First of all, I don't think I have ever read a book that had the main character as a serving police officer who also happened to be a wheelchair user as well. Kudos to the author for that.

Alana "Alan" is a tough cookie, she has to be. However, when a small, blonde girl finds herself abandoned at a shopping centre and takes a shine to Alan, she feels her heart soften. When a note is found on the toddler, the race is on to find her mother. Only, the note also said not to look for her so this needs to be done very discreetly, indeed.

Poor Alan is up against it. She has a hostile boss, a rookie on the team whose father has way too much influence in their community and then to top it all off, she has body parts turn up out of the blue as well.

Lots and lots of things going on here. Lots of layers which add to the interest and complexity of the story, which I loved. Secondary characters really made this story, too.

I liked Alan and it will be interesting to see what happens in the future for her.

5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing.

A wonderful and beautifully written murder mystery. I didn’t see the twists coming and will highly recommend it. I already ordered a copy for my mom for Christmas!

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for my copy of The Puppet Maker by Jenny O’Brien
This book had everything. An abandoned little girl, men going missing, body organs turning up and a lead detective in a wheelchair.
But it works!!
A great story that keeps you interested. It is a bit wordy in parts but it’s the first book in the series and we are being introduced to the characters.
I really hope more books follow in this series.

An excellent, well written murder mystery. Graphic detail entwining an abandoned child, missing persons, abuse and a macabre discovery. Highyl recomended for anyone who is not  feint-hearted. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The first book in the Detective Alana Mack series is compelling and gritty, with a balance of the personal and professional lives of the detectives and an insightful exploration of contemporary issues and prejudices. Set in Ireland in a fictional urban backwater, its characters and ethos immerse the reader in this menacing and suspenseful tale. The plot has many twists and an impactful conclusion. I like the clever use of subplots that gradually build to a bigger picture, the characterisation and the believable setting.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

An excellent book by Jenny O'Brian I was gripped from start to finish and also a little freaked out(lol) But i can highly recommend this book 5* but worth more.

Alana is trying to find her bearings after the accident that has left her bound to a wheelchair and is faced with a young girl abandoned by her parents with a note letting who finds her not search for the parents as it would be dangerous for them as well as for the child. Someone also finds a bag with bones and another person is missing. Are these events interlaced? Although the writing is somewhat slow going I could not put the book down as I wanted to learn what would be discovered and how Alana would react. Great start to a series, I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
I thank Ms. O'Brien, her publisher, and NetGalley for the copy of this book.

The Puppet Maker by Jenny O'Brien

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

The scrap of paper looked as if it had been torn from a diary. The words written in faint pencil. The letters rounded, almost childlike. "Please look after her. Her life and mine depend on you not trying to find me."

When Detective Alana Mack arrives at Clonabee police station, in a small Irish seaside town on the outskirts of Dublin, she doesn't expect to find a distressed two-year-old girl sobbing on the floor. Abandoned in a local supermarket, the child tells them her name is Casey. All Alana and her team have to go on is a crumpled note begging for someone to look after the little girl. This mother doesn't want to be found.

Still recovering from a terrible accident that has left Alana navigating a new life as a wheelchair user, Alana finds herself suddenly responsible for Casey while trying to track down the missing mother and solve another missing person's case… a retired newsagent who has seemingly vanished from his home. Forced to ask her ex-husband and child psychiatrist Colm for help, through Forensic Art Therapy, Alana discovers that whatever darkness lies behind the black windows in Casey's crayon drawing, the little girl was terrified of the house she lived in.

My Opinion

I took part in the cover reveal for this book and knew that I had to read it. I read the majority of this in one sitting, there was just so much going on that I was hooked. This is the first book in a new series featuring a disabled detective, for me this was a new concept.

This is the first book I have read by Jenny O'Brien but with such a great book I am sure that it will not be my last. We follow Alana and her team as they try to solve various cases - is there a possibility that they could be connected? This is a great, quick read, that would make for an easy weekend escape.

Rating 4/5

The Puppet Maker by Jenny O’Brien is a gritty contemporary murder suspense that I just could not put down. It is the first book in the Detective Alana Mack series. I am looking forward to the subsequent books.
The plotline is extremely well thought out and executed. This is not a book for the faint-hearted as there are some gruesome scenes. The author has clearly done her research into police and medical procedure.
All the characters are well drawn and realistic. There are some very unsavory characters. The leading lady is fair, kind to the innocent and tenacious in her pursuit of justice.
The weather mirrors the action. The tale is set in the week before Christmas with snow on the ground and generally very inclement weather.
Dublin is the location as we travel from police headquarters around the city.
Our upbringings shape the adults we become. Cruelty begets cruelty with disastrous consequences.
The Puppet Maker was a gripping, realistic read. If you like cosy mysteries, this is not for you.
I think The Puppet Maker would make a marvellous Netflix series – definitely not for the squeamish!
I received a free copy via Rachel’s Random Resources for a blog tour. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

This first book in the series hits the ground running and introduces a new investigator on the scene, namely Alana Mack, who is a detective in the small Irish seaside town of Clonabee. Alana is still coming to terms with the after effects of an accident which has confined her to a wheelchair. Alana does not see this as a disability and is determined to be unfazed by anything that comes her way but when a missing person case suddenly becomes much more complicated, Alana and her team of detectives are set a difficult challenge to find out just what evil is afoot in this sleepy seaside town.

I thought this was a good thought out mystery which had everything I wanted to find in a psychological thriller. At the centre there’s a genuinely heart breaking story line concerning an abandoned two year girl and as the alternative chapters are narrated by Alana and the girl’s mother we get an interesting perspective on what is happening. Add a series of mysterious disappearances into the mix and pretty soon the story is awash with spills and thrills, twists and turns, all of which kept me guessing and I enjoyed trying to put together all the pieces of this complex puzzle.

As this is the first book in a new series involving Detective Alana Mack, we didn’t get to know absolutely everything about her in this first novel and I enjoy the anticipation of discovering more about the whole investigative team as the series progresses. The Puppet Maker, whilst quite dark in places, is an enjoyable crime thriller which kept my attention from first page to last.

✨My Thoughts✨

Thanks to the Blog Tour organiser and the publisher for my place on the tour.

The prologue and the first chapter had me so intrigued and also a little scared of what was to come.

Alan is such a strong female Detective despite what’s been happening her personal life recently, I don’t think I’ve read a book with the main character is wheelchair dependent but I’d definitely like to read more as it’s so inclusive.

Clonabee the small Irish seaside town is so atmospheric and the perfect setting for this story, who knew it was the place that three sinister and baffling crimes had been committed?.

This story was somewhat dark and quite horrific, which I absolutely loved and it’s a fantastic start to a new Detective series that I’m excited to read more about.

It’s been awhile since I’ve read a book like this! It was a little slow for me, but it picked up halfway through. I couldn’t put the book down! It’s told in a few POV’s, but I was able to keep track very easily. I was a bit confused at first with Alan’s name, but I quickly got over that. Alan is an amazing FC and I loved reading her point of view. She’s smart as a whip, and I just thoroughly loved her character.

If you like a bit of a slow burn, with a few point of views and a mystery, pick this book up. It’s really good and kept me on my toes. I can’t wait for the next one!

When Detective Alana Mack arrives at Clonabee police station, in a small Irish seaside town on the outskirts of Dublin, she doesn't expect to find a distressed two-year-old girl sobbing on the floor. Abandoned in a local supermarket, the child tells them her name is Casey. All Alana and her team have to go on is a crumpled note begging for someone to look after the little girl. This mother doesn't want to be found.

Meanwhile, Alana and her team are working on the case of a missing, retired news agent who seemingly disappeared from his home in the middle of the night.

What follows is a dark plot full of twists you don't see coming.

I really enjoyed this new book in a brand new series. I loved getting to know the new characters. Some I loved and some......not so much.

This was a brilliant read and I look forward to reading more.

I'm very fond of Jenny O'Brien's writing so when I saw she had not only a new book, but the start of a new series - well, I just had to get in there!

Alana Mack expects the unexpected in her job as a detective, but even she is taken aback when she arrives at the Police Station in Clonabee, a small seaside town near Dublin, to find a two year old screaming the place down. The child, Casey, has been abandoned in a supermarket with a note asking the finder to take care of her and not to look for her mother. She doesn't want to be found. Alana is newly confined to a wheelchair following an accident and is still coming to terms with the restrictions that puts upon her, but she feels an affinity with the little girl and finds herself being responsible for her while working her cases. Reluctantly, Alana contacts her ex-husband for help . . .

Wow - just wow. This author has never failed to amaze me but I think this is her best novel yet. It drew me in from the first and kept me focused until the very last. Very cleverly written with plenty going on providing me with a thudding heart and some stomach churning moments. I know I'm going to follow this series; such a cracking start! Loved everything about this one and, of course, am happy to give it all five brightly sparkling stars and my highest recommendation.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

Alana Mack is a disabled detective in Clonabee in Ireland. On going into work one day she finds a screaming child who she ends up taking home with her until social services can find her a foster home. A homeless man comes across a bag of meat in a bin only to find that they’re human remains. Now with two cases on her hands Alan’s workload gets even bigger. A strange coincidence finds that the two cases are actually linked. It’s getting close to Christmas Will Alan and her time be able to get these cases solved before the holidays start. A great start to a new series.

We start with an abandoned little girl. She has a note attached to her asking whoever found her that her name is Casey and that she will need looking after. It also begs them not to go looking for her mother...
Enter Alana - aka Alan (which threw me a LOT during the book) a Detective based out of the small police station in Clonabee. She is still recuperating from a nasty accident which has left her wheelchair bound. She forges a bond with the little girl and is determined to help find her family. So much so that she enlists the help from her ex-husband who happens to be a child psychologist. Slowly they start to unlock the horrors in Casey's mind through drawings.
Meanwhile, there's a missing newsagent and a bag of bones is brought into the station by a couple of homeless guys. Connected? Or is it all just stacking up for the Police? And if that isn't enough to deal with, someone is leaking sensitive information to the press...
Wowsers... there's a lot going on in this book. And, with it also being a first in series, we also have all the usual introductions and scene setting that going with that! So much so that, at times, it did all feel a wee bit busy. Coupled with the fact that I did have problems with a traditionally male name for a female lead and it was not as easy a read for me. We also had multiple "voices" and switched often so I never really got settled. All that said, I did get through it and was more than rewarded for my endeavours!
It's fast paced and quite hard hitting. Pulling no punches. There is also no superfluous waffle or padding to distract from the story which is good as it is busy enough with all going on.
All in all, despite a few niggles, a good solid read and I am definitely looking out for the next in series. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Detective Alana Mack is surprised to find a distressed two-year-old child sobbing on the floor when she enters the Clonabee police station in a small Irish beach town on the outskirts of Dublin. The child, who was found abandoned in a nearby shop, introduces herself as Casey. The only information Alana and her crew have is a scrawled message pleading for someone to watch the young kid. This mother is not looking to be located.
Alana, who is still recovering from a terrible accident that has left her navigating a new life in a wheelchair, finds herself suddenly in charge of Casey while trying to find the mother who has gone missing and solve the case of a retired newsstand owner who has mysteriously disappeared from his home.

Through Forensic Art Therapy, Alana learns that whatever darkness is behind the black windows in Casey's crayon drawing—her ex-husband and child psychiatrist Colm—the young girl was scared of the home she lived in.
Then, when a bag of human remains is discovered in a trash can, a startling connection is discovered: the DNA matches Casey's.
If Alana is to stop another life from being taken, she and her squad must quickly locate the body and tie it to the missing newsagent. Can Alana put aside her emotional investment in this case and track down Casey's mother and the murderer before it's too late, though, given that someone in her department is leaking sensitive information about the investigation to the media?

This opening book of a new series proved to be an outstanding start. The author's narrative was distinct, well-crafted, and engrossing. The suspenseful mystery engendered a captivating and immersive experience that held my attention from start to finish.

One of the most commendable features of the book was its protagonist, Alana, who was a fascinating and multi-dimensional character. Each character was portrayed with depth and authenticity, bringing them to life as if they were real individuals.

The plot’s pacing was meticulously calibrated ensuring the story remains absorbing and appealing. As the story unfolds, I became increasingly invested in the characters' lives and eager to know the conclusion. The twists and turns were cleverly crafted, resulting in heightened suspense until the book's ending.

This is highly recommended for the more discerning reader. The author's skilful writing style laid the foundation for what promises to be an exciting new series, and I have been left eagerly anticipating the next instalment.

This is the first of the series and it has the makings of a rivetting read! Set in Ireland, Detective Alan Mack is wheelchair bound following an accident that cost her the use of her legs, her child and her marriage. However, she is a respected leader of a good team. The book begins with a child left at a supermarket, and leads to a woman being held prisoner by her brother, who's life experience has twisted him in ways unimaginable.

The conclusion is exciting and really draws the reader in. The story is told well, from several perspectives, and we really get to know and engage with the characters. Maybe some closer proof reading needed but otherwise well written and an unusual main character for us to identify with. I look forward to reading more!

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have to say, Alana Mack is a very interesting and complex character. The case was dark, gritty, and totally creeped me out. I loved this story! I'm excited to get more of this series. I have so many questions. An excellent first book that drew me in from the very beginning.