Book 1 in the Lucy Kendall series. A good read, with a big twist at the end and ending with a cliffhanger.

Review: The Girl in the Pink Shoes by Stacy Green

I was hooked from the very first page of The Girl in the Pink Shoes. This book is a tense, gripping thriller that kept me on edge the entire time. The story follows Lucy Kendall, a private investigator with a dark past, as she searches for a missing eight-year-old girl. Lucy isn’t your typical detective—she’s flawed, morally conflicted, and willing to cross lines most wouldn’t, which made her a fascinating character to follow.

What I loved most about this book was the pacing. The twists came fast, and just when I thought I had things figured out, another surprise threw me off. Stacy Green does a fantastic job of creating an atmosphere of urgency and suspense, making it impossible to put the book down. The emotional depth also stood out—this isn’t just a crime novel; it’s a story about justice, trauma, and the lengths people will go to protect the innocent.

That being said, the subject matter is heavy. The book deals with child abduction and abuse, which can be tough to read at times. However, Green handles these themes with sensitivity, making the story compelling without being gratuitous.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Girl in the Pink Shoes. It’s a dark, thought-provoking thriller with a strong, complex protagonist. I’ll definitely be picking up the next book in the series!

This is the first book in the Lucy Kendall series. Lucy is a private investigator with a history. Her 15yr old sister committed suicide after being abused, Lucy was 11. As an adult, Lucy worked as a caseworker to help prevent her sister's story being repeated, but burnout came early when she found her hands tied by laws that did not do enough to protect the innocent or prosecute the guilty. Now she does her own investigating and passes judgement. She and her team insure justice is done. I think I love this woman. That's the back story built in this first book. We are introduced to Lucy, her team and her community.

A young girl is missing. Lucy recognizes the signs of a predator at work. She will stop at nothing to rescue this little girl and make sure no other child suffers at the hand of this man.

This book will keep you glued to the pages. The opening scene kept me gripped from the very beginning, and the fast pace kept me awake late at night wondering what happened to Kailey. Good writing too—which is often forgotten in thrillers for plot. Don’t skip this one!

Slow start in the beginning and honestly did not finish. Even tried to pick it back up again and I couldn’t. I don’t think it was my genre of writing and plot.

What a book to start off a series!

Private Investigator Lucy Kendall is a bit of a strange one. With the justice system failing innocent children, Lucy feels it is her duty to take matters into her own hands and 'take out the trash' herself.

With great empathy for victims but with a dangerous streak, Lucy isn't someone you'd want to mess with. After losing her sister to suicide, after she was abused by one of her mothers many boyfriends, she takes it upon herself to be a protector. Working for Child Protection Services, before becoming a PI, Lucy has seen the worst of the worst.

When eight year old Kailey goes missing, Lucy has a gut feeling she knows who took her. Ten years ago when working for the CPS, she was unable to forsee a situation that resulted in a terrible tragedy, resulting in a young predator, Justin, being charged but due to his age now back out on the streets and living a few doors away from Kailey.

With a host of intriguing characters, all with their own backstories and secrets, it keeps you guessing the whole way through. Whilst Lucy may have her own way of delivering justice, she gets the job done, but can she live with the repercussions?

This was a really gripping, gritty, twisty tale that had me hooked from the very beginning.

TW: it may not be for everybody due to its subjects of child abuse, pedophilia, and trafficking .

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC.

I really enjoyed reading this, as much as you can like a book about this subject matter.

It was really well written and kept me gripped. I am glad this is a series as I would definitely like to explore the characters more and see where it goes.

It was a typical crime thriller and followed all the usual 'rules' but this was certainly one of the better written ones.

I have ordered the others in the series.

A girl gone and a mothers search. What would you do if your child suddenly went missing? Or better yet what wouldn’t you do?

This was a pretty good thriller. All the twists weren't predictable and the story kept moving. The content is, however, quite heavy with notable trigger warnings around child abuse and pedophilia. I thought the variation in who the MCs are and what motivates them was great.

Ultimately, a couple of things brought the story down for me:
1. I live in Philly and usually I love to see books reference towns I'm familiar with, but this was overkill. Unless you know where all the Philly neighborhoods are and what kind of vibe/safety level/etc they're known for (or are stopping all the time to check a map) these endless neighborhood details don't add anything to the story. If anything, these detracted from the story, because they made everything seem farther away than it actually is.
2. Look, I get that a child is missing and there is some serious urgency here... but PIs are not just barging into elementary schools and talking to unaccompanied minors. So many things the MC does in this book were absurd and unrealistic.

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

This is the first book of the series and I gotta say. What an impressive starter this one was.

A mother's worst nightmare. Someone has taken Kailey Richardson. Who could possibly have taken this little girl? A stranger? Or someone close to home hiding in plain sight?

Lucy Kendall is a strong female main character. I fell in love with her compassionate nature. Investigators are supposed to be headstrong and do not easily falter but I loved how Lucy was written. She is still a human underneath the strong facade.

Truly a remarkable thriller. Great job!

This is the second series I'm reading by Stacy Green and I'm really enjoying it. I enjoy her writing and I felt like the story was easy to follow and the characters were relatable. I always enjoy a strong independent lead and that's definitely Lucy. I was completely intrigued the whole time and really looking forward to the next book.

A fast paced non stop with so many twists that you don't want to turn around in case you might miss a turn. Lucy Kendall is a character that I really liked. You really need to read this book for yourself as I don't think anything I write will do it justice.

This book is great....as a mom, maybe a little triggering. However, Green has created a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat and wanting to finish it instead of sleeping. (And that is the best type of book!)

I just reviewed The Girl in the Pink Shoes (A Lucy Kendall Crime Thriller Book 1) by Stacy Green. #TheGirlinthePinkShoes #NetGalley
https://www.netgalley.com/book/276518/review/204965

A new series featuring Private Investigator Lucy Kendall. A young girl goes missing,there are links to her own sisters disappearance,can she untangle the mystery. A good read.

My first book from this author and the first in the series. I also received the audiobook and I highly recommend it if you are a lover of audiobooks. Please check TW before reading. An enjoyable read.

Thank you so much Netgalley, Stacy Green and Bookouture for the e-ARC! Stacy's Nikki Hunt series is one of my most favorites ever in any genre and I am super excited about Lucy Kendall too.

The pages practically turn themselves in this white-knuckle thriller, as the characters' relentless pursuit of truth leads to an explosive climax. Sheer brilliance

A brilliant psychological thriller
Will have you hooked from the first page to the last
It will keep you guessing right up to the end
Looking forward to her next book
Thanks NetGalley

An intriguing opening to this series by Stacy Green. An investigator that is looking for an abducted girl that seems to have connections to the disappearance of her sister many years ago.

In this book we are introduced to Private Investigator Lucy Kendall who is still dealing with issues from the disappearance of her sister. She is certainly an interesting character who is totally passionate about what she is doing for obvious reasons. However many may feel that she is crossing over the line in what she does and how she does it, but she does seem to get results.

At times I found I was struggling to progress with this book, some of it may be due to the themes it deals with child abduction, paedophilia, and child abuse, which I always find difficult to read about. If you can get past this, it does seem a good introduction to the series, with plenty of twists and turns to come.

Not my favourite read of the year but I will be looking to continue with the series at some point and happy to recommend if you enjoy this style of book.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Amazing, so many tense moments and not many breaks but compelling. It had so much detail, I couldn't put it down and it was a happy ending