I'm going to try another in this series, probably, but I found this book to be unrealistic with a motive that didn't really work. The protagonist is so over-the-top that I can't really believe in her, and the other characters are more defined by their physical attributes than their personalities. The narrator was good, although the mix of accents was odd for me. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me listen to this audiobook

Little Witness is the gripping and hard to put down first book in a new series by S.A. Dunphy. YES!!!! I had the pleasure of having both the book and the audiobook, which made for a completely enjoyable reading experience. I was first introduced to S.A. Dunphy's books when I read his Boyle & Keneally Series. If you have not read those books, I highly recommend them. When I saw he had a new series coming out, I couldn't wait to get my hands (and eyes) on the first book in the series! S.A. Dunphy did not disappointed!

Seven-year-old Aisling Connolly is the only witness to what occurred the fateful evening there was a knock at the door. Hiding, cold and alone after her parents were taken, she recognizes something in Detective Tessa Burns that tells the young girl that she can trust her. Tessa can't help but feel for Aisling, she was once a child witness herself. Tessa and her team are all unique and have their own challenges. The team is made up of Tessa, Danny, and Maggie. Plus, there is Pavlov, the brilliant and loyal dog who is both a calming presence and courageous protector. Another reason to love this book is that this team is dedicated to helping children.

As the investigation kicks into high gear, there is a mounting sense of danger as it is obvious that there are those who will do anything to keep the truth from coming out. There are a lot of secrets and questions swirling around and then there is the mystery of who took Ash's parents and why.

I found this book to be a gripping, tension filled, well written and atmospheric police procedural. I enjoyed the vivid descriptions which had me feeling as if I was right there on the edge of the action as a silent observer. I enjoyed the characters and look forward to learning even more about them and seeing them working together in future books. What a great beginning to a new series!

The narrator of the audiobook did a fantastic job bringing the characters to life.

I look forward to reading the next book in the series!

#LittleWitness #NetGalley #Bookouture #SADunphy

Thank you to Bookouture, Bookouture Audio and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

If you love police procedural books, you have to read this one. I crushed this book in one day. I connected and cared about the characters. I also love that there was disability representation. Ok, I admit it, the dog stole the show! I highly recommend listening to the audiobook. The narrator is amazing. She brought the story to life.

I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for approving my request. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

I loved how this just kept giving. When you thought the mystery had been unraveled, nope, there was another element. Really well executed.

This is a police procedural, and I don’t read too many of those. But the premise caught my attention, and the opportunity for an early read was just too tempting to pass up. The fact that the book is set in Ireland and has a narrator with an accent (I loooove narrators with accents!) are all added bonuses.

A child survivor of a family slaughter grows up and becomes a leader of a police unit that focuses on crimes with child survivors. You have moonshine operations gone wrong, gangs, community wrapped up in dark dealings, and a police unit with a trio of distinct characters with a found-family feel. Plus a dog. (Don’t worry, the dog lives). When mother and father go missing, leaving behind 11 yo daughter, it’s all hands on deck to uncover what happened. It’s dark and brutal at times, but the story moves so fast and the characters are so lovable, I gobbled it up. Will keep an eye out for book 2. Looks like it’s going to be fantastic series.

DI Tessa Burns of Ireland has just been promoted after rescuing a young girl. She is given free rein to choose the area she wants to work in. She chooses to create a new squad to focus on children. Having been a child witness herself after the murder of her parents, she has a deep understanding into the latest child they have rescued, seven year old Aisling “Ash” Connelly. Ash is the only witness to her parents abduction and has stopped talking. Tessa and her squad; Maggie who has cerebral palsy and in a wheelchair and her dog, Pavlov and Danny. The search for Ash’s parents takes twists and turns and exposes a criminal enterprise.
The story is intriguing and kept me listening to find out what happened next! I loved the narrator and her Irish accent. A good story and entertaining listen.
Thank you bookoututre and NetGalley for the ARC.

Little Witness is the first book in the DI Tessa Burns series by S.A. Dunphy. This is the first book I’ve read by the author, and I really enjoyed it!

I thought this was a fascinating crime mystery and I look forward to reading future books in the series! I thought the characters were interesting. This story was fascinating, and I loved it! This was a quick read and I could not get enough of it!

The narration by Melanie MacHugh was fantastic! I loved listening to how she brought the story to life!

I’ll definitely be reading the future books in the series! So good!

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

After having listened to another of S.A. Dunphy's books previously and thoroughly enjoying it, I didn't hesitate to grab the first book in a new series and I wasn't disappointed - it had me gripped from the very start.

The story is absorbing, the pacing is perfect and moved along at a good rate and there is plenty of action. What I think did it for me are the characters - Tessa and her new team of Danny, Maggie and Pavlov are exceptional. They all have their own unique personalities and skills that they use to good effect in the story and it was a refreshing change to have someone with cerebral palsy being a huge and essential part of the story.

The narration was excellent and was perfect for the story; the narrator didn't try to change her voice too much when voicing male parts but relied on a slight change in tone which I felt made for a better listening experience.

Overall, this is an excellent book to listen to and, I expect, to read as well and I would definitely recommend it to others who enjoy this genre and I must thank the author, Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for enabling me to listen to and share my thoughts of this great start to a new series.

Great Book. I enjoyed it more than I expected I would . I have already told two coworkers about the book. I absolutely loved the happy ending!

If you like a hallmark mystery movie but with a little more umph this may be the book for you.

This book is an Irish crime drama about detective Tessa who after solving a big case gets her pick of a new job. She instead decides to create her own team working to solve cases revolving around children and people with disabilities.

She creates her dream team composed of herself, the “almost” always gentle giant Danny, and her friend Maggie and her dog Pavlov. Maggie is wheelchair bound due to her cerebral palsy but that doesn’t stop her from being one tough chick. When we first meet her she’s teaching a wheelchair self defense class.

This book follows this newly formed team on their first case. A little girl has been found after the disappearance of her parents. She may be the only one with the answers to what happened to them, but Tessa’s team will have to get the girl to talk because she’s been mute since she’s been found.

What happened to her parents? What were they involved in? Is she safe now?

Entertaining and engaging. A recommended purchase for collections where crime and thrillers are popular.

A new DI series taking place in Ireland. DI Tessa Burns has just got promoted and chooses her new team. She recruits her fellow cop, Maggie and Pavlov(her dog) and a new guy she takes a chance on but he proves to the be a good choice.

The 3 are sent to investigate the disappearance of Ash’s parents with twists, turns, and action packed story. Loved it

Thank you Netgalley and Bookoutre

This book was a bit of a slow burn, but once things got going, the events unfurled in an intense rush. The characters were well developed and I found the main four we follow to be very endearing.

LITTLE WITNESS by S.A. Dunphy is narrated by Melanie MacHugh and the series starter for DI Tessa Burns, a member of the Irish Garda (police).

I requested this title because I do enjoy a good police procedural, and this was definitely a solid detective story with characters I was rooting for from the start. 4.5 Stars!

Tessa Burns was a child witness when her parents were killed and she has worked herself into her dream job to focus on cases with children. She brings in a team to help and when their first case involves a little girl whose parents have gone missing, the entire team works with little Aisling, or Ash, to try and find them before it is too late.

I felt like I was watching a gritty BBC detective show! I love those, so this was a great fit for me. The narration was wonderful and added to the immersive experience with the Irish accents. Often series starters have to give a lot of info to set up the characters and can sometimes be a bit slow for it. This was not slow to me at all! In fact, I felt like this story was well paced and kept me engaged throughout. I loved how one of the team has Cerebral Palsy and she brings a vital component to the group where the other member is a huge hulk of a guy with a heart.

Clearly I am all about the characters in this, but the mystery and chase was definitely engaging too! I am excited to keep watching this author and stick with this Irish Detective series.

Thank you @netgalley & @bookouture audio for this advanced audiobook and letting me share my thoughts! This will be published on February 11th, so keep your eyes open for this one.

Tessa Burns is a Detective Inspector (DI) in Ireland, having received a promotion after rescuing a kidnapped child. She requested a special team devoted to working on crimes involving children and she got it. Her small team is quite interesting: Maggie, a woman who has cerebral palsy and is mostly confined to a wheelchair and Danny, a police officer with a short temper. And you can’t forget Maggie’s dog Pavlov, who becomes an integral part of the team. All three (humans) on the team spent their youth in foster care and “care homes”, which left them with psychological issues.

The main portion of the story involves a little girl named Aisling (“Ash”) whose parents are missing. She witnessed at least some of what went down at their home. Her parents are expert distillers, her father in particular being able to create liquor that could rival top brands. What happened to them and why? Ash is a great character herself, very smart and resourceful. Pavlov becomes a great comfort for her.

In addition to an interesting and complex mystery, the best part of the book for me was getting to know the three main characters. They all have a fascinating background, the foster home experience tying them together in many ways. I am really looking forward to reading more about this trio (or quartet, if you count Pavlov and I’m certain you should!).

I bounced between the audiobook and the ebook for this title, which was very convenient. The audiobook was beautifully narrated by Melanie MacHugh. Her voice and the accents she used transported me to Ireland.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book and to Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

I have been provided with a review copy of Little Witness from NetGalley for an impartial review. I was just drawn into this wonderful story and I just couldn’t get enough of it. It was just so easy to get lost in this great story. I just didn’t want it to end. I just lost myself in and I just couldn’t get enough of these interesting characters. I can’t wait to see what’s next from this author.

Little Witness by S.A. Dunphy is a good, solid mystery thriller that is setting up a recurring series. It was intriguing, if a little formulaic. I would recommend it for when my friends are looking for this type of book!

Little Witness by S. A. Dunphy
✨crime ✨fiction ✨mystery
____________
Netgalley Arc Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pub Date: February 12th 2024

DI Tessa Burns has been promoted and begins a new team, their first case is protecting a girl whose parents are involved with some bad people and have now gone missing.

This was a good start to a new crime series, it felt new and the characters while definitely have room for growth are real interesting

I really enjoyed this audio ARC! The narrator was amazing. I loved her accent and the way she didn’t try to do a male voice. I would listen to more of her books for sure!
The storyline kept me curious and engaged throughout and I really liked the detective, Tessa’s character. She was easy to identity with and was such a tough female protagonist.
I don’t want to give anything away with a synopsis, but I loved the scenery and the mystery was well delivered.
3.5 stars for story and such a great audio!
Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the ARC!

I had a bit of trouble at the beginning of the book keeping track of what and where the story was going but once into it a bit it all came together and the result was grand. The narrator, Melanie MacHugh was ten out of ten for me. Melanie was what kept me going at first. She has a lovely voice and she just read not trying to change her voice for all the different characters which helped me a lot.
This is the first book in a new series and the author S.A. Dunphy is a new author to me as well. But I am hooked now and will be looking to see where this series goes. Maggie has Cerebral Palsy and is in a wheelchair and has a service dog, Pavlov (great name).. I liked both of them right away. The rest of the team is amazing as well.
Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture Audio for the ARC