Review: The Missing Ones by Patricia Gibney

The Missing Ones (DI Lottie Parker, #1)

by Patricia Gibney

Release Date: March 16, 2017

2017 Bookouture

Ebook; 529 Pages

ISBN: 978-1786811509

ASIN: B01N5I5EV7

Audiobook: B06XK8RH86

Genre: Fiction / Mystery

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

4 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

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? 

 

My Thoughts

The Missing Ones is the first book in the long-running DI Lottie Parker mystery series.  The publisher kindly sent me the first ten books in the series as well as the latest entry, but I was intrigued enough that I decided to start with the first book. With a relatable MC, a quirky group of secondary characters, and an interesting mystery, this one was quite enjoyable to read. 

 

Lottie Parker is one of those main characters that could drive you crazy though. While she is quite driven and organized while on the job, her private life could only be described as slightly above absolute chaotic. And personally, this is something that I really liked about her. Yes, she is driven and dedicated to her job, one that is quite demanding on her time and energy, but she is equally devoted to her three kids, and struggles with the guilt when she is not there for them because of the demands of the job. A widow, she is also struggling with the loss of her husband and her grief, but refuses any psychological help even though she knows she needs counseling. As someone whose spouse was in the military and was posted for years at a time, I can relate to her struggles and appreciate reading about a character who feels guilt when she is so tired all she wants to do is sleep standing up, but still has three kids to take care of, kids who are still struggling with their own grief.

 

While I really enjoyed the character development, I wasn't always so invested in the mystery as it seemed to be a bit convoluted and disjointed at times.  I did feel like Lottie delegated things that she should have taken care of, and took charge of things that really should have been left to her Detective Sargents. Despite all of that, this one did delve into some pretty deep psychological things, some that affected Lottie and her family personally.  And I am deeply thankful the author didn't go into a lot of detail when it came to the abuse the kids endured at the home as just imagining it was enough for me, and the details that were given were heartbreaking. The plot moved along fairly quickly, and I did enjoy the investigations into what happened as well as the interactions between the characters. There was a lot going on, some of which will continue into the next book, but it doesn't hinder the ending of this book. But, I thought I knew what was going on, and there were a couple of things I missed, so kudos to the author.

 

Verdict

The Missing Ones had a lot of plot threads going on, with a lot of twists and turns, but the author took care to ensure only enough information was dropped at a time so it didn't overwhelm the reader. I enjoyed this author's writing style as you figure out what is happening with the characters; I am not a fan of being led by the nose and having everything explained to me. There are some dark themes running through this book however, including substance abuse, sexual abuse, death, trauma, loneliness, family issues, and so on. I do recommend this book for those readers looking for a gritter crime novel, and I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.