Patricia Gibney

I didn’t really take to the main character, (which isn’t a deal breaker, but it’s not quite as nice as if I had either). She’s immature and kinda above average unprofessional (and not brilliant at her job to help make up for it). And we didn’t get much to flesh out the other (likely) recurring characters, so the cast felt a bit flat. Her boss was absolute stereotype cardboard, and two out of the three detectives on her team were the faintest of shadows of characters. I suppose out of everyone I liked her semi-love interest partner and the pathologist best, but there wasn't very much to go on even with them. Almost every single character seemed to go daft at times, which isn’t ideal (I feel more empathetic for even minor characters who find themselves in danger when they hadn’t just ridiculously waltzed into it in the first place). And the whole book would have benefited from trimming out some of the unnecessary bits to tighten it up. (The ending especially really started to drag, but maybe I was feeling a little worn that events hadn't amounted to more by then). I've read the basic setup of 'long buried secrets about children and staff of an abusive institution come to light when a present-day killer starts picking them off' a few times in the past half year or so, but it's generally a solid premise so I can't resent that too much. I'm unsure if I will still try the next book.
Sometimes authors improve a fair amount as they go along, (and I would like to enjoy this series), but cranking out multiple books per year before you've entirely gotten a handle on things means there's potentially a lot to wade through to reach those improvements that come with time and reflection. And I see that the top negative reviews of the next few books are pointing out many of the same things I have here. =/. So this series may just not be for me.… (more)

A woman is murdered in a church. Not long after, a man is found hanging in his yard. It turns out there is a connection between the two people. Detective Lottie is in charge of the team trying to solve these murders. Despite her own family having troubles (she has three teenagers and her husband died a few years earlier), she does her best to sort out what’s going on, even as more murders pile up. In addition, there is a connection to a local former orphanage, St. Angela’s, but what is that connection, exactly?

There is a lot going on and a lot of characters, but it did make it trickier to figure out who might have done it (not that I ever – well, rarely, anyway – actually figure it out before it’s revealed, anyway!). I really liked it, though. There were short chapters that made it easy to keep going. Note that parts of this book are quite dark. This is the first in a series that I will definitely be continuing.… (more)

2.5 Stars

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?’

I am not a fan of crime novels or police procedurals and picking up The Missing Ones by Patricia Gibney didn't really appeal to me, but a recommendation that this was entertaining and intriguing was my push to give this one a try. The story starts out strong, well fleshed out characters and a plot that was entertaining and well written and perhaps fans of this genre would appreciate it even more than me. I felt it dragged in places and was a little unbelievable and while I enjoyed the read it wouldn't be a book for my favourite shelf.

This is the first book in the Detective Lottie Parker Series and readers who enjoy this genre may well enjoy the series by this author.

An easy and entertaining read but because this isn't a genre I particularly enjoy I will not continue with the series but I think readers of crime novels might well enjoy this book.… (more)

Complex plotting makes this a compelling crime thriller.

This is the 14th installment in a long running series that should be read, from the beginning, in order. Because of the intense nature of all of the personal relationships and the changes the cohort has gone through over the years, the reader will want to be on the same page. I don’t feel this works as a standalone or a starting point.

That said, this is a complicated story with the usual characters in the Rugmullin police led by Inspector Lottie Parker. Her boyfriend and partner, Mark Boyd, along with their other colleagues face a diabolical villain. The narrative is told from multiple points of view with some time shifts that make it sometimes hard to keep it all straight. When the body of a young woman is found in a field by the local cinema, Lottie and her team begin an investigation that keeps them questioning suspects and families all over the area. There’s the usual personal drama between the teammates as well as more criminal activity. They examine the little evidence they have and attempt to find the truth even as another body is found and yet another woman goes missing. Things get quite twisty at the end.

This is one of the few series that I still follow and one of my favorites because of the characters. I listened to the audiobook while also following along in the e-book ARC, both provided by the publishers. The narrator did a great job of voicing the many different characters using different tones and varying accents to help relate their individual personalities. Listening while reading always enhances my enjoyment of the book.… (more)