I really enjoyed The Lost Girls of Penzance, more than I expected to!
I did grow weary of some repetitive elements, particularly Lauren telling herself she does not care what her team thinks, and Matt noting that the team dislikes Lauren. These were overstated and the point was made early on. The characters are set up to lead into a sequel and subsequent series.
As someone who works in childcare myself, I was positively chilled and disturbed by the details of children going missing from their childcare centers. As uncomfortable as I was, it was in a satisfactory way that made me appreciate the story.
The storyline was entertaining and a wonderful mystery. Though the ending was not shocking, it wraps up nicely.
Thank you to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the advanced read. I trust that many readers will enjoy!

What a great start to a new series. It was good to catch up with Detective Matt (if you’ve read Sally Rigby’s Cavendish & Walker series you’ll know Matt Price already) and see what he’s been doing since leaving Lenchester. His new job, and boss, is very different to what he’s used to but he took on the challenge and succeeded.

I can’t wait to read the next book in this exciting series.

This is book 1 in the author's new a Cornwall murder mystery series. I have to admit up front that I was not a fan of Lauren, and that may have skewed my reading somewhat. I did guess who the suspect was rather quickly and that may have also played into my feelings about the story. As a police procedural it wasn't bad, I was just expecting more, based on the author's other books. While it's an engaging enough story with it's modern twist, I'm hoping that perhaps as the series evolves, both the character and the formula will turn a bit more traditional.

I was completely gripped by this book. It had realistic characters and a plot with twists to keep you guessing. There were several cases for the team to solve and they worked them in tandem. I kept turning the pages to find out if the girls were found. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series

Brilliantly crafted story which demonstrates how events in peoples lives fashion what they do. I did not spot the abducter or murderer and admired the way the author and her editor had brain stormed this excellent book. Thanks to NetGalley and the amazing team at Storm Publishing for the chance to review this book prior to publication.

This was my first read by this author and I'm smelling sequels in the air already. A great starting book to a series with intricate characters and new relationships. I like the fact that the protagonist wasn't an instant hit with everyone around her, as with a lot of other books where the hero can do no wrong.
I quite enjoyed this tale and would be interested in seeing other things that the author has written.
Thanks to Netgalley and the author and publisher for a temporary copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really like the Walker & Cavendish series by this author so was looking forward to reading this new series. I wasn't disappointed. A good storyline that gripped me from the first page with a few twists and turns are for an enjoyable read. Although the main character wasn't too likeable hopefully she will get better as the series goes on. Can't wait to read the next book.

seemingly straightforward cold case comes racing into the present day for DI Lauren Pengelly, with the discovery of skeletal remains, before the focus then changes for her team, including newly-widowed father Sergeant Matt Price, when three very young girls are covertly abducted from their daycare nurseries.
What's the link to Matt?
Much emotional turmoil ensues, as suspects arise amidst a veritable barrel of red herrings, while the guilty seem to slip the net along with the innocents as they're later discarded.

Guaranteed to keep you gripped firmly by the imagination throughout, get your copy of Sally Rigby's The Lost Girls of Penzance today, and check your little ones are safely tucked in to sleep tonight!
Edit Review

This is an easy read, set in Cornwall, featuring DI Lauren Pengelly. I didn't like her character but this may change in future books! I liked the pace of the book, although I did guess who the culprit was. I would read another in the series and I hope I get to see a different side to Lauren's character. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

A great new series
DI Lauren Pengelley is about to go on leave when skeletal remains were found on a derelict farm, it`s DS Matt Price`s first day on the job when a little girl goes missing from a local nursery, Matt is worried as he`s newly widowed with a 3yr old daughter in a local nursery so desperate to solve the case.
Lauren and Matt are a great team, love the characters and looking forward to more of the series.

Thanks to the Author and Netgalley for the ARC and I give my honest review.

I really enjoyed this first instalment of what is building up to be a great procedural series. I liked the way the police characters interacted with each other and the slow thaw of the Ice Maiden. Will definitely look out for the next one in the series and I can’t wait to see how the characters develop over time.

This book was gripping from the start, full of ups and downs, literally thought I was on a rollercoaster of emotions! Couldn't wait to finish the book to see the ending, it was epic. Really enjoyed every minute of this book.

Wow! I was expecting a cozy with that title! Not at all, this was a police procedual with non-stop action, and interesting characters. I look forward to more with these characters.. Highly recommend this book and the series, as I hope there are more planned. This story was a mother's worse nightmare (or father's).

2.75 Stars rounded up to 3 Stars

The Lost Girls of Penzance is the first in the Cornwall Murder Mystery Series, and my first book by this author. This crime/police procedural novel features DI Lauren Pengelly and her newly appointed sergeant, DS Matt Price, as they try to crack two seemingly unrelated cases, both taking place in their small rural town of Cornwall. I was intrigued by the premise of this story, which I did find suspenseful for much of the book. However, I did solve the case on my own long before Pengelly and Price did. There were a few scenes in this story that seemed far-fetched, so you might need to suspend disbelief at times.

I enjoyed getting to know the main characters, and I can see how it might be fun to follow them as they progress through this series.

My biggest complaint with this book was the writing, which was the perfect example of telling rather than showing. Additionally the writing, in both descriptions and dialogue lacked nuance, often seeming quite simplified and basic.

If you enjoy an easy-to-read, medium/fast-paced mystery/crime/police procedural, The Lost Girls of Penzance might be a good choice for you. If you are a sensitive reader, especially when reading about young children, I recommend looking at the trigger warnings in The Storygraph. I will leave it there so that I don't reveal any spoilers.

Thank you to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy (eARC/DRC) in exchange for my honest review.

Writing: 3/5 Plot: 3.5/5 Characters 4/5

My first Sally Rigby novel. DI Lauren Pengelly is two years into her job on the Penzance police force when bones are discovered on a nearby farm. Not an area with a great deal of crime, Pengelly and crew are taken by surprise when a three year old girl disappears from a local day care center later that same afternoon. And thus begins the mystery novel that is sure to be the first in a series. Pengelly is a female version of the crusty old detective and her brand new sidekick — Matt Price — has an engaging backstory and personality that nicely support her. Vera Stanhope and her (two) trusty sidekicks come to mind.

Parts of the story were a little stressful for me — I don’t like to read about bad things happening to children so I’m going to give a little spoiler here to say that the children are OK by the end without giving away anything else in the plot. This is something I would have liked to know before reading. Plot is a little slow but gets good by the end. I like the characters and I feel like the author left room for future character development.

Easy read detective book, plenty going on to keep you reading. 20 year old bones and missing children not something you might link. Enjoyable. Thank you netgalley for the advance copy

This was a little slow starting for me but I loved the book by the end. I am looking forward to seeing how the series progresses.

The Cornish town of Penzance doesn’t experience much crime. Not like the big city. Detective Lauren Pengelly is building her career but plans to move on eventually so she has no interest in building relationships with her team. Work is work after all. On her way to a forced vacation, Lauren stumbles upon the scene of newly discovered human remains. Was the victim murdered?

Detective Matt Price recently moved back to the small town to be close to his parents. After the death of his wife, Matt is rebuilding his life and that of his little girl. His first day on the job is anything but normal with the disappearance of a little girl from a local daycare. This case will be difficult for Matt, given he has a child of his own.

When another child is taken, the team scrambles for clues. What are they missing? How is the kidnapper getting to these children undetected? The race is on to find out before their next child disappears. All the while trying to solve a decades-old case in the area. Can they get to the bottom of these cases and find the perpetrator(s)?

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Lost Girls of Penzance is my first read by author, Sally Rigby. The center character, DI Pengelley, is not a particularly engaging protagonist. She is unbending and uncomfortable around her fellow policemen, and she emerges as a control obsessed heroine. Pengelley seems to antagonize her fellow investigators but is unable to change who she is.

The kidnapping of a series of small children is the basic plot. As a mystery, the plot was easily solved and rather obvious. I suspect that author Rigby will continue to soften Pengelley.

As a cozy mystery, The Lost Girls of Penzance would benefit from a few more twists and turns and some complexity of plot. This was a good read, a basic novel with few surprises. and the potential is there for this new series to improve as it unfolds.

I want to thanks author and publisher for access to this ARC. Thank you also to NatGalley for creating an effective way to access new books.

The Lost Girls of Penzance starts as Detective Lauren Pengelly is about to set off from her hometown in Penzance, Cornwall, on her holiday, and gets called in as human bones have been found. With her new sergeant, Matt Price, she starts investigating - but pretty soon they are distracted by the mysterious disappearance of a local young girl, who was seemingly kidnapped from a local nursery.

Overall I thought this was quite an enjoyable read - it's easy to read and the story itself was engaging. I feel like Pengelly especially will hopefully gain a little more depth in next books in the series and there's promise there - and I hope we get a lot more 'small town Cornwall'!

There were a few things that started to distract me a little from the story - one or two 'coincidences' that were perhaps a little too convenient for the plot and some unrealistic conversations and thoughts - especially things said by the two-year old and situations where Pengelly goes 'I can't believe he didn't tell me this' when she's met someone once, at a crime scene. It occassionally felt like there filler that didn't need to be there - 'well, it must have been an error by HR' does not add lots to the story.

Overall an enjoyable read, if you're into easy to read police procedures/detective stories you'll probably actually really like this. It'd make a relaxing holiday read too.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this eARC.

This is my first read by this author and on the whole I found this to be a good read. I struggled to like DI Pengelley and thought she came across as rigid and unwilling to take on board any one else's views. I also found it hard to take to the new DS - I think he was portrayed fairly well although his actions towards the end of the book were rash to say the least (but understandable) so at the moment I'm a bit on the fence with both these characters. The story starts well with the DI and her team investigating two separate cases with one going on to be a priority. I like the authors writing style, and think the story flows well and is easy to follow. Tension and suspense is created in the short time the story covers and I think this could have been ramped up more. I guessed correctly on the way the plot went and who was responsible and yes, I did enjoy this book, but it didn't really wow me. Saying this though, I'd want to read the next book and hope the characters will grow more on me.

If you like police procedurals I'd recommend this book.

3 ⭐⭐⭐
Comment