Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.

The dolphin, a cargo ship runs aground. There are no crew, only the murdered captain. Then three children, and who are not talking are found on board. Tessa, Danny and Maggie as well as Pavlov the dog are sent to investigate. There are links to criminals and to political figures. More deaths and then one of the children is kidnapped by the Merrow, a mysterious woman spotted on the dolphin’s cctv. Can they get to the bottom of things?

This had me hooked from the first chapter. The vice descriptions of the storm and how the ship ran aground were engaging. In fact, I was frustrated not to get her whole story and to switch to the prospective of the detectives.
It was enjoyable to see Tessa’s relationship develop with the coastguard. Also to see Maggie and Danny coming into their own too. The story was fast paced and there was a lot going on. Many suspects and threads of stories. All were finished and no loose ends were left, but there were times when it was hard to keep track. I would guess that mimics the pace of a real police investigation (at times).

This is one I highly recommend and I look forward to catching up with these four soon!

A interesting read. Kept me guessing all the way.
A good book. I like the characters.
I recommend this author and already look forward to the next one

This was an enjoyable read. It gave me something to look forward to and the end of the day. The author keeps you guessing until the end as to whose nefarious plot this was, giving several characters motives over the course of the book. I read this book quickly, mainly because I couldn't put it down.

Only the Children (DI Tessa Burns Book 2) by S.A. Dunphy is an Irish police procedural and book 2 in the series.

When a cargo ship runs aground off the Irish coast, the police are horrified to find the captain dead at the helm, the crew missing, and three little red-haired children, terrified but unharmed, locked in the galley kitchen. As an expert detective running a child-centered task force, Detective Tessa Burns is called in to lead the case.

I like the characters and the way the story is told. The story had drama, tension, and good twists. The book was hard to put down, and the action flowed well and held my interest.

I would recommend this book and this series.

#OnlytheChildren #NetGalley @bookouture

Detective Tessa Burns is the head of a special task force dealing with cases involving children. She has two humans in her team, Maggie and Danny, and Pavlov, Maggie's dog.
Tessa is called out to a ship that has run aground. The Captain's throat has been slit, and the other crew are all missing, presumed drowned in a storm.
Three children are on board, and the shipping company knows nothing about their presence. But none of the children are speaking.
Camera footage is found of a small woman on the ship, and it is a mystery as to why she was there in the first place.
Tess and her team are investigating the identities of the children and whether the woman is responsible for the murders of the crew.

This is the second book of the series, and I am beginning to like Tessa, and I find her team fascinating, they are all so different, but make a good fit.
Tessa is a feisty detective, very dedicated to what she does for children, and is aware that her empathy and dedication can be traced back to her own terrible childhood.
I really felt sorry for these particular children, how evil their father was!!

I do recommend this series and am looking forward to reading the next book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this book.