The Lost is the first book I've read by Simon Beckett and is the introduction to the Jonah Colley series so the perfect time to become acquainted with both - and I'm very glad I did because this is a cracking thriller.
The opening sentence immediately drew me into this tense, exciting novel; it's obvious from the very start that Jonah Colley is in trouble but as the book progresses, his name is unfortunately apt; misery and misfortune is really piled onto the unfortunate police officer - and those around him. After surviving a terrifying, brutal attack, Jonah realises that the investigating detective has doubts about his true role in what happened. We're one step ahead of the police here as we follow the events in the ominously named Slaughter Quay as they happen but although DI Jack Fletcher isn't an easy character to warm to, the reasoning behind his suspicion of Jonah is entirely fathomable. Unfortunately Colley is unable to explain why he responded to an out-of-the-blue plea from his former best friend, Gavin; as the truth about why they lost touch comes to light, he might just have a motive for murder and his complex emotions tied up with the past complicate matters even more. It's no wonder Fletcher has doubts about him.
Jonah is clearly a decent man and a good police officer but it's his mistakes which drive the narrative. This isn't the first time he's ended up being on the outside of an investigation but while he is a suspect now, ten years ago he was a victim of child loss after his four-year-old son disappeared when he was supposed to be watching him. Despite having managed to somehow move on from such a devastating tragedy, his guilt and grief still inform his actions and although some of his decisions here are obviously risky, our sympathies for a father desperate to finally discover the truth ensure that we understand his motivations even as he finds himself in an increasingly dangerous situation.
As he begins to believe that Gavin's murder is somehow linked to his son's disappearance, Jonah risks life and limb on numerous occasions. Bruised, bloodied and broken after the initial attack, his body is subjected to further agonies throughout the book but he is not a hardened action thriller hero; he's a father looking for answers and The Lost is all the more believable because of it.
There are a number of surprising revelations which further convince him that he is right to assume that the two cases are intertwined and it all leads to a shockingly tense resolution which packs a real emotional punch. Not everything is answered here, cleverly setting up the series for an ongoing investigation but there is a resolution to at least some parts of the mystery, meaning Simon Beckett treads that fine line between giving readers a satisfying conclusion while leaving them eager for more, perfectly. The Lost is compulsively fast-paced, intriguing throughout and with a lead character I grew to care about very quickly - I look forward to seeing how Jonah Colley evolves as the series progresses.

A great mystery thriller about a firearms officer who's son disappears and ten years later is contacted by a fellow police officer who asks for help. What follows is twists and turns which leaves you wondering who is telling the truth.
Would recommend.

This review will go live on 30 November:

Hi and welcome to my review of The Lost! Thanks to Tracy Fenton for the invite and to Orion and NetGalley for the eARC.

Today I’m co-closing a month-long tour, so I’m sure you’ve come across a bunch of raving reviews of The Lost, as had I before I was finally able to pick it up. Those reviews from trusted bloggers, as well as my enjoyment of Simon Beckett’s previous work, meant I went in with rather high expectations, often a dangerous thing, but in this case I did not end up disappointed.

The Lost hits the ground running, taking me with it, not letting me go until I’d turned the final page. The protagonist is Sergeant Jonah Colley who gets a call from a former colleague and friend, begging him to come to Slaughter Quay at midnight. Slaughter Quay? Midnight? Seriously, about a billion alarm bells should have been ringing Jonah’s ears off, but nooo, he decides to go. (Men and their hero complex 🙄😝). Naturally, everything goes to hell in a handbasket in the blink of an eye and before he knows what’s hit him, Jonah wakes up in hospital with a busted knee, apparently the sole survivor of the night’s events at Slaughter Quay.

So here’s the conundrum to crack: what the hell happened, why did his former friend call him to Slaughter Quay, and what is the connection to the disappearance of Jonah’s son ten years ago? With the police breathing down his neck, Jonah is fighting to figure things out while also recovering from his injuries, and I have to admit, and yes I know it’s mean, but I love it when characters have to prove their innocence when the police are hellbent on proving they’re guilty. It gives me someone to root for and someone to glare at, all in one go, and it never fails to keep me invested in what I’m reading, The Lost was no exception.

Besides the mystery and the gradual discovery of the answers to my questions, I also thoroughly enjoyed the writing itself. Some scenes have such a cinematic quality about them I still feel like I watched them on TV instead of reading them.

Knowing that this is the first in a new series, I felt confident that Jonah would survive the events, one way or another, but with him put through the wringer pretty much constantly, I worried he wouldn’t make it through to the other side with all his body parts intact and in working order, and I was so worried about a few of the other characters as well. There’s a lot going on in my life right now, but The Lost made me forget about it all for a little while, which is no mean feat, so thank you, Simon Beckett!

If you’re looking for an entertaining, intricately woven, intelligent but highly readable thriller, do add The Lost to your Mount TBR and follow Jonah down the rabbit hole!

Thank you to Tracy Fenton for my invitation to the tour and for my copy of the e book in return for a fair and honest review.

Jonah is surprised to receive a phone call from Gavin. Gavin and Jonah were best friends both entered the Met police but took different paths. When Jonah experienced a massive tragedy in his life ten years before the two drifted apart.

So when Gavin calls to say he needs Jonah’s help, Jonah finds himself in deserted warehouse at midnight. I was immediately gripped by the cinematic writing, I could imagine being in that warehouse on Slaughter Quay and kept asking myself why are you there Jonah ?

Jonah walks right into danger is not prepared for what he finds or what happens next.

The book switches the reader back to ten years previously when Jonah’s young son Theo disappears and Jonah feels that his actions that day resulted in Theo’s disappearance.

I don’t want to give anymore of the story away but you will need to keep on reading. I could easily imagine this being a film the tension and suspense are palpable. I was intrigued by Gavin and his background but also Jonah and his marriage and what happened to Theo. A thoroughly gripping thriller would recommend!

5 stars *****

I chose this book based on the blurb, which sounded great, and I'm thrilled I did. I haven't read Simon Beckett previously, so it was nice to be introduced to a new author.

This plot is brilliant! It starts with some harrowing scenes of Jonah's son missing aged four after Johan falls asleep in the park. The far-reaching consequences destroy his marriage and relationship with his best friend, Gavin.

This is easy to read, gripping and fast-paced, showing an intertwined mystery. It captured my interest immediately and is very cleverly written, taking you through a multi-layered story with many deceptions and misdirection's, some gruesome scenes and plenty to think on.

I enjoyed the characters, particularly Johan and Gavin. Johan is still broken ten years after his son's disappearance and is determined. Gavin is possibly the most interesting though, while he appears one way at the beginning, he becomes more interested and twisted by the end, which we've learnt so much more about him.

The other supporting characters are interesting, believable and well placed. I also really liked detective Fletcher and Bennett.

This book has an intriguing ending; while many ends are tied up, there were plenty of loose ends ready for the next in the series. It has a perfect tense and gripping conclusion.

The first book in a new series starts with a bang and doesn't let go until the end. This year, I was gripped from the very first page to the very last one of my favourite books.

This makes you question where your loyalties lie and whom you can trust in an explosive thriller. When you think you know what the bad guy is, you're probably wrong!

Jonah Colley gets a call from his old friend (they haven't spoken in a long long time) asking him to meet him, he is the only one he can trust. Jonah is a cop, his pal is a cop and one thing he has never heard in his voice, fear. Jonah goes off to Slaughter Quay and finds a horrific sight before being attacked. What follows is Jonah getting suspicion from his fellow officers, he needs answers to what happened and his past comes back with a vengeance, a past he thought had been grieved over, a link to his missing child.

The book is pretty fast paced and Jonah has to be one of the most unlucky people/police officers ever. We learn about his past, what happened to his marriage and with the brutal murders he has been linked to he NEEDS answers. Add to all that he is banged up pretty badly it isn't an easy task. The past and present gets interlinked and we flip back a few times to Jonah's past all the while questioning why the crackpot went to an abandoned place to meet his auld pal he hasn't spoken to in so long.

Colley is a flawed character, he makes mistakes, he seems weak at times then surprises you with gumption and strength. The story is a bit like an onion, lots and lots of layers, a fair few characters but written well enough to not distract or take away from the plot. There was one character I would have liked a bit more scenes and information from, I think, for the smart parts they appeared they were a great addition to the story. I hope this is the first in a new series and we hear more from some of the characters, 4/5 for me this time.

I tend to avoid books that have anything to do with missing children, it's just not something that I choose to read about. This book, however, got my attention because of the second bit of the blurb, about the discovery of the bodies and the main character, Jonah, being attacked. That section raised so many questions that I decided that this was a book I wanted to read so I could get answers to these questions.

While the missing child is a factor in the story, it's more about how this has affected Jonah whose child it was that disappeared. It shows how it's affected and continues to do so through the decisions he makes in the story and also shows how his relationships with others have been affected as well. Jonah's a character that I'm still not sure about. A lot of the decisions he makes I can understand or see his thinking behind them, but there were also a lot of times I found myself shaking my head at him, wondering what he was doing and why.

Though I wasn't sure about Jonah I still wanted to know what was happening, who were the people who had been killed and who killed them because the story has been written in such a way that made me want to know more. Unsurprisingly for this type of story there's a lot of tension throughout, but it's done in such a way that it was palpable and came off the page at me. Even though I was in two minds about Jonah I was still concerned for him.

There are a host of other characters that all play vital parts in the story from the police investigating the murders to the journalist who believes there's more to the incident than the police are saying. This is a really well-written, tense story that kept me reading and gave me an ending I didn't expect. Definitely worth checking out if you like tense thrillers and mysteries with, initially, more questions than answers.

Do I need yet another crime series to read? No. Have I found one? Hell yes!

When I signed up for the blog tour for this highly anticipated thriller I had no idea it was the first in a new series. But after inhaling this taut, tense and unflinching book I was ecstatic to learn that it is only the beginning, and Jonah Colley will be back for more adventures.

The story packs a punch from the start, opening with the discovery of four bodies and Jonah fighting for his life against an unknown assailant at the aptly named Slaughter Quay. The only survivor, he is immediately under suspicion. The suspicion increases after the police find a possible connection at the scene to the disappearance of Jonah’s son, Theo, ten years earlier. Desperate to prove his innocence, Jonah begins his own investigation, hoping to both clear his name and discover what really happened to Theo all those years ago.

The word unputdownable can be thrown around a little too easily, but this one really was. I had to force myself to put it down at 2am when my eyes could no longer stay open and then read straight through until I’d reached the conclusion when I picked it up the next day. I was addicted. I needed answers. And when I got them they made my jaw drop.

Jonah is a great protagonist. Flawed but likeable, he is easy to root for with a tragic yet compelling backstory that piqued my interest from the start. The events surrounding the disappearance of his son are told in flashbacks that are utterly heartbreaking. It is every parent's worst nightmare, his guilt, pain and anguish tearing my own heart in two. And the hits kept coming for Jonah, a conveyor belt of bad luck and betrayal that doesn’t seem like it will end as his investigation uncovers a twisted web of secrets and lies by those he thought he knew.

The other characters are all equally compelling, the author bringing to life Gavin and Theo from beyond the grave through a combination of flashbacks and Jonah’s memories. Each of the characters are flawed, fractured and fallible. And no one is blameless in this story. I loved this as flawed characters are much more fun to read, especially when written with such skill.

This was my first Simon Beckett book but it will not be my last. Multilayered, flawlessly plotted and sizzling with suspense that builds to a heart-pounding crescendo. I read on tenterhooks, the many twists and turns almost making me dizzy, and was totally blindsided by the big reveal.

Gritty, dark, sinister and addictive, this is a must-read for anyone who enjoys a well-written, twisty thriller. Just make sure you have lots of time free because you aren’t going to want to put this one down.

New author for me and a book one in a brand news….Happy Days! I am left wondering why the hell have I never read any of Simon’s books before. I cannot begin to tell you how bloody awesome this book is.

Grabbing me from the start with an OMFG opening which had me on the edge of my seat. I was well and truly hooked. This story is impossible to put down.

Jonah is left for dead and under suspicion with a full on action packed, tense start that’s also leaves the reader and Jonah wondering what the hell is going on. We follow a story that is brilliantly told has we piece the puzzle together …LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT!

This is what a crime thriller is all about. Brilliant character development and a nail biting plot. I seriously cannot wait for the next book in this series. And the author just got himself a new fan!

The Lost is easily one of the best books that I have read this year. It is a must read I cannot recommend it enough. Giving it all the stars.

I can't believe I've never read any of Simon Beckett's books before. This is just brilliant!

Firearms officer Jonah Colley receives a call from old friend and colleague Gavin McKinney, who says that he is in trouble and needs his help. Gavin and Jonah haven't spoken in ten years but Jonah decides to go because he realises it must be serious if Gavin chose him to call.

He goes to the, aptly named, Slaughter Quay to find Gavin dead alongside other people who have been suffocated in plastic bags. Jonah manages to overpower the assailant and escape.

After waking up in hospital injured, DI Fletcher and DS Bennet question Jonah and it becomes apparent that they believe that Jonah has something to hide.

We learn that ten years earlier, Jonah's four-year-old son Theo goes missing from a park. Jonah suspects a "down and out", who he later learns is named Owen Stokes, has taken him.

Whilst trying to clear his own name, Jonah looks into why Gavin called him that night and is surprised to discover that Owen Stokes may be something to do with it. At the same time, Fletcher and Bennet are investigating Jonah and he seems to just make things worse for himself.

I was completely engrossed in this story from the beginning and I could not guess where it was going. You can feel Jonah's frustration when everything he is finding out is being turned against him by the investigating officers.

I love a fast-paced thriller and I cannot wait to read more from Simon Beckett.

The Lost is the first book in a new Crime Thriller Series called Jonah Colley.

This story starts with a dramatic bang and then tells a story between the present and 10 years ago.

The story is fast paced and a lot happens very quickly at the beginning which made me then question everything else happening for the rest of the book.

I really liked Jonah’s Character, I felt incredibly sorry for him as he had been through so much and seemed to keep finding himself in awful situations.

This was a good first instalment and has the set up to be a good series that I hope to read more of.

Oh my goodness!! This is one of my reads of 2021; it grabbed me round the neck from page 1 and didn't let go right to the very end.

This is one very, very clever and exceptionally good story that had me absolutely hooked from the beginning and devouring every page with a voracious appetite for more.

The characters are excellent, all of them have a part to play and all play it well. Of particular note are the main character of Jonah, who I quickly became attached to, and the investigating officer, DI Fletcher, who I quickly disliked (there's got to be a story there for a future book ?!?); I didn't feel there was one character that was surplus to requirements.

It's full of atmosphere, tension, suspense, anticipation and is totally gripping from the very start. I was desperate to find out if there was any connection to Jonah's missing son and the carnage Jonah discovers at the bleak Slaughter Quay and was extremely satisfied with the outcome and how it was reached.

I can't wait for the next instalment in this new series and have absolutely no hesitation in recommending this to lovers of crime thrillers but be warned, it is a difficult read in parts and there is violence and numerous scenes of peril so if you are of a nervous disposition, then this might not be the one for you but if not, go and buy it ... now!

Many, many thanks to Orion Publishing Group via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.

Ladies & Gentlemen.... I have a new favourite thriller! Hitting shelves later this month, 'The Lost' is available to pre-order now!

Here is what we thought...

When Sergeant Jonah Colley agrees to meet his old police friend, Gavin, at Slaughter Quay, he has no idea how much it will change his life forever!

I can not put into words how much I enjoyed 'The Lost' by Simon Beckett, it was hands down my favourite thriller released this year. It is a terrific thriller that is guaranteed to keep you on the edge on your seats! I could not put this down, not even for a second! Beckett has written some amazing series, and I am very excited for the second instalment of this one!

If you are looking for a thriller that is full of twists, turns and shocking truths then this is the book for you!

The Lost is the first installment in Simon Beckett's Jonah Colley series. And what a great start this is. I'll definitely be putting the rest of the books on my wishlist.

Jonah Colley is a firearms police officer, and he gets a call from his friend one night to come to a warehouse in Slaughter Quay. However he's not spoke to Gavin for ten years, so why all of a sudden does his old friend need him at midnight?
Ten years ago Jonah's son disappeared and he's never had closure as to what really happened. Does the events of what's happening now have any link to the past?

There are plenty of twists and turns during the narrative of this story. And I really enjoyed trying to figure the whole thing out. There's enough action and violence to keep me occupied.

I really enjoyed Jonah's backstory and am looking forward to see how it develops in further books. There's plenty of avenues to explore.

Thank you to Tracy at Compulsive Readers for my spot on the blog tour, and to the publishers and Netgalley for my gifted e-copy.

Jonah Colley’s son went missing ten years previously and the devastating aftermath cost him his marriage and even along the way his best friend. As a police officer, he found it impossible to accept that he first of all let it happen and secondly could find no acceptable answers as to how his son died. Fast forward to now and he receives a message from Gavin, the best friend he lost touch with asking to meet at the deserted Slaughter Quay. A sudden realisation that he had been lured into a trap nearly cost him his life. Others were not so fortunate. Although, not currently working, this case became all too personal and he couldn’t help investigating alone but ended up antagonsing everyone, including the official investigators. A complex story that weaves its way through many layers, instills fear into the reader and eventually emits its final shocking twists. A great read, at just the right pace, with tension and developments in every chapter and a well conceived finale. I understand there may well be another book featuring Jonah Colley and I for one can’t wait to read it. I have previously read books in the David Hunter series by the same author and thoroughly recommend them all.

This was a thrilling book from the very first page.
For first chapters it is written over two time periods, 10 years before when Jonah’s son, Theo, disappeared and was thought to had been caused by an accident when his dad had fallen asleep in the park when he should have been watching him.

10 years later Jonah who works with the firearm service with the police, gets a phone call from a number he didn’t know telling him to meet him at Slaughters Quay, from that moment Jonah’s life was changed, finding himself on the wrong side of the police.
It was a great book and one I would recommend

The Lost is the first book in a brand new series by Simon Beckett, featuring firearms police officer Jonah Colley.

When Jonah receives a mysterious call from the man who used to be his best friend, asking him to meet him in abandoned warehouse at the ominously titled Slaughter Quay on the banks of the Thames, he reluctantly agrees to comply, even though they have been estranged for years. When Jonah gets there he is shocked to discover four bodies - one of them apparently his old friend Gavin that he was there to meet. In the midst of calling in the crime scene an unknown assailant attacks Jonah and leaves him for dead.

Jonah awakes in hospital, with a very sore head and a knee injury that will see him on crutches for some while, finding himself a suspect in a murder investigation. It seems Gavin, a fellow police officer, was on suspension so whatever he was doing at the warehouse that night was not related to a case, and the police believe that Jonah knows a lot more about the situation than he is letting on.

The only way for Jonah to clear his name is to look into what Gavin was up to himself, and what he uncovers has him convinced that this all somehow relates to the unsolved disappearance of his own four-year-old son Theo ten years ago. Did Gavin find out the truth behind Theo's disappearance, and will Jonah finally be able to lay his own ghosts to rest?

The Lost is a cracking thriller that starts with a bloody bang and carries you along on a tense and suspenseful tide until the awful truth is laid bare. There are wonderful elements of domestic noir, gritty gangland shenanigans, police procedural and mystery story that all combine in a delectable crime yarn that keeps you guessing. No spoilers in this review, but Beckett is certainly a master of misdirection, because I did not see where this story was heading - trust me it will give you a great big sucker punch when you get there.

Simon Beckett cleverly leads you up the garden path and down some intriguing blind alleys in this book, before all the threads finally untwist themselves, and not a single character escapes his attention in drawing out the darkness that lies within - whether this be fed by loss, guilt, greed or cold ambition. I found myself totally immersed in the story all the way from beginning to end, right at Jonah's side as he desperately tries to not only prove his innocence, but finally get to truth about the nightmare loss of his child all those years ago, and it's a journey that has you running the emotional gamut along the way.

This is a book that begs to be consumed in one sitting, which is exactly what I did. It's my first Simon Beckett, but will definitely not be my last, as it's one of the best crime novels to cross my path all year. I cannot wait for the next instalment of this series to see what Jonah gets up to next.

Twisted and original, are you ready to discover “The Lost”?
The most terrifying part of being a parent is that your son disappears. When 10 years ago, the little son of the police officer Jonah Colley disappeared, he changed completely and never was the same again. Now, 10 years later, his old friend calls him asking for help. Why him? Why now?
I was intrigued with this book, you can see from the beginning that there’s something hidden behind the disappearance of Jonah’s death, someone knows more about it but doesn’t want to talk. But, what relation could his missing son have with the four bodies Jonah’s discovered? Why does no one believe him when he says that is innocent? Who is moving the threads behind the curtain and wants him dead or in prison?
As you can see, there are so many questions just at the start of the story that it was really impossible to put down. From the beginning you know that Jonah is innocent and only wants to discover the truth, but having the press following him, the police asking weird questions and a killer ready to cover his tracks will not make this case any easier.
I liked how the plot was developed and kept me plotting different situations while reading the book, addictive, believe me!
The only thing I didn’t like was the ending, I don’t like open endings and without a chance to read the continuation till next year! But I’ll have to wait… Ready for it?

When 4-year old Theo disappears from a park, his dad, firearms officer Jonah, must live with the guilt of what happened when he closed his eyes for a few minutes. Jonah has never given up hope that Theo may still be alive. He has a suspect in mind but has never been able to prove it.
Ten years later a phone message from his old colleague, and former close friend, Gavin, leads him to an abandoned warehouse at Slaughter Quay. Jonah finds himself drawn into a murder enquiry, which quickly snowballs into a series of life threatening situations.
This is a complicated story and Jonah finds himself repeatedly in trouble. The level of violence and pain one man can take then pick up his crutches and hobble off, was a stretch of the imagination. I also found some of the plot coincidences and last minute rescues too far fetched.
A good book, worth a read for fans of this genre

Another great story from Simon Beckett. Fall asleep and your child dies fast forward years and you nearly die trying to find out what happened to your child. A trained police officer makes so many mistakes and errors of judgement because of that sleep he will never forgive himself for.
A twisting turning story of murders and corruption that ends with yet a final twist all because of a name. Don’t miss the chance to read one of the best crime books of the year