

Another example of unrealistic the detective being attacked, her children threatened but she opts not to call anyone for help. What!?

I liked the twist at the end, which I won’t reveal. But there were multiple characters lacking depth - her boss, some of the people they interrogate. This is the job of the editor - to take an otherwise GREAT storyline FULL of gripping moments - and make sure they aren’t ruined by undeveloped characters or a main character no one is really pulling for.

It also felt like an afterthought to add flowery language which was completely unnecessary. This isn’t a literary work so don’t try to make it one. If they felt pain, show the pain. Don’t add metaphors and big words just for the hell of it.

I DID think the plot was great, the narrator was fantastic and the flashbacks were very clear. It was just let down by releasing it before a final round of clean up happened.

Sooooo slow

I agree with the other reviews of this book. The pacing is so slow and it never gained momentum and None of the characters are likable. If the main character is supposed to be acerbic and sarcastic, they need to have some redeeming qualities and Det. Lottie does not. Every time I looked at the book counter, I’d swear it got longer and longer each time. This book was a slog to get through and I couldn’t wait for it to be over. The narrator was good though, I would listen to other books from her, but not this author.

Not very good

I did not enjoy this book or the lead character. I listened to the entire book, hoping it would actually get better, but I would not recommend it.

intense

This story is gripping, interesting and sad. A good mystery snd tale of relationships

Good Story with a Great Modern Gothic Feel

This is an excellent mystery where coming home sometimes may not be the best thing, but it always thrills us gothic loving, mystery solving, a-little-bit-Miss-Marple readers!! 👁️🦴🦷💀🔪

Tremendous Suspense

keeps you engaged to the very end. hated to stop listening! I highly recommend for crime drama lovers!

The missing ones

This book was written very well. I could experience being Lottie, mother, cop, daughter, sister. I was able to feel w h at she felt. It had a sad ending, but it gave u relief that she found out what had happened to her brother long ago.

Very dark yet well done.

This is a very dark topic of the hoirrific acts towards the Irish Catholic children and atrocitues that some high level priests covered up the vile acts by moving around the country. It has long been taught that Satan appears in many firms and he infiltrates. Why not remove Satan?

Fire

Fire tablet is poor way to read this book. The fire tablet has no navigation Instructions.

Disappointing Story - Distracting Narration

This story just didn't grab me. Michele Moran's male voices are almost ridiculous and were a distraction. The story line was mediocre at best and the "twist" was predictable. Characters are one dimensional and I found myself not caring about any of them.
Finally, I'm not catholic, but even I was offended by the level of catholic church bashing with negative stereotyps carried to the extreme. (Example [SPOILER ALERT!] a nun exclaiming that children born to unmarried women are children of the devil and a priest making one young child force feed a rotten wormy apple to another child. Seriously? )
Just a very disappointing book all around. It only cost me $2 or I would have returned it. I might anyway.