Detective Alana (Alan) Mack works with her team out of Clonabee, a coastal suburb of Dublin. A hardworking, conscientious woman, Alan has a lot to contend with, both professionally and personally. Her nemesis is her boss, Ray ‘Ox’ Reilly, who makes no secret of his discrimination against both her gender and/or her disability. When the team struggles to find the reason for and the whereabouts of a missing local man, the boss’s anger is barely contained. Add into the mix an abandoned child, plus another missing man and the DS is fit to explode. Asking for additional help, Alan is given William Slattery, a fairly new Guard, whose father just happens to be the newspaper owner, Billy Slattery. When headlines start to appear in Slattery’s papers, disclosing details only her team know, Alan is concerned that her new team member could be to blame. Needless to say the DS is absolutely furious, and takes his anger out on Alan.

This is a tense, intriguing read with some gruesome passages. The storyline includes office politics as well as solving cases. The book is a quick read, and interesting, though a tangled denouement with William and his arrival at The Lodge. Although the first book in a new series, there are several references made that need more background. Perhaps these will slowly be uncovered in future books.

The one point I thought odd was shortening Alana to Alan, though I do appreciate that this was done as a dedication, as per the acknowledgments. For a strong willed character who comes across as a proud, professional woman, this doesn’t seem to be something she would do. Again, perhaps this will be explained in future books.

A good start to a new detective series.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm.

I have to admit here firstly, hadn't read any of Jenny O'Brien's books before reading The Puppet Maker and I was so engrossed by the paxe, the writing style, the twists in the story that I went ahead and bought two more of hers after finishing this one- goes to say how much i enjoyed the book!
Thank you Netgalley and Storm Publisher for the ARC !

A fantastic start to a new series! I loved the characters and was totally immersed in their world for the duration of the story. A clever storyline and great characters, looking forward to the next instalment.

Excellent police procedural with an unusual lead detective. I really enjoyed reading this book. All the characters were well drawn, and the story draws you in as the book proceeds. I hope to read more books in this series by Jenny O’Brien. Highly recommended.

This was my first book by this author and after this I will be reading more! This was the first mystery thriller/police procedural in a series and I can’t wait for the next one! There was so much going on in the beginning but it was so well written that it was easy to follow and not get lost. I loved the characters and the story and how everything came together at the end!

A gripping, suspenseful thriller story set in Dublin, “The Puppet Maker”, by Jenny O’Brien (Storm Publishing), features an unusual leading detective and a cast of characters that will grow on you as the narrative progresses
I liked the complexity of the plot and how the different plotlines gradually tied together and characters that initially seemed unrelated later interconnected.
Alana Mack is an interesting leading character; it’s great that she’s a woman in a man’s world, disabled, and that there’s no great drama or fuss about it. She’s strong, determined and brave.
All the characters, relationships and interaction grew more compelling as the story went on. I was particularly curious about a potential romance between Alan and Billy, and amazed with William’s dramatic baptism by fire.
The story is hard and gruesome, a cruel portrayal of domestic abuse and violence and how violence perpetuates itself through generations.
I liked the depiction of Dublin and its outskirts and how the scenery and the weather and climate conditions are important elements of the story.
Some details seemed too unprofessional or rash to be believable: wouldn’t examine carefully the child be an immediate task? Although explained, William’s decision to advance alone seemed amateurish, even puerile.
Even if I liked that the heroine is a wheelchair user and adjusted to her new reality, I felt sometimes the disability’s portrayal was a bit superficial.

I dont know whether to class this as a police procedural, a thriller or a mystery but whatever it is.... it was Ana amazing read!

There was just so much going on in this and it did take a wee bit of time for me to grasp who all the chargers were but it's so cleverly written and I when everything starts to fall into place, I just couldn't put it down!

It's well written, the characters are well rounded and humanised, the plot is constantly moving forward at a good pace and all I can say is get stuck in!!

The Puppet Maker is a mystery thriller that was interesting! It read a lot more like a murder mystery than a thriller. It was a bit slow and I wasn’t in love with all of the characters. Things I thought the book did well on was the disability representation and the construction of the crime investigation. It felt like I was watching a crime show unfold. I enjoyed how there were multiple cases introduced but then they began to blend together. I feel like the gruesome nature of the crimes committed did make it feel a little like a criminal minds episode. Things I didn’t love: I felt like the little girl’s story with Alan was unresolved. I wanted them to reconnect at the end or have there be a better ending with them. I didn’t love that it was marketed as a thriller but it didn’t feel like one. There weren’t any crazy twists. I wasn’t shocked or awed.
Overall, I think it was a decent book. I would recommend to people who like mysteries and crime books versus thrillers.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC and review it honestly.

A fantastic start to a new series set in Ireland about Alana Mack and her team. Alana has her hands full with an abandoned child , missing people and body parts. It is an exciting story which was emotional in parts and I look forward to reading more

The Puppet Maker by Jenny O'Brien is a very good book. I cannot wait to read more by this author and in this series.

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.

I really enjoyed these characters and liked how they interacted. The story had a satisfying ending for the various characters and the storyline in general. There were many interesting characters and storylines that held my interest, and I was excited to see how things would turn out. One of the characters, Penny, endured abuse, and though her injuries faded, the memory remained, tearing a hole in her confidence and self-belief, but she was still such a strong person to do some of the things she did.

There were multiple storylines, and seeing how they all connected was so intriguing. The Puppet Maker has good characters, a good story, and an enjoyable police procedural set in Dublin. I am looking forward to reading more. A great new series with a great female protagonist.

#ThePuppetMaker #NetGalley @Stormbooks_co

Didn’t expect to spend my day reading this but once I started there was pretty much no stopping me. Was devastated I had to go out for a few hours and leave it.
A great police procedural set in Dublin. What more to say than get reading. Will be on the lookout for more books by this author.
Thank you to NetGalley, Storm Publishing and Jenny O’Brien for an advanced copy of this book.

we have waited a while. For a new book from this author and new series there two characters who we love from her last series in it to, but this book was worth the wait. A little girl is left in a supermarket. And two men find human meat in a Bin. While looking for something to eat and it is up to detective Alan Mack and paddy to find the mother and the killer Alan has her own problems to contend with her ex-husband. can they find the killer before any more turn up so gripping a brilliant read from a talented writer

I loved the Name of this book it. This is the first book in detective Alana / Alan’s series and it was sooo good. A brilliant start to a new series. I adored Alan she’s a strong woman working 3 different cases which all seem to come together. I loved the partnership between Alan and paddy, i actually liked the date and time at the start of each chapter too. The characters were strong well written and have left me needing to know more about them. This was a fact paced crime thriller i truly enjoyed.

The Puppet Maker by Jenny O’Brien is the start of a new series, set in Ireland. The main character is Detective Alana (known as Alan) Mack who is disabled. Alan’s partner is Paddy. Two homeless men have retrieved some meat from a garbage bin, but one of them is dubious as to its origins and they head to the Police Station. At the same time, a toddler is found abandoned in a supermarket with a note in her pocket. I find Jenny has a great way with words and paints a very vivid picture to set the scene. I have taken to the characters already and can’t wait to see how they all develop, particularly William Slattery, a complex character. And it’s not only the main characters but also the incidental characters who grabbed my interest. Alan’s boss is a real piece of work and makes life very unpleasant for her, but she handles this well. I really enjoyed seeing the inclusion of Rusty and Gaby from Jenny's previous series. Jenny O’Brien speaks with authority on Alan's disability as she has been a nurse for 40 years and 30 of them in a specialist rehab unit. I am really looking forward to reading more in this series.

An exciting and well written new series. Alan( Alana) is a strong and independent detective who hasn't let an accident and subsequent disability stop her doing the job she loves.
Casey is a 3yr old little girl found abandoned with a note saying her and whoever had dropped her off lives depended on not being found.
There are some gruesome bits in the book but these explain the desperation of a mother abandonin8ng her daughter.
The characters all.worked Well together and I look forward tobreading more about Alan and her next case.

This was a great start to a new series featuring Alana (Alan) Mack, the lead detective. I love her character as a recently divorced detective, still doing her job after an accident left her dependent on a wheelchair.

The National Bureau of Investigation was a busy place when Casey, a toddler, was brought in. She was found in an abandoned carriage in the supermarket crying her little eyes out. She was in possession of a note asking that the finder please care for the child but not to look for her parents as it would be too dangerous for both the parent and the child. At the same time, two men down on their luck found a suspicious bag in a dumpster and brought it to the station. Also, a man is missing and his disappearance is suspicious. Are these crimes connected? Can Alan and her team put the pieces together?

Thoroughly enjoyable from the start. Can’t wait for the next book in the series. Thank you, NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC. This is due to hit the shelves on October 17, 2023.

D. I. Alana "Alan" Mack finds herself in a tough personal moment with three cases, an abandoned girl, a bag of human remains and a missing person case, but in the end they all seem to have a point in common.
First novel in the series introduces us to some interesting, fully formed characters that make you feel completely immersed in the story.
It is a fast paced novel, which is read easily and leaves you wanting a little more of both the story and the characters. I look forward to reading more of this series.

Why would a loving mother abandon her young daughter with only a note, pleading for no one to look for her?

Penny is a young, destitute and unwed mother who loves her daughter Casey when she abandons her in a Dublin grocery store one day, left in a cart full of groceries. The inexperienced policeman who discovers her, not knowing what else to do, brings the toddler back to the station. The station is already in an uproar, with two transients having brought in a bag of what appears to be human organs that they found in a dustbin. At the same time, their branch of the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NBCI) is under enormous pressure to solve the disappearance of a recently retired man who has vanished without a trace. As the lead detective in the unit, Alana “Alan” Mack has to juggle all of these different cases along with office politics. When evidence begins to emerge indicating that (a) the cases may have points of intersection and (b) there may be a serial killer on the loose, Alan has to work fast to protect young Casey, find her mother, and get a killer off the street.
This is the first in a proposed series, and it is an intelligent and intriguing story. Alan Mack is a fantastic character, recently divorced (one of the many unfortunate results of the accident that left her paralyzed and in a wheelchair) and struggling to maintain her career. Her immediate superior is ambitious but a lousy cop, and resents Alan tremendously. The new policeman on Alan’s squad is the son of a newspaper tycoon known for sensational headlines, has lodged a complaint against her, and might be the source of leaks to the press. She is a smart cop, a good leader, but has more than a few problems in her life that she must cope with even as she tries to solve the crimes before her with very little evidence. The story is well-crafted, with plenty of twists and turns along the way. I thoroughly enjoyed The Puppet Maker and look forward to reading more of Alan Mack and her crew. Fans of Val McDermid, Ken Bruen and John Connolly should pick this up, as should fans of solid crime novels with an Irish backdrop, Many thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for access to an advanced reader’s copy of this title in a brilliant new series.

Addictive mystery crime thriller,
Meet Disabled detective Alana Mack (Alan) in this cracking new series set in Clonabee Ireland.
Abandoned screaming little girl in a supermarket, with a moth eaten rabbit, a bag of shopping and a note, Please look after her, her life and mine depend on you, not trying to find me.
From the word go and I started reading I knew I would love Alan Mack, a determine woman learning new skills, since losing the use of her legs and with a broken marriage behind her.
Alan with this child Casey, who wants her mummy and Alan sets to work with some Harabo sweeties why would her mother abandon her? the CCTV at the supermarket needs checking, and Casey won't leave her side, then we have the case of floating body parts with a DNA match to Casey, a missing mother it's go go go for the team.
This is a very good start to a new series for readers to love chapter after chapter as we get to know all these new characters and a big surprise of old ones blended in for a perfect end, that fans of recent books by this author will make you smile.

Looking forward now to many more to come.

Ooh what an absolutely thrilling book. I love all the new characters, they come fully formed and jump off the page. I was especially delighted to meet up with Rusty and Gaby again, thank you Jenny OBrien, as I have missed them. Making the lead character disabled was a great idea and certainly adds something new to the police procedural canon. By the way, I was cheering when I discovered who was leaking the information to the press and how Alana dealt with it. This is a fascinating, gripping and slightly humorous tale with fabulous characters that I’m looking forward to meeting again.